World of Coffee is happening in Berlin right now and with it the World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, World Cup Tasters Championship, and the Cezve/Ibrik Championship. Iโm not there and Iโm a little bummed. Berlin! New tech! Coffee in Good Spirits! Itโs the epicenter of the coffee universe, and here I am sitting in my living room, watching replays of the French Open. Thereโs a cruelty to it all really.
But for Seattle residents, a little piece of the international affair is taking place right in their backyard. For their newest residency, the La Marzocco Cafe have invited Berlinโs Bonanza Coffee and Tokyoโs ONIBUS Coffee to take over.
Weโve reported on the La Marzocco Cafe in the past, but it remains one of the coolest concepts going. Each month, they invite a new roaster partner (or in this case, roasters) to take over their space and deliver to Seattleites the cafe experience the roasters offer at their home shop. This includes coffee served, how itโs prepared, drink menu, staff training, even the bar configuration, the incoming residents have full control.
This joint residency is new for the LM Cafe, but the two roasters are old friends. According to the La Marzocco blog post announcing the collaboration, the symbiotic relationship between Bonanza and ONIBUS began back in 2016, when the Berlin roaster took a research trip to Tokyo, where they linked up with their Japanese counterparts. After trading guest shifts and training sessions at their respective cafes, the two coffee companies became simpatico and have bounced ideas off each other ever since.
For their residency, Bonanza and ONIBUS are offering an experience greater than the sum of its parts; the roasters will be showcasing their own expression of the same coffee: the Espirito Santo from Brazil. For their version of the washed processed coffee, Bonanza created a roast profile geared toward espresso, making it the go-to choice for espresso-based drinks. ONIBUS, on the other hand, profiled the coffee for filter and will be serving their take on batch brew and pour-over later on in the residency. The both coffees are also available as a Tasting Set consisting of an espresso and a filter coffee.
So what that there’s a giant coffee shindig going on across the pond? Bonanza and ONIBUS will be in Seattle through Monday, July 8th, and that’s way longer than just a weekend. Sign me up for the La Marzocco Cafe residency. WoC’s gonna be stupid anyway. I’m not projecting, you’re projecting!
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwaladerย on Sprudge.
Disclosure: La Marzocco is an advertising partner with the Sprudge Media Network
