Origin Coffee Roasters | Los Altos | Nicaragua
The Roaster
Origin coffee was founded over 15 years ago by Tom Sobey and roast their coffee in Cornwall. Having worked closely with his fathers coffee business growing up, he has always been involved in the industry. After a trip to Australia in the early 2000’s where coffee culture reigns, Origin was born.
Since then Origin coffee has evolved into a full team of industry professionals, a world class coffee program, 6 coffee shops and an ever evolving product range. They are one of the founding fathers of third wave speciality coffee in the UK and are amongst the front runners in the industry.
"Blending science and senses, ritual and experimentation. Obsessing over every detail. Roasting lightly. Respecting the beans – and the individuals who savour speciality coffee."
Origin coffee source direct from the farms. A practice that is true to speciality coffee and one that rewards the people who grow the coffee rather than the many middlemen.
Through their direct trade practice they’re able to support their farm and mill partners directly, giving their customers full traceability of the coffee in their cup. They attempt to visit the farms at origin every year in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brazil. The relationships that they have built over the years of visiting these coffee growing regions means they are able to ask questions and provide support to workers and their families.
Now with the ease of going online and purchasing a bag of super high quality green beans from the various auctions that have sprung up over the last few years. It’s not too hard to showcase the best coffee in the world as a new roaster (providing you have deep pockets).
What sets certain coffee roasters apart for me is the stories that they tell through coffee. Origin coffee does exactly that, the quality of their coffee is matched by the stories behind it and it’s easy to see why these guys are paving the way into the 4th wave.
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The Coffee
Los Altos is a geographically dynamic farm composed of just over 70 hectares of rolling coffee hills at the base of Kilambé Mountain. Each time the team at Origin coffee arrive at Los Altos, they’re greeted by the workers that come together to create this incredible crop, from coffee growers to pickers.
The relationship between the Mierisch family and Origin coffee started over a decade ago and the coffee produced at their farms, especially Los Altos, has been at the core of who they are for years.
Once it’s back in the UK, the coffee is roasted to showcase the relationship between the farm and roastery by highlighting the unique markers of terroir, and imparting their identity on the final cup.
This makes a coffee that is approachable, familiar and full of flavour. In the cup there is a soft acidity, full body and creamy finish with comforting notes of milk chocolate and caramel.
The Review
The coffee starts big with a full fragrance of bold notes like chocolate and cinnamon. I’m not sure whether it was the drab English weather making me feel festive but it reminded me of Christmas time.
Los Altos begins with the sensation of its mouthfeel, almost buttery like walnuts; it's smooth and pleasant to drink.
The coffee then creates a delicious warming flavour profile layering the rich chocolatey notes from the fragrance with caramel and nutmeg.
The brew then cools and as it reaches room temperature has a subtle flash of acidity to finish on.
A top draw coffee from Origin. Although it doesn’t have the show stopping notes that other coffees from Nicaragua can have, it was a pleasure to drink right until the last sip.
Brewed with the usual culprits; V60, Aeropress, Stovetop and Cafetiere. The V60 came out on top for me.
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