Espresso Base London
Coffee the Italian way
Forget the fancy cafés. London’s best coffee comes from a tiny pop-up tent in Bloomsbury. Positioned at the far end of a churchyard, Espresso Base is easy to miss. However, the observant few who do venture down the bamboo-lined pathway will be richly rewarded.
Here Gennaro De Mattia stands, in rain or shine, pulling shots on his trusty La Marzocco. He’s not a forthright coffee snob, but there are signs: namely a chalkboard warning customers of the additional 10p charge for sugar. Anyone who wishes to indulge their sweet tooth without punishment will have to do so the Italian way, with a cioccolata calda or an amaretto biscuit. Coffee enthusiasts might also be interested in purchasing a bag of beans or a new espresso gadget.
After that, it’s just a case of finding a seat among the plants (preferably under an umbrella – the weather in England is unpredictable), and sipping away to the sound of jazz music and trickling waterfalls.
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