International Coffee Day – How Nude Coffee produces the best coffee in London

For many people across London, coffee is more than just a drink, or a source of energy in the morning, it’s almost a way of life. With plenty of master Baristas and worshippers at the altar of the famous roasted bean, the drink is quickly catching up to tea in the battle to be Britain’s favourite hot drink, in fact, a YouGov survey from 2012 suggested that 35% of Londoners prefer coffee, with tea’s popularity on the wane.

In recognition of the might of the coffee bean, 1^st October is International Coffee Day, a worldwide event to celebrate everyone who grows, harvests and roasts the beans. Without a huge network of growers around the world, we would have to go without the 55 million cups we drink in the UK alone each day.

At Spitalfields E1, we are lucky enough to play host to a company who know all about sourcing and serving the best coffee in London. On Market Street, you’ll find Nude Coffee Roasters, who provide a boost to business workers, tourists and locals alike, every single day. But if you’ve ever wondered about the journey their beans take, from field to shop, this blog is here to enlighten you.

Step 1 – Finding the perfect partners.

Nude Coffee currently sells seven different types of coffee, from countries across Central and South America, as well as Ethiopia in Africa. To ensure that the coffee that reaches the Nude Coffee roaster in London is of a consistently high quality, there has to be a very strong relationship with the farmers that provide it.

In order to build those relationships, and ensure the coffee is produced in an ethical, sustainable way, the Nude Coffee owners take regular trips to the farms, making sure that they are receiving a fair living wage for their coffee, and are able to house their staff and keep them healthy. They also use the trips to look for new farms that could provide high quality beans for new blends.

Once the cherries are picked, and the beans (seeds) are removed, the coffee is packed up and sealed for freshness, and delivered directly to East London…

Step 2 – Roasting to perfection.

The Nude Coffee Roastery is just around the corner from Spitalfields E1, on Hanbury Street between us and Brick Lane, and it’s where every single bean is roasted, packaged and despatched, either to their cafés, or sold to customers, both trade and private.

Although the exact method for roasting Coffee beans is a closely guarded secret, every bean will enter a state-of-the-art Loring Smart Roast, one of the most energy efficient and effective roasters in the world.

Depending on the blend, the beans will spend around 15 minutes in the roaster at extremely high and even temperatures, before being poured into cooling vats, and kept moving to ensure the beans don’t go stale.

Once cool, the beans are packaged up, and sent out across the capital, and the wider UK.

Step 3 – Brewing the ultimate espresso.

By keeping everything local, with their coffee proudly being made in London, Nude Coffee ensure that their customers get the freshest cup imaginable. But to take advantage of this freshness, you need expert Baristas to ensure every element of the coffee is perfect. This push for perfection is evident in their Spitalfields E1 café, which is always busy every morning, filled with local business staff looking to get their days off to the best start possible.

To help with this, Nude Coffee also produces bread, cakes and pastries in their very own bakery, so the croissant with your coffee is just as fresh as the brew you’re drinking, and designed to complement it perfectly.

Step 4 – Sharing the love of coffee.

One of the wonderful things about Nude Coffee, as opposed to some of the much larger chains, is their willingness to help everyone to enjoy better coffee, all the time. Whether it’s visiting their roastery at weekends, or booking it for events, to learn where the coffee comes from, or classes designed to teach people how to make espresso at home, and how to make that coffee as good as anything from a café. The staff at Nude think a shared love of coffee is enough to connect people. That’s why we love them, like almost everything at Spitalfields E1, they’re unique.

With Nude Coffee Roasters being just one of the fantastic traders and small businesses that calls Spitalfields Market home, you’re sure to find some unique products and fantastic stories throughout the market. Be sure to pay us a visit, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.