This coffee is a single origin from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, sourced from Finca La Maravilla owned by Héctor Ovalle. Grown at 1,600 to 1,850 meters altitude, it is a washed coffee made from the San Ramón varietal. The cup offers bright fruit sweetness with lifted aromatics, featuring notes of peach, plum, orange blossom, and panela. It has lively citric acidity, gentle malic freshness, and a smooth, rounded body. The coffee performs exceptionally well as filter but also excels as espresso.
Formative opened in Victoria, London, in March 2019, founded by Ian Kissick. It started as a multi roaster café working with guest roasters like La Cabra before Ian began roasting Formative's own coffee in 2022 at PLOT Roasting's facilities in South London. Ian won the UK Barista Championship in 2023 and placed sixth at the World Barista Championship in 2024. The café still rotates its menu roughly every two weeks, blending its own roasts with guest selections. Sprudge named it runner up for World's Best New Café on its first anniversary.
