Right by London Bridge station sits the Roasting Plant, where coffee beans are roasted in front of you and brewed for your order within 60 seconds
They use Javabot technology to roast coffee beans, which was developed in owner Mike Caswell’s garage. From the Lower East Side of New York City, the Roasting Plant has expanded its technology across the globe.
The roasting machine sends beans from the vats into tubes that snake across the ceiling and over your head, into the roasters by the counter. These are programmed to create the perfect conditions for each bean, they say.
Genevieve Kappler, director of coffee at the Roasting Plant, tells The Biscuit: “Micro-batch roasting the beans on site in the Javabot means we get to openly display the entire process of transformation, from the green beans lined up in their raw form to the roasting, where they change in colour, shape and size in the Javabot.
“This is where the magic happens, and the taste and flavours from the origins come alive.”
You can choose beans from eight single origins, sourced and purchased directly from farms across the world from Jamaica to Ethiopia and Sumatra – and you can pick a blend of up to four for a truly personal coffee experience.
Kappler says Mexico is a staff favourite: “It’s velvety sweet making for an incredible single-origin espresso, with a floral front and milk chocolate core for an impeccable overall balance. On top of that, it’s also empowering women producers from the region of Zongolica.
“The women there are a model for us all, they teach us the meaning of the word determination; they’re headstrong and keep fighting.
“We’ve just received the 2023 crop and it comes from four women – Reyna, Rita, Edith and Sara.”
4 Borough High Street, SE1 9QQ
Photos by David Robson
