Crimson Cup Coffee Roasters has been renovating and developing their new Innovation Lab in Bexley for a while now, and the space has finally opened up! While not quite open to the public (as a coffee shop, for instance), they plan to host a variety of classes, training sessions, cuppings, and much more there. (Check out my tour of their roasting facility and old coffee lab here.)
As you might imagine, the coffee theme is prevalent from the moment you step in the door, with wood-covered walls and photos of coffee beans, estates, and the growers themselves.
The entryway opens in to the main area of the Innovation Lab, with offices, classrooms, and training facilities branching off it.
The main area features seating and a cafe counter for coffee service during events.
Throughout Friday’s open house they poured lattes, made pour-overs, and dispensed nitro cold brew.
Let it be noted that the cold brew tastes great even in the winter.
The lab features classroom space that’s connected to…
…the barista training labs, complete with multiple grinders, espresso machines, pour over taps, and more. They’re working toward getting the facility certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, which is a big deal.
Here they’ll train companies who are using Crimson Cup coffees in their shops.
All sorts of fancy equipment.
There’s a small roasting lab, too. Crimson Cup will use these to test roasts before running them at their larger facility. They’ll use this space to train coffee roasters, too.
And then the cupping lab – which can be completely darkened – lets them taste coffees.
The Innovation Lab is a big step Crimson Cup, especially with them being named Roast Magazine’s 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year! Keep an eye out to see what events will be hosted at the lab in the coming months. Congrats to the whole Crimson Cup crew on its opening!
