brew lab artisan coffee bar, 6-8 south college street, is a big, stone and light industrial-vibed coffee house in the middle of the edinburgh university area on the south of the old town
they're at the forefront of coffee seriousness: choices of brew methods, each with their own appropriate bean and grind types. you can also enjoy locally sourced top notch tea, hot chocolate, cakes and light meals such as baguettes and soups.
it's guaranteed that brew lab will continuously change (as in week to week) the coffees they serve -and the food - so expect to experience something different each time. think of how chefs change their menu all the time based on their whim and what's fresh or seasonal.
the main brew methods available when we've been are chemex, clever and espresso but we're sure they'll play other methods too as they go
- chemex - a style of drip filter that uses very fine filter paper resulting in the coffee and water staying in contact with each other longer, imparting a better flavour than an electric drip filter. the water is heated separately and added by hand which means the barista has full control over all the elements. when we went they were using an ethiopian bean
- clever - also a drip filter that can be sealed between the filter mechanism and the cup. this means the water doesn't go through as fast as the coffee will allow, instead it steeps in the hot water resulting in a stronger, richer coffee. when we went they were using a nicaraguan bean
- espresso - brew lab has a very fancy seattle-built espresso machine (you can read all about it on their website) and they use their own 'brew lab' beans created by 'has bean'. we found this to be different to anything we'd tasted before. light, with a bit of smokiness up front moving rapidly to a sour acidity. the picture above is of a flat white
as we said, this is a place that seriously loves their coffee in all its shapes and forms. they're keen to share their enthusiasm and want you to ask questions or seek advice about what to try. we look forward to going with them on a coffee joy ride.
- coffee: their own beans created by 'has bean' plus lots of guest single origins
- coolness: new beans every time you go
- website: www.brewlabcoffee.co.uk
