Chronicles of a Coffee Aficionado Series

In this episode of “Chronicles of a Coffee Aficionado,” De’Longhi talks to Johan Pesenti, the founder of Coperaco Coffee Co., a micro-roaster based in Brooklyn, New York. Since opening in 2014, Coperaco has expanded its clientele to include some of New York City’s finest restaurants and hotels by approaching coffee roasting from a culinary perspective.

Chronicles of a Coffee Aficionado Series

An interview with Johan Pesenti, founder of Brooklyn’s Coperaco Coffee Co.

De’Longhi believes a quality cup of coffee originates from the care taken in every step, starting from the farm and ending in your cup. In this multi-episode series, we will bring you closer to the people deeply involved in the coffee value chain, including conscious farmers, innovative roasters, and world-class baristas. Welcome to the Chronicles of a Coffee Aficionado.

In our first episode, we will be talking to Johan Pesenti, the founder of Coperaco Coffee Co., a micro-roaster based in Brooklyn, New York. Since opening in 2014, Coperaco has expanded its clientele to include some of New York City’s finest restaurants and hotels, as well as developed a second coffee brand known as Stone Street, which is today one of the best-selling coffee brands on Amazon’s marketplace. The New York-based roaster approaches coffee roasting from a culinary perspective by masterfully combining taste notes to create unique flavor experiences, and has crafted coffee blends for respected chefs such as Eric Ripert and Geoffrey Zakarian. It’s Coperaco’s commitment to roasting nuanced and flavorful blends that led to an organic partnership with De’Longhi, and the creation of De’Longhi’s Signature Espresso Blend. Made to achieve a full-bodied extraction using De’Longhi machines, this one-of-a-kind coffee blend combines taste notes from beans grown across the globe, including chocolate notes from Guatemala, citrus notes from Ethiopia, walnut from Brazil, and caramel from Colombia.

Coperaco now distributes, roasts, and blends various coffees from 35 countries worldwide.

What inspired you to begin a career in the coffee space?

JOHAN: My passion has always been agriculture. It became part of my DNA while growing up on a farm in the south of France. My only daytime activity, besides going to school, was helping my grandfather on the land to harvest cherries or tomatoes when it was the season. This is why I love produce, but as a child, you don’t realize how passionate you are about something until later.

In my beautiful small village of Saint-Quentin-La-Poterie, my dad owned the only coffee shop in town. In Provence, the local coffee shop is somewhat of the “center” of the village, so every Saturday afternoon (when my dad would take his nap), I would be behind the counter as the barista. This brought that hospitality aspect to my upbringing as well.

When I moved to New York to study, I was working in the culinary world as a barista. This was around 2006-2007, and, at that time, there weren’t many coffee shops in New York. This was pre-Third Wave. So once I finished school, I realized I wanted to discover more about coffee farming and found myself with a one-way ticket to Nicaragua in January 2010.

How would you describe the coffee industry today?

JOHAN: Today’s coffee industry is massive. Now more than ever, we have so many options to choose from. From a roaster’s point of view, there are both so many variations of beans to use and new methods for crafting coffee. It has evolved to a level that is unprecedented. For example, you can buy directly from a coffee farm or subscribe to roasters that deliver beans to your home. You can have capsule cold brew makers or fully-automatic espresso machines. So the industry is extremely diversified.

However, access to high-quality equipment and coffee is not equal worldwide. You will find extremely high-quality equipment in homes in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. But the same cannot be said for certain regions of Europe, Africa, or Latin America.

What is your preferred method of preparing coffee at home?

JOHAN: I always start my day with a double espresso. But in my opinion, a double shot is never served on its own. I have my espresso with a slice of toast with some beautiful butter and jam. I then head to the factory where I’ll have my second espresso of the day.

What are your favorite taste notes?

JOHAN: My approach to coffee, especially to espresso, is very specific. I look for the ‘roundness' of the product’s flavor and its overall aroma. For me, a beautiful coffee has a balance between acidity and bitterness, with notes of toasted almond and light touches of chocolate. After 5 minutes, I should notice the coffee’s wonderful aftertaste. That to me is the perfect espresso.

I call this the Mediterranean approach: roundness in flavor with a complex and long-lasting finish. My go-to is usually a medium-dark roast.

How has globalization altered the flavors inside our coffee mug?

JOHAN: Globalization has helped us find new flavors and create unique ways of drinking coffee. It is helping our industry discover specific brewing recipes from across the world. Because of globalization, not only do we get to learn about coffee’s origins, but also the ways people consume coffee. In that sense, it has helped us tremendously as an industry.