Perhaps it was due to the adrenaline drop that I experienced after finishing a month of hectic exams at the university, or because of a book review that we did on A History of the World in 6 Glasses.

Whatever the reason, last week I was dead set on hopping in and out of London Coffee Shops. Deciding on where to go was not that difficult after reading an article at The Times of London: London's best cafés and coffee shops that listed more than 20 places in Central London.

I went to visit five of the coffee shops within a radius of 5 km,  spending a few hours in each while doing my school works for the next term, watching people passed by and relishing the coffee and snacks.

@PrufrockCoffee

23-25 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TE

Stations: Chancery Lane, Farringdon

A sign that says 10,000 Hours on the café wall immediately caught my attention. I later read in Filtered Magazine that it refers to efforts that must be put in to master the art of coffee.  

The 185 square meter shop managed by Prufrock makes it perfect as a spot for public Q&A, coffee tastings, and barista classes. Termed London Brat, short for Barista Resource and Training Centre Prufrock is available for team building workshops.

As I arrived quite early at the red-pillar café, it was not crowded yet. Eventually a lot of families came with their bikes and the place was quite full.

Their famous almond polenta cake with yogurt was delightful but too big a portion for me. I almost finished it though if not for the latte that waits.

@FreeStateCoffee

23 Southampton Row, London WC1B 5HA

Station: Holborn

Located in the heart of Holborn, the FreeState Coffee is quite packed during exam time, frequented by students from the London School of Economics.

It boasts some of the best and most interesting coffees from Copenhagen, Miami, Chicago and London blend,  popular among office workers.

I did not eat any snack in this place that has an ambience of practicality, but the cappuccino was one of the best cup I ever had.

@timberyarduk

7 Upper St Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9DL

Station: Leicester Square

I spent half a day in Timberyard, a cafe with a creative tagline: Tea, coffee, work and play. Re-imagined.

The atmosphere was rustic with wooden décor for the table and the serving tray.  I tried a cup of cappuccino and couldn’t resist the grilled sandwich with peanut butter, mayonnaise and a touch of vegetables.

With natural light abundant Timberyard is a cozy place to chat and to work. No wonder it won the London Coffee Stop Awards 2014 for London's Best Coffee Shop for Out-of-Office Workers and 3rd place for London's Best Cakes and Bakes.

An article in The Bakery Info mentioned that for the Coffee Stop Awards, over 1400 independent and branded coffee shops were listed to reflect the diverse coffee scene. More than 18,000 Londoners voted for their favorite coffee shop across 10 categories. 

@NotesTrafSq

36 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7BD

Station: Covent Garden

This specialty coffee, food & wine company has three shops. The one that I visited is located in Covent Garden, a must visit area in London for those who like to see food, drink, history, culture and shopping in one area.

Last year Notes opened its own roastery, making the place ideal for the freshest coffee and a coffee home brewing master class, a sold out event. The shop also has regular Jazz Wednesdays from 7.30 – 9.30 PM.

I devoured Note’s banana cake and asked for a cup of latte.

@1ookmumnohands

49 Old Street, London EC1V 9HX

Station: Barbican & Old Street

A bike café in London, this place won a Coffee Stop Award in the category of London’s Best Coffee Shop for Cyclists.

I wonder whether I had a potassium deficiency since I yearned for another banana cake, this time it was banana chocolate cake and cappuccino to accompany the sinfully delicious cake.

Look Mum No Hands has a bicycle repair shop attached, as such it is popular among cyclists. True to what is promoted on the website: “on a grisly Saturday lunchtime, it wasn’t just cyclists here; half of the residents of EC1 had turned up. Singles, couples, families with young children.”

I went there on a busy Saturday, and not far from me was a student doing his work, while a nice lady nearby was drinking tea, eating oatmeal and doing crossword puzzle.

After a week of coffee shop hopping and spent many hours in each of the place, here are a few tidbits that I would like to share with you:

1. The latte art in all the coffee shops is gorgeous, but after a while they all look the same to me. I do know it is a difficult thing to do because I took barista classes a few years back.
2. Spending a few hours in a coffee shop does not free you from nature’s call. Hence I always try to identify good-natured individuals who wouldn’t mind watching my laptop for a while.
3. Doing school works in coffee shops boosts my productivity. It may be because of the caffeine or a different atmosphere compared to the school library. The free wi-fi in all establishments also helped a lot.
4. Coffee shops pamper their guests in terms of taste, making the coffee from my favorite coffee machine at home tastes bland.  
5. Coffee shop hopping has turned me into an addict. I am now planning for teahouse hopping, food trucks hopping and bakery hopping, still in London.

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Text: Maira Niode.

Cover: Shutterstock/Alan Uster.  All others: Omar Niode Foundation.