Location: Borough Market, 2 Park Street, The Borough, London SE1 9AB Welcome back coffee lovers! This week's post will be about MonMouth Coffee Co. which is found in three locations throughout London. This past fall, my sister and I were gifted a Eurotrip from one of our aunts and we were able to spend three days in London before we met up with the tour group to visit rest of the European countries. Of course, I had to find out the best coffee joints in Central London and all the good eateries within our short time here. This place is old fashioned coffee done right. This particular location is located just outside the bustling Borough Market, a famous food market filled with merchants selling various things from spices, cheeses, to fresh meat. The market has been featured in some movies such as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In the back, you can see part of "The Shard", the tallest skyscraper in London. The shop itself is quite small (as was everything in Europe compared to the USA) and only took a small corner of a building. There was really only room for the baristas, one communal table that could sit only around 8, and a "loft" (which really was just a ledge with chairs) that sat 4 more. The table was filled with the English sipping their coffees while reading their newspapers and talking with their friends about tourists. The line was considerably long as it wrapped around the side of the building, but moved fairly smoothly. There was a gentleman who had a stack of cups and a marker. He would then ask 4 people at a time their orders, go to the espresso machine, and place those cups for the barista to start preparing beforehand. When you got up to the register, you just had to tell the cashier your order, pay, and your drink was out within a minute. It was pretty ingenious and impressive at how well oiled the team was while being able to cheerfully converse with their colleagues and customers. The store had 4 main sections: fresh beans for packaging, pour over station, espresso beverages, and a counter for their freshly baked goods. The cool part is that you can just walk up to the display case they have for their coffee beans and order single origin or create your own blend of beans where they package it for you and pay right there. No need for you to wait in the long line for the beverages and pastries. The beverage menu is purely coffee. No tea. No Smoothies. Just coffee. I'm not sure how much you get for your pour-overs or iced drinks, but all the hot drinks seem to come only in 8 oz. In America, this might be considered too little of an amount but is actually standard in London. All the espresso drinks I ordered that didn't have different sizes came in an 8 oz. cup. Their mentality is that coffee is meant to be enjoyed where one sips a little bit of it in between intervals of conversation or reading. I remember one day where my sister took her drink to go because she didn't finish it. On the way back to our hotel, we had to take the Underground and people were giving weird looks her way. In short, coffee is a treat and not just for caffeine intake like it is in America. I ordered the flat white as it was my obsession at the time. The English love their coffee scorching hot and wasn't able to drink it after a few minutes of cooling. Once I was able to drink it, it was the most flavorful espresso drink I have ever drank. Despite the drink initially being scalding hot, the espresso wasn't burnt and I was able to taste the different notes of the bean. The milk compliments the espresso's flavors and doesn't overpower it. I was definitely under the influence of European culture where my sister and I just sat on some stairs and sipped away at the coffee for a good 20 minutes or so watching people walk by. After finishing my drink, I was extremely satisfied and appreciated the opportunity for me to experience coffee from the old world. The biggest difference I noticed between English coffee and other coffee is that the English tend to like their espresso more mellow than others. Other coffees tend to be a little on the bitter side and harsher in terms of their roasting procedures. English coffee tend to be smoother and lighter in terms of their flavor. Overall, my experience of this coffee is memorable and would love to experience it again if I'm able to go back to London. Maybe next time I will try their pour-overs and iced drinks. If you have ever been to London and experienced Monmouth Coffee, let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts on their coffee and suggestions next time I go! Until next week, stay caffeinated my friends!
Atmosphere and Decor: 7/10 Coffee: 9/10 Recommend: Anything really xD
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Coffee SenpaiJust an Otaku who also loves his coffee. Grab some coffee and watch anime with me ٩(θ‿θ)۶ Blog is currently on hold. Sorry for the inconvenience ._.
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