London coffee places

[Roger le goéland]

Fantastic! I'll be sure to pay him a visit if I ever go through Washington. He should probably have pointed out that this policy was a means to stop customers from getting "ghetto lattes", I'm sure people would have been more understanding. Good business sense and caring for your products go hand in hand. Funny that the article was titled "espresso, extra bitter" when it is about somebody who goes to great lengths to ensure that it isn't!

Tom, I don't. I considered it but have no space nor sufficient funds! (the occasional michelin starred tasting menus don't help). I order my coffee from a variety of websites who roast and dispatch first class. It's good enough for now.

Winot - point is, one chain could thrash all the others simply by making sure their coffee is freshly roasted. Pret is already on the way of doing that with their guarranteed "2 weeks from roasting" (http://www.pret.com/our_food/just_roasted.htm). Their coffee is priced similar to bucks etc. I find it sad that many people consider that coffee ought to be bitter-tasting. Like the aforementioned article.

[Roger le goéland]

An update for those that care. Bearing in mind that I'm a boring person whose favourite coffee is medium (on the side of mild) roast Columbian and for whom coffee is about the nose and the finish more than anything else.

I visited Fernandez, Algerian Coffee Stores, Flat White, Monmouth (both shops in Borough, and the one next to 7 dials) and Grazing. All multiple times, in the interest of fairness (except Grazing which is unfortunately far too far!)

Fernandez stands out as the best coffee, by far. They use a medium and a strong roast, my espresso was made with the medium roast. The best time was when the lady preparing my espresso packed some grounds, packed more, added more on top and compressed it again - took her about 3-4 minutes to get it in the machine but WOW. Smooth, loads of crema, an aroma which is impossible to describe... Subsequent visits have yielded similar espressos (none to that level though, especially at rush hour) and I am now addicted to their "Stumpy". I arrange all my "in town" meetings to happen there despite the horrible seating, crowded and noisy inside, and remarquably high food prices. Totally worth it!

Monmouth... the 7 dials shop I've described above. As a regular to Borough I had to try the espresso at the main shop next to the market (not the stand in the market). It was bitter and really not that great - could have gone to Cafe Nero. My partner's latte was not brilliant either. I guess their specialty is filter.

Algerian Coffee Stores - again, bitter, watery, no crema. Terrible espresso. Won't go back, at least not for a coffee. I'm sure their beans are fine, but I have very good suppliers already

Grazing - absolutely fantastic black pudding and egg sandwich! It was so good I brought lunch back to the office for everybody despite the half hour tube trip (and loooooong walk to Bank). Coffee was good. Not as good as Fernandez.

Flat White - so much hype. The website even has photos of the regulars' anniversary party or something. "Best coffee in London" is unfortunately not to be found there but at their Portuguese/British neighbour. It was a decent latte, and a decent espresso, but they use a dark roast so it doesn't have the same finish as the wonderful medium roast used in F&W.

Incidentally I've since moved into an area of London predominantly populated by the Portuguese, and the cafe/minisupermarket next to my flat produces an excellent espresso for just 80p.