TAP Coffee: An education in “proper coffee”

TAP Coffee was the winner of HYHOI’s Best Coffee award 2014!

My coffee education began on Thursday morning, sitting up at a coffee bar on Wardour Street with the MD of TAP Coffee, Richard Lilley.  We’d chatted about the history of TAP (Tapped & Packed) and the three outposts in London, and Richard was attempting to explain to me (the novice) the subtleties between different bean varieties, different brewing techniques, and how different coffee shops have different approaches to coffee… In the end he promised to invite me to the next “cupping” event (coffee tasting), in the hope that experiencing the different coffees first-hand would accelerate my learning curve!


I first ventured into TAP a month or so back, on a mission for cold brew coffee.  The proper coffee, trendy décor and super friendly hipster staff are a massive draw that keeps me going back and back to TAP for more, despite the slightly-longer-than-average walk from office to caffeine fix.


TAP No. 193 on Wardour Street is spacious and airy, and bigger than the other branches on Tottenham Court Road (No. 114 – bright and beautiful) and Rathbone Place (No. 26 – super cosy), housing the roaster and ample seating space for informal work meetings and catch ups.  Sweet and savoury snacks are on offer – awesome porridge for breakfast, flavoursome salads and deli-style sandwiches for lunch, and ginormous slices of cake for the sweet tooth (the ever-changing brownie flavours are pretty mind-blowing – peanut butter in the past, and currently coconut macaroon!).  There are also bags of coffee and brewing equipment for sale for those who want to recreate the TAP experience at home (or shop online here).
How gorgeous is this interior, with all the wood and industrial touches?



TAP’s cold brew coffee is unlike your average iced coffee, being brewed with cold water over several hours, to create a punchy and invigorating extract.  Sold in wonderful glass medicine bottles, labelled with luggage tags, and retailing at £3.50, this is the strong stuff.  I was pleasantly surprised by the contents of the little brown glass bottle, never normally drinking my coffee black – but this wasn’t bitter.  I actually found it very smooth and drinkable without the addition of sugar or milk, only ice.


You can see the adorable TAP loyalty cards in the picture above too – genius!


Probably my favourite TAP beverage, however, is the Jam Jar Latte – milky and sweetened with syrup, the ingredients are shaken up and served in a jam jar – just the kind of quirky touch that I love.



TAP do a huge variety of coffee beyond the types I’ve mentioned – hopefully as my coffee education continues I’ll be able to tell you more!  I’ve been doing my homework and just watched this inspiring little video showing the journey of your coffee:

I’ve been featuring more coffee shops on Have You Heard Of It? recently.  Have I mentioned your favourite yet?  And if not, let me in on your secret!  I always like to learn about new places 🙂

TAP Coffee
No.193, Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 8ZF
No.114, Tottenham Court Road, W1T 5AH
No.26, Rathbone Place W1T 1JD