Wyndhams Coffee Tour

Written By: Sam Ramsey

It’s been an eventful few years for awardwinning local coffee roasters Wyndhams. Prior to the covid pandemic in 2020, they were set to open and host tours in their new showroom, however on the day they planned to open, Barbados went into its first lockdown.

Throughout the pandemic, Dominic and Mandy Wyndham-Gittens (co-owners & husband and wife) worked tirelessly, ensuring that they continued to roast and craft the most spectacular of ethically sourced specialty beans while picking up numerous awards, shipping their coffees worldwide and breaking into the international market, (they’re now stocked in the UK).

Of the awards, Wyndhams have accumulated 13 prestigious Great Taste Awards for their coffees over the last three years (2020, 2021 & 2022), including the coveted ‘Great Taste Producer’ Award which is only given to those with a proven track record of consistently winning Great Taste Awards. Not bad for a tiny team in Barbados! An even bigger feat considering that Barbados is a tea-drinking island.

Wyndhams are big believers in sustainability and responsibility. Dominic and Mandy are incredibly mindful in how they run their business and they also care about employing and giving women a chance to shine. Their team is predominantly female, including the Head Roster, Jalisa Als, who is the most highly qualified female coffee roaster in the Caribbean.

This ladies and gentlemen is a brand to watch! Read on to find out why their tour is undoubtedly one of the best new Foodie experiences in Barbados…

Location & Welcome

Located on Dayrell’s Road behind the Garrison, the building itself has some foodie history. It used to be the Old Humphrey’s Bakery where in days gone by, locals would queue all the way down to the Garrison for freshly baked Bajan salt bread every Sunday. Now it functions as the headquarters for Wyndhams Coffee.

Here, Nia and Sam of Barbados Foodie Magazine had the privilege of being invited to experience the very first Wyndhams coffee tour! And what a privilege it was…

From the start, we knew we were in for something special. The beautiful showroom to the roastery at Wyndhams is where our tour started. Its meticulous and elegant design showcases a mix of bespoke coffee equipment and refurbished antique chairs and tables that are almost entirely Bajan.

Photo courtesy Wyndhams

Dominic (Director of Coffee) started the tour by preparing one of his specialty blends to put us at ease, (2-star Great Taste Award Winner "Dawn Patrol”) while encouraging us to share stories about coffee. Inevitably most of us admitted that our first entry to coffee was instant(!) However, as Dominic admitted, that’s where most of us start!

Roasting

We then met Head Roaster Jalisa (who is Specialty Coffee Association Certified), who was busy roasting beans with what looked like a giant popcorn machine, the roaster! It smelled heavenly, so while we tried to resist the urge to drink more coffee, she told us more about what she did.

We were able to see the beans in their unroasted form before she showed us how the roasting machine worked and the various quality and consistency checks she conducts to ensure a perfect roast each time.

For someone who started in the packaging department before finding her niche as Head Roaster, it really gave us an insight into how meticulous the process of specialty coffee roasting is, and why Jalisa is so celebrated and highly regarded. She is a key part of the team and a crucial reason why they have won so many awards for consistency!

Head Roaster, Jalisa Als

Photo: Sam Ramsey

Cupping

From here, we were invited into the tasting room, which is very much the heart of the Wyndhams empire, and where their cuppings and tastings take place. The walls are colourfully adorned with their new eye-catching branding, giving the space a creative and innovative vibe.

We gathered around a large table where Dominic announced we would be doing our debut cupping session! For those who don’t know, cupping refers to the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is an integral part of checking consistency, as well as developing flavour profiles of select roasts, and combining them for speciality blends. All of which Wyndhams do.

We were instructed how to skim the top of the coffee, and then how to taste it, much like with wine, by sucking in lots of air and making funny noises. It was great fun and highly insightful!

Dominic talked us through 3 different roasts which we sampled first by smell, then taste, and marked down all the different notes and hints we found. We were given individual sheets to write down what we found about each roast and used the handy coffee taster’s colour wheel to help identify some of the flavours we were finding.

Each of the three roasts on the table had certain qualities that were very different, so it was really interesting to see how much variety can be found between each roast.

Photo courtesy Wyndhams

What To Expect

• Tour Lasts Approx 2 Hours Including Cupping Session

• 2-6 Guests Per Tour

• Tours Run on Fridays

• Tours must be booked online in advance www.wyndhams.bb/visit

• Private Tours and Courses can be arranged

• Drinking Water Is Provided

• Alternative milk options are available for Vegans and dairy free

• Like With Wine Tasting, Not All Coffee Tasted Has To Be Consumed - A Pot Is Provided!

• Limited Wheelchair Access

Final Take

The tasting session itself was fun and informative, while the tour was relaxed and casual even though there was a lot of quality information on hand.

Dominic and his team were so incredibly passionate and informative. They didn’t shy away from any questions, which they encouraged us to ask throughout the tour, and really made us feel welcome irrelevant of the different levels of knowledge in our group.

This is undoubtedly one of the best and most unique new Foodie excursions in Barbados. Coffee lover or not, finding out more about speciality coffee will appeal to all!

While the tour we did was tailored to be an introduction to coffee blending, Dominic informed us that he intends to hold different tours based on the guests’ interests and knowledge levels. We are already keen to return to learn more about the best way to brew their coffees!

ROASTED IN BARBADOS

ROASTED IN BARBADOS www.wyndhams.bb

www.wyndhams.bb