Stewart Johnson, UK Sales Director at Sanremo, shares key moments in his coffee journey, reminisces on a delicious Guatemalan coffee he swigged in San Francisco, and throws shade at cafe chains serving 16oz macchiatos …

What brought you into the world of coffee?

I fell into the coffee industry by accident. It happened when I worked as a fine-dining chef for a corporate bank in central London. I loved it, but when the opportunity to do a management trainee programme came up I thought: I’m either going to be the next Gordon Ramsay and make loads of money or be stuck where I am – and the chances of reaching Gordon’s level are obviously low, so I did the programme.

It was supposed to last for two years, but about six months in the manager went on holiday and I ended up covering for him, running coffee shops for three weeks while he was away – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Three months after that, the manager left and I was running most of the coffee shops within the campus of this corporate bank. It was right at the start of when coffee companies such as Starbucks and Costa were coming to the fore in terms of consumer awareness and food service, with a lot of training and resource being poured into large brands to develop their coffee bars.

What led to your position at Sanremo?

I’d admired Sanremo machines from a distance for a long time. My dad was an engineer and I’ve always been interested in technology and how things work and are put together. Of course, I’d also been involved in working with coffee machines when running coffee shops and in previous stints at software machine manufacturers. An opportunity arose to chat with Carlo, CEO of Sanremo, about the UK coffee scene and a couple of years later – in January 2023 when I was consulting – he reached out and we had a proper meeting which kickstarted me joining the company.

What does a typical day at Sanremo look like?

It’s a varied role that could include being out on the road visiting customers and drinking great coffee, helping customers with problems, supporting customers on tender presentations, or welcoming new and existing clients into our London showroom for training or to help them select the best machine for their business.

Morning coffee ritual?

I don’t have one because I have three kids which just wrecks my mornings! It’s all about getting them out of the door for school, so spending five minutes making myself a coffee doesn’t feel like it falls into any kind of morning ritual. However, if someone’s willing to make me a coffee, even when I’m paying for it, I’m so grateful and always enjoy that sense of hospitality and social engagement.

I do also get spoilt by sampling a lot of speciality coffee while playing with amazing machines when I’m in the office or at a customer’s location.

Favourite serve style?

When I’m out and about I’ll generally have a shorter espresso with milk, like a cortado or flat white – nothing too heavy. Generally at home on the weekend I’ll make a batch of filter and slowly work my way through it.

Favourite Sanremo machine?

I have two! We have a machine called the Sanremo Cafe Racer Renegade which is beautifully designed in an oxidised copper with brown leather panels and olive-wood handles. We have one in our London showroom and the thing I love about it is that it’s not form over function, even with those design cues. It’s a brilliant machine.

My favourite machine to make coffee with is the Sanremo Opera. It makes espresso that’s on another level. The technology that’s gone into the machine is something else and you can tell the difference in a coffee that’s made from an Opera vs any other machine – you’re always guaranteed the best extraction and flavour profile.

Memorable coffee moment?

I had probably been drinking coffee for a couple of years when I experienced a turning point in my perception on coffee. I bought an expensive bag of coffee beans and looked at the flavour notes of strawberry and citrus on the bag and thought: What nonsense. I brewed the coffee, drank it, and was so surprised that I could actually detect notes of strawberry. From there, my palate started to open up to the nuances of different coffee flavours and I could distinguish what ‘good’ coffee tasted like.

Brewing pet peeves?

Walking into a coffee shop and hearing the steam arm screaming for help because you know someone has dumped a jug of milk under the wand and walked away. You’re never going to get a great cup of coffee in an establishment where that happens.

Another pet peeve is a dirty workstation. There are too many variables to manage without a messy workstation thrown into the mix. It’s also frustrating if a barista hasn’t thought about the layout of their brew bar, and the equipment and machines aren’t arranged efficiently. It’s only going to make life more difficult.

Any coffee trends you couldn’t get on board with?

It’s not a trend as such, but something I can’t get on board with is certain high-street chains absolutely annihilating the definition of beverages. A 16oz macchiato or 10oz flat white should never be a thing. It feeds misinformation within coffee bars and miseducates the consumer.

Desert island coffee and pairing?

I’d recreate a coffee experience from a holiday I had in San Francisco. I dragged my darling wife to the suburbs of the city to a roastery called Sightglass and we had a single-origin Guatemalan espresso that tasted of buttered popcorn, which we then paired with fresh almond croissants. It was banging. I’m sure some of that was also to do with the fact we were in San Francisco, the sun was shining, the baristas were engaging and the whole service was just spot on. Since that experience I’ve always had a soft spot for Guatemalan coffees.

To find out more about any of our machines, talk to our team today.

Listen to Stewart Johnson on the Bridge Coffee Roasters’ podcast here.