As hinted at in the name of the shop, The Fields Beneath is located beneath the Kentish Town West overground stop. My friend and I visited the cafe on a Sunday morning, slightly detouring or way to Camden Market in search of good coffee and the store was filled with local families. The inside of the shop is largely dominated by the coffee machine, food and kitchen, with only a couple tables, which left me and my friend to sit in the wind tunnel that was outside (quite expect in February in London). As for the coffees, The Fields Beneath rotates coffees very regularly, hosting quite the array of beans from Square Mile, Butterworth & Sons, Roundhill Coffee, Nude Espresso, Notes Coffee and have begun carrying Sandows Cold Brew coffee for the warmer months. Upon my visit, this was the only location that I tried Butterworth & Sons coffee. The espresso blend from Butterworth & Sons is a blend of 4 origins, slightly acidic but with dark-chocolate flavors. This cafe carries a multitude of delicious treats, such as croissant sandwiches, eccles, healthy salads, cakes, avocado toasties, and even St. John's jam donuts (which are quite well-known among Londoners). Overall, The Fields Beneath is a homey cafe with relatively good espresso and is worth a visit. I think you can even join in on their book club, if you'd like.

Recommend: Any of their food is fresh and delicious! Also hit up Camden Market only a close walk from here.

Note: Not much indoor seating, so be prepared to enjoy whatever weather comes your way. And with a wide rotation of coffees, also be prepared for anything.

Price: $$

Vibe: Family and neighborhood-oriented.

Espresso Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am-6:00pm; Sun 9:00-5:00pm

Address: 52 Prince of Wales Rd, London NW5 3NL

Only a short walk from University College London in Bloomsbury, Store Street Espresso was my first specialty coffee shop to try in London. It was also my first indication that London was clearly on the map in terms of specialty coffee. Store Street itself is very quaint with a handful of shops and restaurants off of the chaos of Tottenham Court Road. Store Street Espresso carries a rotation of Square Mile Coffee, which seemed to be a typically consistently good coffee among the many London coffee shops. The outdoor seating can be perfect for a sunny day, as well as the naturally-lit back area. Although the seating is limited, and can be pretty hard to find during the busy lunch hours, it is a good spot to study with free WiFi (the WiFi is turned off from 12-3pm to discourage people from camping out and hogging tables).  On my first visit to Store Street, I tried Square Mile's Ethiopian Kochere Yirgacheffe, and was underwhelmed by the slight berry tastes and overwhelmed with acidity. On later returns, I tried the seasonal Red Brick espresso also by Square Mile, which is a blend of Colombian, Ethiopian, and Brazilian and at times the different guest espressos that are on rotation. Store Street Espresso was a good start to the coffee scene and I returned out of convenience, but I was never blown away by their espresso extractions. The espressos seemed either too acidic or bitter in flavor, but my coffee adventures through London were just beginning.

Recommend:  The restaurants and shops on Store Street are all worth a visit.

Note: Store Street is close to SOAS and UCL, so it is a good stop for students, but reminder that the WiFi is turned off during the lunch rush hour.

Price: $$ (almost every espresso that I encountered in London ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, so be prepared to pay up regardless of where you go)

Vibe: Sunlit and student-filled

Espresso Rating: 7/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-7:00pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun 9am-5pm

Website: (for Store Street) http://www.storestreetbloomsbury.co.uk/shop-eat/ss-espresso/

Address: 40 Store Street, London, WC1E 7DB

I would like to take a moment to ask everyone to contemplate… if a latte has not been Instagrammed… has it even existed? This is why I struggle to write about Timberyard Coffee. This café has everything I would have previously considered encapsulated a lovely coffee shop. It has the most welcoming interior, with an extensive layout upstairs and downstairs of leather couches, window seating, free WiFi, outlets, sandwiches, cakes, red and white spiral straws, meeting areas, long hours, no minimum for credit card charges, and the list could go on. Essentially, they are the most accommodating café that I have entered in London, especially considering Brits aren’t usually known for being the most accommodating. And I could practically live in this coffee shop, if I wanted to. However, the realization came to me when I followed them on Instagram and flooded with every ‘re-gram’ of every customer’s picture of their Latte art. Don't get me wrong, Latte art is beautiful and their coffee presentation is lovely—every coffee to stay comes on a wooden tray, equipped with a glass of brown sugar, and dark glass water bottle. It is just this that makes me see they aren’t selling coffee, but aesthetic presentation that will be documented by every person that walks through the door. Props on the marketing, Timberyard. And thank you for hosting me in my hours of need for studying somewhere other than the library. But I feel not much of a need to talk about their coffee, because most people will be 100 percent satisfied with its photogenic qualities and comfy chairs.

Okay, perhaps I am being a bit harsh because I have enjoyed some of the espresso I have had there. Both locations carry Has Bean coffee, although the coffee itself is so un-emphasized by everything else that I have never known what blend they are using.

Recommend: Make sure to Instagram whatever you get.

Note: This cafe is even available for bookings! For free WiFi! For good food! Come n take it!

Price: $$

Espresso Rating: 7.5/10

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Hours: (Seven Dials) Mon-Fri: 8:00am-8:00pm; Sat: 10:00am-9:00pm; Sun: 10:00-am8:00pm; (Old Street) Mon-Fri: 8:00am-8:00pm; Sat-Sun: 10:00am-6:00 pm

Addresses: 7 Upper St Martin's Lane, Seven Dials, WC2H 9DL; 61-67 Old Street, EC1V 9HW

I first came across Fernandez and Wells when I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. The next time I encountered the cafe was inside Somerset House with the Courtauld Institute of Art. My two favorite things in close proximity! Art! Espresso! And then it occurred to me that Fernandez and Wells must have some kind of covert connection with the art world. Regardless, let me talk first about their espresso because I dig it. The founders of these cafes, Jorge Fernandez and Rick Wells, apparently were brought together in the first place by a love of coffee at the Monmouth Coffee in Covent Garden. And their dedication to good coffee alongside their stellar selections of meat, cheeses, and pastries shines through at every Fernandez and Wells location. The espresso almost every time (as their own Fernandez and Wells roast, with some Has Bean single origins) was pretty chocolatey and well-rounded out. Although I epically failed to take a good picture of the beautiful location at Somerset House, it is honestly one of the most spacious and beautiful cafes I've seen. And the sandwiches. Damn. All so simple (3 ingredients or less, it seemed), but so flavorful! Needless to say, I returned many times, as I frequented those museums a lot anyways. Fernandez and Wells also has a selection of wines that must be good if they are competing with the rest of their food and drink.

Recommend: Blue cheese and mushroom toastie. Or anything. And the Courtauld Gallery! Go see the magnificent collection of Impressionist artists and more.

Note: No WiFi there that I know of.  

Price: Coffee $$ and Food/Wine $$$

Vibe: Depends, but usually business-meeting type people around lunch time and it varies on each location

Espresso Rating: 8.5/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Hours: I am far too lazy to put different hours for six locations

Addresses: Strand, WC2R 1LA (Somerset House); 8 Exhibition Road, SW7 2HF (Near V&A)

Other locations that I have not visited: 1-3 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LP; 55 Duke Street, W1K 5NR; 43 Lexington street, W1F 9AL; 73 Beak Street, W1F 9SR

Website: http://www.fernandezandwells.com/

If I learned one thing while living in London, it is that the Londoners love their newspapers. I'm not used to seeing people read anything anymore, so it took me by surprise that so many people on the underground in evening rush hour, stacked to the edges of the train, are usually silently engrossed in the Evening Standard. The Guardian Cafe at Box Park in Shoreditch combines London’s need for news and need for caffeine. I originally was drawn to the Box Park itself simply because of the sign posted outside of the Guardian Cafe for Nude Espresso. The Box Park itself is something you would expect to find in Shoreditch. It's environmentally sustainable, it's something you can also find in San Francisco, and it matches the attention span of the A.D.D. hipsters that swarm the area. The Box Park is not a permanent structure; it is currently filled on the bottom level with fashion and concept stores (such as one dedicated completely to selling onesies), as well as some well-known brands (Nike, Gap) and eateries and bars on the top level. The Guardian Cafe at Box Park could be considered a concept cafe--as one of London's leading news sources, the Guardian teamed with the Shoreditch-based roasters of Nude Espresso to have politics, hot-topics and news alongside specialty coffee.

I think it must have been Marcel Proust who first encapsulated the coffee and newspaper habit pretty perfectly, even before the Guardian Cafe:

"That abominable and sensual act called reading the newspaper, thanks to which all the misfortunes and cataclysms in the universe over the last twenty-four hours, the battles which cost the lives of fifty thousand men, the murders, the strikes, the bankruptcies, the fires, the poisonings, the suicides, the divorces, the cruel emotions of statesmen and actors, are transformed for us, who don't even care, into a morning treat, blending in wonderfully, in a particularly exciting and tonic way, with the recommended ingestion of a few sips of café au lait." (Sorry, I had to.)

SO ANYWAYS, Proust or not, Guardian Café is composed of (I think) three of the boxes and all tables are topped with an iPad open on Guardian news. As for their espresso, the Nude Espresso is roasted only a few blocks away at the Nude Roastery, and I have had mostly good experiences with them at their SoHo Square location. At this location, their espresso was pretty alright with some fruitiness but overall too acidic. They use the East Espresso Blend by Nude Espresso, unless you order the single origin.

Overall, coffee in the East end does not need much help. I can tell that Guardian Café is trying to have an edge on the other great coffee shops in this area by creating the news-café concept, but I am still an advocate of focusing on either coffee or on something else, otherwise the coffee really gets lost.

Recommend: Located off the overground Shoreditch High Street stop, and only a couple blocks away from Brick Lane, it is also a counterpart to the numerous Indian restaurants and vintage clothing stores of the area.

Note: Check out this location and all others in Box Park because they are only temporary! Also, if you are lucky I think they will interview you for the news?

Price: $$

Vibe: News room, tech-centric (#guardiancafe might be the real name, after all)

Espresso Rating: 7/10

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Website: http://www.boxpark.co.uk/brand/guardiancoffee/

Address: 2-10 Bethnal Green Rd London, E1 6GY, UK

I feel like this would be a good place to talk a bit about the London coffee scene. Like most other major Western cities, the coffee culture has grown exponentially, with a slow(er) increase in the quality of coffee. However, I still could not believe the sheer volume of fantastic coffee that I could find around London after arriving across the pond. I must admit, my research was made much easier by the London Coffee phone app, which conveniently reviews coffee shops and even notes the types of beans, machine, grinder, and brew methods available at each cafe. And I'm not going to lie--this is exactly what I wanted to do for Princesspresso (*cough* lack of funding). Therefore, unlike every other city I have been to which involved talking to baristas to find the next good coffee locations, I could find them conveniently rated and reviewed and mapped out on my phone. What I discovered all over London fared far better than my options in L.A. Although some places did certainly end up losing focus like the L.A. coffee shops on aesthetics or food or pretty things, the espresso quality was overall better. Even the proliferation of Café Nero’s and Pret-A-Manger espressos fared better than your average Starbucks, although there are plenty of those here as well. If you have enough time on your hands (and enough money--always a problem in London), it is well worth discovering the multitude of coffee shops throughout London's different neighborhoods. 

The Espresso Room was one of those coffee shops that I most likely would not have discovered had I not had this coffee app (similarly with Mother's Milk), unless recommended to me by another knowledgable coffee person. It is located across from the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a place I probably would never had walked near aside for its existence. As its name suggests, it is simply a room. On a sunnier day than I first visited, I was able to sit outside on their minimalistic benches. Apparently, the owner was inspired in decorating the whole place from his love of Donald Judd, the minimalist sculptor (preach!). As for their espresso, the Espresso Room serves their own roast or a guest variation and every time from my visit, the espresso has been great. This place knows the true meaning of a ristretto, as my single shot came in a tiny glass cup with perfect crema. I think the sheer size of that drink, priced probably around 2 pounds, is one of the reasons people are mystified by why I love espresso (but that's beside the point). The guest espressos have been in constant rotation, such as with Hope and Glory, Roundhill Coffee, and more typically, Square Mile. The cafe also features different foods in rotation, such as donuts or different sandwiches from bakeries. This place overall is like the RyanAir of espresso, if RyanAir were actually really amazing at flying--due to both of them being no-frill. No-frill, more fun.

Recommend: Don't take anything to-go although the seating is limited--just sit and enjoy your espresso. And then visit Gagosian Gallery on Britannia Street nearby or the British Library! 

Note: Closed on the weekends.

Price: $$

Vibe: Minimalist, Donald Judd

Espresso Rating: 9/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Address: 31-35 Great Ormond Street WC1N 3HZ London, UK

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm; Sat-Sun Closed

Website: http://www.theespressoroom.com/ (very helpful for brew methods and information about their training and events are all on this website!)

London's history is vast, complex, and at times turbulent, and Covent Garden is no exception. As I have learned a bit from Vic Gatrell's "The First Bohemians" (highly recommend), the name originally referred to the area of gardens around Westminster Abbey, but later became the square in front of St. Paul's parish--not to be confused with the much larger St. Paul's Cathedral. From the 17th century the market took shape and for a time was the most popular area for artists and prostitutes. Today, the structure is around 180 years old and is host to restaurants, cafes, pubs, and retail stores. Not to mention the numerous street performers--such as the ones that you are waiting for them to do something for so long that your attention has been captured by how long they have been keeping your attention for.

But the real gem of Covent Garden, for my tastes, lay in a street over. I discovered Notes because they are bean suppliers for many a cafe around London. Although Notes might not always pull a great espresso shot, other cafes owe their quality beans to the talents of the Notes roasting team. In my visits to Notes, I have been overwhelmed by the vastness of their menu; they have large wine selections, beer selections, salads, sandwiches, pastries, coffees, and the list goes on. However, this detracts nothing from their roasting. Their espresso at the moment is called Bokasso Espresso from Ethiopia and is supposed to hold sweet notes (NOTES) of vanilla and dried apricot, but also red berry acidity. Oh, red berries. How am I always supposed to taste you? In my most recent visit with my mother I was able to try her latte against my espresso and found the espresso to taste much sweeter and complement the milk, although I did not as much prefer my tiny cup of acidity (for shame!).

Recommend: Wander through Covent Garden and expect madness.

Note: Hey! A NOTE for NOTES! Notes has many locations! It is also at Trafalgar Square and there is even one in Leeds.

Price: $$-$$$ (food/wine is a tad more expensive)

Vibe: Swanky

Espresso Rating: 8/10

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Address: 36 Wellington St WC2E 7BD

Hours: Mon-Weds 8am-9pm; Thurs-Fri 8am-10pm; Sat 9am-10pm; Sun: 10am-6pm

Website: http://notes-uk.co.uk/

TAP is a product of something that has happened in the coffee world that I am no fan of, but fall victim to quite frequently. Its existence purely caters to a certain aesthetic that has arisen within the coffee culture. Granted, this aesthetic can be very enticing, such as a bike hung above the opening of the store that reads 'COFFEE' or sugar tins made out of old cans or a cute little menu written on a cute vintage mirror. In some coffee shops, this aesthetic can even be served right alongside good coffee. However, more often than not it is more aesthetics over coffee that win out at the end of the day. Granted, coffee shops are there to sell and therefore need to find the best waysell what they have. Also, most people don't know what good coffee is anyways and therefore it is much easier to sell a product that people don't know about to a crowd if they just have the same aesthetic as the 'good' coffee shops. I'm here to try and help you find the difference.

I went to TAP No. 114 out of convenience most of the time. I would suck it up and pay a ridiculous 2.5 pounds for espresso because it was right on my way to class (maybe a 2 minute walk from me and then 2 minute walk to class). TAP roasts their own coffee for their three different locations; No. 26 on Rathbone Place and No. 193 on Wardour Street are the other two. Their most recent espresso was a 'Jack of Spades' espresso blend of Colombian and El Salvadorian coffees, but they also had the option of their single origin espresso (which was even more silly expensive). Out of the many times that I visited TAP, I maybe had one good espresso. Their espresso in house is served alongside a cold white tea, as opposed to most people serving it with sparkling water to cleanse the palette. Personally, I found that any espresso served with a slightly flavoured tea would throw off my taste of the coffee itself. Most of my unpleasant experiences came from the uneven textures of the espresso and the resting bitch faces of the people behind the counter. I'm sure they're quite nice, really.

Recommend: Out of convenience for UCL or SOAS students!

Note: They have a nice assortment of breakfast foods and lunch foods.

Price: $$$

Vibe: Businessy

Espresso Rating: 6/10

Overall Rating: 6/10

Addresses: 114 Tottenham Court Road, 26 Rathbone Place, 193 Wardour Street

Hours: 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun closed except No. 193 open 12pm-6pm

Website: http://www.tapcoffee.co.uk/

This coffee shop has forever ruined me. Spoiled me. I am not the same.

I want to relate telling about this coffee shop experience with a book called Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (hear me out). In the book, Marco Polo describes the distant cities of the empire to Kublai Kahn. Throughout the book it becomes apparent that it is not simply cities that Marco Polo is describing, but one city created in its complex relationships to memory, desire, semiotics, and language. At one point towards the end of the book, Kublai Kahn is unsatisfied because Marco Polo has yet to describe his home city of Venice. To this, Marco Polo replies, “Memory’s images once they are fixed in words, are erased. Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I speak of it. Or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little.” Ridiculous as it sounds, I haven't wanted to write about this coffee shop for fear of losing it altogether.

I was originally hesitant to go to a coffee shop located in a barbershop simply because I thought that it would be strange for me to go to a barbershop for coffee as a girl (cough, Princesspresso). Now I am kicking myself that I went for months in London without this coffee shop in my life for a silly reason like this. The coffee shop wasn’t actually inside the barbershop anyways, but in front of it.

The first time I tried Sharps DunneFrankowski espresso, I was taken aback by the intensive flavors of blackberries (and not in the way of flavors that people claim to taste in coffee). The man who made this magical drink--a Kenyan coffee from Square Mile--goes by the name of Rob Dunne, the “Dunne” of DunneFrankowski. He also proceeded to tell me to take a seat instead of demanding my cash upfront like most coffee places, which I greatly appreciate as their system. The whole vibe of the place is the most friendly, laid-back, coffee-centric place. Luckily, the owner of Sharps takes care of the aesthetics and keeps the most knowledgeable baristas to run the coffee shop. 

Upon my return a few days later, I had the place to myself and after I simply asked about the espresso coffee origin to this barista (Michael) he decided to educate me in coffee... for two hours. I have a confession to make: as many espressos as I have had in my life and as much as I can distinguish a good cup from a bad cup, I have not in the least educated about the origins of coffee. He proceeded to set up a cupping for me in which I compared the nuttiness of a Brazilian coffee to the tea-flavor lightness of an Ethiopian coffee. Two hours later and tweaked out of my mind, I realized I finally found a place that was willing to reach out willing customers in order to educate people about their coffee. And I am eternally grateful. Sitting in the coffee shop any other day of the week, I can tell that no matter the customer that walks through the door, the baristas will have some type of friendly conversation or talk about coffee. I have yet to find a more magical place than this one. I just wish I could pick it up and take it with me wherever I go.

Recommend: Everything. Go to this place if you want to be ruined (in the best sense possible). I even have a new appreciation for aeropress coffee.

Note: There's rotating food services that come through for lunch. Pork buns, flatbreads, whatever they're feeling and it's all fantastic.

Price: $$

Vibe: Coffee-centric with a hint of tattooed barbers

Espresso Rating: 10/10 (I've never given a perfect rating... boom)

Overall Rating: 10/10

Address: 9 Windmill Street W1T 2JF, London, UK

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12am-6pm

"Let us go then, you and I,                                                              When the evening is spread out against the sky                    Like a patient etherized upon a table;                                          Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,                     The muttering retreats                                                                 Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels                               And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:                  Streets that follow like a tedious argument                                  Of insidious intent                                                                          To lead you to an overwhelming question ...                             Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”                                                     Let us go and make our visit [to Prufrock coffee]."

--The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot (read the rest here- and shoutout to my mum for pointing out the literary reference)

Okay, so T.S. Eliot didn't write that last part, but I'm sure if T.S. Eliot knew anything about coffee he would be proud that one of his fictional characters inspired the name of this coffee shop. Started in 2010 by the 2009 World Barista Champion, Gwilym Davies, Prufrock and Davies have been some of the largest proponents of third wave coffee in London. Davies got his start in a very similar way to that of Blue Bottle's James Freeman--in an unlabeled and much loved coffee stall in a marketplace. Now, Prufrock is a permanent establishment alongside the many market stalls that fill Leather Lane throughout the week during lunch time. Inside this spacious and beautiful shop you will find a brew bar (for the more coffee curious), as well as a downstairs area reserved for BRAT (Barista Resource and Training). As for the coffee, I was generally pleased by their Square Mile espresso--consistently beautiful crema, varying in texture and flavours from the many times of my return. However, I was underwhelmed by their quite pricey filter coffees. As for their food, I thought it sometimes even outshone their coffee in terms of deliciousness. Maybe it's just easier sometimes to make heavenly toast and jam than find the perfect extraction of espresso? 

Recommend: Come around lunch time and peruse the Leather Lane market.

Note: There is free wi-fi and plenty of seating, if you care for that with a good cup of coffee.

Price: $$-$$$

Vibe: Most certainly hipster

Espresso Rating: 8.5/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Address: 23-25 Leather Lane EC1N 7TE, London, UK

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

Website: prufrockcoffee.com/

Address: 19 Soho Sqaure, W1D 2QN, London, UK

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm, Closed Sat-Sun

Wesbite: http://www.nudeespresso.com/

A note about third wave coffee in Italy-- it doesn't really exist. That is, until Francesco Sanapo has opened Ditta Artigianale in Firenze. My friends and I happened upon this shop while visiting Florence from a recommendation of someone who had spent a lot of time there, and it was suggested for us if we wanted some good coffee with some "hot older men baristas". Honestly, I was expecting a variation of the typical Italian coffee bar. The kind of standing-only bar where you pay one euro--that's the price basically everywhere, thankfully--for a "caffe espresso" (I got so many confused or irked looks when I tried to pronounce that with a correct Italian accent, considering they always thought I wanted a caffe americano) and then push your way through to wave your ticket at the other side of the bar where they throw an espresso with perfect crema, steaming hot, right in front of you. Whether its at an Autogrill on the side of the road or at a nice cafe, you can expect the same quality and same price espresso.  But their perfect version of espresso has a very different, dirtier taste, and is put together from start to finish in about thirty seconds. Francesco Sanapo wanted to change the game in Italy and bring the flourishing third-wave trend around other parts of Europe to the stubborn Italians. I'm not saying that this traditional caffe espresso is ready to change anytime soon, but if there is anyone who could successfully bring third wave coffee to Italy, Francesco Sanapo is the man to do it. First off, Ditta Artigianale roasts their own beans. The espresso when I visited Ditta Artigianale was a blend of Brazil, Guatemala and El Salvador beans called "Jump". They also had an option of a single origin Colombian, and I tried both the two times that I went back (and on the second time that I went back Ditta Artigianale was hosting a press conference for La Marzocco in their back room-- I was celeb crushing so hard). "Jump" had a very balanced flavor, while the Colombian had a honey sweetness with good acidity. In all honesty, Ditta Artigianale was the best espresso that I found in Italy. I hope the Italians listen to the wisdom of Francesco Sanapo and follow his start of the "Italian Coffee Renaissance".

Recommend: This is conveniently close to the Uffizi Gallery where you can see some of the best paintings in the world by Botticelli or Titian. Eat breakfast or brunch here as well, and look for Francesco because he will be sure to chat you up.

Note: If you don't know anything about Italian espresso, know that this place is quite unique. Try an espresso somewhere else for just one euro and understand the price difference.

Price: $$ (1.5-2 euros for an espresso)

Vibe: Friendly Italian

Espresso Rating: 9/10

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Address: Via dei Neri, 32 50122 Firenze, Italy

Hours: No idea

If I'm going to be honest here, it's that I don't know much about Fragments cafe in Paris. I didn't spend many days in Paris and from trying to research the coffee scene, it is sparse, but hard to talk about coffee for me with Parisians because I speak about four words total of French. That being said, I absolutely loved this cafe despite my utter ignorance of Parisian coffee. Fragments (from what I've now researched) was opened by owner Youssef of a former third wave coffee shop called Black Market on Rue Ramey. The whole place has a very simplistic feel to it. The outside is easily missable--simple black panelling and unmarked. The inside has a rustic french ceiling but is filled with modern tables and chairs. Thankfully, I had a friend with me to order competently in French and we sat at the tables in the back, looking out on a small unkempt courtyard. So French... so French. Fragments uses coffee from Coffee Collective, which I had heard of before and are based out of Denmark, and Kaffa, which I had not and is based out of Finland. The espresso was the best that I could find in Paris and was priced that way as well at about three euros for an espresso.  

Recommend: Enjoy Paris. Go early to a nearby bakery and get a fresh almond croissant and melt in its overflowing butter. 

Note: Learn some French and act competent, but still expect to be put off by gruff French people.

Price: $$$

Vibe: Minimalist, French snobby

Espresso Rating: 8/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Address: 76 Rue des Tournelles, Paris, France

Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am-4pm; Sat-Sun 10am-6pm