Let’s talk about coffee - what else?

Dark, very intense, balanced, unique, mysterious, delicate and smooth with a strong character, body and deep sensual aftertaste. Or at least that’s how the ladies in the Nescafé Nespresso adverts put it (much to the disdain of George Clooney). Indeed, not much compares with the pleasures of an early morning espresso.

Sadly, Taste Imperial generally miss the mark when it comes to coffee. A good espresso requires employees who are experienced in handling a traditional espresso machine and a ceramic cup. Cardboard, whilst great for people on the go, will taint and destroy a coffee. Yet the Mechanical Engineering café doesn’t seem to know what a ceramic cup is and the chaps in the SCR hate serving coffee in one, sighing heavily if you ask for a proper cup. It’s as if you had personally asked them to go to John Lewis, buy a cup, bring it back, wash it, and serve your drink. And the Business School always makes the coffee too strong.

Surprisingly there is a place on the South Kensington campus where you can find a decent cup of coffee

Surprisingly, then, there is a place on the South Kensington campus where you can find a decent cup of coffee. Laura, Barbara, Paulo and Driss of the Electrical Engineering café are all well versed in the subtle art of handling an espresso machine, and manage to consistently make a cup of java that’s not too strong or weak and with just the right level of bitterness. You get a perfect coffee everytime, served in a posh cup by enthusiastic and cheery staff that take pride in serving good quality beverages to its customers.

Hopefully Taste Imperial learns from this brilliant microcosm of coffee loveliness, and improve the other cafés around campus. “What else?” as Mr Clooney would say.