Tools They Use: Yellow Brick Coffee Roaster David Perreira


June 13, 2017
a man wearing a hat
By Jackie Tran
By Jackie Tran

Yellow Brick Coffee COO and co-owner David Perreira grew up in Tucson, but spent his fair share of time around the world before settling back roasting coffee.

He obtained his Spanish linguistics degree from the University of Arizona, taught English in Japan for a couple of years, then went to NAU to study international hospitality. He then worked as a manager-in-training at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai before his sister Anna Perreira summoned him back to Tucson to help Yellow Brick Coffee grow with its small batch, specialty coffee roasting.

[tools-david-perreira]

Toddy Commercial Coffee Filter

“Cold brew carries us through the summer. We brew in five-pound filter bags made by Toddy. Our brewing method requires cold filtered water and 24-hour refrigerated brew time.”

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GrainPro SuperGrainbag

“Preserving moisture content in green coffee is important from the moment the coffee is dry milled until it is roasted. GrainPro limits coffees exposure to outside elements as it may be sitting or months at a time without ever being touched. When you know that you are going to have a coffee for a few months, and in this dry Arizona climate, having GrainPro bags that can protect and preserve coffee is essential.”

View at grainpro.com

Regency Chef Grade Twine

“We use twine to tie Ben’s Bells ‘Kindness Coins’ onto our Be Kind Blend bags. The team at Ben’s Bells helped us create this blend a couple of years ago and through the sale of these bags, we’ve been happy to make regular donations to their non-profit.”

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Taprite Stout Faucet

A stout faucet has a small ‘restrictor plate’ (a small disk with holes) that causes resistance and helps the nitrogen bubbles form, giving nitro cold brew its cascading look and creamy head.

“Eight months out of the year, cold brew is our best seller at YBC and at farmers markets. We started distributing our kegs last year, so your may have seen our nitro cold brew on tap around town.”

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SCAA Arabica Scoring Sheet

“The Specialty Coffee Association of America created this to help coffee people perceive coffee objectively.”

Passport

“Get one and don’t lose it. Go see the world and don’t take travel advice from people who don’t have passports.”

Yellow Brick Coffee roaster David Perreira (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Yellow Brick Coffee roaster David Perreira (Credit: Jackie Tran)

Eccolo Notebook

This is used to record roasting data during the roasting process, which includes:

  • Weight going in
  • Time
  • Bean temperature
  • Ambient temperature
  • Gas pressure
  • Delta
  • Development time
  • Drop time and temperature

“The info helps us dial in the perfect roast for each origin.”

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Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper

This single cup hand-brewing device allows for even extraction with less risk of over-extraction, which is a common problem associated with drip coffee makers.

“Great coffee, a reliable burr grinder and a V60 are all you need to open a single origin coffee shop. I may be leaving a few things out.”

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Hario Coffee Drip Scale

“We use these all day, every day for weighing out beans, espresso shots, and every hand brew. The scale measures in .1 gram increments and also has a timer, which we use for timing roasts, brewing and cupping.”

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SF-6 Trier

This small scoop that can be pulled out of the roaster during the roast, which allows the roaster to smell and see roast development.

“Our three-kilo San Franciscan roaster is a work-horse and the trier allows us to smell and see that the roast is developing properly. Last year, we roasted over 1,400 batches of coffee so this trier is very well seasoned.”

 12 oz. Stand Up Kraft Coffee Bag

“Not just a coffee bag. The CO2 release valve helps coffee release gas so the bag doesn’t explode. The zipper lock seal keeps air from getting in. The inner foil lining prevent light exposure. We’ve had these bags and this logo for a while now. Looking forward to some exciting changes in the very near future.”

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Vertex Cupping Bowl

“The standard for cupping coffee is a ratio of 8.25 grams of coffee to 150 milliliters of 200-degree (F) water in a ceramic bowl. This past February in Kenya, I cupped around 200 coffees, four of which I bought and will soon be here. I cant wait. Being able to cup is so vital to our operation. We cup samples of coffee in order to help us make purchasing decisions. Once we receive the coffee we’ve purchased, we ‘roast profile’ it several ways and cup those profiles in order to figure out what roast showcases the coffee best.”

View at visionsespresso.com

Silver-Plated Cupping Spoon

“Every time we taste coffee on a cupping table we are judging someone else’s work. It’s really easy to forget that when you get into the day to day operations of the shop. This spoon was engraved and given to me and my sister by an importer that we were working with based in Veracruz, Mexico. They were so passionate about elevating the quality of coffee coming out of Mexico and showing people how great coffee from Mexico can be. Unfortunately, this company is not around anymore but this spoon serves as a connection with origin.”

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Jebena

This traditional clay pot is used to brew coffee in Ethiopia.

“We use it for table decoration at the moment. My sister brought it back from Ethiopia a trip which inspired the traceability philosophy behind of our coffee.”

Glass Coasters

“My mom made those in her glass studio.”

AeroPress

“It’s like a manual espresso without crema. There are a countless ways to brew coffee in this device. There’s even an AeroPress World Championship where baristas compete to win a golden AeroPress. Their recipes are interesting. I don’t know about all that. I always take mine camping with me. It’s virtually indestructible and very compact.”

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Article By

Jackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon...

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