Well, a coffee company dedicated to all things great and wonderful that can come from the coffee plant. These guys are bang on. They have a roasting site and 2 cafes that are always busy and buzzing with all things yummy and delicious. The roast coffee from single farms and estates and they visit all of the farms to ensure that they know what they are buying and where it is coming from. They roast on Italian manufactured machines that help retain the fruit and bright acidity of their medium roasts and develop the body and sweetness in the dark roasts. What I love about Monmouth is that they recognise that getting the best out of any coffee roaster and the coffee itself is that it is a continual learning process that needs to be profiled with every batch.
They offer a newsletter in the store that you can take with you that details all the information regarding all the individual coffees and allows you to choose what you want. They always feature a different coffee and I really love being able to go and taste something new and try to discover new flavours on my palette.
Today I am indulging in an espresso from India, Balmaadi Estate. This coffee comes from a certified Organic and Biodynamic farm. At high altitudes and favourable growing conditions this is a very distinctive coffee. It is rich in caramel and has a very clean finish on the tongue. I really like this one, and the colour is something I cant describe. Pure delight! I am very happy.
Monmouth in the Borough Markets of London is a cafe with a line at least 30 people long every time I come, and they take your order in line so that by the time you arrive at the counter all you have to do is pay and drink. There is a large communal table full of jams and baguettes to indulge and a large selection of pastries, treats and chocolates. You can purchase any or all of the coffees that they roast and the entire experience of standing in line is wonderful.
I am yet to visit their roasting site but I will go for sure, and soon. I have also been to the smaller store just near Covent Garden which is magnificent also. So small, I am sitting in a booth made just for one and people are in line waiting forever if they have to just to get a taste of this magic liquid gold. The barstia’s are right next to me and I can hear them commenting on how good this shot is and how one of them is a little obsessed with perfecting her grind. It is wonderful to hear and very rare in this tea drinking city. Of course, the Australian accent of my barista is hard to miss. Again….
Jaye
Tags: 3 Beans
Posted in 3 Beans, London | 1 Comment »
This place is fantastic.
The whole concept is amazing. I can’t believe I found it without even looking for it. They are serious about their coffee and have been since 1882. Their espresso blend is comprised of seven different single origin beans from around the world including the highly sought after Nicaraguan Maragogype which is more expensive to cultivate than the famous Blue Mountain. It is a joy.
They have an extensive espresso menu alone which I have to include here because it is truly impressive.
Espresso 1882
Espresso 1882 Macchiato
Espresso 1882 Con panne – whipped cream
Espresso 1882 Corretto – amaretto
Espresso 1882 Gianduja – chocolate and whipped cream
Espresso 1882 Gia Cometta – meringue, whipped cream and crushed hazelnut
Honestly!
They also offer a coffee guide on their website for the true coffee veterans such as myself to read and enjoy. You should check it out.
The presentation and perfection of every single shot extracted from the stunning Elektra Belle Époque is enough to make me weak at the knees. The taste! Oh the taste, truly perfect espresso is served here and I am in heaven to have it. It is short and strong and served with a small bitter chocolate and shot of water on the side to expand every mouthful of coffee. It is all about complimenting the coffee here. Caffe Vergnano has, for three generations, been working in London and are now winning awards for their signature 1882 blend. They grow, they roast, they brew, they serve and I’m sure they indulge also. They have 2 coffee bars in London. Southbank Centre and in Charring Cross road, which is where I have found them today. Ahh the Italians! Got to love their dedication and passion for the grand things in life.
Jaye
Posted in 3 Beans, London | 2 Comments »
So this place is another Australian owned dream. I don’t mean to find all these Australians but it seems we know our stuff. The quality that comes out of this place is really consistent too; I’ve been to Taylor St in Richmond several times. The staff are all very keen on coffee and genuinely nice people so I do like to go back often.
This time, I noticed that they have changed the blend that they are using which I was truly excited about. It’s called Bright Note espresso and it’s a combination of Guatemalan and Brazilian beans. Described to have a chocolate taste. And too right it did. My flat white was delicious as usual and I really truly tasted the chocolate notes on the espresso. It was a joy.
These guys pride themselves on their latte art which is just so pleasing in a beautiful coffee and I love coming time after time. They are located inside Source Food Store, which is interesting enough in itself, a great place to stop and grab some fresh delicious lunch, to go or to stay and have the treasure of Taylor St Baristas tucked in the back waiting for you. They always have a copy of Bean Scene lying around for you to read and their loyalty card…buy four get the fifth free! Such a treat. They source their fair trade, 100% Arabica beans from union coffee roasters and the care starts at the beginning all the way to this delicious flat white sitting in front of me.
Taylor St Baristas, finely crafted coffee for serious coffee drinkers.
Taylor St was founded by 3 Australians who couldn’t find a good coffee in London. There are 3 locations so far. This one in Richmond, another in New street purely for the foot locals and directly across from a massive Starbucks which I know for a fact they all find amusing. Also, in Brighton, where I am yet to venture too but will certainly visit soon.
The barista’s at Taylor St go through some serious work to be able to stand behind their machines, there is an exam that they work really hard to pass before they are even considered apprentice standard. It delves into the science and not just the art of coffee making and it is an important level they set for all the staff to be able to keep their quality across the board. It certainly pays off!
Jaye
Posted in 2 Beans, London | No Comments »
Wow, what a find. Seriously, if you think it is hard to find a coffee in London, try to find one at Portobello Markets in Notting Hill and good luck. Well you won’t need luck any more because I am telling you where to go! The Kitchen and Pantry. This place is just great. Lots of little pokey holes and corners, tables, benches, couches, and little tiny stools that fit just your coffee on them! They serve it all here, stunning crepes, and fresh juices evident from the massive baskets of fruit that decorate the counter. Treats and cakes in all descriptions and right there for you to really see. Great grab and go options, wraps, ice cream, milkshakes, oh and did I mention the coffee?
I ordered and espresso and although it came a little blonde, for London standards it was really very good. I feel that they over extract the shots a little too much here and if I had ordered a ristretto I think it would have been bang on. However, my espresso was surprisingly smooth and not at all bitter. I had to order a take away latte as well just to make sure they didn’t break my heart with terrible milk like I have found in so many places in London. But again, almost bang on. Great temperature and if they weren’t so busy at the time I think the barista could have taken the time to shine my milk a little more and push the limit. The one thing I find that is missing from the café culture is the enthusiasm from the staff. The love is lost. The experience is just a little more awkward if you order your lunch at the counter and the host doesn’t make you smile, you know? It’s very important.
The Kitchen and Pantry has everything going for it. Great products across the board, you can buy the Café Torelli Arabica and Robusta blend and have it in beans or ground to take home. They have numerous other retail items that are also great too. And all the way from Australia, Byron Bay cookies! A while since I had seen them on a shelf. This café also boasts a lot of seats and plenty of room outside for lunch and also a bench seat for sippers and smokers. I was really stoked to find this place, London does not have enough cafes with character and this place was definitely somewhere to sit all day and watch the human salad that is in Notting Hill. One of the best I have seen in London.
Jaye
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flat white noun /Austral. flaat whyette/ /NZ flet wyte/ 1 An antipodean style coffee which is served as a strong shot of espresso served in a small cup with textured milk; a damn good strong coffee.
2 51.51 (51°30′) | -0.13 (0°8′).
flattie noun. colloq. flat white; I’m gonna smash back a couple of flatties bro /NZ/ mate /Austral./
I’m going to say something right now. This is possibly the best coffee I have ever had.
There, I said it and I’d say it again. I have been to this café on numerous occasions and never has my opinion faltered. So then, perhaps I have said it before, but always about this place. It is Flat White, it is owned and run by Aussie’s and Kiwis and if you are a coffee drinker and in London, do not leave without going here. I couldn’t say enough about this place to truly express how good it is. Other antipodean cafes in London which are excellent in there own rights still strive to meet the level of Flat White. Flat White offers two benches in the afternoon sun out the front and faces Berwick St Market in the vibrant heart of Soho. A perfect position to watch the human salad pass by. My espresso was a smack in the face and god damn it was near perfect. A crema so thick and rich that held it’s own and sat on that table telling me it how great it was before I even tasted it. My flat white needed introduction, a Rosetta fit for the queen herself and a taste that cannot be found anywhere else in London. You can really see the colour difference in both of these coffees that I assure you, you do not find in this country. It is the rich dark gold I long for! The milk has a sweetness to it that simply proved how well it was textured before it arrived to me. The kick ass baristas; that I could have hugged because I was so happy to see them, were working away on their La Mazocco machines and trusty old Mazza grinders. I have had the privilege of working with both choice pieces of equipment but these guys proved that it is the barista that kicks that final punch. Boasting a selection of naked portafiltas and showing how well done it all is. I need not talk about anything else but the coffee, but I will. Flat White also provides a basic breakfast and light lunch menu with fine ingredients and tastes to compliment their coffee and not the other way around. They are proud of where they have come from and even have ANZAC biscuits for sale. The music is fitting and I feel very much at home in this café. There is a constant stream of addicted Aussies and Kiwis that clearly visit often. They have all their ducks in a row here, including above all, the charm that comes with passionate Australian staff that really push the experience. I love this place so much it’s worth flying across the world just for a coffee and going home. No word of a lie.
Jaye
Posted in 3 Beans, Beverages, London | 3 Comments »
Good news has spread to east London – Monmouth coffee is here! Nude Espresso opened just a few weeks ago around the corner from Brick Lane. Owned and operated by Melbournians, I clicked my heels with joy when I discovered this place as East-enders can now enjoy the same fine coffee as in Soho and The Borough!
Hanbury Street has cleaned up since its past (Jack the Ripper took one of his victims here in the late 19th century), with some fabulous vintage clothing and vinyl record stores and… London’s own specialist ukulele shop. It’s all here. And now there’s great coffee to be had on this quirky little strip between Spitalfields and Brick Lane.
Following my little grumble about the (lack of) friendliness of Coffee @ Brick Lane (around the corner), I was pleased to see a little healthy competition and my first visit was greeted with big smiles and a friendly welcome from Richard and Raelene. This was already a great start. They use Monmouth Coffee espresso blend, currently consisting of a blend of Brasilian beans for the base, Colombia for complexity and Guatemala for sweetness and milk-chocolate notes. They use your choice of milk (handy for any soy drinkers out there) and the latte art was delightful.
The lovely rustic sandwiches, pastries and cakes are baked on the premises daily and they also provide jugs of water with lemon to help yourself to. There’s plenty of seating for a relaxed lunch and table service following an order placed at the counter. This is a little gem worth two beans, in the heart of east London – clean, rustic and friendly.
BIG KUDOS Kylie and thanks for keeping us up to date with all the best and the worst over in London, and for all the best that Melbourne has on show check out HOTSHOTS @:
http://hotshots.melbournecoffeereview.com/
[Support MCR and delight your taste buds by joining our Home Barista Hotshot Club]
Coffee: Monmouth
Kylie Ronalds
Posted in 2 Beans, London | No Comments »
Whenever coffee comes up in conversation here, I’m frequently asked, “Which is the best coffee chain in London?” For the Melbourne readers, this is an entirely valid question in a city of ‘high street’ shopping where brands dominate everything from retail fashion, packaged sandwiches and ‘Italian’ restaurants and the independent barista is hard to come by. So, I have chosen to review the three most prevalent coffee chains in London: Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero. Which one is the best?
Starbucks: I remember my first experience of Starbucks at 17 years of age with a black filtered coffee on a United Airlines flight to the US. I came back to Australia thinking I was really onto something. After arriving to live in London some years later in 2005, and having developed a taste for coffee from our wonderful cafes in Melbourne, it was the only coffee I could rely on in the high street. The staff are clearly well trained in Starbucks as the quality is consistent with the milk always at the right temperature, there are no lattes with an identity crisis of a cappuccino (too foamy), and the espresso and filtered coffee is never bitter or over extracted. The staff are friendly and efficient and have that “the-customer-is-always-right” attitude about them. Personally I find Starbucks too bland however with no ‘wow’ factor in the taste, and it’s very weak in a latte or cappuccino.
Costa: Costa has to be one of the most variable in terms of quality. At best it is bearable in standard if you keep the take away lid on and try to ignore the giant bubbles that are sometimes synonymous with their ‘lattes’, and on other occasions it has provided notes of dishwater. When I decided to write this review recently, I visited the Costa at Waterloo and there were coffee granules spilt over the work bench, used coffee still sitting in the portafilters and dried milk on the outside of the jugs (a poor indication of cleanliness and general pride). Afterwards I had the sudden urge to brush my teeth to cleanse the aftertaste. I am informed by a friend, however, that the paninis and muffins are the most delicious out of the chains. Costa was set up as a roastery in 1971 by two Italians. My question is: what has happened since?
Caffe Nero: Amongst coffee lovers in London that I have met, this is the chain that we generally seem to agree on. Though not quite as consistent in quality as Starbucks, the coffee is much stronger with a smoky and nutty flavour that tends to hit the spot. I do think the strapline of “The Italian Coffee Company” is a bit of a stretch though – the last time I was in Italy any take away coffee cups weren’t large enough to store a milk pale, and there certainly wasn’t any suggest-selling of muffins or pastries. However, this is the best quality high street coffee I think you will find in London.
There is a place for both small businesses and high street chains, and we all have different tastes in the café experience and style of coffee. I do believe that there are small businesses operating on much lower margins and budgets providing a far higher quality coffee and experience in London (eg. Monmouth, Flat White, Climpson & Sons), however the high street chains do much to provide employment and a product that many UK customers enjoy. And as far as the high street chains go, I believe the pick of the bunch is Caffe Nero.
Kylie Ronalds
Posted in London | 2 Comments »
