# Interesting Londnium article about green beans and espresso quality



## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Reiss at Londinium has written this very interesting piece on his blog about green coffee quality and espresso. It answers some of the criticisms that Londinium beans are over priced.

"What we are 100% clear on though is bright & brassy third wave roasts are getting heavily marketed to consumers as being what espresso should taste like, and in our experience a lot of people disagree - they end up becoming Londinium Espresso customers"

- as I have. I have to say I have yet to have a disappointing bag of beans from Londinium (as opposed to HasBean, where my disppointment ran at about 85%). I have a Londinium subscription which works out at a (quite reasonable £26.20 for 5 x 250g including postage). Crucial to my opinion is:

1. I am an espresso drinker. I have never drunk a flat white or a cappucino in my life. Londinium are, specifically, espresso roasters. MAny of the lighter roasts may make great milk drinks, they just don't wor

2. I do not like the current trend for acidic, light roast beans - but nor am I happy with most over roasted, robusta-loaded Italian beans. This isn't a matter of ignorance or an unsophisticated palate, simply a question of taste.

The strange thing is almost everybody I know (outside of this forum) has a similar attitude towards third-wave/HasBean style beans - actually even more adamantly than me. Which seems to me to leave a huge gap in the café market - I love the enthusiasm and dedication of all the new coffee shops that have opened up over the last few years, but they just don't offer the sort of espresso (and I assume others) really like.


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I had a shot of Dark Fluid's Schrodinger blend yesterday from their stall currently outside the Royal Festival Hall. It was smooth, chocolatey, rich with a bit of orange zest taste. It didn't fit in with the light roast/acidic zeitgeist - which I am a fan of also - but it's possible to like both!

I'd like to try Londinium espresso, but I don't make espresso at home and sadly they don't seem to be used in many places. I had a shot from Scooter cafe a while ago but it wasn't great. Not that I'm writing them off from one shot - I was probably just unlucky that day.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Earlepap said:


> I had a shot of Dark Fluid's Schrodinger blend yesterday from their stall currently outside the Royal Festival Hall. It was smooth, chocolatey, rich with a bit of orange zest taste. It didn't fit in with the light roast/acidic zeitgeist - which I am a fan of also - but it's possible to like both!


Indeed it's possible to like both!

I was probably overstating my case to make a point, because I feel one style of coffee is now being presented as 'what coffee should really taste like'. I've had some great coffees from Square Mile, for instance, but, after searching around, I feel I've found my sweet spot with Londinium.

Don't know anything about Dark Fluid. Recommended?


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

RoloD said:


> Don't know anything about Dark Fluid. Recommended?


Without hijacking the thread - yes! Lawrence at Dark Fluid is a good roaster who knows his stuff. Continually improving and serving a small but growing number of appreciative clients


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

RoloD said:


> Don't know anything about Dark Fluid. Recommended?


First time I'd tried them, but I enjoyed it. I know very little about them other than they have a stall at Brockley market on Saturdays, but I'm never in that neck of the woods. Only stumbled upon their stall yesterday as part of the cheese and wine festival currently happening on the Southbank. There's a coffee and chocolate festival a few weeks ago in the same spot. I think there'll be there too.


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