Kaffeine

24/10/2026

Our current guest espresso & filter exclusively from .coffee & available at both locations

Espresso - Edinson Argote Castillo - Colombia - Washed with yeast inoculation - Castillo
Recently you can find a lot coffee under the name of Edinson Argote and Quebraditas. Quebraditas is a family-run project dedicated to producing premium coffee with standout and reproducible sensory profiles thanks to their fermentation processes, including thermal shock and yeast inoculation. They also focus on agronomic management and soil care (strategic shading, use of organic matter, maintenance of soil pH and calcium) that allows them to increase the potential of each crop. This coffee will give you sweet notes of pink marshmallow, vanilla and grapefruit. We do expect to be funky in espresso.

Filter - Aquiares Esperanza - Costa Rica - Natural, sundried anaerobically in a greenhouse - Esperanza
This coffee impressed us a lot when cupping. Aquiares is the gold standard for what a farm in Costa Rica can be. They take care of their employees and the environment, and their coffee is the best in country. This Esperanza is the best lot of the year. This coffee will give you fruity and sweet notes of strawberry milkshake and tayberry. What is tayberry? It is a hybrid by crossing red raspberry and blackberry.

Retail bags only
Bette Buna - Ethiopia - Kickstart natural - 74112, 74110, Wild Guji Megadu for GTS
Edinson Argote Peach Melba - Colombia - Peach Co-Fermented - Caturra for ECS
The former one with extra burst of sweetness alongside fruity-floral notes of cheey juice and coffee blossom while the later one with sweet notes of raspberry and vanilla tie it all together to create a bold Peach Melba experience you won’t soon forget.

22/10/2026

Pat myself on the back day ……

Little celebration today for me as I installed, all by myself, a kitchen tap.

I love my plumber. He’s called but to get him out to do this is, well, expensive.

So I had a go myself.

As I was installing I got dripped on, then lots of water started coming out for no reason, then it stopped. Then I installed it.

And it works!!

Inside the mind of a coffee shop owner. Nice one.

22/10/2026

Opening date August 14th 2009 - exactly the day we planned
Just turned 40 years old, never been a barista, but worked in hospitality since I was 17.
I was the manager, we had two baristas, 1 chef & 1 part timer on service.
Open Monday to Friday 7:30 to 6, Saturday from 9:00 to 6.

In October 2009, I went home to my wife who was 6 months pregnant with our first child to our one bedroom flat in Hackney, lay down on the bed next to her & started crying.
‘I can’t do this, it’s too hard…’
She said ‘you have to’

Back up at 5 am the next day ready for another 12 hour shift.
December 25th & 3 months rent is due.
I can’t afford it.
My landlord’s agent said ‘write me 3 cheques, I’ll bank them each month instead’.
January 2010 & Layla was born, on exactly the day she was planned. Australia Day.

I had £1500 left in the bank account.

In February 2010, we were awarded best Independent Coffee Shop in Europe.
From then on, that’s always been our goal, ‘to always be regarded as one of the best coffee shops in the UK by the industry, the media & the public.’

From February onwards, more people started coming, almost none of them knew what a flat white was. The bank balance became more stable. Our second year we grew 70% from the first.

17 years later we are still here. Much has changed, but much is still the same.
Joe with two locations, no plans to expand exponentially, no outside investment. Still proudly independent & still not a barista.

Thank you massively to everyone who has stepped over the threshold since then. The industry, the media & the public & amazingly, the employees who join this vision. It’s so much appreciated.

Thank you of course to my wife who said ‘you have to…’

Wishing all of you the very best, thank you again & if you ever want to talk about your dreams or your journey, come see me. It’s nice to talk.
Respect
Peter

21/10/2026

Smackdown26 - What’s your view?

As we recover from the biggest event ever, we can look back at what the judges & the competitors think of the whole event.

This is E .w.e Smedly from who has now competed twice in Smackdown, this year making it to Round One of the finals.

It’s incredible & humbling to see the effort, time & cost that baristas undertake just to be here. Unbelievable. Thank you all so much.

Oxford
Salford Quays
Caversham
Canterbury
Folkestone
Cheshire
Manchester
Witney
Milton Keynes
Liverpool
Sheffield
Birmingham

Watch this feed all week for more vox pops with legends & superstars. Check the feed for the official Smackdown26 video by

Winners this year:
1st place Joshua Barron -
2nd place Aitana Lllorente -
3rd place Hay Tung - .brews

19/10/2026

Mate i'm tired.....

I need a coffee and something to help me win the battle.

Think I'll have an ANZAC biscuit....

ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corp
The recipe for these biscuits are by the ladies back home during WW1 and made for the boys on the front.

Oats, golden syrup, coconut, butter & sugar.

We make them in our kitchens here every day.

Helping you win your battles, one biscuit at a time.

Legendary.

16/10/2026

At Kaffeine, we focus on what is known here as ‘The 1%’s’ - the fine details.

It’s a management system I was taught over 25 years ago by a manager of a hotel in Melbourne.

It’s very easy to build the big percentages, but to be perfect you have to focus on the small details. This is what is hard.

So for example the espresso syrup on our pancakes is made tray with espresso from the coffee machine. It’s like having coffee, on your pancakes.

Amazing

Thank you Phillip for noticing.

15/10/2026

Oh my freaking goodness…..

What an event that was!!!!

Here we are with the OFFICIAL Smackdown26 video courtesy of .

64 baristas competed over 4 weeks of heats with the top 4 from each heat into the final 16 on Friday October 9th

A total of £4525 in cash including £495 b**r profit money & £1280 total entry money & multiple donations from coffee legends AS WELL AS at least £2,000 worth of actual prizes and kit with the ultimate winners being….

In 3rd place Hay Tung .brews from

In 2nd place Aitana from

In 1st place & the official Latte Art Smackdown World Champion 2026 Josh Barron from

Thank you to everyone. Really much appreciated- see you next year for Episode XVI - Run to the Hills

Peace and latte art

14/10/2026

13/10/2026

Focaccia's are back!

Lunch time focaccias are back at Kaffeine.

When we opened 17 years ago, we started with focaccia from bakery, then we moved to baguettes, then to our own brioches & now we are back with the most delicious focaccia bread we know of.

Check our weekly changing menu online, or just come into store and get a focaccia lightly toasted on our grills for eat in or takeaway.

Lunch from 11:45 each day, available both locations.

13/10/2026

The savoury scroll.

What is your favourite flavour?

On the menu for over 17 years, we change the ingredients every week.

This one in an OG flavour, courgette & feta.

Another favourite is the classic Vegemite & cheddar.

We think the key is toasting them on the grills.

Filling, slightly salty, absolutely delicious.

Available both locations.

09/10/2026

CASH!!!
PRIZES!!!
GLORY!!!!!

Check this out, the incredible & amazing range of prizes donated for the finals tonight.

These lucky people are all in the running: brews


Nina from pours
enes









PLUS over £4,200 in actual cold hard cash on the counter.

Welcome to the Jungle…

09/10/2026

Watch to the end….

That feeling when you are in the second round of Heat Four with a chance to get into the finals, you pour two of your best tulips, you have to decide which one to put forward & your pour your left over milk into the glass at the front.

Priceless.

Congratulations

You made it to the finals !!!

Watch live on Twitch tonight from 6:45

https://twitch.tv/kaffeinelondon

09/10/2026

A reminder of the courage & bravery it takes to stand up, in front of your peers, on stage and pour milk into a cup.

Shout out to this legend who did so last week in the heats - massive respect

The finals are tonight, Friday 9th, streaming live on twitch from 6:45, start 7 pm, finish 8:45.

https://twitch.tv/kaffeinelondon

Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, vomit on your sweater….already

09/10/2026

For the first time ever & huge thanks/shout out to Liam from .cafe we are streaming live tonight from 6:45 on Twitch.

The top 16 baristas from the past 4 weeks of heats in a battle to be crowned the Smackdown World Champion.

Over £4,000 in cash prize money, loads of kit & merchandise & the chance for everlasting glory.

Best of luck to all the competitors & massive shout for the wonderful donations to make this the greatest latte art competition of its kind in the world

07/10/2026

Oh my freaking goodness…..

It’s only Wednesday & I’m already nervous.

This Friday night at Kaffeine Eastcastle it’s the finals of Smackdown26

The top 16 baristas from the past four weeks of heats in a battle to see who will walk away with cash, prizes & glory.

Round one - all pure hearts
Round two - tulips and/or winged tulips
Round three - rosettas
Battle for 3rd - baristas choice from the 3
Battle for 1st - baristas choice from the 3

Competing on the night
brews from
from
from
Nina from
from
from
from
from pours the Independent
from enes from
from
the Independent w.e from
from
from

PLUS!!! Thanks to Liam from .cafe we are streaming live on TWITCH from 6:45 pm.

Search kaffeine___ & watch it live

It’s Smackdown26
It’s Episode XV
Welcome to the Jungle

06/10/2026

We have been using since Novembver 2024 and we are very very happy.

In 2009, when we opened, we had an old school PC based till system and cash drawer, then around 2012 we were one of the first to start using an Ipad based POS system, then we moved to another POS supplier but this just did not work for us.

It took Square about 2 years to convince us to move to them. Moving is a big process, a big decision.

Square not only help us with POS, they are also very very much supportive of small businesses and are actively lobbying the Government to make things easier and promote growth in this industry.

After all, as with all suppliers, if the industry contracts and declines, so do they. And they have the power and influence to help.

Square POS - not a paid ad, just highly recommended

05/10/2026

The famous Kaffeine banana bread.

I remember serving a lady who said 'can I have your amazing banana bread, toasted with butter on the side please?" and I said 'do you like peanut butter?' and she said 'yes I do' and I said 'would you like to add some to your banana bread?" and she said 'holy f... are you f...... serious?"

Probably one of the best reactions ever

Would you like the recipe?

Watch this space, recipes for our/your favourite Kaffeine baked products will be online soon.

In the meantime, come in and have some & elevate it even further by putting peanut better on yours.