Quality Is Key
We have some of the Best coffee in Fairfield CT right under our nose at Shearwater Coffee Bar. They are dedicated to making sure quality is the key ingredient in all of their products. Their Coffee is 100% organic and their beans come from coffee farms all around the world. There are no harmful chemicals or pesticides used when growing their beans, and they are a Fair Trade business. Shearwater has total control over the importing, roasting, and growing.
Shearwater Coffee started 7 years ago in Trumbull, Connecticut and has not stopped producing quality coffee ever since. The Trumbull location is their roasters, which I had the pleasure of taking a tour of. At this location they roast 200-300 pounds a day and last year they roasted about 75,000 pounds of beans. Shearwater opened their third location this past September in Westport, which is a full service operation like their Fairfield location.
What Shearwater Does for Fairfield University
Shearwater currently has a two year agreement with Fairfield University to sponsor student and sporting events. At the end of February they will be sponsoring one of our men’s lacrosse games. Look out for them on campus this Saturday, February 29, 2020 at noon. Fairfield also serves their coffee at all school events that are catered by Sodexo.
Look out for their Fairfield blend, which can be purchased at the Stag Snack Bar as both whole beans and ground. This blend is a combination of their Papua New Guinea and Colombia blends. This blend was created from a taste test the professors took, so its the perfect gift for your favorite Stag coffee lover or favorite professor.
What To Get & Where To Get It
My friends ordered a cold brew coffee, hot chocolate, and an almond croissant; they all loved it. I ordered an oat milk latte and avocado toast. When I tell you this was the best avocado toast I have ever had I am not lying. Shearwater gets their bread from Fairfield Bread Company and it was amazing. My oat milk latte was the perfect pairing to it. My latte started with 2 shots of their espresso blend like all their other drinks but what makes it a latte is the ratio of steamed milk they use in it. Lattes have the most amount of milk in them, and the macchiato has the least amount with just a thin layer of foam on the top. All of the flavors in my latte come naturally from their coffee beans; they do not use any sugar or flavoring.
Their coffee can be found at Whole Foods Market ( Fairfield, Westport, Darien, and Milford CT locations), The Fresh Market (Westport, Avon, and Guilford CT locations), and other food stores and restaurants located throughout Connecticut.
Where They Get Their Products
Using local vendors is very important to Shearwater Coffee. They have partnerships with The Common Bond Market for their Vegan and Gluten Free baked goods and SoNo Baking Co for their other pastries. Another great partnership they have is with BE Chocolat, a Belgian chocolate company located in Fairfield, Connecticut. They focus on highlighting local companies and local ingredients as well as exotic coffee beans that are locally roasted.
If you are a fan of Green & Tonic like I am, you will love the fact that Shearwater serves grab and go items at both their Fairfield and Westport location. Wraps, salads, noodle bowls, and oats are always available when you are looking for something quick to grab with your coffee. With this partnership, Green & Tonic serves Shearwater Coffee at all 5 of their locations.
How They Brew
Viewing Shearwater Coffee’s Roasters was really interesting! They showed us how they roast the beans, cool them, and how they are packaged. They get their coffee shipped in from Central America, South America, East Africa, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. They use a gas fire drum roaster to lower their carbon footprint. Plus, the two different heating elements of propane and infrared light gives a cleaner roast. It takes about 12 minutes for them to roast each batch and each bean is profile roasted so it is never over or under roasted. The timing of the roast depends on if it is a light, medium, or dark roast.
When we got to the roaster location in Trumbull, they were roasting a batch of Papua New Guinea for the Fairfield lacrosse game this Saturday. After roasting they cooled down the beans right away in order to get rid of any bitterness. After this they store the cooked beans for a day to let them rest and release essential gasses. Once the roasting process is completely finished they package and deliver to its required location. Shearwater only roasts as much as what is ordered to ensure its high quality and freshness.
So the next time you are in the mood for quality coffee, think Shearwater. It is better for your tastebuds, and the environment!