Alejandro Griffin-Diaz spent weeks refining his signature drink for the international barista competition in London, The Alejandro Negroni Experience, which features coffee-washed gin, infused fruit, Italian truffles and dry ice for a dramatic, smoke-infused effect.

Jake Griffin-Diaz, left, and Alejandro Griffin-Diaz, owners of Jacob Alejandro specialty coffee shop in Troy and an Albany location, pose with their dog, Castro, in their barista training center.

Alejandro Griffin-Diaz places garnishes of heart-shaped wafer-thin slices of orange peel and Italian truffle on his Alejandro Negroni Experience that he will prepare in competition in London.

Alejandro Griffin-Diaz prepares a pour-over of coffee picked in India that is part of his coffee drink, “The Forgotten,” an homage to the world’s coffee pickers. He picked coffee in his native Guatemala before moving to Los Angeles in his early 20s.

TROY — Jake Griffin-Diaz put 15 minutes on the clock.

His spouse, coffee master Alejandro Griffin-Diaz, will have that much time to conjure java and spirits alchemy this week in competition at the Olympics of coffee culture, the London Coffee Festival.

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“It’s incredible to see the passion people have for coffee at this competition and the quality of the baristas,” Alejandro said. “I am challenging myself to take it to the next level.”

The couple owns Jacob Alejandro, a gourmet coffee shop on River Street in downtown Troy that features “specialty coffee experiences” as well as baked goods and pastries made in-house. They opened the Troy location in 2020 and added an Albany shop, JA. Pequeno, on Madison Avenue in 2023.

“We’ve worked hard to create a coffee culture in Troy and Albany, and the community has embraced it,” Jake said.

This week, the couple will join hundreds of coffee aficionados at London’s Truman........

© Times Union