Redman’s Roast Coffee

Brian Redman in a relaxed mood in the Drivers’ Club at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2008

Not many folk would have heard about Redman’s Roast, unless that is, you attended Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six event in February 2020, at Palm Beach International Raceway. Most of us like a good cup of coffee, but what is the special link between one of the finest racing drivers in the world and the humble cup of coffee?

Brian Redman in a relaxed mood in the Drivers’ Club at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2015

Brian’s son James Redman explains, “Late last year (2019) a fan of dad’s and a motor racing enthusiast, Mike (from The Roasted Record) offered to provide coffee at our Targa Sixty Six event. He served hot coffee each day at no charge to our members, Redman’s Roast (of course)!”

As an avid Porsche and racing fan, Mike had this to say, “I’m a sports car enthusiast and a Porschephile and the proud owner of a ‘78 Porsche 911. I’ve been in the car world down here in South Florida for a while and have crossed paths with both Brian and James many times over the years. I make sure to attend Brian’s Targa 66 event every year, that is right up my alley.”

Brian Redman climbs out of the #70 Porsche 935 ‘Old Warhorse’ to chat with a visitor at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2015

For those living in the UK and Europe, or further afield in the Middle East, Asia, Argentina or wherever, you may well ask, what is Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six event? Well, in 1991, Brian started Targa Sixty Six, a member’s based event for owners of vintage and modern high performance and collector cars who do not necessarily want to race them, but who like to drive at speed under controlled conditions, in the company of others with similar interests. For those who prefer some assistance, Brian is just one of a number of professional drivers on hand to offer driving instruction, should this be required. The event consists of three days of track use, where members can expect to have around six to eight hours of track time each, or more if they feel up to it. Track marshals, EMS vehicle and staff are on hand to assist if necessary, so it is a fully staffed up, professional operation and you can find out more HERE

The coffee link

The Roasted Record started on a front porch roasting coffee on a home roaster while listening to vinyl records. The origin was a simple blog post on how incredible the sounds and smells were, and how enjoyable the process was. Today, The Roasted Record has grown into a coffee shop, coffee roastery and record store all in one, located in Historic Downtown Stuart, Florida. Although the company has grown, they have remained committed to the original passions of roasting a small batch of coffee and the revival of vinyl records, and serving this up to the local community. Owner Mike Mann says, “We are small and will stay small, and do things the old-fashioned way, by hand and for the sake of craftsmanship.”

So, what is different about Redman’s Roast? Mike explains, “Much like the cars he’s raced and the brands for which he has raced, it is a blend of the finest coffees. And rather than that be just a generic tag line, it’s actually a split between a Fair Trade and Organic Sumatra from the Gayo region and a naturally processed Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.”

The Roasted Record partnered with Diedrich Roasters for both their production roaster and their competition roaster. “We compete in international and nationally based coffee roasting competitions and are perpetually looking for the perfect roast profile. With Redman’s Roast, we spent a considerable amount of time developing the flavour profiles of each coffee in our competition roaster for maximum consistency and precision,” Mike explained.

In 2019, The Roasted Record, won two bronze medals at the 2019 Golden Bean North America awards! The Roasted Record was just one of more than 1300 entries from the best roasters in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and that very same coffee is available for a limited time in their shop and online. Located at 600 Colorado Avenue, Stuart, Florida 34994, their opening hours, due to the on-going Covid 19 restrictions, are from Monday – Saturday: 08h00 to 14h00.

Back to James Redman and the Targa Sixty Six, “In addition, bags of the coffee were available for sale, with a portion of the sales going to the John Paul Jr charitable foundation. The coffee is now available on his website, we don’t make anything from the sales.”

“Redman’s Roast is a special blend of our locally roasted coffees for our racing hero Brian Redman. In addition to being coffee lovers, we also love the glory days of racing in which Brian played a huge part. We are honoured to partner with the legend himself for this unique blend speciality coffee,” Mike Mann added.