LONDON // Ozone Cafe and Roastery

I'm not sure what's done it - whether it's the endless coffees I make at work, that trip to "barista school", or if it was inevitable all along - but I seem to have developed something of a coffee obsession of late. 

Rather than researching a lengthy list of eateries - as would be my norm before any trip - my notebook instead seemed to fill itself with coffee shops and bean roasters prior to my most recent London trip. One of the prime places on my list was Ozone Cafe and Roastery and it was with much eagerness that I popped along for a visit one morning while Eve was at work.

Situated on Leonard Street in the Shoreditch area - just a five minute walk from Old Street station - Ozone is a long way from its original home. The first Ozone Coffee Roastery opened in New Zealand almost two decades ago after an aid trip taking medical supplies to remote coffee-growing villages in El Salvador ignited a dream in the minds of its founders  -  Jamie and Karen Hodson - to source and roast high quality coffee in a way that made a difference to the people at its source. The project was a great success and it wasn't long before they outgrew their premises, opened a cafe and continued to expand.

The company has changed hands since then, but the vision remains the same, striving for excellence as an artisan coffee roaster and investing positively in the lives and communities of their growers.

Thanks to the current owner and his visits to a London-based friend, Ozone made the journey half way across the globe and opened its first UK roastery and cafe at the Leonard Street site in 2012. Its in the basement of this premises that beans sourced from as far afield as Colombia and Burundi are roasted in small batches to be served in the cafe space upstairs and distributed to coffee shops across the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

The cafe - with all its bare-brick, wood-panelled prettiness - is much bigger than I'd anticipated and offers an extensive food menu alongside its coffee, serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 7.30am right through to 10pm. Ingredients are sourced as locally as possible and vegetarians are well catered for - both of which I'm always pleased to see!

I was very tempted by the idea of a breakfast rice pudding, but managed to resist and stay focused on the coffee. The phrase "spoiled for choice" doesn't do justice to the drinks menu here, but my decision was made easy as soon as I spied the word "Tanzania". I ordered the Tanzania Ilomba, served up in a Chemex -  the most aesthetically pleasing of all the brewing methods, no? - and savoured it in the warmth of the window while scribbling notes and planning out the rest of my day.

Perfect!


As you might expect, they also had bags of beans available to purchase, so my luggage quickly found itself becoming scented with coffee and I've been enjoying the taste of their Hodson blend from the comfort of my own home. So good.

If you're a coffee fan in London (and not easily overwhelmed by all the related decisions!) then I'd definitely recommend a wee visit.  You'll find them at:

Ozone Coffee Roasters

11 Leonard Street, EC2A 4AQ
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xo