The 15 Essential Coffee Shops in London

"Formative opened quietly in one sense, tucked down a deceptively high footfall thoroughfare between Westminster and Victoria. It opened loudly in another, with founder Ian Kissick declaring London “a labyrinth of homogenously [sic] humdrum cafés seeking to serve coffee to the public in an ever duller manner.” Woof. Together with a tight team, Kissick delivers a breezy, accessible approach to coffee’s flavour palette whose kind, considered service and Coffee A / Coffee B set-up anchor the fastidious attention to detail and quality that reflects most faithfully where it should: in the cup. Not humdrum, never dull, lacking exposed brick and consistently excellent: don’t call it a game-changer, but Formative is something to shout about." - James Hansen