Origin are hugely excited to be attending the London Coffee Festival again this week.
Brewing locations
This year you can find our main setup at the La Marzocco Roaster's Village. The Village is bigger than ever this year, split over two floors. We're proud to be there, brewing our monthly feature coffees which include a Colombian caturra, produced by Gustavo Charry Garcia at La Primavera farm.
We’ll also be supplying coffee to our friends at Soho House and Sourced Market, who will be taking over The True Artisan Café, to create a bespoke signature drink. The drink has to involve espresso, and be atypical of their style and taste.
Sourced Market: Friday 13th, 5pm - 8pm
Soho House: Saturday 14th, 10am - 1pm
UK Barista Championship 2018
The UKBC is the country's most highly acclaimed competition for baristas, showcasing their excellent knowledge and skill in brewing and tasting coffee. This year Origin were represented by six competitors in the regional heats, and we're proud to announce that all of them have made it through to the semi final in London tomorrow. Entrants include our head of coffee, a qualified SCA trainer, wholesale manager and head barista. We caught up with some of them as they added the finishing touches to their routine.
“Working remotely has its challenges when it comes to practicing at home. My kitchen has been a mess of various signature drink concoctions and glassware for the past few months. Not working directly out of a shop has been my biggest challenge but I think it has allowed me to focus more when I do get in one. The good people at Townhouse coffee in Preston have been incredibly hospitable with their space, letting me practice when it’s closed - even sitting through some mock run throughs.”
Oli Jones, Manchester (wholesale manager)
“It starts with an idea, and it all slowly starts to take form. Getting to know the coffee plays a huge part in developing a routine, so I tasted it in every way possible to begin. I have also tried to build a timeline across the whole supply chain, so I can understand how the coffee is impacted by growing conditions, processing and roasting. Once my drinks are developed and I’m happy with how they taste, I try get in as many practice routines as possible. I think it's really important that your passion and enthusiasm comes across when presenting”
Daniel O’Regan, London (training manager)
“It’s a really collaborative atmosphere at our training centre in London with everyone getting together and helping each other. A lot of my training is interwoven with others as we practice run throughs, tasting coffees and sharing thoughts. This competition is all about being an ambassador for the world of coffee. It’s a fantastic moment to pay respect to everyone who makes great coffee. I feel like a great competitor is made by their community and their ability to channel the incredible work of a community of great crafts people.”
Joshua Tarlo, London (Head of Coffee)
“I wanted to push myself to do new things and was excited about competing against the best in the coffee industry. I have had to change my routine for the semi-final slightly because I am using a different coffee from the regional heats, so my previous signature coffee wouldn’t have worked. This has given me the chance to learn about a new, uniquely processed coffee made with a tartaric fermentation process which has been hugely interesting”
Adam Pascoe, Cornwall (Barista)
Watch the UKBC livestream here from 9am on Friday > https://livestream.com/LSFXproductions/LCF2018
Tasting
We are delighted to be hosting a chocolate and coffee sampling session with Rio Nuevo Chocolate. This bean to bar chocolate company, share our values of ethical and sustainable direct trade practices with a focus on quality and taste.
We have also teamed up with Eat Spice Box, who create fresh, vibrant vegan food thats packed with Indian flavour. Their delicious Spice Box chloe has been created with our mainstay single origin, San Fermin. We cannot wait to try this.
Coffee
As well as our mainstay lineup which include, Resolute & San Fermin, April's feature coffees and our very special, La Negrita (natural geisha) will also be available to sample at The Roaster's Village.
La Negrita Geisha
This Geisha is being used by Joshua Tarlo and some of the competitors above in their UKBC routine. Produced by Mauricio Shattah, the farm sits near a rising mountain in Western Colombia. The unique processing method involves adding organic food acid derived from red grapes to water that the coffee is fermenting in. The acid then interacts with the coffee as it ferments, creating new flavours and depth, adding new dimensions to a coffee varietal known to be the most celebrated in the world.
With notes of maraschino cherry, blackcurrant jam, strawberry coulis, this coffee has a beautiful floral and sweet flavour profile.
This will be a coffee that truly stands at the forefront of world coffee.
La Primavera - Colombia
The coffee at La Primavera has exploded in quality this year and we couldn't wait to showcase it at London Coffee Festival. It's a pleasure to share the work of Gustavo who represents the true backbone of Colombia coffee.
Coproca Lot 24 - Rwanda
Whilst cupping from the coffee at Coproca, we were immediately drawn to the sweet, round and tangy flavours of lot 24. It captured what's great about the red bourbon varietal in Rwanda; a taste that is familiar and pleasantly clean.
Bushekeri Lot 1 - Rwanda
The town and coffee farms in Buskekeri are often bathed in mist according to the locals. The mist feeds the coffee but blocks the sun, which slows down the ripening process allowing the plant to feed the coffee seed with more nutrients.
The London Coffee Festival takes place at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane from 12 - 15 April.
