Old Spike coffee roasters
A Roaster We Trust
Based in Peckham, South East London, Old Spike are the UK's first social enterprise whose mission is to help reduce homelessness in the UK through training and employment in specialty coffee. They've also got a sister organisation, Change Please, who provide a state-of-the-art barista training academy. The academy includes a bespoke 8-week course offering trainees mental health support, work readiness and financial assistance through accommodation.
That combination of genuine social impact and serious specialty coffee credentials is exactly what we look for in the roasters we feature in our specialty coffee subscription boxes. Old Spike joins a growing list of standout names in the RISE lineup.
Old Spike x RISE Blend
This washed coffee has been especially created for RISE. The Colombian element brings a hint of fruitiness and mellow sweetness from the traditional Colombian terroir. The Honduran element is sourced from a bird-friendly programme, an initiative that supports biodiversity in the local community, offering raisin-caramel notes. Finally, the Nicaraguan coffee from Finca La Aurora is cultivated using only renewable energy, with special care in the conservation of water resources. The farm houses a variety of native trees that provide the plantation with shade and fertilise the soil with organic matter, which protects the land from erosion, droughts and floods.
We found this coffee to be sweet and balanced with a caramel and toffee base.
For this coffee we would recommend brewing it with lower temperature water. If you have a precision kettle, set it to 88°C, and if not, leave the water to cool for 1 minute before pouring to reduce the temperature. This will ensure you're extracting the flavour gently, giving a sweeter and more balanced cup.
Coffees like this are exactly why RISE Coffee Box exists. Every month, we blind taste 25-30 coffees from independent specialty coffee roasters across the UK – from mission-driven names like Old Spike to standout roasters we've discovered along the way – and choose only the very best to feature in our coffee subscription boxes. If you love discovering new specialty coffee, sustainably sourced and roasted by people who genuinely care about where it comes from, a RISE coffee subscription is the easiest way to explore it all from home.
Keen to find out about other coffee roasters in London? Check out our recent blog with expertly picked coffee roasters.
