In 2017 I moved to a new part of London, found myself between jobs, and had two things on my mind: I wanted to learn to code, and I wanted to find the best local coffee.
So I built a simple site to keep track of coffee shops near me. Nothing ambitious — just somewhere to record what I'd found.
Then I noticed I kept coming back to the same roast. Allpress Espresso. And I started wondering: which other shops in London serve this? That question led to another — if I know I love Allpress, and I know what flavours it has, could I use that to find other coffees I'd enjoy?
The site grew from there. It started connecting roasters to their roasts, roasts to the shops serving them, and all of it to the flavours in the cup. The idea of a recommendation engine followed naturally, even if building it took a few more years.
Nearly a decade later, the original question — where in London can I find coffee I'll love? — is closer to being properly answered than it's ever been.
Logged-in users can now get personalised coffee roast suggestions based on reviews, favourites, and taste signals. Reviews also support detailed scoring, making it easier to compare coffees by flavour, acidity, body and overall quality.
Earn Coffee Points (CP) as you contribute, move through tier levels, and track your progress over time on your profile. It is a simple way to reward useful community contributions and keep your coffee journey moving forward.
Coffee shops and roasters can now claim listings and manage them through a dedicated business dashboard. This helps listing data stay current and gives users a more accurate, trustworthy directory.
We are working on deeper discovery journeys to help you move from "I like this coffee" to "I know exactly what to try next" with smarter connections between flavour profiles, origins and roast styles.
Expect more ways for trusted contributors and businesses to improve listing quality, surface accurate details faster, and keep London's coffee map genuinely useful for new visitors and regulars alike.
We are iterating on clearer calls to action across discovery pages so more visitors become members, and more members become active reviewers and supporters of the platform.