Lameen

January 31, 2025February 5, 2025

Drinking Coffee in LONDON 2024

Avid readers of my blog over the last 15 years would have noticed that I usually do an annual post on my coffee escapades in London. However, although I confess that this wasn’t published during the calendar year of 2024, I do have an excuse, as in 2024, I went to London not once but thrice – the first time I think since I left in 2002. So, to save myself from the embarrassment of not posting this in 2024, I essentially wanted to capture all my escapades in one post as I got back from my third trip earlier this month. So, without further a due (very English), here’s my non-exhaustive list of the coffee shops I discovered in 2024 during my three trips to London.

Qima Café, Warren Street

I already posted about my visit here in July as it had been on my list for well over a year. Not to go over my experience again, but worth a visit not just for their coffee but for their pastries too. They also stock hard to find but expensive Yemeni arabica coffee and have these lovely dark bottles well packaged that you can buy and take home with you. It’s a very popular spot with tourist and locals alike, so expect queues if you go.

Kiss the Hippo, Margaret Street, Oxford Street area

With a name you won’t forget easily, this coffee business is rolling out many shops across London as part of their strategy to promote not just great coffee but ethical coffee business too, being named London’s first Carbon Negative coffee brand. What does that mean? It means that they make sure that more CO2 is captured from the environment than is created by their business, resulting in a net positive for the environment (source: their website). I went to their branch twice, once to get this delicious filter brew and another to get a cortado.

On the last occasion, I bought a bag of Chinese Arabica Beans (yes, they grow Arabic coffee in China too). They have another 7 branches dotted around London so wherever you are, you might not be too far from one.

Nagare, Soho

My daughter told me about this brand as it’s near where she works but on the first occasion I wanted to go, they were closed at 12 noon for the holidays for a week. However, I heard from a friend that they have another branch in Soho and on the last day if 2024, I went there. A small café just off Carnaby Street, you’ll notice that the staff are Japanese, so I’m guessing it’s a Japanese brand. They were quite busy so I had to wait about 10 minutes for my cortado but wasn’t that fussed as they had a part of their café that was like a little quiet living room, so I sat and waited, took some pictures, drank my good cup of coffee and left.

Store Street, Liverpool Street

Not to be outdone from missing out at Nagare the first time (see above), I walked around the corner onto Liverpool Street and went into Store Street Espresso. I’ve been a few times, but this was my second visit to this branch. Small but busy given the clientele in the heart of where bankers, lawyers and hedge fund peeps work, it wasn’t that busy at 3pm in the afternoon. They stock Square Mile coffee and other brands and if you buy a bag of coffee, you get a cup of coffee complimentary, so worth thinking about too.

Nkora, Old Burlington Street

Tucked away just off Savile Row (the best place to have tailor made suits in London), is a little non-assuming coffee shop called Nkora. I had heard about this brand and knew that they had another coffee shop at London Wall in the city. I stopped over for a black coffee fix one late afternoon on a colder than usual autumn day in London with my daughter. It looks like the kid of place that James Bond, after having his suits made, would pop over to have a quiet meeting with Q as they have a quiet place downstairs for a real incognito meeting. (James Bond fans will understand).

Watchhouse, Bishopsgate

I met a friend here in the heart of the city where bankers and lawyers rub shoulders. Literally it is down a lane from one of the largest and most prestigious London law firms, Freshfields. As you enter you can’t help but appreciate how each Watch House coffee shop, dotted around London, has a different but familiar feel to it. This reminded me of a little library with a ladder behind the brew bar and another where the retail coffee bag section is.

After a recommendation from the barista to try one of their prestigious filter coffee, I sadly had to decline as my friend said he was treating me and I didn’t want him to pay 12 pounds for a cup of coffee for me.

So, I opted for a batch brew (filter coffee brewed in a batch), delicious nevertheless to accompany his flat white.

Watchhouse, Wells Street Fitzrovia

Well, earlier this month just before I left London again, I found myself in a dilemma as it was just past 4pm and I wanted good coffee. Walking towards Oxford Street on Goodge Street I noticed another popular brand has already shut for the weekend but to my surprise I saw this gorgeous looking architect masterpiece of a coffee shop…. Yes! another Watch House. Did I mention that Watch House was started by an architect. Well, you can tell, check out the brew bar. Wow!

This time the barista offered us an interesting coffee for our filter and we agreed. To add to this experience, we were served cold green tea to clean our palate before drinking the coffee. An unusual experience no doubt but it did help accentuate the high notes of the coffee.

Ozone, Leonard Street, Shoreditch

I’ve known about Ozone for years and I’m almost embarrassed to share that this was my first time. In fact, in 2012 when I was returning to Europe after I had to sell my coffee shop in Cape Town, I met with the owner, Lizz and almost worked with her in setting up this coffee shop. So, one Friday afternoon prior to meeting my cousin and her kids around the corner form Ozone, I rushed with my wife and daughter to finally visit Ozone. It was like I imagined as I have been following them for years. As you enter you can see their huge coffee roaster downstairs and moving further inside they have a dual bar, one for coffee and another food decked with an open kitchen – cool indeed. The decor is urban eatery with exposed brick and lots of light coming in with a mouthwatering breakfast menu too.

I walked around, shot a video for Instagram, bought a bag of their seasonal blend and ordered coffee of course. A delicious flat white – the kind of coffee that spoke to me saying “why haven’t you been here all this time”. Sigh! I plan to visit again and have breakfast in 2025 God willing.

Hjem, 157 Gloucester Road, South Kensington

A friend of mine said next time you’re in London, I have to take you to this Danish inspired coffee shop with pastries and good cofree too. Apparently, they have two in a very posh part of London, South Kensington – where millionaires reside. We went to the only one open just after New Year 2025. Apparently, the shop was started by a lady who saw an opportunity to offer good coffee to parents dropping their kids off at school in the morning and voila she now has two. We ordered their special pastries, like knotted brioche, which went well with their coffee from Climpson and Sons (a London roastery). A cute place to try out if you happen to be in the area, about 15 minutes’ walk from the Natural History Museum.

Guillam, Curzon Street, Mayfair

Tucked away in Mayfair (another hang out for the ultra-wealthy) I discovered this small coffee shop, recommended to me by a fiend in Dubai who has worked with them on supplying previous Yemeni coffee beans. As you enter, you are greeted by a friendly barista and a brew bar featuring a two-group cream coloured La Marzocco Linea with their logo on it, with their coffees on sale gracing the base.

I wandered around the coffee shop, took a video and pictures and placed two orders for one cortado for me and a flat white for my loyal daughter that loves hanging around with me in London.

Delicious and if you are in that part of London (near Green Park tube station, take a 5-minute walk and you won’t regret it). They also have 3 other coffee shops across London.

21 Grams, South Clapham

So just before heading to the airport on a cold, almost 0C day in London, I ventured to get my last cup of specialty coffee in London. About 10 minutes’ walk from where I was staying, 21 grams is familiar to me, having been there in 2023 but I was intrigued this time as their previous roaster, the Gentleman Barista coffee company is now bankrupt. I walked in to be greeted by a friendly lady barista, who made this well poured latte art delicious flat white using their house blend, roasted now by Liberty Coffee Company. A traditional looking neighbourhood coffee shop which now has 5 coffee shop.

December 26, 2024

DRINKING COFFEE IN KIGALI, RWANDA

When I was invited to attend an international health conference for African ministers in Kigali, Rwanda in December, I was excited not just for the discussions ranging from preventative healthcare to AI and digital health but also for discovering another coffee country for the first time. Naturally, I ensured that my bookings allowed me to spend at least one full day after the event to check the sites, erm! By this I meant coffee shops. Prior to boarding the plane, I checked things to do in Kigali and was pleasantly surprised to learn that visiting Question Coffee was under the top 10. So, as soon as the conference finished on Thursday evening, I planned my Friday accordingly with the hotel, where I was able to lease a nice SUV for 3 hours for about $15 to visit at least two coffee shops.

Question Coffee

This is probably Rwanda’s most famous coffee shop with two branches in Kigali. It is billed as a social enterprise, supporting women coffee growers and receiving support both from Mastercard Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. It trains people in the coffee business, sources and roasts its own coffee too.

As my hotel was located in the more upmarket part of Kigali, known as Kiyovu, I headed to their newer branch in the neighbourhood, located at House number 31, KN 41 Street. In summary it is a converted house, which hosts a little enclave on the left as you enter, where their coffees are on sale, together with brewing gadgets.

Also on the wall, is a guide to their coffees based on growing region in Rwanda, cooperative processing method and brewing guide with flavour notes, so think dark chocolate, citrus, sweet, fully washed, ideal for aeropress and Hario V6o, which equals Mayogi, which is what I bought for my friend and I.

After leaving the enclave area, you can enter the main brewing area, decked with filter brewing equipment and a two group La Marzocco Linea espresso machine.

I was attended to by who brewed my cortado. After which I went onto the balcony and sat down to drink my coffee like an escapist.

In having a brief chat with the barista, who was very helpful, I learnt that Question Coffee have a much larger branch where you can witness their roasting operation and much more.

Kivu Noir

Located at 2 KG 668 Street, I‘m guessing this is also located in a nice area, although a little further away from Question Coffee, as I noticed impressive looking apartments amidst the construction of a few more. The driver also informed me that this area hosts some of the nice restaurants too. Entering this place, you could tell that the budget for the décor was generous. Located on a hill side – after all Rwanda is also known as the land of 1000 hills – this place was obviously popular with a few expats, with people on their laptops chatting with their friends or colleagues and artsy people too. As you enter, you are greeted with comfy chairs and some African art and books dotted around.

For coffee heads, you are greeted with a black Victoria Arduino Black Eagle espresso machine twinned with grinders too, with busy barista trying to get orders correct.

I liked their unusual cups and their attention to detail in pouring latte art.

I walked out to take in the view and waited for my double espresso as I had already had a milk-based coffee.

Also on offer at Kivu Noir is food and cakes and temptation got the hold of me, as I ordered what looked like the largest slice of lemon cake I’ve seen in a café to take away. Upon leaving I chatted with the head barista, Jummah, who had previously been working in the UAE, so we exchanged notes and he said that both Kivu Noir and Question Coffee were the best cafes in Kigali.

So, if you happen to visit Kigali, I recommend these two coffee shops to satisfy your specialty coffee thirst.

November 30, 2024

How many cups of coffee do I drink in a day?

I’m often asked whenever I describe my emotional attachment to coffee… well this is FROM COFFEE WITH LOVE ❤️…. How many cups of coffee I drink in a day? I smile, as I think most people expect me to say , 5-6 or more cups of coffee BUT the answer is quite simple …. Drum roll.

THREE.

one at breakfast

One at lunchtime, often with cake

And finally after dinner,

Goodnight espresso.

Of course this leads to another question.

“Doesn’t coffee keep you up at night?”

No!

It doesn’t … lucky me

How about you?

How many cups of coffee do you drink in a day?

October 30, 2024October 30, 2024

I Was at Caffe Culture 2024

Wow! do you know the last time I attended this event? 2008 – 16 YEARS Ago. That sounds crazy BUT it’s been a while since I’ve been in London during this event.

Okay let’s rewind to 2006, when this event was launched. Back then it was the first and only coffee business event of its kind, where all businesses involved in setting up a coffee shop attended to show case their products from espresso machines, grinders, cups, spoons to tea suppliers, latte art classes and even cakes, plus there were lots of lectures on setting up and running a café. It was also the place that I met not one but TWO WBC champs, James Hoffmann (before he started Square Mile) and Stephen Morrisey – read more here. In fact, it was during my attendance at these events that I got the encourage to show my LOVE and set up my first and to date, only café – ESCAPE CAFFE, back in 2010 in Cape Town. So, you can say that this event has a special place in my Coffee heart.

Fast forward to 2024 and upon arriving in wet, rainy and cold London on 1 October – international coffee day – I knew that even with just 4 hours sleep on the plane I had to attend. So, off I went to the Business Design Centre in Islington. First up, the venue was a lot smaller than the original venue at Kensington Olympia, so when I walked in, I was a little underwhelmed, thinking where the people at …… Secondly, there were not that many world renowned espresso machine suppliers like before – I saw Rocket and Dalla Corte but I’m guessing this might be a sponsorship thing as before, there were a few brands on display. Thirdly, not many stands had people trying to give you coffee bags or free coffee like before.

However, they still have lectures by top experts and I missed the key ones like the one on “the 5 pound cappuccino” – we already have this in Dubai but for the UK it will be a shock.

However, all was not lost, as I met some coffee people and had some deep conversations as follows;

Barbara of Goldbox Roastery and Goldbox Dubai, who I had seen recently in Dubai and also here son, Luca, who won the UK brewers championship twice.

2. Kanye, Head Roaster at Kiss the Hippo, whom I had met earlier this year in Dubai. We chatted for a while and he made me two delicious coffees using their Fruitopia blend on the Eversys (a very expensive automatic machine made famous by Blank Street). Wow! the coffee really tasted like peach, yummy!

3. Tim Ridley, who interviewed me for a job in coffee in London way back in 2012 and started the now discontinued Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (the best name for a coffee shop). When he saw me he said “now here comes someone who knows how to taste coffee better than me…. Hmmm!). Tim knows a lot about the coffee business scene and so I was really intrigued to learn a few secrets from him…. Shhh!

4. Last but not least, Maxwell Colonna-Smalls, former UK barista champ, coffee expert extraordinaire and owner of Colonna Smalls. He was selling his latest book on “the business of specialty coffee” at a discount and signed, so I grabbed a coffee of course and got an espresso from his stand too.

What else did I do?

I got a flat white from a special dairy farm, Brades, where they produce milk with 4% fat content – now that’s rare and if you don’t believe me, next time you buy full fat milk, look at the fat content.

I also got some coffee bags from Dark Wood coffee owner/director, Paul Meikle-Janney, who has a long list of accolades, who has been involved in the World and the UK Barista Championships from the very start, as a Head Judge for both the World Latte Art and the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championships (after being a competitor and coming third in the World in 2006). As a board member of World Coffee Events in 2011/2012, he helped to organise the World Barista Championships. (source: darkwoods coffee website).

After about 3 hours, it was time to leave and get something to eat as I was all caffeineD up and had had some great conversations too.

In summary it was great to be back after 16 years and to see the evolution of the event but I think with so many coffee events like the London Coffee Festival, Caffe Culture has evolved to be a space for coffee B2B but still draws some coffee nerds too.

September 30, 2024

Drinking Coffee in Vienna 2024

In mid-July I visited Vienna again with my family and decided to mix my go to places with a few never before ventured together with some classics – after all Vienna or Wien (the German word for Vienna) is home to some classics, so here goes.

Balthasar, Prater Strasse

one and I was craving specialty coffee and I thought I’m not going to risk it and so being literally about 5 mines away, I stopped over with my daughter to grab a cortado and was delighted to meet with Owen after a few years. I think he was really happy to see me because the cortado I had was really memorable.

Zoku (café at the top of the hotel), Perspectivstrasse

For my father’s day gift, my kids took to this fancy ultra-modern hotel, Zoku, next to the Prater and of course no good breakfast can earn its place, without a good cup of coffee.

I must confess I was excited when I saw the La Marzocco two group linea, BUT my cappuccino was average. Our friend’s daughter who had been warned politely be her mum not to make me coffee because of my, should I say, fussiness, decided to take up the challenges and I was happy she did, because after seeing e trying to sip my coffee, she was lie “can I make you one? I said yes and I said that she should have more “coffee” confidence, because her version was much better than the first attempt by her colleague, phew. So, here we are.

Cafe Friedlich (near Kunsthaus), Untere Weissgerstrasse 13

This time our trip to Vienna was a bigger family affair than usual and so one Saturday we decided to discover another part of Vienna – the Hundertwasserhaus, with my daughter ensuring that decent food was not too far away. The menu was so unusual for Vienna with things like avocado toast, blueberry pancakes, etc.

I decided to try their coffee after studying the barista for a while and dived into order a cortado.

Not bad and pleasant surprise indeed. I recommend checking them out for your not typical Viennese café.

Coffee Pirates, spitalgasse 17

Okay, this is one of the modern classics, as they are one of the forerunners of the newish specialty scene back around 2012 when I moved back after my cafe adventures in Cape Town. I had earlier met a colleague for lunch and Coffee Pirates was literally a 10-minute walk away even though it was another sweltering hot day in the mid-30Cs, but being so close to specialty coffee was too tempting to miss out on. So, I ordered another cortado with a lime cake – again Coffee Pirates is not a typical Viennese coffee spot with stuff on the menu that should be relatable to London or NYC coffee shops. I way too tempted not buy coffee and took one of their unusual espressos blends away too.

Kaffemik, Zollergasse

Located just off the busy shopping street of Mariahilfer Strasse, I knew where to go to get my coffee fix before meeting my wife and daughter. They are still the same as they have always been but with a keen eye for detail in coffee preparation, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were offering Tim Wendelboe espresso, so of course I ordered it and bought a bag of Kenyan coffee for my friend in Dubai too.

Josef Brot, Landstrasse haupstrasse

Famous for their sourdough breads and clean Nordic interior, I was carving my specialty coffee fix on the penultimate day of our departure and just caught them before they closed on Saturday afternoon. BUT, I was surprised to learn that they now serve coffee from one of my fave roasters, Coffee Collective from Denmark, with their own blend specially roasted for them too. After convincing the staff that we just wanted coffee, so that I didn’t get a paper cup, my wife and I sat down and she sipped my coffee before I even tasted it (the pic at the top of the post is at Josef Brot).

I guess she was intrigued by the look, which the taste matched too.

Jonas Reindl, Wahringerstrasse 2

One of my faves coffee roasters and shops and so, I couldn’t even imagine leaving Vienna without visiting them. So when an ex colleague reached out and said he wanted to meet before I left, I knew the location had to be here. We ordered two flat whites using their house blend and it was lovely indeed.

Two delicious flat whites at Jonas Reindl

After promising myself not to buy anymore coffee bags, I noticed on my way out, a Mexican espresso blend with hints of dried strawberries – so I grabbed it.

Before I go… here’s a slice of Carrot Cake from Cafe Freidlich

August 31, 2024

I was at CAFE ARTEA, ABU DHABI

Earlier this week I took my wife on a staycation to Abu Dhabi and discovered that one of the coffee shops I have always wanted to visit was only 9 minutes’ drive away. So, after a massive breakfast and chilling for a bit, we decided to pop over to Coffee Architecture. To my dismay when we arrived, we saw a note on the door apologizing for not being there and they would be back at 5pm – it was 2 pm on a very hot and humid afternoon. I almost cried in frustration, and I could see my wife with a look like “okay its closed and its very hot, let’s go back to the hotel”. Never one to be defeated in search of good coffee, I noticed that when I was searching on google maps I saw another specialty coffee shop was nearby.

So, off my wife and I went and thankfully it was literally about 2 minutes’ walk on Turquoise Beach. Pronto! Café Artea.

As we entered and were greeted by smiling barista and a concrete looking block with cakes on top, I was struck by not one but SIX Anfim espresso grinders to my right. Almost in front of you behind various concrete blocks was their La Marzocco Strada espresso machine.

I walked around, took some pictures as the café was empty and quizzed the main barista as to why they had six grinders. He explained that they had six types of coffees (they get their coffee from archers) to offer for espresso and milk-based drinks. They have a Mahl Konig EK43 for filter as well as various black coated V60s for their pour over options.

I opted for a cortado (which was not on their menu) BUT when it’s really hot, I prefer a stronger cup of coffee with less milk. What struck me on first sip was the temperature of the milk – I’m guessing it was around 55-60C. I asked the barista and he confirmed this. It’s very rare to get this temperature in your espresso-based milk drink as some times the milk is too hot (I’ve sent back coffee a few times because if this). I recall reading a James Hoffmann post many years back (before his YouTube fame) where he suggested that 55-60C is the ideal temperature for milk and I believe this is the competition range too.

Pleasant to drink and well prepared by barista Ali.

So, if you happen to be on Saadiyat Island, Mamsha District and want a good specialty coffee place to go (other than Coffee Architecture), check Café Artea too.

July 31, 2024July 31, 2024

I WAS AT QIMA CAFE, LONDON

When I first saw Qima Café on Instagram about a year ago, I knew that I was going to add it to my list of places to go in London. However, during my last visit in September 2023, it completely escaped my mind and only a few days afterwards I realized that I had missed my opportunity – Aargh!

So, on this occasion, earlier this month, my daughter who managed to visit the café even before me, made sure I didn’t miss the opportunity. In fact we almost missed out on it again and after attempt three, we finally made it on a Sunday morning.

In short, Qima Café is part of Qima coffee, an ethical coffee sourcing coffee business that challenges itself to source hard to find and very special coffees working with over 7,000 coffee farmers (that’s a lot and a serious commitment). I presume they created a café so that people could experience their passion to source and also serve great coffees.

I was intrigued to find a café with a bit of queue on a Sunday morning even in London, which often means two things – it’s a popular spot for tourists looking to tick it off their bucket or Instagram list and a cherished spot for locals. Nevertheless, I can’t say that I fit within those categories, as I had read about Qima about a year ago and was fascinated by their attachment to Yemeni coffee. In addition, my friend from Dubai (Mokha not Mocha), a Yemeni coffee grower encouraged me to visit Qima as they had previously worked together. So, you see this time I had to make it.

Although it was another rainy and cold Summer day in London, people were sitting outside under the canopy with their raincoats and umbrellas. As we tried to make our way inside, we could see that not only was there a queue but no seats inside. We tried to look for seats downstairs but as we made our way back upstairs to street level, my daughter’s determination was rewarded. As I queued up to place our orders for coffee, I noticed that most people in the queue were actually not planning to sit down but were ordering their famous pastries by the bucket load (English idiom for lots), but nevertheless we still had to queue as there’s only one for sit down and take out. A side note, pastries at Qima cafe are also quite famous.

Graced by Black Eagle silver espresso machine and décor that reminds one of an Arabian hut with sandy, desert tones, you instantly fell comfy and cosy especially with the seats decked with cushions too. They have a long list of different types of coffee on their menu including cascara, cold brew, filter and tea. I ordered a flat white and my daughter couldn’t resist their famous cinnamon bun or was it a roll?

After drinking my delicious coffee, I walked around and fell for the temptation to buy one of their coffees, which are so nicely packaged in these most keep bottles. I went for the Ecuador, but they also had two Yemeni coffees on offer too. Although I was tempted, I knew it was out of my budget on this occasion – holidays can be expensive as you know.

In short, if you have a bit of time to spare on your next trip to London – take the underground to Warren Street on the Victoria and Northern lines and it is literally a 2-3 minute walk to this must visit coffee shop in London, situated on 21 Warren Street.

June 30, 2024

The Ross Droplet Technique: Spraying your beans

I’m not sure whether it’s me getting older that lends me to the skeptical side of new innovations in coffee, BUT I must confess that after watching countless videos on Instagram of people spraying the coffee beans with water before grinding them, I wasn’t convinced, until!!!

Perhaps in my defense, I tend to approach new things with skepticism until I have done some research, listened to people I respect and then assess whether it brings any benefit to me or addressed some concern that I had. So, in this vein two things happened.

I watched a video by non-other than James Hoffmann explaining how he makes espresso and was intrigued and secondly, I read an article on how this new trend of spraying coffee beans before drinking them either for espresso or filter, actually had an impact on TASTE. Now for me, taste is king. If something new comes onto the market but doesn’t affect my taste buds positively, then I’m not going to follow it blindly.

However, there is a third reason – the concept of convenience. I have noticed for years and perhaps now that I live in hot and humid Dubai that grinding beans is indeed messy, which sometimes translates itself to a messy extraction process for espresso. So, when I started experimenting with spraying my beans, I noticed that this messy coffee dust phenomenon didn’t occur after grinding beans for both filter and espresso preparation.

So, what did the article say from a scientific point of view about the Ross Droplet Technique (the techie name for it and title of this post) ? I will paraphrase some excerpts from a CNN article, which is based on a study by some researchers at the University of Oregon.

First up, the study confirmed that the primary reason for spraying beans was to reduce the static mess of coffee dust during the grinding process. Apparently, some coffee geeks had been doing this for a while.

Secondly, it was discovered that water helped to remove idle coffee grounds inside the grinder. Now, old coffee bits inside a coffee grinder are heavily frowned upon, why? Because they get stale and can affect the taste of coffee. So, if water can reduce this wastage and remove old coffee, then the ground coffee coming out should theoretically be all the coffee you put in the hopper. This is more important for espresso brewing because with a smaller grind, it is more difficult for water to touch every ounce of ground coffee during the process.

Thirdly, by spraying a few water droplet before you grind, it was believed that this water reduced friction inside the grinder as well as cooling the heat of grinding the beans – NOW, anything that adds heat to grinding beans affects taste, so this could be the reason why it is believed that TASTE was improved.

Another discovery was that spraying beans resulted in an additional 10% yield of coffee – so you get more coffee.

Now I must confess I haven’t noticed any huge leaps in taste but definitely there is less mess and less coffee hanging around inside my grinders.

Read the full story here.

May 31, 2024

I was at Late Coffee, Dubai

I know the name sounds strange but I’ve often driven past this coffee shop for years without stopping by. Why? Well, like you, the name didn’t sound inviting until a friend recommended it.

So a few weeks back after the crazy floods in Dubai, I ventured there for breakfast.

As you enter you are greeted by a homely looking brew bar decked with a synesso espresso machine. The main sitting area is at the back with a kind of mid western American style… I know! Don’t say it.

In any case we were greeted by welcoming staff and I ordered this.

Poached eggs on breaded potato dumpling sitting on top labneh. Delicious.

I then opted for a flat white with traditional hints of chocolate and caramel.

Also yummy.

In short, a nice place to check especially when it’s cooler as they have ample sitting options outside.

April 30, 2024April 30, 2024

I was at HERMOSO Coffee, Abu Dhabi

Towards the end of last year, I was invited to be a keynote speaker at a cancer conference in Abu Dhabi and upon having the hotel booking confirmed by the organizers I knew had two other pertinent tasks to fulfil – ask my fellow coffee nerd, Naveed where to get good specialty coffee and pray that it was near the hotel. You’ll be happy to know, at least for me, that these two tasks were delightfully met as Naveed recommended Hermosoand my hotel was located about 8 minutes away by taxi.

So, on the last day before we headed back to Dubai, I popped over to Hermoso coffee roasters.

It was a bit quiet when I visited on a Sunday morning but I think that’s normal for a city Iike Abu Dhabi, which seems to come alive in the late afternoon/night. Another challenge I discovered with this city is that it is very spread out, unlike Dubai. In Dubai you can almost get to any good coffee spot or restaurant within a 15 minutes’ drive, so whilst Hermoso is located near to the Cornice area and some top hotels, many other spots were like about 30 minutes away, so not close at all to my hotel.

Upon entering through the side of the café, you are met with a cove of coffee to choose from including merchandise, as you move further into the coffee shop towards your left, you will see their brew bar decked with a La Marzocco Strada for their espresso machine and a brew bar with lots of Hario V60s as well as other gadgets like their cold drip system.

I popped upstairs briefly to see their soon to be finished coffee brewing school, where they plan to host events in the future. I learnt too that they partner with coffee supremo Costas of Sweden who mentors them on their coffee roasting style and visits them occasionally to ensure quality – great. Their roastery section is in full display in the main area of the café, where they use American made Loring – I liked the idea of using the coffee tasting wheel as décor just above the roastery.

I was greeted by a bunch of friendly staff and a barista, Rico, hailing from Burma. After a few questions around their coffee offerings, he offered that I try one of their unique espresso blends for my flat white.

After enjoying this, I walked around and took some shots and a video for my Instagram reel, see below

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lameen The Coffeepreneur (@fromcoffeewithlove)

Rico kindly offered me, not one but two different cups of their cold brews to try.

I was of course tempted to buy coffee and opted for a Yemeni Hajjah Anaerobic coffee for filter brewing at home and one of their espresso blends, which I enjoyed later upon my return to Dubai.

So, if you visit AD and happen to stay near the Cornice area, where the tallest hotel in Abu Dhabi is, the Conrad, or the Grand Hyatt of the famous Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace, as well as the Edition, which is next door, I encourage you to visit Hermoso for your specialty coffee fix, pick a few bags and have breakfast, lunch or dinner if you are hungry too.

Hermoso are located at 57 al Quffal Street in al Bateen.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: