Six of the best... Coffee Merchants

Mr Higgins (Coffee-Man) Ltd, 79 Duke Street, W1 (020 7629 3913). Specialises in unblended coffees from unusual estates, including Chagga from Mount Kilimanjaro. Coffee-tasting room.

A Angelucci, 23B Frith Street, W1 (020 7437 5889). Family-run Italian shop offering 36 different coffees. Its special in-house Mokital blend sells by the kilo.

Camden Coffee Shop, 11 Delancey Street, NW1 (020 7387 4080). A small, friendly store that prides itself on its aromatic Kenya AA estate beans. Its Columbian decaf is flawless.

Algerian Coffee Stores, 52 Old Compton Street, W1 (020 7437 2480). Established in 1887, this Soho coffee institution has super-strong Bolivian and Cuban beans for caffeine addicts.

Monmouth Coffee House, 25 Monmouth Street, WC2 (020 7379 3516). Purveyor of single-estate coffees when possible.Menu includes a rare East Timorese and cup-winning Nicaraguan variety. Also at Borough Market and Park Street, EC1.

Markus Coffee Company, 13 Connaught Street, W2 (020 7723 4020). MCC roasts coffee daily in the shop. It especially recommends their Regent & Negresco blend: strong, smooth and not bitter.