Cold brew at The Black Lab Coffee House, London
This is an interesting time for food and drink, and you can look at it two ways: Firstly, it’s all about conning the moneyed, liberal middle classes into spending more on something they could get cheaper in another postcode or, alternatively, we’re being offered something on another level that involves imagination, experimentation and fervour, which costs a bit more to produce. I think both things are true.
If you really like something, – coffee, for instance – finding somewhere that serves a particularly good variety of that something is often harder than it should be. I myself adore a good cup of Joe, and even though I’ll happily drink from one of the notorious chains, I love finding somewhere where that offers an exceptional one.
When I first visited The Black Lab Coffee House in Clapham and was offered a choice of beans along with three choices and explanations of how the stuff was going to be brewed (the word “gravity” was used in the description), I had high expectations. With this kind of enthusiasm and faff, it had better be good. And it was.
The Black Lab Coffee House, Clapham
Did you know we’re currently in a “third wave” of coffee? The first wave was, well, you know, coffee. The second wave is said to have originated from San Franciscan stalwarts and makers of lush coffee Peet’s, and led to the Starbucks culture that is so prolific now. The third wave asks us to take the bean very, very seriously – with all the gravitas of proper good wine, and that sort of thing. Third wavers ask us to look beyond coffee as a commodity and instead appreciate the culinary art of the roasting, brewing and presentation of the drink.
For many the word “artisanal” has become synonymous with hipsterism. While I blanche at the inverse snobbery of hipster-bashing, I agree that “artisan” has, as a word, become as redundant as “vintage”. But behind the marketing, there’s sometimes a kernel of substance.
You may not know your artisanal from your elbow but you can appreciate when something is particularly good. A great cup of coffee does something to you. It’s a dance between your taste buds and that part of the brain that processes pleasure. For Matt Goodman of The Black Lab, the third wave is all about the skill, science and passion that drives local micro-roasters and intuitive makers of coffee. He currently works with beans from London superstar micro-roasters Alchemy and Campbell & Syme. The Black Lab method for making a cup of coffee is exact: all drinks are double ristretto (which is to do with the coffee to water ratio – a ristretto is shorter than an espresso), grounds are precisely measured on a scale and the water moving through the coffee is timed to the second. They work with single beans, no blends and the roast, and even the weather, can affect the outcome of the taste. They constantly monitor it and work on instinct, making any adjustments needed for the as-near-perfect-as-can-be cup. As if coffee with its shiny machinery and heady odour wasn’t sexy enough.
A brew tower at The Black Lab Coffee House, Clapham
Some like it hot, but some also like a cold brew coffee, another star of the third wave that actually lives up to its oh-my-god-that’s-so-much-better reputation. Whether dripped through a Coffeega Ridge 3200 (as it is at The Black Lab) or DIYed by your good self at home through muslin or paper towels, cold brew is seriously superior Joe. If you haven’t already: do it, try it, thank me.
My only critiques of The Black Lab are its size (it’s a squish when full) and it’s only open during the day. These small gripes may well be sorted out soon, though, as a refurb is on the horizon, offering the full third wave experience. Matt tells me that the new-look Black Lab will include a brew bar (offering three filter options from six rotating roasteries), a fresh cold-press juice bar (the first of its kind in Clapham), and a private room where you can book sessions to learn all about coffee and how to do it the good way at home. Matt’s also considering stretching opening hours into the evening, offering coffee-based and influenced cocktails on the menu. There’s such a thing as a cold brew gin & tonic, so this news makes me very happy indeed.
The Black Lab is a family business: Owned by brothers Matt and James and helped out by third brother Alex. Oh and yes, there is a black lab: Louis. But although I’ve seen the occasional small hound sitting about looking like they are waiting for their post-walk latte, I’ve not – alas – yet met the eponymous, furry hero of the coffeehouse. C
The Black Lab Coffee House, 18 Clapham Common South Side, London SW4 7AB UK
020-7738 8441; blacklabcoffee.com