Artisan, the independent coffee shop group, has arrived in Ealing via previous locations in Putney and Stamford Brook. H&C News has written about Artisan and its founders Edwin and Magda Harrison in the past, and seized the opportunity to check them out.
First stop was Stamford Brook: on a corner site within a few hundred yards of the station, Artisan is clearly ticking local boxes here! It was full of locals supping coffee (usually), with a real buzz of both business and social conversation. The flat white ticked all the boxes too: excellent flavour for the first coffee of the day.
On to Ealing, which was suffering from ‘pavement works’ just outside, though they were certainly not deterring the steady stream of customers. You pass half a dozen high street coffee chains on the five minute walk from the station, but Artisan is already attracting some of the more discerning coffee drinkers – and the cortado served here proved another excellent choice.
Don’t neglect the pastries and cakes if you call in – delicious! Recently awarded Best Cakes and Bakes in London at the 2014 London Coffee Stops Awards, we recommend lemon and rosemary cake.
A note on the décor…
There’s no doubt that Artisan offers a fun loving atmosphere to escape, relax or work. You will chill to the sounds of music playing, the genuinely friendly and helpful staff and of course – the vital ingredient – great tasting quality coffee.
There is an infectious enthusiasm that is passed through from the owners to the well-trained staff, who are certainly delighted to share their knowledge of the coffee and food with customers.
The 1,100 square foot space at Ealing makes it the largest of the three Artisan shops and also features outdoor seating to watch London go by (or to appease the determined winter smokers).
The entrance takes customers straight to the bar made out of Portobello Road market stalls from which they can place their orders to sit, sip and enjoy (seats 40 covers) or pick up their takeaway for those on the move.
The walls have been stripped back to give the venue its ‘naturally distressed décor and feel’. Its bare charms are complemented by quirky touches including ‘bagalights’ (below) hanging from the ceiling by LiquiDesign and leather making worktables by Brunswick Vintage.
The coffee
The coffee has been carefully selected from London based Kiwi roaster Allpress Espresso, serving their signature blend of Brazil, Sumatran, Colombian and Guatemalan origins that have been roasted in a classic Milanese style for a rich full bodied flavour. Artisan also offers V60 pour overs, for those who prefer drip coffee, using seasonally selected single origin coffee from Nude Espresso – it takes a little longer to prepare but is worth it for its freshness, quality and exceptional taste.
Artisan Coffee School
Having reviewed existing training programmes available, owners Edwin and Magda Harrison have developed their own internal training programme which was launched last year.
The aim of the new training programme was to move away from a process driven style of training on how to make good coffee, and instead move towards helping baristas develop a more intuitive approach where they truly understand the full complexities involved when trying to deliver a high quality product.
The Coffee School will provide a combination of both SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association for Europe) recognised courses as well as providing Artisan’s own devised courses to aid baristas in career progression from Becoming a Barista to Barista Skills Advancement, to the ever popular Latte Art courses.
Edwin Harrison, owner of Artisan says “Customers nowadays are expecting high quality coffee not only from the independents but from equally from chains, hotels and restaurants. Coffee is a complex product which needs to be fully understood in order to consistently extract the best possible flavours. Our staff is our biggest investment which in turn has become our greatest asset – we are recognised for having an energetic, enthusiastic and knowledgeable team across the company which is down to the training each staff member undergoes. We are looking to share our experiences and training to help other companies achieve a similar goal.”
The Coffee School is separated from the rest of the shop by second hand window panes to maintain the hustle and bustle of a true coffee shop experience for trainees and customers taking part in the courses.
Wanting to improve your own coffee knowledge? Artisan hosts successful coffee master classes on home brewing which costs £35 for the 90 minute class. The company’s senior team of baristas show coffee lovers how to unlock the delicious flavours available through these slow brewing methods – cafetiere, aeropress and V60 pourovers – in their own kitchen.
Artisan, 32 New Broadway, Ealing, London W5 2XA
For more information click here
Follow us on Twitter @artisan_coffee
Find us on Facebook here
Find us on Instagram here
To learn more about the coffee courses click here