La Classica awarded Gold Star at 2020 Great taste Awards

Great Taste, the world’s most trusted food and drink awards, has announced its stars of 2020.

Judged by 144 of the most discerning palates, belonging to food critics, chefs, cooks, restaurateurs, buyers, retailers and producers, as well as food writers and journalists.

 

Great Taste is the most coveted of all food and drink awards. As well as a badge of honour, the unmistakeable black and gold Great Taste label is a signpost to an outstanding product, which has been discovered through hours and hours of blind tasting.

Recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike, Great Taste values taste above all else, with no regard for branding and packaging. Whether it is cake, coffee, kippers or kombuchabeing judged, all products are removed from their wrapper, jar, box or bottle before being tasted. The judges then savour, confer and re-taste to decide which products are worthy of a 1-, 2- or 3-star award.

There were 12,777 entries into Great Taste this year and of those products, 205 have been awarded a 3-star, 1,294 received a 2-star and 3,818 were awarded a 1-star accolade. The panel of judges this year included; cook, writer and champion of sustainable food, Melissa Hemsley, cook, writer, stylist and voice of modern vegetarian cooking, Anna Jones, celebrated Spanish chef, José Pizarro, Kavi Thakrar from Dishoom, food writer and cook, Xanthe Clay, and baker and author, Martha Collison, as well as food buyers from Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and Waitrose. These esteemed palates have together tasted and re-judged the 3-star winners to finally agree on the Golden Fork Trophy recipients and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion.”

We are very proud to announce that our very own La Classica has been chosen as the winner of the coveted Gold Star for 2020!

This is a significant milestone for a what has always been a labour of love as well as the foundations of our business.

Just to set the context, almost 13,000 speciality food and drink products were entered into this year’s awards which are widely regarded as the Oscar’s of the food industry, it’s very much about the best food and drink from across a wide range (meats, cheeses, juices, charcuterie, jam etc etc), not just coffee.

This is what the judges had to say: 

This Espresso has a bright fruity acidity with a sour cherry flavour riding through it. While we enjoyed its smooth medium/thick body.

 

"I had a very clear idea of the taste experience I wanted to offer our customers from the start" says Alex Galantino La Bottega Milanese's founder"

 La Classica had to represent the northern Italian Espresso profile, a touch over medium to roast profile, 100% Arabica, able to cut through the milk but also retaining fruity notes. 

It had to taste like a great coffee at the first sip, with the chocolate and nutty flavours spreading around your palate, but suddenly hit you with a gentle acidity and fruity notes that made you think. 

A long lasting taste that embodied a fusion concept between the purist Italian coffee school and the third wave modern coffee practices. 

Key to its development and roasting, is Alex's relationship with Damian Blackburn of Darkwoods Coffee Roasters 's which begun a little over 10 years ago. 

Alex met Damian who at the time was working for Bolling Coffee, they struck an understanding from the off and carried on with the development & the update of La Classica through the years right up to current times as Damian & Paul Meikle-Janney co-founded Darkwoods. 

This blend is the result of a labour of love, an ideal, a mantra. Years of countless blind tastings, test roasts, customer and staff tasting and voting. 

All coffees are sourced with ethicality and fair pricing as the starting point, supporting farmers via Direct Trade, Fair Trade and Forest Alliance.

 

La Classica is now sold and stocked throughout the UK, to restaurants, bars, coffee shops and increasingly offices, with the odd appearance here and there on European shores. 

A proud moment and deserving accolade for a coffee that we all love - take a bow La Classica.