2013 Awards – Best Filter Coffee

A carafe of coffee and a bright red cup from Coffee Aroma, Lincoln.Following on from the Best Espresso Award, the next shortlist for the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards is the “Best Filter” Award, new this year. A major revelation since starting the Coffee Spot is that filter coffee isn’t that over-brewed, stewed muck that bad coffee chains serve out of urns. It’s actually an amazing, delicate drink that has opened my eyes to a whole new world of coffee.

This award celebrates those Coffee Spots which helped me on my journey of discovery. To give you an idea of how far I have come since starting the Coffee Spot, I initially owned a cafetiere and an espresso machine and either drank my coffee at home with milk (cafetiere) or as espresso. Now I have two pour-over filters and an Aeropress, all of which I use on a regular basis, and a grinder dedicated to grinding for filter coffee. I always drink my filter coffee black and increasingly think that if I have to put milk in my coffee to make it drinkable, I’m drinking the wrong coffee!

You can see the shortlist after the gallery.

  • Le Couteau - The Knife: lovely coffee, beautifully presented
  • Store Street Espresso, where I discovered that bulk-brew doesn't mean bad coffee
  • Flat Caps Coffee, perhaps the cleanest cup of coffee I've ever had
  • FreeState Coffee with its dedicated brew counter
  • WorkHouse Coffee, King Street, taking filter to a new level
  • Bold Street Coffee, lovely filter in the heart of Liverpool
  • Talkhouse Coffee, lovely filter in the west of London
  • TAP 193 Wardour Street, consistently good filter coffee
Le Couteau - The Knife: lovely coffee, beautifully presented1 Store Street Espresso, where I discovered that bulk-brew doesn't mean bad coffee2 Flat Caps Coffee, perhaps the cleanest cup of coffee I've ever had3 FreeState Coffee with its dedicated brew counter4 WorkHouse Coffee, King Street, taking filter to a new level5 Bold Street Coffee, lovely filter in the heart of Liverpool6 Talkhouse Coffee, lovely filter in the west of London7 TAP 193 Wardour Street, consistently good filter coffee8
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There are eight Coffee Spots on the shortlist this year, all listed in order of publication.

A Jimma Tencho & Welinso (an Ethiopian bean) made with the BrewT system at Le Couteau, Montreal.Le Couteau – The Knife

One of the must-visit spots in Montréal from my trip there back in March. I had this lovely cup of filter coffee from Le Couteau – The Knife. It’s a great spot to go with the great coffee and the cake was pretty decent too!

The counter at Store Street Espresso, looking back towards the front window.Store Street Espresso

Store Street Espresso is where I learnt that bulk-brewed filter coffee need not be stewed muck. I actually thought I was ordering an individual pour-over and only discovered my “mistake” when I was chatting with the owner afterwards!

One of the cleanest cups of coffee I've ever had, at Flat Caps Coffee, Newcastle.Flat Caps Coffee

I described this at the time as one of the cleanest cups of coffee I’d ever had. In fact, I think it’s the first time I’ve used the word “clean” to describe a cup of coffee. Still rates as one of the best of 2013. Flat Caps is also shortlisted for the “Most Unlikely Place to Find a Coffee Spot” Award.

The dedicated filter rack at FreeState Coffee in its own dedicated counter.FreeState Coffee

There are many reasons I fell in love with FreeState Coffee, but this is top of the list. Many places have their own dedicated filter rack, but this is the first time I’d come across a whole, separate counter dedicated to filter coffee.

Workhouse Coffee Company on the ground floor of the George Hotel in ReadingWorkhouse Coffee, King Street

Workhouse Coffee on Reading’s King Street makes some lovely coffee, full stop. However, I’ve always been impressed with the quality and range of the filter coffee there. Workhouse is also in the running for the “Most Passionate About Coffee” Award.

The exterior of Bold Street Coffee, proudly proclaiming itself, on Bold Street, LiverpoolBold Street Coffee

Bold Street is one of those places which takes its coffee very seriously. When I was there, the filter offering was made up of the same coffee processed three different ways so that you could taste the impact it had on the final cup. I was suitably impressed!

Talkhouse Coffee, as seen from the opposite side of Portobello RoadTalkhouse Coffee

Talkhouse Coffee on Portabello Road can seem an austere place, but that would overlook the love that goes into the coffee at the dedicated filter station at the end of the counter. I had a lovely cup of Aeropressed coffee there.

The trademark (with a small t) bicycle hanging above the door at No 193 Wardour StreetTAP, 193 Wardour Street

I’ve always been impressed with TAP and the quality of the filter coffee. I’ve been in No 193 on several occasions and have never been let down by the filter coffee. It’s also a lovely place to sit and sip a great big cup of filter coffee.

A special mention needs to go to all these other wonderful places for the quality of their filter coffee: Soho’s Foxcroft & GingerCoffee Aroma in Lincoln, New York City‘s I Am Coffee, Newcastle‘s Pink Lane Coffee, Didn’t You Do Well and Full Court Press from Bristol, and Birmingham‘s 6/8 Kafé.

And the winner is Flat Caps Coffee!
Runners-up: Store Street EspressoWorkhouse Coffee, King Street

You can find all 20 of the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards here.


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9 thoughts on “2013 Awards – Best Filter Coffee

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