When Zach Huynh was thinking of the right name for his coffee bar and roastery, he stumbled across the word Humblebee.
“Prior to WWI Charles Darwin wrote about the male Humblebee and how its pollination was dependent for the existence of foods and nuts. Even in coffee fields the Humblebee’s pollination enhances the quality of yield in Arabica beans,” says Zach. “Imagine what would happen if the male Humblebee disappeared?
As such, Zach appropriately named his business after the agricultural pollinator, and opened Humblebee Coffee in 2013. “I was a barista and owner of a successful café in Subiaco, but I wanted to get into roasting. I took some courses, including Q Grading, and practised roasting at home for three years before I finally took the plunge. Now I focus on serving quality coffee on a Giesen W1 roaster and UG 15-kilogram Probat,” says Zach.
At the time of print, Zach had received single origin micro lots from Colombia La Palma and El Tucán, Mexican Terruño Nayarita and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Wote. These coffees are used as single origins for espresso and filter options. Zach serves its Coogee House blend on a La Marzocco GB5. It currently contains beans from Brazil Sertaozinho, a red bourbon pulped-natural, and El Salvador’s Finca El Manzano Bourbon Natural processed.
“This blend is heightened by flavours including sweet bread pastry, milk chocolate and dark plum,” says Zach.
Humblebee Coffee also serves pour over with Kalita, and Aeropress. “We’re trying to push our filter coffee offerings to open people’s eyes about the different brew methods. “We’re hearing lots of positive feedback from customers,” says Zach. “I love seeing people’s reactions when they try a great coffee and say ‘I wasn’t aware coffee could taste so good.’”
The café design is inspired from Zach’s travels to micro roasters in San Francisco and Scandinavia. “I went overseas for inspiration and came back motivated to continue my coffee career,” says Zach. “What I love about the industry is that I’m continually learning. The more you get involved, the more there is to learn.”