Names for his exclusive blends include Wreckless Abandon (instructions on the bag: “Find some inspiration. Sean’s car is actually a bicycle, and he takes that as personally as he does his coffee beans. The beans are mechanically stirred as a vacuum pump cools the fragrant mass. This process is repeated until he hears the barely audible “crack” as the shells break apart to expose the flavorful core within.Īt that brief instant in time when the beans have reached their peak, Hixon unleashes a steaming tsunami of blistering hot beans onto a circular cooling tray. Hixon consults his graphs and equations to monitor, record, and adjust the rate of temperature increase, monitoring the change in color and aroma using a “tryer” that allows him to remove, observe and sniff a cupful of beans while the machine is operating. It is Sean’s baby, and after the last employee has gone home, he ignites the burners to begin the preheating process.ĭepending on the variety of bean and the ambient temperature, 450 degrees marks the moment that he climbs a ladder and empties a 25-pound burlap bag through the gleaming steel hopper and into the rotating drum. (The beans get rather talkative at that point.) The enormous Probat coffee roaster dominates the front window of the shop, and it’s a lot more than decoration. The process requires on-the-fly mathematics, accurate monitoring, and sufficient quiet to hear the subtle sounds that signal the doneness of the roast. The roasting begins as the business day ends. Diners at Victoria’s get to sip his handiwork as they contemplate the Boardwalk and the waves from the three-tiered restaurant. Fast-forward to the present, and Hixon is selecting and purchasing raw beans from all over the planet, roasting them under his own strict guidelines, and blending them into The Point’s signature brews. Oby had also left behind about 300 pounds of raw beans that had long since gone stale, so late at night and on his own time Sean taught himself the art and science of cooking beans. Sean enlisted the help of several electricians who eventually got the massive machine in working order. He quickly developed a fascination for the beautiful - but broken - coffee roaster left behind by former occupant Oby Lee.
He also worked with Lion Gardner at Blue Moon, but eventually became a baker at The Point. Sean comes to The Point by way of Stingray, where he was the pastry chef for the Cherry Tree Hospitality Group.
In fact, the coffee beans actually talk to him. That coffee nerd is Sean Hixon, and he knows his stuff. So you can imagine that coffee is vital to their success so much so that Jeff and Jen Zerby employ a full-time coffee nerd (his words, not mine) who selects, orders, roasts and blends gourmet coffees not only for Victoria’s, but also for The Point Coffee House & Bake Shoppe at the western end of Rehoboth Avenue and Coffee House, their partnership with Schell Brothers at the easternmost end of Rehoboth Avenue. Lewes upstart Swell Joe is an example of this, using next-door neighbor Surf Bagel and other local shops and eateries to promote the taste they love.īy virtue of its location in the upscale Boardwalk Plaza Hotel, Victoria’s restaurant dishes up breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year.
But some entrepreneurs are not happy unless they can order their beans raw and cook them on the premises.
I’ve written before about Café-a-go-go in Rehoboth, where Jesus and Maria Ramirez whip up unusual brews laced with delicacies such as Mexican chocolate and ancho peppers. The culture of coffee has percolated down from bean barons like Starbucks and Caribou to a legion of small shops and roasteries that craft their own style of the world’s beloved morning jolt.
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