Brew Lab

6-8 South College St EH8 9AA »Map«

Open every day Espresso, Pour-over, Chemex, Siphon Coffee: Has Bean & guests Also: Meals, cakes Free wifi

Coolness: Large choice of brew methods and training lab

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Brew Lab Artisan Coffee Bar (5♥) is a big, stone and light industrial-vibed coffee house in the middle of the Edinburgh University area, on the South of the Old Town.

They're at the forefront of coffee seriousness: choices of brew methods, each with their own appropriate bean and grind types. You can also enjoy locally sourced top notch tea, hot chocolate, cakes and light meals such as salads, baguettes and soups. They're as committed to great food as they are great coffee.

It's guaranteed that Brew Lab will continuously change (as in week to week) the coffees they serve - and the food - so expect to experience something different each time. Think of how chefs change their menu all the time based on their whim and what's fresh or seasonal.

The main brew methods available when we've been are:

• Espresso - Brew Lab has a very fancy Seattle-built espresso machine (you can read all about it on their website) and they use their own 'Brew Lab' beans created by 'Has Bean'. We found this to be different to anything we'd tasted before. Light, with a bit of smokiness up front moving rapidly to a sour acidity. 
• Kalita wave - A pour over style that uses a fine paper filter. This one has a flat bottom that contributes to an even distribution of the coffee and therefore balanced brew
• Siphon - (on Sundays) A vacuum brew method invented in the 1830s that looks a bit like a science experiment. Water is heated in a lower glass vessel and coffee grounds are placed in a top vessel with a filter in between. The two vessels are also connected by a separate tube that siphons the water up into the top vessel before it passes through the coffee grounds and filter and back into the lower vessel again, all driven by a gentle vacuum caused by heating water. The result is a light, soft, tea-like brew.

As we said, this is a place that seriously loves their coffee in all its shapes and forms. Locals can look forward to going with them on a coffee joy ride. For those who are looking to get more serious, Brew Lab also have a training lab so you can polish your barista skills.

More: brewlabcoffee.co.uk