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STOP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
Business Traveller UK|February 2025
Hannah Brandler catches up with Freda Yuan, Director of Coffee at Origin and three-time UK Cup Tasters Champion. Freda travels around the world to oversee the sourcing, sensory analysis and coffee quality for the B Corp brand. Originally from Taiwan, Freda is now based in London
- Hannah Brandler
STOP AND SMELL THE COFFEE

Q&A

What attracted you to the world of coffee?

Coffee is not that popular in Taiwan, so 11 years ago I came to London to learn from Australian people opening cafés here. I really enjoy the hospitality and community aspect. When people come to a café, I feel like they're in my living room. They've come to relax and I like being part of that. I'm also sharing something that I'm proud of because I've sourced the coffee. Tasting coffee was also a way of finding myself. It marked the beginning of my recovery from depression and bulimia. The more I began to focus on taste, the more I recovered. I felt more connected and fully present.

You hold a Q Grader certification, what does this mean?

It's an internationally recognised standard that stands for Quality Grader – a coffee sommelier. You score, give feedback and evaluate the coffee. I do it almost every day.

What is the 'cup score'?

To evaluate speciality coffee, we carry out a cupping process. The scoring is between 80 and 100, and the price for the coffee is then based on the quality. Sometimes there is a 1,000% price difference between a cup score of 83 and 88. The goal is to bring more sweetness into the coffee. If it's a high-quality coffee, we also highlight acidity, as positive acidity makes the coffee more complex and elevates the cup score.

What are the signs of a bad coffee?

This story is from the February 2025 edition of Business Traveller UK.

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This story is from the February 2025 edition of Business Traveller UK.

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