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The closely interconnected nature of London's evolving speciality coffee scene has been something of a theme on this blog lately . And while earlier this month I was at the original Kiss the Hippo — whose second location near Oxford Circus is based in the former Curators Coffee Gallery coffee shop — this week, I found myself returning to Curators Coffee Studio in the City of London. What a pleasure it is to be so spoiled for choice these days. Before its closure, Curators Coffee Gallery, co-founded by Cath Seay, was one of my favourite and most visited London coffee shops, but although its City sister is closer to my home, I was only able to go rarely, as it only opens on weekdays, when I was at work in King's Cross. While I'm working from home, lunchtime visits to coffee shops in the City, like Curators Coffee Studio and Red Lion Coffee Co. are back on the cards. It was on a recent trip to Red Lion that I spotted an A-board promising speciality coffee and pastries, and...

One of the best things about the London speciality coffee scene is the relationships between the numerous coffee shops and roasters. My favourite way to find great coffee served by great people is through recommendations from coffee shops I already know and love. Today's Caffeine Chronicles post is about  Nostos Coffee , a neighbourhood coffee shop in Battersea that I heard about through Laith at the excellent  Saint Nine Coffee , which, in turn, I heard about through the lovely folks at Rosslyn Coffee . I've been brushing up my Spanish lately and the name Nostos made me think of the Spanish nosotros ('us' or 'we'), but the coffee shop's name harkens back to the Ancient Greek  νόστος , or 'homecoming', often in reference to epic heroes' homeward journeys. The same root appears in the word  nostalgia . There is such a sense of community at Nostos that spending time there feels like a homecoming even if it's your first visit. There was a steady...

After visiting north-east London last week, this week's Caffeine Chronicles post is about a speciality coffee shop and roastery on the opposite side of London: Kiss the Hippo, in Richmond , to be more exact. As I am rarely in Richmond, I was pleased when Kiss the Hippo opened a second coffee shop  in central London two years ago. The Fitzrovia cafe, a few blocks north of Oxford Circus on Margaret Street, is a regular coffee stop for me when I'm shopping or giving blood at the donor centre across the street. But it was about time I paid a visit to the original location, and it made an excellent coffee break before my trip to Kew Gardens . With the distinctive red hippo adorning its retail bags of beans, Kiss the Hippo's packaging also underscores the roaster's sustainability credentials: on their website, they explain how they have become a carbon-negative coffee company and why that matters. This point was hammered home by the extreme heat of the day, especially standi...

As the temperature nudged close to 30C in London on Saturday, I headed west for a long-overdue return to the Kew Gardens . I'd booked my ticket online earlier in the week and then wondered if the heat was going to affect my visit but actually, spending a few hours walking the shaded paths around the verdant gardens and exploring some of the exhibitions was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon. From Waterloo, it's a 15-minute train ride to Richmond, and then a 15-minute walk to the Lion Gate of Kew Gardens. There was a short queue to get in — you have to book a 45-minute entry slot in advance — but I was inside before too long. I'd stocked up at Whole Foods and enjoyed my small picnic on a quiet spot of grass. Although there were a lot of visitors, Kew is huge so it's easy to find a lawn of one's own. Founded in 1840, the gardens have plenty of different areas to explore, and you could easily spend the day there if the weather's nice. My first stop was the ...