Rooftop began with smoking and fermentation trials on a rooftop in Barcelona. Their website dates the project's inception to 2014 and its professional transition to the Lehmann Factory in 2015. To understand what "smoked" means in their catalog, it is useful to separate three things: the workshop's story, the specific preparation of each food item, and the preparation required by the purchaser.
A workshop and a person identified
Buster Turner explains his work in interviews and reports that provide insight into the project beyond a generic description of "tradition" or "patience." In the report by Miguel Ayuso published on July 18, 2025, the journalist visited the facilities and described a wood-burning stove connected to a smoking chamber. Turner highlighted combustion and the knowledge of the producers as key aspects of his work.
That narrative helps identify who produces the goods and how they describe their craft. It is not a current technical data sheet for all products, nor is it a protocol for reproducing the process at home.
1. The food determines the reference
The catalog includes fish, meat, cheese, and butter. It is not enough to say that they are all "smoked": ingredients, presentation, storage, and usage vary. The trout lists trout, sugar, and salt; the bacon, pork belly and a spice blend; the cheddar, pasteurized milk, salt, ferments, and vegetable rennet.
This is why we do not apply a statement like "only salt and smoke" to the entire catalog. The composition you should consult is the one for the specific reference.
2. The wood is part of the workshop's story
In the interview with Cristóbal Baeza for BBVA on March 16, 2021, Turner spoke about beech, oak, and olive wood, and his relationship with suppliers. Current trout and cheddar data sheets also identify oak. This is more concrete information than "natural woods," but it does not prove that all references use the same wood or the same treatment.
3. Cold and hot do not describe the same result
Aquanaria documented on March 12, 2021, the presentation of smoked sea bass made with Rooftop: it distinguished between a cold-smoked and a hot-smoked version and explained that they produced different textures. It is a dated example of a collaboration and why the treatment matters. It does not mean those references are available today, nor that their parameters apply to any other food.
To understand the general distinction, consult our guide to cold and hot smoking. To buy and cook, return later to the specific product sheet.
4. Smoked does not mean "ready to eat" in all cases
The word "smoked" does not replace preparation instructions. Bacon has cooking instructions on its sheet; butter-anchovies have a specific serving recommendation; pastrami has a video tutorial for preparation. These are different uses, even if they all appear within a commercial family of smoked goods.
Rooftop's preparations show the use of finished food products. They are not instructions for producing a smoked item from raw meat or fish.
5. Storage and packaging remain necessary
An artisanal narrative does not guarantee a universal shelf life, nor does it allow for the omission of refrigeration. For example, the trout sheet indicates 0 to 4 °C and two days after opening, while the cheddar sheet indicates 2 to 6 °C and five days after opening. Respect the label and date of the received reference.
How to use these sources when choosing
- Consult Buster's story to learn about the project and his work criteria.
- Use the current data sheet to identify ingredients, format, preparation, and storage.
- Open the preparation video if you want to see how the finished product is used.
- Do not turn a temperature or duration from a news report into a domestic safety instruction.
To take the next step, compare the selection by family, cut, and quantity or get to know the Rooftop project and its Colmado.
