The Edinburgh Reporter January 2024

16 FOOD AND DRINK

CROSSWORD

IT IS OFTEN SAID that Britain is far
too London-centric. However, in
terms of specialty coffee, there’s little
doubt that many areas of London offer
something special which has grown
massively from about 50 independent
coffee shops in 2010 to more than 500
in 2020. The number means that
competition is high and this seems to
be one factor driving standards.
On a recent trip, I visited some
highly rated specialty coffee places
including Origin, Ozone and
Redemption. I was served truly
excellent coffee, beyond what is
generally available in Edinburgh.
Many of the coffees I had provided a
warm glow, with their rich flavours
seeping into the body rather than
smacking me in the face. For 10 or 15
minutes after, the flavours were still in
my mouth, still memorable.
Some in the specialty coffee scene
do believe that Edinburgh is ‘a
contender’. Saf, one of the co-owners
of the excellent Beatnik in Tollcross,
said: “No doubt London has some
great places but Edinburgh is right up
there, not far behind.” There are
undoubtedly top class places in

Edinburgh but only a handful

currently match what I was served in

the UK capital. Why do standards

seem to be higher?

What was striking was just how

busy everywhere was. Here, busyness

tends to come in irregular waves.

There are more young professionals

with disposable income (the typical

target of specialty coffee places) in

London, and population density is

considerably higher, meaning that the

cafés need larger teams. To cope with

the flow of customers such places need

a good division of labour.

High Ground (Islington) had a

constant queue, and they had four

people working in a small café. The

first greeted the customers and took

orders, the second at the coffee

machine, making the espresso, the

third was at the end of the espresso

machine, heating and texturing the

milk. A fourth was assisting. Division

of labour allows the baristas to really

focus. (A rushed approach can ruin

good beans.) This is particularly

pronounced in the chains, but is

also evident in some independent

cafés when staff members have to

fulfil several roles.

We’ve seen cafés such as Artisan

Roast, Fortitude and Machina expand

into larger premises. Fortitude have

recently opened in Abbeyhill (while

closing their original York Place café).

Such specialists are starting to get the

intensity of business you might find in

London. The test will be whether they

can maintain the standards. This may

mean they have to invest by employing

more staff, to allow the necessary

division of labour. This is most

apparent at one of Edinburgh’s busiest

• Brew Lab - generally buzzing all day.
  At Brew Lab, there is a clear divide
  between customer facing and those
  pulling the shots.
  I also saw evidence of the further
  mainstreaming of specialty coffee.
  with phrases such as ‘specialty coffee’,
  ‘artisanal’ on café windows. The best
  coffee I had in London was at hōm in
  Dalston. All it had on the window was
  the name of the café. It’s clearly the
  type of place which believes that
  building an excellent reputation will
  draw people towards it and it doesn’t
  need to make a splash. We need to be
  discerning if we really want the best.

How does Edinburgh’s coffee scene compare with London?

Making capital

comparisons

CAFÉ SCENE By Charlie Ellis

Partying behind the EH1 door

HIDDEN DOOR Festival will

celebrate their 10th anniversary

at a secret location in EH1. The

organisers will only say that the

event on 10 and 11 May will take

place in a location never before

used for an event like this.

A spokesperson said: “We will

transform our mystery space into

another immersive wonderland

of creativity. We’ve just released

the first batch of tickets which

are strictly limited and

guaranteed to sell out in

advance. We’ll have lots more to

say about our plans soon and

hope you’re as excited as we are

for what’s to come in 2024.

Tickets available on the Citizen

Ticket website for both nights.

ACROSS

5 ... on Hansel’s trail? (11)

7 Pit, bus or full (4)

8 Watchful individual (8)

9 Sign of protest? (7)

11 Go downhill (5)

13 Deal (5)

14 Put (a weapon) into a

close-fitting cover (7)

16 Cook’s measure (8)

17 Mint family plant, grown

for its nutritious seeds (4)

18 Early 20th-century

battleship (11)

DOWN

1 Take a quick look (4)

2 Temporarily suspend

(proceedings) (7)

3 Guardianship (5)

4 General protection (8)

5 Scene of intense

conflict (11)

6 Extravagant individual (11)

10 It’s got 32 pieces (5,3)

12 French number (7)

15 Fawn (5)

17 It creates a confined

space (4)

SOLUTIONS