Everyone wants to know the best place to get some.
It's the world's most popular beverage, and with its reviving properties as well as epic deliciousness, it's no surprise that an estimated 1.6 billion cups of the brown stuff gets knocked back daily.
So the top London places? I don't drink animal secretions, so with a hearty screw you to those establishments with gourmisan-pretensions and a refusal to serve anything other than full-fat bovine breast milk, I present my own humble guide to the finest vegan and omnivore-friendly brews in (East) London.
1.Bethnal Green Gallery Café
St. Margaret's House Settlement, 21 Old Ford Rd, Bethnal Green, London
E2 9PL, 020 8980 2092
Sublime. This vegetarian/vegan café serves the best coffee I've ever tasted outside of Italy. They use the popular and upmarket Bonsoy, which is less sweet than ubiquitous coffee shop Alpro Professional, but still manage to crank out a blend that's sweet, smooth, extremely flavourful and not at all bitter. I would've been happy to wash down my tofu scramble with some freeze-dried taster's choice, but they spring this serious gourmet blend on me. Cheaper than your average coffee chain too. (They offer dairy milk as well as soya).
2.Caravan
Granary Building, Granary Square, 1, London N1C 4AA, 020 7101 7661
Tasting notes and an onsite bean-roasting machine introduce a healthy element of pretention to the proceedings. The house blend is good, but most noticeable to me is how velvety they make the milk - and all at the perfect temperature too. Highly recommended, although the slightly rude service sometimes puts a downer on the whole experience.
3.Shoreditch Grind
213 Old St, London EC1V 9NR, 020 7490 7490
Attractive hipster baristas with stupid haircuts shove your coffee at you while refusing to make eye contact, but if you're not too much of a precious flower, you'll overlook the fashionably rude service because the coffee's good, always notably fresh, and the location's a winner too. Homed next to Old Street Roundabout in a cute building that looks like a cafetiere with an interior that's even sexier than the clientele.
4.Franze and Evans
101 Redchurch St, London E2 7DL, 020 7033 1910
Set in a prime location in the heart of Shoreditch, and purveyor of some popular foodstuffs, they offer a very strong (some may say slightly bitter) blend, but a tasty one with it. Not for the faint of heart. Again, they use Bonsoy, which is noted for its 'stretch' and viscosity and their excellent baristas do a grand job, making a smooth texture with good mouth feel. They have outdoor seating, which makes this good coffee to watch the boys (and girls) go by.
5.Brick Lane Coffee
157 Brick Lane, London E1 6SB, 020 7729 2667
They give good latte-art, if that's your thing. Beyond the pleasing aesthetics, they serve a flavourful blend that is much milder and with maybe less depth than some of the other options, but extremely smooth and none the less enjoyable for it. You might not enjoy this if you prefer an eye-bulgingly strong concoction, but it's a pleasing, well-priced option, friendly service and a good location.