FUELED BY ZEKE'S
Zeke's Family Tree
Zeke’s Coffee is a family-owned and operated company founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 2005. We began selling in the Washington-metro area in 2008, and opened our DC roastery November 2013.
Roasting
At Zeke’s, we use a fluid bed coffee roaster. Invented by Mike Sivetz, a physicist from Oregon in the 1970’s, fluid bed coffee roasters use hot air to create a fountain of coffee beans.This technique roasts more quickly and uniformly than a conventional drum roaster. We roast to temperature, giving us a more consistent product. Chaff escapes the roast chamber easily, leading to cleaner tasting coffee with more distinct regional flavors.
We roast in small batches. It guarantees freshness. It keeps us honest. Our roaster holds 12 pounds of coffee, compared to the 150 pounds that a standard roaster holds. Because of this, we put more time, more labor, and a little more of ourselves into each bean. You can taste the difference.
Where it all started
Zeke’s coffee started with a man and a one pound coffee roaster. Thomas Rhodes sold his first pound of coffee at Baltimore Farmers’ Market in November 2005, and opened a retail space in NE Baltimore in April 2006.
We continue to roast in small batches at our three coffee roasteries, based in the communities that we serve. We use a 30-lb roaster in Baltimore and a 12 pound roaster in Pittsburgh.
Roasting
At Zeke’s, we use a fluid bed coffee roaster. Invented by Mike Sivetz, a physicist from Oregon in the 1970’s, fluid bed coffee roasters use hot air to create a fountain of coffee beans.This technique roasts more quickly and uniformly than a conventional drum roaster. We roast to temperature, giving us a more consistent product. Chaff escapes the roast chamber easily, leading to cleaner tasting coffee with more distinct regional flavors.
We roast in small batches. It guarantees freshness. It keeps us honest. Our roaster holds 12 pounds of coffee, compared to the 150 pounds that a standard roaster holds. Because of this, we put more time, more labor, and a little more of ourselves into each bean. You can taste the difference.
Where it all started
Zeke’s coffee started with a man and a one pound coffee roaster. Thomas Rhodes sold his first pound of coffee at Baltimore Farmers’ Market in November 2005, and opened a retail space in NE Baltimore in April 2006.
We continue to roast in small batches at our three coffee roasteries, based in the communities that we serve. We use a 30-lb roaster in Baltimore and a 12 pound roaster in Pittsburgh.
