London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Dec 06, 2025

A London coffee shop is charging $64 for its premium brew -- here's what it tastes like

A London coffee shop is charging $64 for its premium brew -- here's what it tastes like

Coffee connoisseurs have been invited to sample one of the finest brews in the world at the Queens of Mayfair coffee shop-- providing they can travel to London and pay £50 ($64) a serving.

If you can get to London and have a spare $65, you may be able to sample one of the finest brews in the world.

Ground and brewed "tableside" by your own personal barista, the "Ethiopian Cup of Excellence Queens Coffee" is served in a crystal wine glass and is a generous portion that might even stretch to two.

With only 15 servings on offer, this isn't your average latte or flat white, so don't even think about asking for milk, sugar or a sprinkling of chocolate on top.


The newly opened coffee shop aims to be the finest in London.


Based in a very upscale district of Central London, the Queens of Mayfair coffee shop has already sold more than half of its available stock, which can only be drunk on the premises as part of an exclusive experience.

Victoria Sheppard, who founded Queens of Mayfair with her sister, Grace Sheppard, told CNN that one customer, who described themselves as a "coffee fanatic" is traveling from several hours away to sample the drink.

"We have coffee connoisseurs coming to us from all over the place," she said, describing their latest acquisition as a "very rare commodity".

This particular lot of Ethiopian coffee beans won first place in the Cup of Excellence, a prestigious annual competition for high-quality coffees.

It was bought back in June and roasted last month by Difference Coffee, the roaster that supplies Queens of Mayfair and one of only eight firms worldwide that was invited to bid on the beans.

The coffee was graded 91.08/95 by the competition's international panel of judges and coffee experts following rigorous tasting and testing, according to Queens.

The beans retail for up to £2,000 per kilogram (around $2,600) and are truly fair trade as the Cup of Excellence program is designed to reward farmers for excellence, which means they receive most of the auction price -- 155 times the normal commodity price.

It's one of many rare premium coffees the sisters intend to showcase at their cafe, which opened just last month.

Aside from this flagship flair, however, the rest of the menu is considerably more accessible. A regular espresso goes for just over two pounds and you can pick up British classics like a sausage roll for £4.50 or cheese and toast for £6.

The cafe, which also serves reasonably priced wine and cocktails, opens late to catch the evening crossover crowd.


Head bartender Massimo Golfetto prepared the coffee for CNN Travel.


CNN Travel headed down to Mayfair, where head bartender Massimo Golfetto weighs out the portion to the gram, grinds it by hand at our table and expertly brews it in a glass V60 filter, which has a 60-degree angle, allowing the coffee to drip at an optimal flow rate.

"It's lighter, almost see-through," he explains, as he pours the brew into the curved glass with its elegant stem. "It looks more like a tea than a coffee."

As an Italian used to punchy espressos, he says, "When I had the coffee for the first time, it was a completely different experience."

Raising the glass and taking a sip, the aroma is floral and the flavor delicate and light. It may be one of the few experiences of 2020 not to leave a bitter taste in the mouth. When it comes to coffee, this creation proves that might isn't always right.

The curved glass "catches all the flavors, to get a better experience on the nose," explains Golfetto.

The flavor evolves as the coffee cools, its character unfolding like petals.

"It's like a fine bottle of wine," says Sheppard. "It's not about the strength or the most pungent coffee. It's about the flavor complexity and interesting tasting notes."


There is already great interest in the exclusive coffee experience.


The process involves a three-minute "blooming phase," which is when the flavor really develops and intensifies, she explained.

In all, 250 grams of water is added to 15 grams of coffee. The liquid passes through the glass filter into a carafe, before being served in a crystal glass.

Purists will be pleased to hear that the coffee is served black and straight up.

Adding milk would be "like getting a fine wine and topping it up with soda water," says Sheppard. "It's very much about the raw taste in something organic and unmodified."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Drugs and Assassinations: The Connection Between the Italian Mafia and Football Ultras
Hollywood megadeal: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for 83 billion dollars
The Disregard for a Europe ‘in Danger of Erasure,’ the Shift Toward Russia: Trump’s Strategic Policy Document
Two and a Half Weeks After the Major Outage: A Cloudflare Malfunction Brings Down Multiple Sites
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
×