YORK’S cafés are fast gaining a reputation for making some of the best coffee in the country after two baristas scored high marks in a national contest.

Gordon Howell, of The Attic at Harlequin Coffee And Tea House in King’s Square, won a hotly contested northern heat of the 2012 UK Barista Championships, held in Newcastle.

Mr Howell, entering for the fourth time, also won the individual Best Espresso contest.

Steve Dyson, of Spring Espresso in Fossgate, came third in the overall competition.

Mr Howell said he used Has Bean’s “Jailbreak” coffee during his performance, serving it in all three drink categories.

Organisers said that for his signature drink, he “deconstructed the blend to highlight each coffee’s characteristics by preparing the coffees individually as a pour-over or aeropress”.

They said this gave a “total sensory experience with aromas and taste coming together right at the end”.

Mr Howell said he was currently in fourth place in a national top 20, and was likely to go forward to the national semi-final, in London on Saturday, April 28, when the top six would go forward to the national final the following day.

His success comes months after The Attic won the Beverage Standards Association’s award for best espresso in the UK.

Under the association’s grading system, it was one of only six venues in the country to be awarded its maximum score of five cups.