Espresso Joe and the Snowman 20 Dec 2010

Adverse conditions? Nothing gets in the way of a good coffee!

Joseph Hoye

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Somewhere between Leather Lane and Liverpool St Station.

Frosty the Snowman - heading for a coffee.

Let it not be said that NZNewsUK isn't dedicated to providing you with great London coffee experiences.

In near-blizzard conditions on Saturday I sampled not one, nor two cafes but three London coffee establishments... and just about froze my face to the point of no return. And let me just say - it was worth it.

First stop was Monmouth at Borough Market. I had run out of beans - an emergency supply of Lavazza coffee beans. At that stage, there was just a light dusting of snow and the roads were relatively clear. Espresso beans and take-out coffee purchased.

So Mrs Espresso Joe and I decided it would be a good opportunity to burn off the latte calories we had just picked up by walking over the Thames to Leather Lane. As we walked across London Bridge, we noticed St. Paul's Cathedral rapidly diminishing in visibility. So too was Tower Bridge on our right. Time to walk faster.

Leather Lane and The Department of Coffee was a welcome sight. Despite the snow billowing in we were happy to see we weren't the only customers. Chris McKie poured us a couple of great flat whites while explaining the espresso was their winter blend: a touch more mellow than their previous offerings.

By the time we were ready to move on, the snow was less drifting in and looking more like a mad barista going ape with a thousand litres of milk and a milk wand. Still, we were determined to head over to Old Spitalfileds Market for some Christmas shopping and another coffee.

Somewhere between The Department of Coffee and Liverpool Street Station, my face froze. In fact I looked much like Frosty the Snowman. I'm not sure where the passing gentleman was going to place the spare hat, glasses and carrot he was carrying but I'm thankful that Mrs Espresso Joe was there to explain that I was not an ice sculpture. Frankly, it was the positioning of the carrot that most worried me.

All good in the end, though. Spitalfields market was empty when we arrived (Tuesday is their late night Christmas shopping festival). However, being somewhat in the neighbourhood, we did manage to struggle up Brick Lane to Allpress Roastery at Redchurch St. The lattes were very much needed to begin the thawing process.

When we exited Allpress, the snow was abating and the Overland station is only 100m away.

Sunday was market day for us - vegetables from Brick Lane markets. Lots of snow still on the ground but also lots of ice. Dangerous indeed. I came a cropper on Wheeler St. The wonderful part of the expedition was being able to nurse my rump with a flat white at Nude Espresso AND Allpress. Those of you who know me, know how highly I rate Kiwi coffee houses in London. Nude Espresso on Hanbury St is the closest I would get to proclaiming a high altar of London coffee worship and will be worthy of a full review in the next few weeks.

What really impressed me about the weekend's coffee adventures was that these places were open when most shops appeared to have given up. Coffee makers must be a hardy breed. So too must the drinkers, as these cafes were doing a good trade.

So, let's not allow the snow to keep us from our favourite caffeine hit. There are cafes waiting for us to brave the snow and reward us with espressos, lattes and cappuccinos right now. Be brave and be bold - like a double shot ristretto.