Clerkenwell

The London branch of Colonna Coffee, where Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood's three UK Barista Championships translate into three rotating single-origin filters and a separate espresso track. The barista will help you choose; order the Pulsar-brewed filter.

Depending on the week, the filter board is La Cabra, Tim Wendelboe, or Coffee Collective. A guest espresso slot runs alongside the house programme, with baristas who know both well enough to make the case for either.

A Japanese-influenced Clerkenwell bar where a Bao-alumni pastry chef's matcha canelé is on the counter and the espresso comes in ceramics. The coffee earns its company.

Ray hand-brews Yunnan single-origins and has run cupping sessions for customers who want to know what they're drinking. Not a walk-in; a destination on Leather Lane.

Volcano Coffee Works pulls the espresso programme, with single origins and tasting notes on the menu. The tea list runs to named Japanese cultivars and is the other reason to stop in Clerkenwell.

The Greek iced coffee is the reason to come. Order the freddo espresso.

A roastery on Amwell Street dedicated entirely to Ethiopian coffee, roasting daily and listing named lots by sub-region and processing style. Order two side by side; the difference is the point.

Attendant runs its own roastery, and the Leather Lane bar is the tasting room: East African single origins on espresso and filter, retail bags if you want to keep going at home.

Rosie's park kiosk in St James's Churchyard pours Kobo on espresso and stocks cardamom buns. Take a flat white to a bench and stay.

The espresso is the point, and it extracts cleanly enough to taste right cold. A Clerkenwell neighbourhood spot that takes the craft seriously without advertising the fact.

Italian espresso tradition held by staff with Amalfi coast roots. The shots have conviction; go when you want espresso done properly, without the specialty theatre.

A Clerkenwell independent named after a barista's tool, which tells you the espresso is the point. The house blend is worth the stop.