Press

Auckland roasting company Coffee Lab, based on the North Shore, has won the Supreme Award at this year's Huhtamaki New Zealand Coffee Awards, results announced today.

The awards, now in their 7th year, judge freshly roasted coffees from New Zealand's coffee roasting companies.

Over two days the judging panel, headed by one of the world's leading coffee authorities Instaurator (that is his full legal name), tasted nearly 300 coffees entered by 64 roasting companies.

Coffee Lab, run by roaster Anna McGregor and her husband Rob McGregor, was established after the couple returned from Brazil in 1991. Their boutique roastery roasts both single origin coffees and blends, but it was a single origin Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee that brought them the Gold Award in the Organic category and also the Supreme Award.

Another big winner this year was former Supreme winner, Rush Coffee from Wellsford which won 2 Gold Medals this year. Their Rush Espresso blend took out 2 Gold and a Silver in 3 categories.

"The fact that the judges picked this blend as outstanding in three categories showed just how consistent the judges were in their tasting and decisions," said Instaurator.

Roasting companies from throughout New Zealand entered this year's awards and took home awards. Wanganui's Wildcat Coffee, Napier's Flight Coffee, Havelock North's Hawthorne Coffee, Nelson's Pomeroys and Toxic Coffees, Essenza from Morrinsville, Taupo's Summit Coffee, Wellington's Revive, The Grind from Upper Moutere, Ris'tretto, CoffeeWorx and Vivace from Christchurch, Max from Kerikeri, Fixation and Excelso from Tauranga, New Plymouth's Peru Coffee, and Coromandel's Coffee LaLa all took out awards.

Awards