There’s no doubt that we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to great local cafés, but my top spots for a seriously good cup of coffee in Richmond are...
1. Level Crossing Records
49 Sheen Ln, London SW14 8AB
Here you can pick up a delicious coffee from hip East London roasters Dark Arts, whilst enjoying the tunes and perusing the records whilst your cup is ever so carefully made by friendly staff.
2. Kiss the Hippo
50 George St, Richmond TW9 1HJ
Delicious organic coffee roasted on site in their state-of-the-art roasting machine, which you can see in action at the back of the café. Their ‘George Street Blend’, is consistently good.
3. The Press Room
London Rd, Twickenham TW1 3SZ
The Press Room, Twickenham (and Surbiton) – is a welcoming spot serving coffee from one of my favourite roasters, Origin, which originated in Cornwall. You can also buy coffee beans, which they can freshly grind for you to take home.
Be a barista...
Don’t know your cappuccino from your cortado? Try a speciality course.
1. Popular café chain Artisan runs a friendly coffee school in Ealing, where you can learn everything from latte art and how to homebrew, through to professional roasting and barista skills.
2. As well as roasting its own coffee on site, Credo Coffee in Brentford offers a wide range of accredited and non-accredited courses, from barista skills and brewing to sensory analysis and machine maintenance.
3. Cosy café Flotsam & Jetsam in Wandsworth hosts a regular Barista Basics evening class aimed at all levels. Learn some basic barista skills that you can use at home, or perhaps even in a new career.
4. In the ‘coffee training lab’ at Kiss the Hippo in Richmond, you can learn key techniques in brewing coffee, creating latte art and more. Its Home Brewing workshops are led by Head of Coffee and current UK Barista Champion, Joshua Tarlo.