Kaffeine

A COFFEE HAVEN FOR EDGY SHOPPERS

Instagram appeal: 8/10
Kaffeine’s lighting was perfect – warm and welcoming, but not too bright.
Edginess: 8/10
Although you’ll find the occasional stray Oxford Street tourist, Kaffeine is mainly filled with slightly alternative coffee fans.
Good for:
Proper coffee and a chilled vibe.
Most Likely To Meet:
Students or yuppies.
Affordability: 5/10
I don’t think I could afford coffee and cake here every day, but you definitely get what you pay for.

Kaffeine – an effortlessly cool (or what my mum would call ‘trendy’) haven for coffee connoisseurs just a two minute walk from Oxford Street – was so ridiculously great that I returned for a solo study sesh just two days after my first visit with fellow Comp Lit postgrad Yael.

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If you’re craving coffee, fancy a light lunch or just want to feel slightly edgier than usual, I would 100% recommend Kaffeine for its great food, great kaffeinated (see what I did there) drinks and great service. Although slightly further away from UCL than my first four posts (oh my god another ten minutes), it’s definitely worth fighting your way through hordes of frantic Christmas shoppers for this little gem.

Kaffeine, with its various espresso blends, a million types of hot drink and incredibly Instagram-able latte art, is clearly passionate about specialist coffee-making but in a completely non-pretentious way. My piccolo (essentially a latte, but with half the milk) and Yael’s flat white definitely didn’t fall short of our expectations, and the queue snaking out the door pretty much speaks for itself.

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The list of pros is endless and I don’t quite know where to start – the staff were so friendly and attentive, water infused with mint and lemon was provided on a little table in the corner, and the selection of savoury scones, colourful salads and delicious-looking ciabattas meant I was back for more just two days later. I know I might sound slightly over-excited, but I have genuinely fallen in love with Kaffiene’s minimalist décor, catchy background music and ‘aromatic hand balm’ in the bathroom.

Although Kaffeine doesn’t boast the most extensive cake selection in the world, both the chocolate brownie (which Yael said might be one of the best brownies she’s ever tried) and the white chocolate blondie were absolutely delicious. The light and fresh cakes, buzzing but laid-back atmosphere, and stylish interior will make you want to return to Kaffeine time and time again.

The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was the lack of Wi-Fi. Although it was strangely refreshing to see people actually communicating face-to-face like the olden days, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would be able to obsessively Instagram without wasting my precious data?