Best coffee in London?
Posted by Lucy on July 11th, 2008After yet another maddening on-the-way-to-work wait for a gritty, feeble, bitter café latte, I’ve been doing some pondering forward-slash getting angry.
(A) Why is it that so many people who work in cafés in London have absolutely zero interest in actually serving you any coffee? This morning I pretty much had to jump up and down on the spot to get served, before being put through a testing display of incompetence that involved three members of staff and an abused Gaggia machine that sprayed coffee grounds into my to-go. I’d name names, but the coffee shop is the closest one to Smith HQ, and in a caffeine-crash crisis I’d have to go there, and I’d like my coffee to be foaming for all the right reasons.
(B) Why is it that almost every city in Europe (bar London, it would seem) is bursting with amazing cafés – and even rubbish cafés – where you can purchase a hot, smooth cup of simple caffeinated deliciousness without having to select from a ridiculous menu of stupidly named beverages? What kind of person drinks a pint of choca-mocha latte with extra almond syrup anyway? It’s more like a hot, liquid knickerbocker glory than a coffee. In this ‘can’t make a simple coffee’ category, I’m including all those fancy places that ought to know better: you’d be surprised how many ‘it’ restaurants and five-star hotels still can’t make a decent espresso. Way to ruin the end of a great meal. Gahh I’ve worked myself up into a right state just thinking about it!
Conclusion: I’ve decided to set out on a renewed Smith-style quest to find London’s best cafés and superior coffee shops. And then maybe the best café in the world. But let’s not run before we can walk.
To kick things off (and since the topic cropped up in Mrs Smith’s last Inside NYC blog post), I did a little background reading on Oliver Schwaner-Albright’s most excellent New York Times coffee blog. The pictures alone… mmn, it’s like coffee porn. Oliver, we salute you. I never knew there was so much to know! My inept offerings will doubtless by comparison be akin to rummaging blind in a large cloth bag, or trying to select wine from a menu of 350 without offending the sommelier. Oh well. If I could justify the journey (eg: scouting for boutique-hotel openings/checking up on Mr & Mrs Smith’s Danish hotels, Front and Avenue Hotel in Copenhagen), I’d have hied me hither for the World Barista Championships in Copenhagen. Although a quick look at this year’s results ranks the UK as only 10th best in the world as a country of coffeemakers. Which explains a few things
Next time on Coffee Break: we will grill Oliver for his superior coffee knowledge (and just generally have a chat, because he is a top chap), and attempt to find the best coffee in London. Any tips greatly appreciated. And please don’t tell us to go to Starbucks.
PLUS Coming soon: coffee shops we have known and loved, an international guide
This blog entry struck a chord with me… we ran out of coffee at home on Friday morning, I purchased a Carluccio’s latte and it basically ruined my day.
So, here are my suggestions in case you’re fishing for any!
1. Monmouth Coffee rocks my world and is just up the street from Covent Garden Hotel
2. Flat White on Berwick Street (they use Monmouth coffee beans) – within walking distance of Soho Hotel and Hazlitt’s.
Now… can we work on moving our office closer to one of these fine institutions?! Or persuade them to open up shop nearby?
By Mary
On July 14th, 2008
Hmm yes, mentioning no names, obviously! I’ve heard good things about Flat White and Monmouth - will put these suggestions to Oliver Schwaner-Albright when we grill him about superior coffee. I also discovered a great little place on Northcote Road in Clapham called Brew - fantastic breakfasts, and they know how to make a decent latte. Recommended (please don’t all go at once though, it’s really tiny and I will have some sort of nervous breakdown if I go there again and can’t have a sit-in set of blueberry pancakes or eggs benedict).
By Lucy
On July 14th, 2008
Here are some memoirs from my own coffee collection:
Best coffee in the world: grubby kiosk, Nairobi Airport, Kenya.
Worst - and most expensive: ****buck’s, Al Jamjoun Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Best coffee on the run: a grab-it-and-go Brazilian cafezinho – mini cups of rocket fuel to get you started.
Most difficult place to order a coffee: Boston, Mass. I went into a corner deli, waited my turn, and asked for a white coffee, with sugar, to take away please. ‘Whaddayawant? Whaddaya? Kantchaspikinglish? Next!’ came the hospitable response. After seeking local advice, I returned, ignored the queue, and shouted ‘Gimmeacawfee,sweet’n'lite–witwheels!’
That worked fine.
By Roger
On July 15th, 2008
I love the sound of the grab-it-and-go cafezinho! I remember you saying they were lined up on little counters 10 at a time and people literally fling their coins on the counter and grab one. Makes me think of marathon runners scooping up emergency rehydration! Wish there was a cafezinho stall at Clapham Junction station – *sighs*.
By Lucy
On July 15th, 2008
I don’t think you will ever be able to find the best coffee in London, because there are so many different shops making coffee that you will never be able to go to every single one and try their way of making it. The cheapest way for you to make a coffee that will be what you want is at home or at work; shops in London overcharge you for something you can probably make yourself.
So to conclude, to get the best coffee, you make it, so it will be just as you like it – and you will save your pennies. So you can get the coffee of your dreams without having to leave your office or home.
By Rob
On July 18th, 2008
Yes, DIY is surely the only way to guarantee perfection - actually we’ve just asked Oliver about coffee-making kit in our second superior coffee Q&A, so I’ve no excuses really.
As for finding the best coffee in London, we certainly can’t hold one-to-one interviews with every barista in the capital, but we can narrow down our choice of cafés according to where they source their coffee (thus being able to conclude that London’s best coffee is likely to be found at Monmouth cafés, or Flat White, which sources from the same roaster!)
By Lucy
On July 18th, 2008
I travel more than most and have lived on 4 continents and in my view the best coffee in the world is in Australia – not Italy or France – in part because, unlike the Italians, they don’t believe they’re born better baristas than everyone else. Coffee-culture in Australia was the product of Italian immigrants (I had the pleasure of being taught to brew by the daughter of the woman who imported the first espresso machines); they see making a fine brew as an homage to the old country.
That means the best coffee-shops worldwide tend to be run by Aussies and Kiwis (though Seattle has some very, very serious coffee-shops too – unfortunately they’re not typical of the entire US.) Flat White is one of the best coffee-shops on the planet and ‘Milkbar’ – owned by the same crew – is equally excellent. They get bonus points for being friendly, funky and shockingly attractive. They serve a cup that equals anything I’ve drunk anywhere.
Beyond that, I’d suggest the Deli in Wanaka, NZ, the whole of Seattle, and Istanbul. All very different, all very good.
Monmouth is cheap and great but not as good as Flat White when it comes to milk handling. Espresso’s relatively easy; milk-based drinks require a different set of skills. Watch them free-pour your cup and you’ll get a sense of how obsessive they are.
London has world-class coffee. You just have to know where to find it.
By Samuel Agboola
On July 21st, 2008
Undoubtedly the best coffee is at the Kensington Square Cafe W8 where they serve an unbeatable cup made from coffee from The Monmouth Coffee Company.
By mrstock
On July 21st, 2008
I’m loving all this feedback! Samuel, I’d have to agree with you on the milk-handling front, since there are days when I’ll happily take a common-or-garden latte made with something like Illy coffee, so long as the milk has been treated with love and is doing what it’s supposed to.
A lot of people don’t realise that milk with a lower fat content just won’t foam up in the same creamy way that full-fat will, so anyone ordering skinny caps/lattés should moderate their expectations. As for the Italians and their wiley ways – my partner is 2nd generation Italian Londoner whose family runs delis and cafés, so totally understand about Italian baristas, I assure you! We have a tiny little Bialetti machine at home that he’s fiercely protective of; it’s not great but our kitchen is too small for anything more substantial (plus nasty electric hob rules out stove-top coffee makers).
Actually there’s a great description of Italian coffee-machine obsession in Rome-set chick-lit novel The Food of Love: he cranks his machine pressure up using spare parts from a van in an attempt to make the tiniest, strongest ristrettos known to mankind.
Milkbar - will have to check it out, it sounds fantastic. And thanks Mr Stock, we’ll look into the Kensington Square Café as well!
By Lucy
On July 21st, 2008
Listen. This a subject REALLY close to my heart. It’s very hard to find a good (consistently good, I mean) coffee in this capital. But I’ve done it and want to share it with you. BLISS cafe on Exmouth Market makes a caffeine cup with care and attention (and sells records too - with a particularly good reggae section) and Monmouth Coffee is the probably the best bean in London (particularly from the stall on Borough Market in Southwark). There.
By Mark Espiner
On July 21st, 2008
Monmouth’s beans are fabulous and it’s a key luxury for us. We use the Covent Garden store and we consider ourselves lucky to have it.
By Alison Scott
On July 21st, 2008
London doesn’t get cafe culture; perhaps because the institution of the pub is so ingrained in English culture. Thus the only reason why any Londoner would go to a cafe rather than a pub is if they have small children in tow. There aren’t cafes here as in, say, San Francisco or Berlin or Barcelona.
(This is not counting greasy-spoon “caffs”, an entirely different institution formed in working-class Britain some decades ago. Those are more eateries (think cholesterol-rich fry-ups and “builders’ tea”, eaten on formica tables), a bit like American diners.)
By acb
On July 21st, 2008
I’ve never been to London (though I want to!), but I know of a roaster that has been in the works for a few months now. The company is Square Mile Coffee Roasters, a partnership between 2007 World Barista Champion James Hoffman, 2008 World Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey and 2007 World Coffee Cupping Champion Anette Moldvaer (there are even more credentials I think, but enough of that). From what I can tell, they don’t have a cafe, but Bea’s of Bloomsbury is using their coffee. I suspect with Square Mile supplying them it would be fantastic coffee!
By Peter V
On July 21st, 2008
London’s coffee scene has been a bit of mess for a while now. At Square Mile it has become a kind of mission statement for us to work with clients to help turn London back into a city that is proud of its coffee culture. (It certainly used to be back between 1650 and 1750!)
Should Mr and Mrs Smith ever be in the Bethnal Green area then feel free to drop us a line and we’d be happy to make you some coffee.
By James Hoffmann
On July 21st, 2008
Seconding Samuel Agboola’s comments about Australian and New Zealand coffee. The reason it’s hard to find good coffee in London (or anywhere in the UK) is that, unlike France, Spain and Portgual, the British Empire didn’t control any coffee producing regions. Most of the largest coffee-producing regions are in Latin America, and unlike the Haitian Revolution, the French controlled the island that produced over half of the world’s coffee in the 18th century. Italy developed a coffee culture through extensive trade within the Mediterranean Basin, despite not having an overseas empire to speak of.
Britain, on the other hand, produced a lot of sugar islands, and of course India bequeathed a legacy of tea-drinking (you think it’s hard getting good coffee in London? Try getting a decent cuppa anywhere in the United States). Thus, the British never developed a culture for coffee drinking, and haven’t caught up with their former colonies.
As Samuel mentioned, one of the legacies of Italian immigration into Australia was the importation of a coffee culture. Crucially, this immigration took place after World War 2, when the milk steamer on the espresso machine had been developed — this is why Australians and New Zealanders drink a lot more milk-based espresso drinks than elsewhere, and have their own drink, the flat white (for which the excellent London cafe is named). New Zealand has never had Italian immigration on the same scale as Australia, but absorbed the love of decent coffee through a neighbourly osmosis in the 1990s.
So, history is to blame, again.
By Jake
On July 21st, 2008
@Peter V, nice blog pics - one for my coffee porn collection! Oliver S-A also tipped Smith onto Square Mile Roaster although we hadn’t yet located a café selling it (your company website not fully live yet?); I’m thinking a Saturday spent in town doing a bit of taste testing is in order.
@James Hoffmann – genuine barista royalty – welcome to the Smith blog. And yes please, your coffee invitation is very tempting indeed – will you be making?!
@Jake. Now that you put it like that… Britain is traditionally a nation of tea-drinkers (with tea-time being massively popular thanks to a fashionista-driven revival). Oliver argued that most coffee in Paris is rubbish; bonjour Mariage Frères, say I…
@all of you: we currently have Smith spies out and about in NY, and heading to Portland soon, so let us know your insider coffee-destination tips and we’ll try to check them out!
By Lucy
On July 22nd, 2008
Jake overlooks the fact that our glorious Empire did indeed include Kenya (as in Best Coffee in the World, above). I think we Brits can make coffee – we’re just not very good with machines.
By Roger
On July 22nd, 2008
I will indeed be making, or at a push it will be Stephen who works with us and took this year’s World Barista title.
Recommendations for NY:
Ninth Street (on Ninth Street)
Ninth Street (Chelsea Market)
Cafe Grumpy (Chelsea)
Gimme! (Mott Street)
I know I am missing lots, will have a think.
As for Portland - the Ace is indeed a lovely place to stay, as well as to drink coffee.
Stumptown has 3 and a half stores, all worth visiting.
The Albina Press has two stores and a very loyal coffee following, as does the Fresh Pot.
I really want to go back to Portland!
By James Hoffmann
On July 22nd, 2008
Square Mile has our vote for best coffee.
My head barista will be heading there in three weeks.
By Andrew Legg
On July 23rd, 2008
I’ve just got to return to this thread because it struck me that my comment above was basically wrong. As Roger points out, Kenya is a coffee-producing region (although they didn’t get going until the 1890s, which could be fit into my argument with a certain amount of fudging), as is Jamaica (although again I think that didn’t start up until the end of the slave trade made sugar less profitable).
More importantly, though, is that Coffee Houses were key sites of English culture and politics in the 17th and 18th centuries — the most famous perhaps is Lloyd’s, but there were plenty of others. Perhaps it was all the caffeine, but Reformation England and beyond, they were the places to be if you wanted an argument.
So, I retract my argument, and don’t know why the English don’t make good coffee.
By Jake
On July 30th, 2008
NEWSFLASH!
I had a half-decent coffee on my way to work today, from a counter in the under-passage at Clapham Junction. Only Illy, but the nice NZ girls there do know how to get their milk to behave (despite ungodly warmth in their little cubbyhole). So that is convincing me of the innate coffee-making abilities of those lovely kiwi people. And yes, Jake, it appears those born in England may have less of a genetic predisposition to skilful foaming (unless at the mouth). I am now braced for a barrage of hot denial and further invites to drink well-made coffee…
By Lucy
On July 31st, 2008
Monmouth. Monmouth Monmouth Monmouth. I buy most of my coffee from the Borough store (or the Borough Market stand, on days when it’s up, and if the queue is shorter).
For a straight-up espresso, I’ve not had better than that from the Tasting Room (also by Borough Market, on Stoney Street, near Southwark Street). Dense and powerfully aromatic.
By Marc
On August 18th, 2008
@ Marc - I’m feeling a bit sad inside now because Monmouth is really too far away for me to go to on a daily basis. [lingering sigh]
By Lucy
On August 19th, 2008
PECKHAM!
Currently known more for gun crime than coffee but Petitou on Choumert Road is well worth a visit for the standard coffees with no funny business.
By Kate
On September 13th, 2008
Scooterworks on Lower Marsh Street, Waterloo.
With their original 3 group Faema coffee machine built in Milan in 1957, they do both the best coffee I know outside of Italy and know something about café culture too with live jazz on Tuesday or Wednesday lunchtimes. If the urge takes, you can also buy a restored vespa while you’re there! And no, I don’t work there - I’m just a happy happy punter.
If you’re into coffee in London, it’s definitely worth checking out - http://www.scooterworks-uk.com
By Chris
On September 15th, 2008
I’m a little late on the ball here, but I thought I could add some insight as well. I’m a barista in Portland and am visiting my nearly-native London for the first time in 19 years soon, and happened on this blog when inquiring about quality coffee places around town. I’m glad to hear that it’s not a lost cause, as Monmouth sounds legit, as does Square Mile.
As far as Portland goes, Stumptown runs the city pretty much, as I work for two places that serve their beans. They are great for french press and espresso, but their milk drinks generally don’t measure up to places like Albina Press and Coffeehouse Northwest, who also serve their beans. It’s truly a privilege to live in a place where I can say that, since Stumptown’s drinks are still stellar compared to lots of other places.
The absolute number one place in the city is Coffeehouse Northwest. Best knowledge, talent, equipment, and passion. Excellent drinks. Also check out Extracto, Ristretto Roasters, and Spella, which is a cart downtown. Those three all roast their own as well.
I’m glad to see that Portland was brought up in this discussion, as we’re kind of overlooked a lot of the time, but there’s a lot of great coffee being made here right now, and in such a small area. And I didn’t even mention Courier and Bigfoot coffees, which are great roasters also.
Um sorry this got a little long, I get pretty geeky when coffee and Portland are concerned. I’m excited to check out what London has to offer.
Thanks for this post, it’s a great starting point.
By Luke
On October 2nd, 2008
@Luke – thanks so much for your lengthy contribution! We heart Portland at Smith and have been looking for hotels there to add to our collection, and we think we’ve found a couple of humdingers. We’ll keep you posted. Have you also checked out our Q&A with Oliver Schwaner-Albright and superior coffee posts?
@ Coffee fans in general – fear not! You may have thought this coffee trail had gone cold, but it will be revisited in the next few weeks with a few updates.
By Lucy
On October 2nd, 2008
hi guys
great thread!
Just outside london, in St Albans (20 minutes mainline train from Kings Cross St Pancreas) is a great little coffee company called Soko Coffee.
They do coffee just like flat white and monmouth - and they are an ethical bunch too, which gets the thumbs up from me.
Check out http://www.sokocoffee.co.uk for some photos - the van is so cute!
By Danny
On October 15th, 2008
So - this weekend, I was in Covent Garden and so stopped at Monmouth - I can happily report back that it is as good as ever! Not only that but they are selling single source chocolate http://www.chocolats-pralus.com amazing. My favourite was the Colombie.
By Tamara
On October 29th, 2008
Dear Friends,
As I was in middle of making a decision about opening a coffee shop in Izmir, Turkey, with a brand name specialized on coffee culture from London, Now stuck in the middle of work with which company ?…. Should I go and offer to “Monmouth” or to Flat white or what..?
Dear guest you tell me !!!
Tell me the name of the coffee company you want to see when you visit a foreign country (or Turkey) franchised from London ?
Regards,
Mr.SEREF BALSAK
By SEREF MALSAK, Mr
On November 3rd, 2008