Coffee Appreciation

Thanks.

The barista at the Borough Barista, Jordi , has won the Spanish National Championships.
Even more reason to try their coffee.

Apologies if this has been asked before but where in London can I get a decent soy coffee?
Ive been to quite a few well respected places and with the exception of sacred (who are a bit hit and miss on the actual coffee front) nobody has managed to make me a soy coffee that didnt curdle the milk. Am I asking the impossible?
I was hoping to try out Kaffeine today as I know they use bonsoy which is supposedly much more resistant to curdling but they were shut, does anyone have any other suggestions?
My quest for good soya coffee continues...have you had much luck clockwork_killa?

Two places which always get it right for me are Bermondsey Street Coffee and Love Walk Cafe...where else is there?

Apparently ever since Bonsoy was changed after being recalled for high levels of iodine it's been much worse for coffee, especially with light-roasted beans a la Square Mile et al. You can steam the milk and espresso together in the pitcher so you get a non-curdled cup that tastes good but it's all brown with no chance of latte art, if that bothers you. (I think Prufrock do this).
Alpro are trying to develop some magic barista soya milk I think. Surprise surprise.

Interesting ^

So far today, I've tried ScooterCaffè and Greensmiths, both on Lower Marsh.

ScooterCaffè's curdled.

Greensmiths' didn't but the coffee didn't really stand out so was just a bit watery and bland.

Will probably head to Love Walk in a bit.

^^ Sounds like it'd be simpler to just drink it black.

Totally

Looking for recommendations for an office espresso machine/grinder combo for an office of around 40 reasonably discerning coffee drinkers (we're a stones throw from Prufrock where most people get their morning fix). Not really sure what to be looking for as I've never had to look beyond my Silvia...no real sense of budget, I guess I just need to make a case for whatever makes sense for our size and demand (it also has to be better than our Munich office's machine which is fancy but kept in a deplorable state).

EDIT: Some starting points – plumbed, double boiler, two group, probably automatic (much as I'd like a bit more control)

Just buy the brand your Munich office has, but a better model.

Bought a 2nd hand Cubika, because its the time of year of silly ebay purchases. I see the thread doesn't rank them very highly but, ech, hopefully it will be fun and make me happy with deliciousness.

^ Descale with tartaric acid. Use a decent grinder. Have fun.

Brought some Boston Tea Party "dark roast" beans back from the land of surf 'n cider, looking forward to the cocoa & liquorice flavours when I try some later...

BTP stuff is roasted by Extract coffee: http://extractcoffee.co.uk/ in Bristol - my roasters of choice :)

nice one, good to know.

Just found out we're moving office and the new place won't have a coffee machine, though a cafetiere.

Time to get a grinder and a ticket for the aeropress train I think

My coffee plant seems to be dying, and I don't know what to do to make it better.

This is a shame.

Lack of light?

It's on the balcony getting direct sunlight for most of the day.

The tips of the most recent shoots are blackening, and the leaves are going brown and crispy- I'll stick some photgraphs up later.

It used to be really healthy, a nice deep green etc.

Too much sun?

"but take care not to allow more than an hour per day of direct sun"

from: http://www.ehow.com/how_2060473_care-coffee-plant.html

It sat out in the sun all last year and loved it though.

Ah, reading that link I think its' got too cold- they say keep it above 18 degrees, and it's outside.

I'm still on the hunt for a coffee seedling if anyone's got a spare...

Today's shot of choice is a Cuban bean from Algerian Coffee Stores on Old Compton St. Very nicely balanced flavour, not too strong tasting, but packs a heck of a punch on caffeine content! Recommended if you need to wake up sharpish.

Just had a flat white from Pitch 42 on Whitcross St market (Square mile beans). Very nice indeed.

Didn't cross the £2 barrier either which is good. Any more than £2 makes me slightly angry (or maybe that's just the caffeine)

^^^ Dammit, trim the brown leaves off and re-pot and give it occasional feeds with Baby Bio. I've got mine back like this when they had had a bit of a bashing.

Also, keep them indoors but some where with a warm even temprature. Mine don't seem to like fluctuations.