The Place

In a city that’s dominated by three big commercial coffee joints, it’s actually relatively hard to find an artisan coffee house.  It’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across Taylor Street Barista; the closest thing to an Aussie cafe that I’d found in London (although I did find some others that fit the bill).

During the week, Canary Wharf is a hustling and bustling part of London and when I first entered Taylor Street Barista, was blown away by the queue of people looking to get their daily fix.  The cafe itself was quite long and skinny, and the queue wound around the counter and almost out the door; most days there were constantly 15-20 people in the queue.  With funky music playing and so many people about, there was an almost frantic feel in the joint and even a couple of seats at the front of the place didn’t diminish that feeling.

The Equipment

A couple of jet black Victoria Arduino Black Eagle espresso machines that were constantly under the pump and a couple of Nuova Simonelli Mythos One Clima pro finders.

The Beans

Beans were roasted in the UK and mostly from Costa Rica

The Package

There was a lot to like about the coffee from Taylor Street Barista; but there was also an element that was just not right.  I loved the sweet caramel aroma of my first latte, the gently notes tickling the back of my palate and causing me to salivate at the thought of my first good coffee in the UK.  My first sip and the milk was slightly too cool, which caused the coffee to have a slightly heavy body.  The coffee was also a little on the weak side; the earthy caramel nutty flavour only just there.  Latte art was cool, with a fat tulip presented in my glass.

My takeaway was much better, the milk prepared at the correct temperature and helping extract a little more sweetness from the coffee.  There was a medium low acidity to go along with the medium body, and while well balanced overall, the coffee was still a little on the weak side.

Over the course of two weeks in London, I hit up Taylor Street Barista most weekday mornings for a couple of lattes and in a short period of time was recognised and my order taken before I placed it.  Overall, I found the coffee to be on the week side, but well balanced and yummy.  Interestingly, I’d overheard other Aussies asking for double shots to increase the potency.

It was a very cool spot that perhaps was a victim of it’s success; coffees were pumped out at an astounding rate to keep up with the demand.  I think this was the cause of my latte’s sometimes being a little on the cool side.

The Rating

The Details

Where: 8 South Colonnade Canary Wharf E14 4PZ
Web: https://www.taylor-st.com/pages/canary-wharf
Cost: Moderately Expensive
Visit: Is the only worthwhile place to visit in Canary Wharf