Last updated on October 18, 2020 by Liza Hawkins
Admittedly, it doesn’t take much to bring me joy — they say “it’s the small things,” and I’d have to agree. Like a breathtaking sunset, an announcement of a new season of your favorite show, or really good coffee.
Speaking of really good coffee, I was invited to tour Dublin Roasters in Frederick, Maryland, while on a mini-vacation to the area earlier this fall. The goal of my visit was to understand the process by which they specially roast their uniquely sourced beans, as well as learn more about Serina Roy’s vision as owner and founder — and to have a tasty latte along the way. (Of course, right?) And then to spread the word!
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Other people’s stories have always fascinated me, particularly their origin stories and the background involved in making them who they are today. The things that happen behind the scenes when all you’re focused on is getting a cup of coffee, you know?
Years ago when we lived in Frederick, I spent a decent amount of time in Dublin Roasters’ quirky and comfy café space, networking or just catching up with friends. Given the pandemic, that inside space on North Market Street doesn’t exist as it used to. It’s more of a staging area for what’s now become a walk-up café with a carry-out menu and outdoor seating.
So many small businesses have had to course-correct in 2020 with the pandemic, especially restaurants and those that relied on local foot traffic. I’m hopeful for Dublin Roasters and the ways Serina has managed to make lemonade out of lemons by shifting to alternate ways beyond the storefront of getting her coffee into our hands. (Or … should that be espresso out of instant coffee grounds? Okay, bad joke.)
But wait! There’s more…
In the interest of spreading the word, especially now that you don’t have to live in Frederick (or even nearby) in order to enjoy Dublin Roasters’ coffee and products, I’m going to share a few neat things I’ve learned since my visit that go beyond just the cool aesthetic I already know and love.
Dublin Roasters in Frederick: 5 Cool Facts
1. They have a subscription service called Dublin Coffee Club so you can set it and forget it.
Serina chooses a unique coffee from around the world to showcase monthly, and you get to choose the grind (or no grind), roast preference, delivery cadence and bag size. Don’t live in Frederick? No problem — Dublin can ship anywhere in the United States, including the good ole Midwest where we’re living these days. Yay! I just got my first monthly shipment last week.
2. You can order à la carte online and pick up locally OR have it shipped.
Whether it’s regular coffee, flavored coffee, or other products like t-shirts, their Dirty Hippie Spice Kit or even masks, you can place your order online to pick up or delivered while nestled in the comfort of your home. Remember to use the code FOODIE10 for 10% off your online orders!
3. They roast the beans in small made-to-order batches.
Coffee beans are green when they start the process — I had no idea! Serina stores them in large burlap sacks just behind the one-of-a-kind roaster that was engineered just for her specific coffee roasting purposes. “Combining the science of coffee with our expert culinary palates, we choose to roast-to-order in small batches,” she describes. “All the flavor we seek in a coffee bean is locked in the green (raw) bean. The roasting process releases the oils and acids that give each variety of bean its unique flavor.”
Small batches also allow for creative blends developed by Dublin Roasters’ employees and fans! Regular coffee blends include options like Serina’s Blend, Matt’s Blend and Unicorn Coffee; flavored coffee blends include options like Mandy’s Madness, Highlander Grogg (makes me think of Outlander) and Southern Pecan. Yum!
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4. They make it a point to support other local organizations.
One great thing about Frederick and the local business culture is that there’s a feeling of “we’re all in this together.” Leadership Frederick County truly opened my eyes to that when I went through the program in 2010.
Through Dublin Roasters, Serina has supported local businesses and non-profits, including the Frederick charitable organization Sophie & Madigan’s Playground, where $5.00 from every pound of the Sophie & Madigan’s Playground blend is donated to the playground.
In addition to in-house food stuffs, they also displays local goodies for sale that pair perfectly with the coffee — doughnuts from Glory Doughnuts, scones from The Buzz Cafe, and bakery goodies from Sage Cakery, to name a few!
5. They help open your eyes to a world beyond Frederick through story-telling and photography.
It can be hard to draw me in sometimes and and catch my attention. Pairing story-telling with great photos is one surefire way to make it happen (think Humans of New York, amiright?). I was interested in the roasting process as Serina showed me all the steps, but I was captivated by her stories about travels to Ecuador to meet some of the communities that farm Dublin Roasters’ coffee beans.
A 2019 trip to Ecuador is documented through the “Beyond the Beans” series, and walks you through aspects of the farm-to-table process for coffee beans. What I appreciate the most about this series is Sarah Cooper’s (of Sarah Rachael Photography, also the photo-taker for the shots in this post) accompanying photos that really do the job of showing the story — you can only do so much with words, sometimes. Sarah says, “the power of art to tell a story.” So true!
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We learn about the communities, the families, the economy, and we also learn about the “little things” travelers Serina, Sarah, and their friend Stephen Levene of The Coffee Quest, created to spark joy and laughter along the way, with things like “kindness rocks.”
You can read each of the “Beyond the Beans” posts here:
- Beyond the Beans: Coffee Decline in Ecuador
- All Things Are Possible With Coffee and a Dog: Beyond the Beans Ecuador 2019
- Kindness Rocks: Weaving Friendships (Beyond the Beans: Ecuador 2019)
- Kindness Rocks! Beyond the Beans: Ecuador 2019
- Beyond the Beans: Ecuador 2019
It’s worth nothing that there’s more than coffee and pastries at Dublin Roasters. You can grab a hot tea, hot caramel spiced apple cider (made with local McCutcheon’s apple cider), hot chocolate, plus breakfast, lunch, more baked goods, and other yummy things.
That said, with over eighty varieties of coffee and a passionate bean-sourcing/roasting connoisseur as owner, it’s clear that their artisan coffee will always remain front and center. As it should.
PSSSST: USE THE CODE FOODIE10 FOR 10% OFF YOUR DUBLIN ROASTERS ONLINE ORDER
