London's best coffee
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By Charmaine Mok. Photography by Rob Greig.
Posted: Mon Feb 15 2010
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South
BEST IN SOUTH
Monmouth Coffee Co
Espresso and drip filter done equally well | Soft cane sugar | Emphasis on provenance, sustainability and fair trade
We rate Monmouth as a true constant in a city that wobbles between excellent and unpalatable coffees. Monmouth always excites too. Currently the house espresso blend is a vibrant yet comforting mixture of red fruits with almondy flavours: Brazilian Fazenda Rainha as a base (for the sweet malty-chocolate notes typically associated with Monmouth blends), Colombian Asociativo Quebradon (bright, ripe fruit flavours) and Guatemalan Finca La Perla to emphasise the cocoa. We’d recommend sampling the drip filter coffees without milk – the Fazenda Rainha is a Yellow Bourbon variety that really captures some lovely fruits. Honeydew, cherries with a drizzle of chocolate and cream; absolutely delicious.
2 Park St, Borough Market, SE1 9AB (020 7940 9960). London Bridge tube/rail. 7.30am-6pm Mon-Sat. Espresso £1.30, filter coffee £2.30. Feature continuesAdvertisement
Browns of Brockley
A place to meet other coffee-lovers | Coffee ground to order | Dedicated service
A special treat in the form of espresso brewed from San Francisco-based Bluebottle Company beans is a change from the usual. It’s slightly oily in mouthfeel, quite viscous and tart on the palate, with intense dark chocolate and citrus rind flavours. A little while later, a distinctive smoky tobacco aftertaste clung to our throats, not necessarily in a bad way. We would have liked its flat white to have had equal verve – it didn’t discern itself much from a regular latte, lacking slightly in body. We give barista Ross extra points for bringing out the deliciously addictive butterscotch and hazelnut flavours in the blend.
5 Coulgate St, SE4 2RW (020 8692 0722). Brockley rail. 7am-noon, 5-8pm Mon-Fri; 9am-5pm Sat; 10am-4pm Sun. Espresso £1, flat white £2.
Exchange Coffee
Locally roasted coffee | Unbeatable latte art | Filter coffees from Hasbean Coffee
This coffee stall, pitched on Saturdays at Lewisham’s chaotic street market, is the area’s source of gloriously crafted Monmouth coffees (owners Lynsey Harley and Neil Le Bihan both used to work at Monmouth). The espresso is meticulously extracted, with strong malty-chocolatey notes typical of the Monmouth house, and a latte is creamy and topped with a perfect rosetta. These two are fanatical about latte art (Neil recently took first place at the UK Latte Art championships, with Lynsey collecting bronze). Ask for a double or triple rosetta design, or even a Native American design.
Lewisham High St, SE13 6BB (07966 898488/07811 592024). Lewisham DLR/rail or 21, 47, 436 bus. 8am-5pm Sat. Espresso £1, latte £2.
Scootercaffè
Retro equipment used well | No food – but you can BYO | Unique atmosphere
Scootercaffè (formerly Scooterworks) breaks with London conventions. Instead of Square Mile or Monmouth, the bean of choice is Londinium. A La Marzocco is shunned for a strikingly retro 1957 Faema espresso machine. And though owner Craig O’Dwyer is a Kiwi, the air of Scootercaffè is old-school Italian. We ordered a latte, which was simple with whispers of toffee and cooking chocolate; milk was creamily textured and served at the right temperature. The espresso was light yet robust with unusual flavours, such as anise, liquorice and grapefruit.
132 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AE (020 7620 1421). Waterloo tube/rail. 8.30am-11pm Mon-Thur; 8.30am-midnight Fri; 10am-midnight Sat. Espresso £1.50, latte £1.90.
The Roastery
Organic and fair-trade coffees | Beans roasted in-house | Brilliant brownies
This is the south London outpost of the popular Kiwi-run coffee shop in Covent Garden, Bullet. As its name suggests, the beans are roasted in-store and are freshly ground to order. On our visit, a surprisingly saline Mandheling Sumatra coffee was used: almost sea-salty in flavour, with honey and hickory notes and an elegant smokiness. We relished its syrupy texture and creamy mouthfeel. A flat white was served on the right side of hot, but could have been thicker in texture. It also had an intensity that (fortunately) wasn’t completely mellowed out by the milk.
789 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 3JQ (020 7350 1961). Wandsworth Rd rail or 87 bus. 7.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3.30pm Sat, Sun. Espresso £1.50, flat white £2.30.
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132 comments
'TIna We Salute You' is a cracking little coffee shop in Dalston. Great coffee and cakes! Should be on the list!
Try the Coming Soon on 20 Goswell Road - hands down better than most. Super attentive to the process and no letdowns.
Holy cconise data batman. Lol!
I cannot believe The Bridge coffee house in Hoxton - along Kingsland Road - never made it into the list. Great coffee server by amazing staff! Its open when you need it, and has a great atmosphere!
http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/01/31/old-curiosity-caf e-the-bridge-in-shoreditch/
If you're in EC4, pop into Grace St. Paul's which is on Creed Lane. Phil makes a truly excellent cup of coffee, often using interesting and unique blends from both the UK and further afield.
'Euston Tap', in one iof the gatehouses outside Euston station, gets my vote for brilliant coffee, the barista (trained by Gwilym Davie, world barista champion) makes consistently excellent coffee. the best in this area of London.
Sea Island Coffee is near South Kensington and specialises in rare and exotic coffees like Jamaica Blue Mountain and Kopi Luwak. Their website is at www.seaislandcoffee.com
Ditto to on the Goodbench in Clapham... lucky for me they have just opened up a store in Brixton off coldhabour lane in the Arcade (next to rosies)!
Say no to starbucks
Vida e caffe in Golden Square Soho. Any South Africans will know what i'm talking about!
Amazing coffee, i'm a meia convert! And made by a Zulu! You don't get that anywhere else in London :-)
No 26 in Rathbone Place has the best flat white I have ever had!
Highly recommended!
Presumably the 'tea is the only beverage' drinkers consume only fine english fare too-cucumber sandwiches, game pie etc? None of that foreign muck?
Tea Tea Tea - less than impressed with the gullable lapping up of yet another Yank fad - I watch people going to work who become very aggressive once they have downed that brown sludge - Nice
TwoDays Coffee, St Michael's Hill, Bristol - we buy our freshly roasted beans here and grind them at home - makes yummy and aromatic, espresso, capuccino, latte.
Cafe:
Cafe Havana, Cotham Hill, Bristol - best coffee in town!
The Goodbench at Clapham Common.... amazing...and (unsurprisingly) staffed by Antipodean baristas who clearly know what they are doing.....
why don t u try my espresso or cappuccino??????u ll dream about it!!and....try my cakes and pasta!!!
i made it!cafe
43 market place
rm1 3ab
romford