Thursday 24 May 2012

Some More Coffee Shops, this time in London



I am currently in coffee heaven. The amount of new and good, small independent coffee shops that are popping up in London these days, is blowing my mind.
Everywhere I look I’m finding great new shops, some are just serving good coffee, in others there are people who have a real passion, a desire to serve you the best cup of coffee ever, plus dispense advise on which brew is best for you and how to brew it.
The best of my recent finds is Prufrock Coffee, I know this place has been going for a while, but I have only recently ventured down Leather Lane. Yeah I know.
You know you’re in good hands when one of the owners won the 2009 UK and World Barista Championship, and another employee was runner up in the UK competition in 2012. Not bad.
So to say the coffee is fantastic is an understatement. My flat whites have all been flawless and I have contemplated sitting in there all day getting high on my caffeine addiction.
They also have a good selection of coffee brewers to buy, and I have just recently brought my first Chemex coffee maker. To say I am in heaven is an understatement. A very happy man I am indeed.
They also have launched the London BRAT. A workshop to learn how to make the perfect cup of coffee, plus barista training sessions in case you are thinking of opening your own coffee shop and need the know how. 

Prufrock Coffee on Urbanspoon

Another great place is Number 114, which is part of the Tapped and Packed shops. To be honest I actually prefer this one to their original shop, with its more open design and wooden tree trunk in the centre.


The shop is lot more peaceful than the other, sometimes I prefer a little less vibrancy rather than a constant buzz of noise that makes it hard to think when you are needing some quiet time to sit and chill and enjoy a cup of coffee.
I particularly like this shop because on my last few visits they have had some awesome mini sausage roll bites, which I have guzzled down in moments. Keep it up guys and I’ll always return. 

No. 114 on Urbanspoon

Another newbie in the coffee world is the Speakeasy, located in one of the alleys off Carnaby Street in central London.
This new friendly shop, which not only does great coffee, also has a strong line in quality teas as well, and I’m not just talking about the Builders Breakfast brew. They have a good range of Indian, Chinese and Japanese blends that if I wasn’t into coffee so much I am sure I would be happy to sit over a cuppa and relax.


Their food selection is pretty good, and again I am a sucka for a Portuguese egg custard tart, and the countless ones I have sampled have all been excellent.
I like this shop with its large open windows, which gives you a great view onto the shop opposite. A shame that.


The flat whites seem to be my drink of choice, I think it is its mictofoam that is keeping me addicted.
It’s a shame that al the new coffee shops are nowhere near where I live. This seriously has to change folks. Although for some reason I haven’t tried Tina, We Salute You. Soon.

Speakeasy on Urbanspoon

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