The Black Penny

Stumbled onto this one recently.  Somewhat larger than it first looks, with seating at the back.  An interesting mix of food and pastries on offer.

Now onto the coffee - an order for filter and they bring my own private mini-carafe. Now this is talking my language!  Excellent roast on offer, friendly staff and a very pleasant environment. Basically everything was alright - looked around and not a Mac in sight.  I have to say today was a good day.

★★★★★★★★★☆

http://www.theblackpenny.com/
34 Great Queen Street

Foyles (Charing Cross Road)

In an era of zombie capitalism, the death of retail and the expansion of Amazon into every walk of life, its great to see Foyles still making a stand for the physical.

The café on the 5th floor is elegant, bright and serves some excellent food.  It always appears to be very busy which is good, although one should be prepared to fight for any empty chair that may present itself.

A pity then, the coffee resembles one of the least impressive I've tasted in recent years.  I feared the worst when the server automatically converted my filter order to an 'americano' - hardly a unique failing but you would expect a literary ground zero such as Foyles to be capable of correct definitions.

Fairly tasteless, lukewarm Americano from a machine then. I preferred it when it had better coffee (and jazz) in the old location.

http://www.foyles.co.uk/bookstore-charing-cross
107 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DT
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

FCB Coffee (Blackfriars/South Bank)

A welcome newcomer on the south side of Blackfriars station, the brand has a few shops mainly around London and the South of England.

Excellent guest filter on offer, I had the roast from Papua New Guinea which was noteworthy.  Looking forward to seeing and tasting more from these guys.

www.fcbcoffee.com
Blackfriars station (south side)

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Pret (231 Camden high street)

Of course there are almost as many of these as there are atoms in the universe.  This particular branch is a newcomer on the high street, and is probably one of the best in the chain, with excellent seating options on two levels.

Remember I'm not here to discuss the food, merely the filter.  Pret is one of the few chains that know the difference between a filter and an Americano.  While not pretending to be gourmet, the filter on offer is solid and reliable, consistently a good temperature and actually is one the of the best value filters in London (sorry indys).

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

www.pret.co.uk
this variant:  231 Camden High Street London, United Kingdom NW1 7BU

Camden Coffee (Camden Market)

What's not to like?  hand picked coffee available in Camden Market, one of my favourite places. 
Unfortunately one of the most unpleasant roasts I've had in the past few years. very hot and bitter even for me.

I want to like it, really I do. I will return to this post in due course.

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

https://www.camdenmarket.com/food-drink/camden-coffee
Stables Yard, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH

Saint Espresso & Kitchen

I stumbled onto this relative newcomer in Kentish Town. They are of the same stable as the excellen Leyas in Camden Town.  Very friendly staff and great coffee on offer, the daily roast option (a real filter not Americano) an excellent Ethiopian.  Very good food too, if you were that way inclined.  MacBook count was uncomfortably high though.

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Saint Espresso & Kitchen

www.saintespresso.com

296 Kentish Town Road, London, United Kingdom NW5 2TG

Notes - Canary Wharf

This location was the tidy little booth in Canary Wharf station.

A note lets customers know they roast their own coffee in Kings Cross, which is a nice touch and adds an independent aura.  It has to be said though, the filter is so extremely hot its almost impossible to taste any subtle flavours that said roast may contain.

Still, overall I do respect their intentions.  As an added bonus, they serve outstanding brownies.

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
notes-uk.co.uk

Unit 5 Canary Wharf Station, London E14 5AB

Taylor Street Baristas (revisited)

I have previously been underwhelmed by their efforts, thinking they should be better.  I can say that in recent weeks I have been back and they now appear to be at the top of their game. 

Now offering US style "pour yourself" filter options with frequently changing options, something I've been waiting years to come to the UK.  as far as the City goes, haven't found better.  Minus one star for their irritating/confusing queuing arrangement.


https://www.taylor-st.com/pages/stpauls
2 Cheapside London EC2V 6AA

★★★★★★★★★☆

Highstone Brew

Relative newcomer on Camden Road.  Pleasant interior and friendly staff although not particularly slick.  The coffee is standard fare, acceptable but nothing write home about. However its good to see a place like this operating in that location, a welcome sight.


★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

no apparent website...

90 Camden Road
London
NW1 9EA

Monmouth Coffee

Ground Zero when it comes to gourmet London coffee - they have been around since 1978, and the frequent queues outside their small café in Monmouth street will testify to the ongoing popularity.  

Always offering quality filter, sourced from various locations around the world.  Newcomers may lay claim to the title but I say its still the best and most consistent around. 

★★★★★★★★★☆

monmouthcoffee.co.uk

27 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, London, WC2H 9EU

Soho Coffee Company

St Pauls branch.

This place seems to say the right things, cool sounding name (despite tenuous links to Soho itself) and good credentials - an award from Ethical Consumer Magazine.  A touch of pointless hubris thrown in ("We think we have the best Flat White in town"). Completely meaningless to me of course since we are here to discuss the filter and nothing else.     Its neither a corporate or indy feel, somewhere in between - which I find mostly a good thing.

The coffee (by that I mean the filter, of course)? I'm always impressed with somewhere that offers a filter at most times of the day.  And it was indeed pretty good.

http://sohocoffee.com/
5-14 St. Paul's Churchyard, The City
London, EC4M 8AY

★★★★★★★☆☆☆