The £5-00 Cup of Coffee in London

I agree with all the comments about how average most places are for coffee. Since getting an very decent espresso machine it's opened my eyes (taste buds) to coffee and the vast array of flavours you can get from a freshly roasted and ground bean. I don't really bother with having one away from home now, it's always pale in comparison.

£5 seems a lot, but if people are paying it then they won't make it any cheaper!
 
Not massively into coffee, but really like the aroma. Might have a few coffees per week in the form of a flat white. However, not often keen on what's served in specialist coffee places. Normally just go to Cafe Nero in Knaresborough, it's Colombian coffee and is quite mellow. A lot of the specialist places seem to be quite bitter. Although not being a massive coffee drinker may have something to do with it. Would stay out of the chain places for a hot chocolate, apart from Hotel Chocolat.
 
Just helping my daughter set up a cafe. She is a trained Barista...but we are looking for our house "bean" at the moment. Most of the more serious local coffee houses use a roast from a place in the Colne valley. But it's hellish expensive and I'm not sure it's for us...the best tasting coffee we have had recently was in a small Italian cafe. Surprisingly they used Borbone. Any recommendations? We want good taste, but not at stupid prices.
 
borolad259 said:
Just helping my daughter set up a cafe. She is a trained Barista...but we are looking for our house "bean" at the moment. Most of the more serious local coffee houses use a roast from a place in the Colne valley. But it's hellish expensive and I'm not sure it's for us...the best tasting coffee we have had recently was in a small Italian cafe. Surprisingly they used Borbone. Any recommendations? We want good taste, but not at stupid prices.
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Maxwell House 👌🏻
 
borolad259 said:
Just helping my daughter set up a cafe. She is a trained Barista...but we are looking for our house "bean" at the moment. Most of the more serious local coffee houses use a roast from a place in the Colne valley. But it's hellish expensive and I'm not sure it's for us...the best tasting coffee we have had recently was in a small Italian cafe. Surprisingly they used Borbone. Any recommendations? We want good taste, but not at stupid prices.
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I use Lonton and at least one coffee shop here does as well.
lonton.co.uk

Lonton Coffee Co - Artisan Coffee Roasters

Carefully roasted and packed coffee supplied to some of the finest restaurants, coffee shops and hotels in the north of england.
lonton.co.uk lonton.co.uk
 
JustTheGent said:
Not massively into coffee, but really like the aroma. Might have a few coffees per week in the form of a flat white. However, not often keen on what's served in specialist coffee places. Normally just go to Cafe Nero in Knaresborough, it's Colombian coffee and is quite mellow. A lot of the specialist places seem to be quite bitter. Although not being a massive coffee drinker may have something to do with it. Would stay out of the chain places for a hot chocolate, apart from Hotel Chocolat.
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A bitter coffee means it's been over extracted.

Once you know how a shot should be pulled, how long it should take and what a good "pull" looks like you'll be horrified how little care and attention the chains take. It's not the baristas fault, they just push buttons. I go a bit mental and weigh my grind and weigh the shot as well.
 
borolad259 said:
Just helping my daughter set up a cafe. She is a trained Barista...but we are looking for our house "bean" at the moment. Most of the more serious local coffee houses use a roast from a place in the Colne valley. But it's hellish expensive and I'm not sure it's for us...the best tasting coffee we have had recently was in a small Italian cafe. Surprisingly they used Borbone. Any recommendations? We want good taste, but not at stupid prices.
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A lot of places use Rountons around here, it's based near East Rounton just off the A19. No idea about wholesale but I pay about £29/kg for the Granary blend
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
Coffee snobbery, it makes a change from beer snobbery.

Taste is personal, when people talk about 'good coffee' they mean pthe one that they like.
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Not true. When I talk about good coffee I might be talking about coffee I don't personally like. Good coffee means good quality beans, roasted well and used at the right time. If you get coffee from somewhere like Starbucks then they prioritise consistency over flavour. They over-roast their beans because it reduces variability. Lighter roasts retain more of the bean's flavours but there's a smaller window of variables (grind size, brew time, temperature etc) and it's more difficult to get that consistency when you make money by selling in high volume so staff can't take their time. A small, specialist coffee shop will take their time, use beans they have chosen and at the roast level they want, they will dial it in and get the flavour right so they are selling the flavour they want.

Anyone can buy wagyu beef fillet but if you get it cooked by someone in a Michelin star restaurant compared to a whetherspoons then you are going to get a different outcome. The problem with coffee is the whetherspoons standard coffee and the Michelin star standard coffee are being priced the same.

I'm snobby about coffee because I don't want to pay Michelin prices for whetherspoons quality but I'd happily pay the high price for the good stuff and a low price for the rubbish stuff. I drink more instant coffee than anything (despite having several much more expensive ways of making coffee at home) because I don't mind it and it's quick and easy when I'm working from home. I can't be spending 5-10 mins making a flat white or a V60 filter coffee every time I want a coffee.
 
Nano said:
Not true. When I talk about good coffee I might be talking about coffee I don't personally like. Good coffee means good quality beans, roasted well and used at the right time. If you get coffee from somewhere like Starbucks then they prioritise consistency over flavour. They over-roast their beans because it reduces variability. Lighter roasts retain more of the bean's flavours but there's a smaller window of variables (grind size, brew time, temperature etc) and it's more difficult to get that consistency when you make money by selling in high volume so staff can't take their time. A small, specialist coffee shop will take their time, use beans they have chosen and at the roast level they want, they will dial it in and get the flavour right so they are selling the flavour they want.

Anyone can buy wagyu beef fillet but if you get it cooked by someone in a Michelin star restaurant compared to a whetherspoons then you are going to get a different outcome. The problem with coffee is the whetherspoons standard coffee and the Michelin star standard coffee are being priced the same.

I'm snobby about coffee because I don't want to pay Michelin prices for whetherspoons quality but I'd happily pay the high price for the good stuff and a low price for the rubbish stuff. I drink more instant coffee than anything (despite having several much more expensive ways of making coffee at home) because I don't mind it and it's quick and easy when I'm working from home. I can't be spending 5-10 mins making a flat white or a V60 filter coffee every time I want a coffee.
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It is very much true.
 
Nano said:
Not true. When I talk about good coffee I might be talking about coffee I don't personally like. Good coffee means good quality beans, roasted well and used at the right time. If you get coffee from somewhere like Starbucks then they prioritise consistency over flavour. They over-roast their beans because it reduces variability. Lighter roasts retain more of the bean's flavours but there's a smaller window of variables (grind size, brew time, temperature etc) and it's more difficult to get that consistency when you make money by selling in high volume so staff can't take their time. A small, specialist coffee shop will take their time, use beans they have chosen and at the roast level they want, they will dial it in and get the flavour right so they are selling the flavour they want.

Anyone can buy wagyu beef fillet but if you get it cooked by someone in a Michelin star restaurant compared to a whetherspoons then you are going to get a different outcome. The problem with coffee is the whetherspoons standard coffee and the Michelin star standard coffee are being priced the same.

I'm snobby about coffee because I don't want to pay Michelin prices for whetherspoons quality but I'd happily pay the high price for the good stuff and a low price for the rubbish stuff. I drink more instant coffee than anything (despite having several much more expensive ways of making coffee at home) because I don't mind it and it's quick and easy when I'm working from home. I can't be spending 5-10 mins making a flat white or a V60 filter coffee every time I want a coffee.
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I have a B2C. Press a button. Whack a pint of milk in the frother. Hey presto, gotta latte!

If I’m honest I put any old supermarket ***** in the B2C because when you’re drowning it in a pint of frothy oat milk who really cares?
 
Mcdonalds coffee is quite nice especially at the price. £1.39 in Middlesbrough. Used to get Costa as I was driving about but they have reduced their cup size and reduced the strength of what you get. At the same time the price has gone up several times in the last year. Shame because I quite liked theirs prior to the changes. Went from around 5 visits a week to none now.
 
Have to give a shout out to the coffee at MIMA (sampled with good company at the FMTTM Coffee Club). A great taste and (after paying DC, Chicago and London prices for the last few years) fantastic value too.
 
You all need to take some advice from us antipodeans on how to make coffee. NZ have the best baristas in the world - fact
 
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