This little hole in the wall is an absolute London treasure. Finding it by accident was definitely the highlight of my day. I was riding by and saw this little shop that looked like it didn't belong in today's London, but in the London of the past. I looked at my watch and it was 5:30pm, and saw that the sign on the door said the shop was open until 5:30pm. However, the wonderful independent shop owner let us in anyway.
As soon as you step inside, the amaaaaaazing aroma of coffee blissfully surrounds you. There are huge sacks of Colombian (and some from other places, too) coffee beans along the walls, where you can see (and smell - they surprisingly don't have a smell!) raw coffee beans in their natural form. The store has the different types of coffee beans available on display for you to smell and ask as many questions as you want. The shop keeper is extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgable, and will tell you anything you may need to know to find the perfect coffee.
All the coffee beans are roasted in the shop (hence why it smells so fantastic). You can choose the type of coffee bean that you want (We choose a very dark, strong coffee that tastes very mild, smooth and chocolatey- so good) and the owner will ask how you make your coffee (i.e. what type of machine you use). If you wish, he will then grind the beans right there and then in front of you to the right coarseness appropriate for your own brewing method!
Very excited about our discovery, I asked how long the shop had been there. The shop keeper responded that it had been there since 1915 (he might have said 1950, but I think it was 1915, which is believable), and that he had been running the shop since 1978. That alone just goes to shop you that a surviving little hole in the wall like that HAS to be something really special!
Experiencing and getting coffee from this place felt really good. It felt right. In fact, it felt better than right. I will never buy pre-ground, mass-produced, packaged coffee from Tesco, Starbucks, or anywhere else again. In addition, this place in inexpensive and easy to find, directly off of Camden High Street on a cute little side street.
A true London gem that cannot be missed. read more