A lot of people cling to the traditional view that an espresso roast needs to be a blend. We have nothing against blends for espresso use per se, there are many exquisite blends, other than to say roasters have at least two commercial reasons for pushing blended roasts. The first reason is it presents an opportunity to lower the average cost of the coffee used. This will apply less to the very best of the gourmet roasters, but it is an unsurmountable commercial fact no matter how hard our competitors try to tell you otherwise. The second reason applies regardless of how upmarket the roaster, and that is quite simply that a blend is more difficult for a competitor to replicate than a single origin coffee, there are simply more variables to match. A blend offers more of a chance to create some intellectual property in a highly competitive industry. These are both valid commercial reasons that we have no problem with. We don't have a vendetta on blends at all, but we do have a problem with roasters who can't accept that some single origin coffees can make very good espresso.
At Londinium Espresso we have chosen to specialise in single origin as we like the idea of conveying the taste of a specific country/region/estate in single 30mL shot of espresso.
It becomes a bit academic when you start to consider what constitutes a blend. If the same type of coffee is taken from two coffee estates lying side by side is that a blend? Typically this is regarded, and sold, as a single origin coffee. But we can tell you from experience that supposedly the same coffee bought from two estates lying side by side will more often than not taste quite different.
What about coffee taken from two estates side by side, but by happy coincidence are considered to lie in different countries as a result of where the border runs between the two estates? These coffees would be sold as originating from two different origins, and roasted together would be considered a blend, but they may well taste more similar than the first example where both estates are in the same country.
It is common practice when coffee in one country is in extremely short supply (for whatever reason) for coffee just over the border in neighbouring countries to mysteriously make its way in to the country where coffee is in short supply and for it to be sold and re-bagged in bags bearing the mark of the country where the coffee is short supply. Such events are by no means unusual, especially as the producing countries are typically poor and the opportunity to fetch a significant premium for the coffee with relatively little effort is very tempting. With the recent shortages of coffee in Columbia we understand the coffee was being bought by road from Ecuador to be resold as Columbian coffee.
The only guide we rely upon is our impressions of what the coffee actually tastes like as an espresso (no milk). This is particularly relevant when roasting for espresso as a lot of the celebrated micro roasts produce a bright acidic cup that we find unpleasant in espresso. The fact is the vast majority of the public enjoy 'espresso-based' beverages. These are typically latte, latte being sold as cappuccino, cappuccino if you are very lucky, and a flat white if you are in Costa where they are trying to pass this uniquely antipodean creation off as their own, indeed even Starbucks are having a go.
At Londinium espresso means espresso. A single shot means 30mL. A double shot means 60mL. The dose is between 7 and 8g per shot. We respect the established traditions in terms of dose and measure. While we don't find the super dark robusta dominated roasts of Napoli to our taste we have yet to find another place on earth where the baristas are so connected to the coffee, in a large part this is a function of the use of lever espresso machines which are used in around 90% of the cafes in Napoli. We respect the professionalism of the Neapolitan baristas, which comes without the 'attitude' that seems to have infected some baristas elsewhere. Call us old-fashioned but we also appreciate the white shirt, black waistcoat, black tie dress code that is in force almost without exception in Napoli; scruffs need not apply for the role of barista in Napoli.
For us the 23g dose was invented for Americans who needed to supersize to a 5 gallon cappuccino and the taste of the coffee was unsurprisingly being lost with conventional measures. We also think the supersizing of drinks has been responsible for the recent rise of very acidic microlot coffee in espresso; another attempt to cut through the smoothing effect of large volumes of milk fat.
We are not afraid to innovate when the mood takes us, but for the best part we are simply trying to offer a freshly roasted, smooth, and complex espresso. We can not abide the fashion for passing of very bright micro lot coffee intended for use in espresso based drinks (i.e. with milk) as being 'wonderful for espresso'. In our opinion they are wholly unsuitable for pure espresso. The situation arises because probably only 1 in 20 customers going into a cafe in London actually drinks espresso. So almost all coffee roasters roast their espresso roast for espresso based drinks that will have milk added to them. With milk added they are superb roasts, we have no problem with that. We simply take exception when they are billed as exceptional espresso roasts. Unless, per chance, you like your espresso to taste strongly of acetic and citric acid. Perhaps you do, there's no accounting for taste, after all.
When Londinium bill something as an espresso roast it is intended to be drunk as an espresso; without milk. We readily accept that our espresso roasts can be criticised for being bland and insipid when drowned in milk. We feel there are more than enough coffee roasters looking after the needs of the 19 milkies. Londinium Espresso look after the needs of the 20th person: the minority espresso drinker who needs are still dismissed as a niche market. For this reason real espresso drinkers in the UK typically find themselves investing in the necessary kit to make their espresso at home. If this is you, Londinium Espresso is your answer.