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London's Best of the Best?

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#1 ·
It's been a while since I had time in London to mooch around but may have a few days in Jan. With a couple of hundred entries on London's Best Coffee App and 100cups though deciding where to go is a headache.

So what's really the best of the best? Where did you have an espresso or filter that amazed you? Where uses an unusual roaster that you rate highly (i.e. not HasBean or Square Mile).

No dark roast places please.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I wouldn't call it the best but I do love Notes just behind St Pancras. Very smart new building and a very chilled out mezzanine where I basically stayed for about 4 hours chitchatting with old friends and drinking yummy coffee. Sausage rolls are also a bit special. Roastery is just off Caledonian Road so I would say its local!
 
#7 ·
Craft coffee
I agree it is Craft. In the last year I have tried mothers milk, Kaffeine, Monmouth, TAP, 3 places in Peckham, curators, Worksop (fitzrovia) and attendant.

Many nice coffees but nothing as nice as Craft. Also the granola fruit and yougurt is the bomb.
 
#9 ·
Nod said:
I agree it is Craft. In the last year I have tried mothers milk, Kaffeine, Monmouth, TAP, 3 places in Peckham, curators, Worksop (fitzrovia) and attendant.

Many nice coffees but nothing as nice as Craft. Also the granola fruit and yougurt is the bomb.
Is that the one in Shoreditch?
 
#11 ·
Store St Espresso - introduced me to the delights of Drop Coffee and Playground - so would tick your box of less usual coffee in the usual places. Timber Yard in Covent Garden was serving Barn when I was last in there and Workshop and the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs roast their own and are reliably good.
 
#12 ·
Origin was really nice coffee last time I visited. Peloton in Spitalfields market make a great flat white and is great if you want to lust over bike porn with your coffee. I think it's the first time I've seen a Mazzer Kold too.
 
#14 ·
When I worked in the Strand it was a bit of a coffee desert unless you like it a la trad Italian panino shop. Good to know for next time. I need to used this thread as the basis for another coffee adventure. Subscribed.
 
#15 ·
East End:

+1 for Origin very good

+1 for Craft

Climpsons ( although recently inconsistent )

Lanark Coffee ( VictoriaArduino lever action !!! . near Columbia rd )

My house ! ( joking )

West End:

Milk Bar ( using Drop Coffee beans, as are Flat a White )

Tapped ( for brewed )

Midtown ? / Faringdon

Prufrock ( one of the originals ! )

Workshop ( for beans, onsite drinks variable quality )

Hackney Wick:

Counter Cafe ( good brew & espresso & Olympic canal side view )

Walthamstow:

Wood St Coffee - Very good ( in Blackhorse Workshops )

-JKK
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the advice all!

Sad to see that Mothers Milk has closed before I managed to get there, was looking forward to JB kaffe lever action
:(


Lots of the others mentioned are on the shortlist.
 
#18 ·
Blackstone said:
Mothers milk has closed??

Loved that place. Really nice guys and always willing to talk every coffee.

Don't the reason behind the closure but hope its not rising rent
Yep - see their twitter / facebook. Hopefully they come back somewhere else.
 
#22 ·
Asgross said:
Yes mothers milk loved to talk and serve coffee - real enthusiasts

But I was told they have just moved to building inside an ad agency still in great Portland st
They moved into Exposure but that has now ended. Like I said, check Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.
 
#24 ·
Throwing some more into the mix: Barber and Parlour is cracking, as is Association. Noble are at the absolute top of their game and are beyond amazing and Alchemy are incredible too.
 
#26 ·
Espresso:

Nothing exceptional here, overall I was quite disappointed.

Store St - SqM Sweetshop was the only option. It was OK. Just OK. And I like nice bright fruity coffee....

Craft - A SO from Notes that was pretty nice and syrupy and spicy. Really nice people (I told them the forums sent me).

TAP (Rathbone Pl) - Their house blend, bright and quite nice. Not that memorable.

Alchemy - San Sebastion - Really Orangey. Not that memorable.

Filter:

Much better here

Caravan - a rare Panama Geisha Natural (the same coffee was also available washed) brewed in a Chemex. Loads of ripe juicey stone fruit once it had cooled down. Really cool place and nice vibes. Very busy. Really friendly staff, had a chat with the Barista and bought a bag of the Panama.

Origin - Best coffee of the trip by far, Kenya Gatura. Incredibly complex and less bright than a lot of Kenyan's I have tried recently. This place looks amazing, very cool with a beautiful brew bar. It was quiet so I had a nice chat with the Barista about coffee in general whilst he took great care and attention and it showed. Absolutely stunning filter. I'm definitely going to be buying more of their beans.

Workshop (Clerkenwell) - Had a filter of a Kenyan I think. Brewed in an aeropress, although I wasn't given an option. It was nice but forgettable. Had a chat with the barista on the espresso machine who was friendly and sold me a bag of the current cult of done which is an SO Burundi. Incredibly busy.

Gentleman Barista's - really cool place that had more locals than coffee geeks. The incredibly friendly barista offered me a choice of 3 coffee's either as aeropress, chemex or v60. A v60 of a washed Columbian from a roaster I have never heard of before and have since forgotten (Sunday something?) was super clean and quite floral. When I asked about it the barista brought the bag over to me and told me about the roaster and the coffee and was just a really nice guy who clearly cared a lot about whether his customers were enjoying the coffee.

Always good to see what else is going on so thanks again for all the recommendations.
 
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