Meet the Roaster: Harry from Common Coffee
Updated: Oct 13
Harry’s route into speciality coffee took him from trying his hand with a popcorn machine to roasting professionally in New Zealand, before an unexpected connection brought him to Common Coffee in Edinburgh. Since its beginnings in 2018, Common has set out to make speciality coffee more accessible, putting flavour first and stripping away unnecessary jargon. We caught up with Harry to find out more about his journey, what goes on behind the scenes at Common's roastery and the experiences that have shaped his approach.
Common is one of the independent businesses featured in our guide to Scotland’s best coffee roasters, and we’re big fans of its approach to making great coffee more approachable. If you’d like to discover Common and other independent Scottish roasters for yourself, take a look at our Scotland coffee subscription.
Who or what first pulled you into the world of coffee?
Honestly, at the core of it, I started to learn different brew methods at home and then my YouTube algorithm was throwing me all things coffee, farms, roasting, Hoffmann. I even attempted my own first roast in a popcorn machine (it wasn’t great)
How did you get involved with Common?
Fun story. In my previous job in coffee, I was a coffee roaster at Flight Coffee based in Wellington, New Zealand, and we had an offer to contract roast a coffee to be made into instant coffee for a roaster based in Scotland. That roaster was Common Coffee, so when I moved to Edinburgh the connection was already there! It feels pretty cool to have roasted coffee in New Zealand and to then sell it with a different roaster on the other side of the world.
What’s the meaning behind the name (if any!)?
Common Coffee is there to facilitate the everyday connections that we have over coffee. The origin names we have at the base of it are there to give a gateway into specialty coffee and to highlight the broader flavour characteristics that coffee can offer.
What music are you playing in the roastery at the moment?
It can be anything from the White Lotus soundtrack to a deep dive into a podcast. Currently into the Half-Arsed History podcast.
What’s your favourite piece of coffee-related kit or equipment?
In a world full of amazing coffee equipment, I’m actually just going to say that I have a favourite diner mug that I always drink out of. So probably that!
How do you unwind after a long day roasting coffee?
Roasting after a full day sometimes leaves me a bit numb in the mind so I try to go for a run or cycle in the evening to get some movement.
What’s a coffee that you’re particularly proud of?
My first coffee at Common was a Honey process from Costa Rica called Hermosa. This was our Sweet coffee for the season and I was really happy with the end outcome! Nice full-bodied creamy texture coffee with a low acidity to compliment. Keep an eye out for our sweet coffee in the future, it may be making a reappearance!
What’s your current “desert island” coffee — the one you’d drink forever if you had to?
So many great choices out there. Wolf Coffee roasters in Arrowtown, New Zealand had a pretty special washed Colombian from Luz Helena Salazar a few years back and that has always stuck with me as a favourite. Really light and floral with a subtle sweetness. I would happily have this on any desert island!
What’s a coffee-related dream you still hope to chase?
Just to perfect my latte art… My confidence lies in the roastery, coffees and continuing to build my knowledge here but stick me behind the machine and you may get a tulip or heart on a good day, or you’re stuck with a white blob in the middle.
Discover more from Common Coffee → fancy learning more about some of the coffee Harry is so passionate about? Visit Common Coffee's website to explore their range and find out more about the Edinburgh-based team behind the roasts.
Discover more independent coffee roasters → there's plenty more to discover across Scotland's speciality coffee scene. Explore our Scotland coffee guide or join our Scotland coffee subscription to discover a different independent Scottish roaster each month.
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