A bean shop where buying starts with a smell and the origins range from Yemen to Java. The owner knows every one well enough to explain swiss-water decaf extraction unprompted.

Williams & Johnson roast on-site and pour from the same counter. The coffee keeps people coming back despite the service, which tells you enough.

Artisan Roast's Leith Walk shop: the espresso is precise, and the regulars who've covered Edinburgh's specialty scene still come back.

An espresso-based menu in Leith that takes the coffee seriously, which puts it ahead of most of the neighbourhood. Head here when the cup is the reason, not the backdrop.

Specialty coffee and homemade focaccia in a Leith corner with a Scottish-Italian character. The seasonal menu is deliberately short.

A Leith breakfast spot that takes its espresso seriously. Light-roast, sweet and fruity, low on bitterness, and the owner rotates the beans.

The lattes bring people back, which is the honest measure of an independent. A solid neighbourhood spot that earns its repeat trade on the coffee, not the story.

A flat white done right, from an independent on Leith Walk that keeps the quality consistent without making a statement of it. The latte art lands.

A proper kitchen attached to a cafe that takes its latte art seriously. Come hungry.