TAP Coffee, London

Coffee goes to the early bird.

I arrive at TAP Coffee at exactly noon. It is a Sunday and they had just opened the door, so I am their first customer. Unusually for me, I order a cappuccino, something Kenny would get. I always have my coffee black and his white so we have one of each to photograph.

The café itself is simple and almost unadorned. Old wooden tables and chairs; a chandelier that makes the place cosier rather than distant. The effect is relaxing, happily so.

My coffee soon arrives and I take a sip. The foam is silky smooth and the temperature is just right. Why aren’t all cappuccinos like this?

The flavour is a little fruity, while its nutty aroma is a promise that their other coffees will be as good, if not better. With this in mind, I order another coffee, a single origin Yirgacheffe filter, with my fingers crossed.

While waiting for my second cup, I reflect on my coffee adventures with Kenny, how I will usually be responsible for taking pictures so he would have to chat up the baristas and café owners to learn more about what they do.

This round, it’s only me; so I have to thicken my skin and go talk to the barista who is brewing my Yirgacheffe. He tells me their espresso is a blend of beans from Rwanda and Brazil. That explains my cappuccino’s taste and aroma.

Finally my Yirgacheffe is ready, and it does not disappoint. Lightly floral and slightly acidic; not unlike drinking tea, which is something I enjoy.

I would have stayed all afternoon but soon the café fills up with other customers beginning their late Sunday. I am sorry to leave but hope to return, with Kenny in tow, in the future. I say thank you to the barista, and a see-you-again.

抵達TAP時是中午十二點。
記得當天是星期天，他們才剛開店；而我是第一位顧客。
點了一杯卡布奇諾后，我便找了個角落坐下來。
剛開店的咖啡師們還在忙著，我呢則趁機好好地瀏覽這家咖啡館。
這裡的佈置簡簡單單的。
舊舊的木質桌椅，再配上盞吊燈，卻給人一種舒適而悠閒的感覺。
咖啡送上來后，喝了一口，順滑的奶泡，溫度也剛好。
再喝一口，嚐到一點果香，同時又帶有一許堅果的香氣，越喝越是喜歡。
這杯卡布奇諾讓我對他們的手沖咖啡充滿期待。
於是又跑去點了一杯單品耶加雪菲（Yirgacheffe）。

一般在泡咖啡館時，我都是負責喝咖啡和拍照的那個，
而馬少則負責和咖啡師打屁聊天。
這次只有我一個，只好硬這頭皮去和正煮著耶加雪菲的咖啡師聊天。
問問他那杯卡布奇諾的綜合咖啡里有哪些豆子。
原來是盧旺達（Rwanda）和巴西（Brazil），難怪。
而那杯手沖耶加雪夫也沒讓我失望。
淡淡的花香、微酸、輕盈，喝起來有點像茶；是我喜歡的口感。
原以為可以在這坐上一個下午；可是也許星期天的人起得較遲吧；
漸漸的人客越來越多，不一會兒就客滿了，
不好意思的我霸著位子的我和咖啡師說聲謝謝后就離開了。