Optimist Coffee

A natural Red Catuaí from Marysabel Caballero and Moisés Herrera at Finca El Puente — an award-winning Honduran producer. A firework of red berries, brown sugar and a little vanilla over a syrupy body, with well-embedded acidity. In milk it turns into strawberries and cream; currently Tom’s favourite flat white.

Red berries, crème brûlée, brown sugar, caramel

A community microlot from Ozolotepec in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca — one of the most remote regions importer Osito works in — where small producers such as Carlos Ramírez, Sebastián Ramos and Rony & Edilzar Ordóñez pool their harvests. Washed, then decaffeinated in Europe by the sugarcane (ethyl acetate) method. Full, warm, chocolatey and gently fruit-sweet; versatile enough for filter or a light espresso, and easy to forget it’s decaf.

Dark chocolate, brown sugar, fig

A 100% Canephora that earned its place as a single origin: unusually soft and sweet for a robusta, dark but not too bitter, chocolatey and properly sweet, with lots of caffeine and a thick, deer-brown crema. Especially good with milk or a plant-based alternative, where the hazelnut-chocolate note comes forward.

Nougat, cocoa, hazelnut

A small 2026-harvest lot from the renowned Finca Las Lajas, run by Óscar and Francisca Chacón, who are known for precise processing. This year a Red Honey Caturra grown on Finca San Isidro at 1,400 m on volcanic, organically farmed soil: blossom honey, vanilla, rooibos tea and red grapes with a balanced acidity and creamy body — an exceptionally clean honey, and a class of its own in the filter.

Blossom honey, rooibos tea, vanilla, red grapes

A clean, elegant washed filter coffee grown by Mensur Abahika with the Tokuma Farmer Group in Kota Kebele, Jimma Zone, at close to 2,000 m. Floral notes with citrus, light stone fruit and white peach, grape and a fine panela sweetness; pulled a touch under-extracted it turns incredibly clear and juicy. Complex but very approachable.

Floral, white peach, grape, panela

A washed Red Bourbon espresso from Munyinya Hill in Muramvya, Burundi, where 502 smallholder families deliver cherry to the Bukeye washing station. Citrus and caramel with lots of sweetness and a bright, well-integrated acidity over a full body, closing on a dark-chocolate bitterness. Best as a straight espresso; with milk it drinks like strong English tea with a splash of milk.

Citrus, caramel, dark chocolate

The first blend from OPTIMIST and their standard on the bar: two-thirds natural Obatã Arabica from Fazenda Pinheiro in Brazil and one-third washed Romex Robusta from Finca Fulda in Chiapas, Mexico. The Arabica brings chocolate and sweetness, the Robusta a velvety body, thick crema and extra chocolate. Built for the portafilter or a super-automatic and made to shine with milk.

Milk chocolate, nut, creamy body

A 100% Arabica single-origin espresso from Fazenda Pinheiro near São Paulo, in south-east Brazil. Fine chocolate and a buttery body with a hint of dried fruit and honey — well balanced, not too strong, and happy with or without milk in both a portafilter and a super-automatic.

Nougat, chocolate, buttery, dried fruit

The filter roast of Optimist’s daily-driver Brazilian: a 100% Arabica Obatã from the sustainably farmed Fazenda Pinheiro in northern São Paulo. Italian butter biscuits, fine chocolate and dried fruit over a full, creamy body with a long chocolate finish. Made for any filter method or the French press. Their house breakfast coffee.

Butter biscuit, chocolate, dried fruit, creamy

A natural-processed espresso from the smallholders of the Tokuma Farmer Group in Agaro, south-west Ethiopia. Dark berries and orange marmalade over a velvety, full body, with nice sweetness and a well-integrated acidity that stays round in milk. Fruity and lively in the portafilter, and a good strong filter too.

Dark berries, orange marmalade, velvety

A fine-robusta espresso from the young WITOCA family cooperative in the Ecuadorian Amazon, grown in an agroforestry system under partly wild cover in the Sumaco National Park and prepared as a yellow honey. Creamy, sweet and complex — proof that Canephora can taste anything but rustic. Works for every method, with or without milk.

Caramel popcorn, Belgian waffles, butter toffee