What is “The Firkin”?
“The Firkin” is what we’ve chosen to call our limited-run coffees.
At Rail Trail Roasters, we source our coffee from small farms and producers who we know and trust. Being a micro-volume roaster enables us to order from farms that don’t produce enough to supply a larger roastery. We form relationships with our producers and strive to offer the our mainline coffees from the same farm year-over-year.
However, there are also interesting coffees that are not offered consistently year-to-year. Sometimes a farmer tries a new harvesting or processing method. Sometimes, a new farm or coop appears on the scene for a harvest season but may not appear the next. Sometimes called “microlots”, these can be some of the most unique experiences that the coffee world has to offer.
Enter "The Firkin”!
Firkin coffees are those that we buy small shipments of and only offer until they sell out. When the product page says they are “Sold Out”, the coffee is gone! We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to roast it again!
We hope you’ll join us in sampling some of these completely unique Firkin coffees!
Where does the name “The Firkin” come from?
A “firkin” is another name for a small cask, typically used in the beer brewing world.
In my college days, there was a brewery I frequented where the head brewer would, from time-to-time, brew one-off, single barrels of beer. They would use some new ingredient or change up the brewing method, just to explore the results. My brother and I would always try the Firkin whenever it was available, no matter the recipe, just for the new experience. It sparked our curiosity and lead to many discussions about the finer points of the brewing process. I would love to recreate that experience in the coffee world, with a focus on this special bean, its many countries of origin, and the hard-working producers who grow it.
Despite the name, I won’t be aging any of my roasts in small oak barrels. :)
Plus, it’s just fun to say! Firkin!