Lineage Coffee in Orlando rescued me from the horrors of Disney theme parks and the apocalyptic traffic it produces.
In the words of the immortal Gob Bluth, “It’s an illusion Michael”. They promised castles, fireworks, and cool hangs with A-list Disney celebs and all I got was wall to wall traffic. On the upside, I knew my wife would be pleased to know that I had ample amounts of time to window shop for a minivan for our family amongst the millions in the barrage that were blocking my views of the palm trees and blotting out the sunshine. All that to say, I had enough of Mickey, Walt, and the crew and set out to find a good cup of coffee in the heart of Florida. After venturing towards the downtown area, I landed at East End Market where Lineage Coffee resides. I was instantaneously caught off guard by the lush garden in front of the building. The East End Market is a neighborhood market and a collaboration of creative culinary destinations in the Audubon Park Garden District of Orlando, Florida. The Market is home to some of central Florida’s top food entrepreneurs, chefs, baristas, and artists. My first impression of Lineage was the warm greeting and hospitality of their Lead Barista Alicia. She was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. Customer service experiences like this always make shops stand out in my mind. After a mouthwatering pour over, she recommended their “White Bottled Cold Brew”. That was all she wrote. I was instantly hooked on Lineage.
Today I am elated to tell you that Jarrett Johnson and Justine Johnson, the Founder and Co-Founder of Lineage Roasting, Orlando’s craft coffee roaster, are hear to discuss their story, vision, and journey with me on The Coffee Compass.
First off, I wanted to thank you guys for joining me on this guest post for The Coffee Compass and for the ridiculous amount of hospitality your staff showed me while I was in your city.
Thank you so much for the honor of having us be a part.
Tell us about yourselves and the story of how Lineage Roasting came to life?
I actually started in the craft scene by home brewing beer and became super passionate about the art of creating something so delicious from such simple ingredients. I thought for the longest time we would be opening a brewery in Orlando. It wasn’t until we moved here that we really got into the coffee roasting. I felt like coffee was a dumbed down sister to the more complex chemical reactions of fermentation and beer making. I really had to force myself to hit the books and study coffee because I just thought there was not enough to learn and without the challenge I didn’t have the determination. Once I started seeing this whole world of coffee and what makes it special and how it joins the farmer in Colombia to the drinker in Florida. Now you have my attention. I got so hooked that I bought every book I could find and began traveling and watching and tasting as many coffee companies as I could find. It became an obsession and still really is.
Is there significance behind the name Lineage?
The name Lineage is …