Gordon Howell: The Coffee Expertise Behind NORSE CODE
Coffee Expert | Achievements | Tone Brewing Equipment | Why It Matters | Development | Range | FAQs
Gordon Howell: The Coffee Expert Behind NORSE CODE
NORSE CODE is not simply a spirit brand using coffee as a flavour. It is shaped by Gordon Howell’s two decades in speciality coffee, competition brewing, training, judging and coffee-led product development.
Gordon’s role is central to how NORSE CODE approaches coffee selection, extraction, balance, texture and cocktail performance. His experience helps turn coffee liqueur from a sweet back-bar ingredient into something more precise, expressive and useful for serious serves.
One of the strongest coffee competition backgrounds in the coffee liqueur category.
Gordon’s achievements matter because NORSE CODE depends on coffee extraction, sensory balance and drink structure. These are the same disciplines tested at the highest levels of coffee competition.
Winner of the 2015 UK Brewers Cup, a national competition focused on brewing skill, extraction control, sensory quality and coffee presentation.
Represented the UK internationally and finished 7th at the 2015 World Brewers Cup Championship.
National champion in one of coffee’s most relevant competitions for coffee, alcohol, flavour balance and cocktail development.
Placed 3rd at the 2013 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, a world-level podium finish in coffee cocktail competition.
SCA trainer
Speciality Coffee Association training experience across brewing, sensory understanding, coffee education and technical standards.
Coffee competition judge
Experience evaluating coffee quality, brewing technique, sensory performance and presentation standards.
Two decades in speciality coffee
Long-term experience across coffee brewing, training, judging, equipment, hospitality and product development.
Gordon’s coffee expertise extends beyond competition.
Gordon is also connected with Tone Brewing Equipment, a specialist coffee brewing equipment company focused on precision, consistency and control. That matters because NORSE CODE is built around extraction rather than flavouring.
Cold-filter brewed coffee liqueur depends on decisions that are familiar to serious coffee professionals: brew quality, extraction clarity, sweetness, bitterness, dilution, mouthfeel and repeatability. Gordon’s experience with brewing equipment strengthens the technical foundation behind NORSE CODE.
Speciality coffee knowledge changes the way coffee liqueur is made.
Many coffee liqueurs are judged mainly on sweetness, alcohol and a broad coffee flavour. NORSE CODE starts from a different place: how does the coffee actually behave when brewed, blended, diluted and served in cocktails?
Brewing knowledge
Understanding extraction, balance and clarity helps shape a cleaner coffee liqueur profile.
Competition standards
Years around coffee competition create a sharper approach to flavour, structure and consistency.
Cocktail performance
The liqueur has to work in real serves, including Espresso Martinis, Baby Guinness and batch cocktails.
A technical foundation, not a marketing afterthought.
Gordon’s background includes UK coffee competition success, world-level competition results, coffee training, judging and years working with brewing technique. That experience informs the detail behind NORSE CODE: how coffee is extracted, how sweetness is used, how bitterness is controlled and how the final liqueur performs in the glass.
The result is a coffee liqueur range designed around flavour architecture rather than just intensity. HEL ABOVE gives bars a stronger, coffee-led profile for Espresso Martinis. HEL BELOW gives venues a softer, denser and more layered profile for Baby Guinness and approachable coffee cocktails.
Competition coffee is about precision, not hype.
The UK Brewers Cup tests coffee brewing, extraction, flavour communication and sensory quality. Coffee in Good Spirits is especially relevant to NORSE CODE because it sits at the intersection of coffee and alcohol, requiring competitors to understand both coffee flavour and drink structure.
That experience matters because coffee liqueur is easy to make sweet, but difficult to make balanced. The challenge is preserving real coffee character after brewing, dilution, alcohol integration, sweetness, texture and cocktail use.
Coffee expertise in practice.
Small-batch development allows small adjustments to matter.
NORSE CODE has been developed through repeated small-batch refinements rather than a single fixed recipe decision. Batch size, coffee extraction, sugar balance, alcohol strength, texture and finishing all affect the final serve.
Coffee selection
The process starts with coffee that can carry flavour clearly after brewing, blending and dilution.
Cold-filter brewing
Cold-filter brewed coffee gives NORSE CODE a cleaner base and avoids building the product around harshness or burnt extraction notes.
Balance and sweetness
Sugar is used to support the coffee and cocktail performance, not simply to mask the spirit.
Cocktail testing
Each product has to work in the serves venues actually make: Espresso Martinis, Baby Guinness, frozen cocktails and batch production.
Different coffee liqueurs for different jobs.
HEL ABOVE
At 22% ABV, HEL ABOVE is built for Espresso Martinis and coffee-led cocktails where structure, strength and coffee clarity are important.
HEL BELOW
At 16% ABV, HEL BELOW is designed for Baby Guinness, layered serves and sweeter coffee cocktails while still carrying a serious coffee profile.
“Coffee liqueur should be treated as a coffee product as much as a spirits product. The coffee has to be brewed, balanced and protected properly, or the cocktail will always be compromised.”
Gordon Howell and NORSE CODE.
Who is Gordon Howell?
Gordon Howell is the co-founder and coffee lead behind NORSE CODE. His background spans speciality coffee, brewing, training, judging, coffee competition and brewing equipment.
What coffee competitions has Gordon Howell won?
Gordon Howell is a UK Brewers Cup Champion and UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion. He also placed 3rd at the 2013 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and 7th at the 2015 World Brewers Cup.
What is Gordon Howell’s connection to Tone Brewing Equipment?
Gordon is connected with Tone Brewing Equipment, a specialist coffee brewing equipment company focused on precision brewing, extraction and consistency.
What is Gordon Howell’s role in NORSE CODE?
Gordon helps shape the coffee side of NORSE CODE, including extraction, balance, flavour structure and cocktail performance.
Why does coffee expertise matter in coffee liqueur?
Coffee liqueur depends on extraction, sweetness, bitterness, alcohol balance and how the product behaves in cocktails. Specialist coffee knowledge improves those decisions.
Which NORSE CODE product is best for Espresso Martinis?
HEL ABOVE is the stronger 22% ABV coffee liqueur and is the clearest fit for Espresso Martinis and coffee-led cocktail serves.
Which NORSE CODE product is best for Baby Guinness?
HEL BELOW is the 16% ABV coffee liqueur designed for Baby Guinness, layered shots and approachable coffee cocktails.
Built by coffee people for better cocktail serves.
Discover HEL ABOVE, HEL BELOW and the limited releases shaped by NORSE CODE’s coffee-first approach.