London Travel & Coffee Common, 2011
When I was in London last summer I was fortunate enough to be in town when the Coffee Common folks returned from the TED conference and held their first public event. It was an opportunity to see what all the fuss was about, and to meet a few people I’d only chatted with on Twitter...
The Independent Coffee Book – London
London is blessed with a great coffee scene, numerous cafes, and no less than two World Barista Champions who call the city home. I’ve been slowly cataloging the cafes I visited on my trip to London, but if you’re planning your own vacation a new guide book has come out that’s worth your while. The...
A visit to Tapped & Packed, London
I wanted to share a few photos I took of Tapped & Packed, a specialty cafe with two locations in London – marked on the outside only by their street numbers “114” or “26.” Each space is different, with No. 26 feeling more like a cozy neighborhood haunt, and No. 114 like a destination you’d...
1960s London Cafes & Thoughts About Cafe Design
I’m loving this old video, shot in documentary style, looking at the wide variety of cafes that had opened up in London in the 1950s and 1960s. Part of its charm lies in its anthropological gaze, spending most of the allotted time on the unglamorous and precarious economic end of the business, while highlighting the...
Prufrock Coffee, London
Prufrock Coffee is home to Gwilym Davies, 2009 World Barista Champion. The affable, scruffy bearded barista who lives on a boat has assembled a talented supporting cast at two locations in London. My favorite is Prufrock Cafe on Leather Lane, a large, airy and colorful space, inviting you to linger and enjoy one of the...
ST.ALi – Coffeebar, Cafe, Roastery in London
ST.ALi is an Aussie transplant that opened a London location in the Spring of 2011. They hope to “showcase our love for things that, while simple and accessible, are undeniably delicious,” which is a mission statement I can agree with. The cafe itself is massive, comprised of a ground floor coffee bar and roastery with...
Searching for the Best Coffee in London (Pt. 2): Coffee Crawling
There are a number of cafes I want to highlight from my trip to London that I didn’t get to spend enough time in for a long write-up. Here are some quick impressions, take them for what they are and use them to plan your own trip! Taylor St. Baristas Taylor St. has several...
Searching for the Best Coffee in London (Part I): Notes Music & Coffee
Earlier this summer I took a trip back to the US to visit family, having been abroad for the past year and a half. A stopover in London was the same price as a direct flight, making it a perfect opportunity to explore the Anglo coffee world and meet some of the people I’d only...
La Marzocco’s Linea Love
This is a fun little campaign by La Marzocco highlighting their venerable Linea espresso machines. First released in the 1990s, these boxy, utilitarian beauties were the mainstay of Starbucks’ big expansion after they went public, and have been (and still are) the backbone of many an indie cafe despite all the fancy new machines you...
Korean Cafe Interior Design
When I lived in Korea I tried to find all the cafes in Seoul that were focused on high quality coffee (you can find all of them on my global cafe map), but in the process I visited a bunch that were less than stellar. However, even the least palatable coffees in Korea are often...
The Social History of Coffee
If you’re in New York you should check out a lecture at Joe Coffee’s Pro Shop tomorrow night. Barista extraordinaire and scholar of cafe history Alex Bernson will be leading this class on the social history of coffee: Come join us for a special class that examines the history of cafes and coffee consumption in...
2010 World Barista Championship
If you’re a coffee geek living here in Korea and want to watch the 2010 World Barista Championship (WBC) streaming live online from London, here’s a little time table converted for local Korean time to help you figure out the schedule. WATCH IT LIVE – CLICK HERE! Wednesday June 23 5:30PM – 2:00AM – Round...
