Make your own custom blend at the new Coffee Island
Coffee Island have recently launched their first London location, nestled on Upper St Martins Lane between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, its sure to become a favourite of tourists and locals alike. Founded in Greece and with 334 stores around the Mediterranean the “coffee nerds” are dedicated to the fine art of speciality coffee and unlike most other coffee spots around London, Coffee Island gives amateurs and connoisseurs alike the chance to select a personalised blend to drink there and then or take away to enjoy at home.
Coffee Island’s concept steams from a single promise: you get the best from what you want. Those wishing to just grab a quick cuppa and go, can do so knowing they will taste delicious, high-quality brews with a palate precision. This is because all beverages served are the cumulative result of specialty coffee knowledge and the usage of items that allow meticulous brewing methods, such as Chemex, AeroPress, syphon and cold drip, among others. It’s perfectly engineered coffee that mixes scientific geekiness and a fondness of direct trade with farmers. And if that comes with a yummy pastry on the side, well, that’s just divine.
It all becomes more exciting when you ask the barista for a tour of how to expertly prepare your own brew. You can also take the rich flavours home by ordering delightfully fresh roasted coffee from their grindery. Coffee making artefacts, beans and blends from all over the globe are available to buy on site. Just bear in mind that the microfarm single origin coffees change every three months to include the freshest flavours.
It is the uniqueness of their product and the direct connection with small producers that stands out. You can find out who cultivates the beans available in the shop, how it is grown, picked and dried. Their Microfarm Project, for example, is a seal of quality. Coffee Island searches and reserves microlots of limited edition single origin specialty coffee from small, carefully selected farms. The conditions under which they are grown, picked and processed are unique and cannot be repeated. Thus, it is impossible to reproduce the same cupping profile twice.
Coffee Island has come to town to kick the industry up a notch, especially once Londoners realise they can taste quality like they have never tasted before in a cup of perfectly engineered coffee.
You can find Coffee Island in 5 Upper St Martin’s Lane, London
Website: http://coffeeisland.co.uk
Written by Alex Keighley