CONTRABAND is a blend featuring volcanic coffee from Indonesia and a naturally processed counterpart from Rwanda. This coffee is produced by a family in East Java and a community on Karambi Mountain, utilizing innovative milling techniques. It offers a complex flavor profile with notes of dark fruit, fermented sweetness, and floral characteristics, finishing with a lingering Black Forest aftertaste. The coffee is suitable for both filter and espresso brewing methods.
Origin
Ijen, East Java (Indonesia)
Karambi Mountain (Rwanda)
Flavor Notes
Black Forest, Apricot, Earl Grey
Roast Level
Medium
Processing
Natural
Typology
ArabicaKomasti, Andungsari, Bourbón, Kartika, Red Bourbon
Catalyst Coffee was founded in late 2016 by Alexander Gkikas in Holborn, London. The roastery operates a 12kg Diedrich housed in the basement beneath the café, visible to customers through glass floor panels. After initially adopting an omni roast principle with a single profile for all brewing methods, the team switched to two distinct profiles for espresso and filter based on customer feedback. Direct trade offerings include Finca La Lomita from Colombia's Valle del Cauca, where no chemicals, fungicides, or herbicides are used. The café serves espresso, batch brew, and pour over, and was named among 11 London coffee shops recognised as the best in the UK for 2026.
