By Pete Dulin
Encore Coffee Company in Grandview stores treasures from around the world. Coffee beans sourced from farms in Colombia, Guatemala, and the Congo rest in bins next to storage containers filled with cacao beans from Ecuador, Madagascar, and Tanzania used for bean-to-bar chocolate.
Founder Mike King, who launched the specialty roasterie and production facility in spring of 2016, works with a specialty importer to find ethically sourced beans to his liking. He transforms single origin beans and signature blends in his drum roaster.
“Many roasters use a convection oven to roast. With a drum roaster, I can manipulate the flavors more. The heated air in a drum roaster helps to even out the roast,” says King. “Roasting is the fun part of what I do.”
King, a self-described foodie and lover of coffee, wine, and chocolate, develops coffees with heightened notes and distinct profiles that remain “approachable to customers.”
Encore is not a retail coffee shop. Customers may order coffee beans online. King roasts beans in small batches to order each Tuesday. Orders are shipped or ready for pickup by the end of the week. Encore’s Coffee Club features a subscription service with weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly options for home delivery. (February’s featured coffee is Reserva Pacavita from western Honduras.)
Each bag’s label lists flavor notes, processing method, variety, levels of grind and roast, and roast date. Some labels indicated a “washed” process, such as Encore’s Congo Umoja Batwa.
Coffee harvest at the farm involves picking a coffee cherry, a small stone fruit with outer skin, pulp, and the desirable coffee bean. After harvest, some beans are washed with water to remove organic matter from the bean. Encore uses washed coffee for some single origin offerings which results in a crisp, clean, and bright acidic profile. The Congo single-origin variety exhibits notes of chocolate, brown sugar, and plum.
“The coffee profile depends on what the farm is growing and where it is grown, similar to the terroir of wine grapes. I try to highlight the farm’s product and get the best flavor when roasting beans,” says King.
King expanded to specialty chocolate in summer of 2023 when he began to import whole cacao beans. He slowly roasts the beans to develop a specific flavor profile. In his production facility, the bean-to-bar process involves breaking the bean into nibs, grinding, producing a chocolate liqueur with a high percentage of cocoa butter, tempering the chocolate, and forming the treasured bars. He also creates and prints labels in-house before packaging.
“I learned how to make bean-to-bar chocolate during the COVID-19 pandemic and found it fascinating,” says King. “I decided to give it a shot and launch a specialty chocolate line. The market proved there’s room for locally made premium chocolate.”
The bean-to-bar process involves two days of work, resulting in batches of 50 to 75 pounds per week.
King devotes the same attention to flavor with his chocolate. With the dark varieties, Encore’s Tanzania bar hints at bright notes of red berries while the Madagascar bar tastes like cherry midway through the finish. The Ecuador Camino Verde Fermentary floods the palate with an intense fudge-like character. Encore also offers creamy milk chocolate bars, including the popular Cafe Mocha with rounded notes of caramel and coffee. (February’s chocolate specialty features 70% Dark Ecuador w/ Banana Chips.)
Encore’s 50% Tanzania Milk Chocolate earned a third-place finish in a 2023 international craft chocolate competition, an impressive feat considering that King just began making chocolate months ago.
In addition to coffee and chocolate, Encore’s online shop includes related products from roasted beans in custom occasion bags to spirit infusion kits that contain a vanilla bean and cacao nibs. Just add your spirit of choice, such as vodka, for use in a homemade espresso martini. Walk-in customers will also find locally-made items made with cocoa by-products like cocoa butter and cocoa powder-infused soap bars.
Encore Coffee Company is the result of a longstanding dream. King worked in IT sales for years before deciding to follow his passion and launch his own small business.
“The pandemic was a rough period. Launching the chocolate line as a secondary product was a natural fit with coffee. With both, I highlight the farm aspect. As Encore’s motto says, it’s ‘ethically sourced and simply delicious,’” says King.
Look for Encore coffee beans at local retailers such as select Made in Kansas City flagship stores. Ask for Encore coffee served at The Chive and Simply Grand in Grandview and Encore Coffee Brown Ale at Transparent Brewing (while supplies last).
After a taste of Encore’s coffee and chocolate, your taste buds may be inspired to ask for another delicious performance.
(Encore Coffee is hosting a Valentine’s Chocolate and Coffee Tasting on Saturday, February 10, at 10 am.)
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