Our Story
\MOD\
adjective (informal) - modern
noun (British; especially in the early 1960s) - A young person of a subculture characterized by stylish dress,
the riding of motor scooters, and a liking for soul music, and an affinity for great coffee.
the riding of motor scooters, and a liking for soul music, and an affinity for great coffee.
we are the mods
The modernists or mods as they became known were a group of young people in the United Kingdom post WW2 with a love of all things Italian and American. Vespa Scooters, pencil thin suits and frequenting coffee shops to listen to rare imported American Jazz and Soul records was their mantra. The past was dull and grey, their future bright caffeinated and soulful.
coffee and music - unite don't fight
The mods love of music is rooted in Jazz and Soul. And in particular Tamla motown and rare american soul 45s. Modernism has pervaded every single british musical movement since the british invasion of the 60's when the Beatles, the Kinks, The Who and The Small Faces flew the mod flag and ruled the radio air waves. The early 70's had hard mods or skinheads enamored with Jamacain Ska and Dub, and even the punk scene of the late 70's has its mod edge in the form of The Jam and The Clash. For the 80's the new romantics and for the 90's the ravers. The thing that unites them all and in essence makes them modernists is that they helped redefine what was modern at the time and in doing so became part of the ever evolving mod legacy and story, a quintessentially british story.
growth and beyond
We started modcup in 2013 with the mods love of coffee and music and a Punk/Rave DIY spirit. Who said you cant roast your own coffee? We have a garage, we have a record player and we have spirit. We have grown out of the garage and into 4 retail establishments and a "legit" roastery. We don't miss the garage...
our roasting philosophy
Our roasting philosophy at its core is simple.
With high quality coffee, lighter roasting is better.
We roast delicately to preserve the coffee's natural aromas and brightness.
Our goal is to introduce people to unique and special coffee tasting experiences. Coffees that can taste like peach tea. Chocolate liquors. Blueberry pie. Tropical fruit salads.
In the beans we source, and the manner we roast them—we take pride in showcasing a dynamic coffee experience.
An experience that aims to showcase FAC01 Coffee is a Fruit.
light? medium? dark roast?
We believe at modcup that classifying coffee roasting as simply light, medium or dark is an antiquated way of talking about this ancient craft. There is so much more to coffee and coffee roasting than simply how long the coffee's left in the drum barrel to roast.
Each coffee we roast at modcup has its own distinct profile, and is roasted with timing, temperature, and rest in mind in order to maximize the coffee’s potential.
A coffee's potential is a sum of its parts: the varietal, the terroir—or the altitude, soil quality, humidity, rainfall, temperature, and density of the crops—of the farm where the beans are grown, and the processing of the coffee are all factors that determine our approach to roasting.
Our goal is always the same: highlight the characteristics already in the bean.
We look for brightness, sweetness, and balance. We also look to avoid the ashy, smoky flavors that are found in many darker roasts. If we do develop a deeper, darker roast it is only because that coffee's potential is best showcased in that manner.