Keith O.
Yelp
Ah Store Street, you kill me sometimes. I love you, but I don't enjoy loving you. This is a review for coffee lovers, so if you are a general coffee fan, add on a star to the review.
+ The coffee: they vary the filter and the V60 (or Aeropress, more later) beans regularly (currently using 'Drop' coffee beans, an amazing Swedish roasters), whereas they stock and use Square Mile or Alchemy as their day-to-day beans for espresso/latte/etc. In that, they have good selections, and there is always something new to try, and generally the coffee is great.
But frankly, I'm not all that blown away*. I can't lie and say it isn't probably the best in the TCR/Bloomsbury area, but Tapped isn't far behind and its a nicer store.
- But Store Street, for all its good coffee (£2-4) and its variety of in-stock beans (£10+), its to-buy Aeropresses (£25) and grinders (£30); is just overpriced. It shouldn't cost £4 for a V60. £3 or £3.50 maybe. I'm sure arguments can be made for it, but no. And this goes double for their current replacement for the V60 menu option, the Aeropress, as they are practicing for the Aeropress Barista Championships. I'm an Aeropress user for over 2 years- I'm not a Championship winner, but I know my Aeropress isn't worth £4 a cup. Its never cost me £4 a cup anywhere else in the world. Sure, it might be the quality of bean they are using, but the beans regularly change but the price doesn't. Also, not sure why I'm paying premium for practicing entrants...
- The latte art isn't up to scratch anymore, and maybe its due to staff turnover and being moved to Tavistock Place, but it seems half-arsed.
- The wifi is disasterous. Really not a place to met a work/business colleague to do some work. Other rewiews will back this up.
Maybe this seems overly harsh, I hear you, I'm saying this as a regular customer (mans got a loyalty card innit). But you set yourself up as a premium coffee store, and its only fair to judge against the rest of the premium stores in London.
+ On the plus, they do decent cold brew and iced coffees in the summer-time! Much better than the Starbucks muck.
+ The physical store: good seating among, quite comfortable, and has a nice long outside bench for good weather. Its always busy though, until about 3.30pm in the afternoon.
The food: I have to say I have't tried it. Again, maybe its the price tag, but I've not heard anyone who has eaten from there (with me) rave about it. Could be great; perhaps it needs to source some fresh pastries from a nearby bakery or something.
+ The verdict: Look its the best in the surrounding UCL/Bloomsbury area, and for the sake of a few extra pence you'll get better coffee than the Costa/Starbucks muck. That said, as a coffee addict you're possibly only going to see this as a decent but not mindblowing premium coffee store, and you wonder if the price really is worth it. Highly unlikely you'll buy any of the beans, considering the better deals in London and even online from the same suppliers. Tough one!
* I warred over giving this 4 stars for the simple reason that the Aeropress they are currently doing did blow me away, but its down to the bean they are using. If they did the option regularly (which actually gives a bigger portion too) and the Aeropress was consistently that good, its a 4 star review.