I tried coffee made by Wonka-style robot – it turned beans to latte in seconds
When I'm in a rush to get my daily dose of caffeine, I tend to grab whatever is the most convenient.
This could mean hitting a chain cafe or opting for instant options in the work kitchen.
But disappointingly, this often leads to a cuppa that's bland, watery and tasteless.
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So in the name of research, I've realised London cafés have really stepped up their coffee game — from independent shops to in-house roasters.
Here I found Roasting Plant, a small coffee chain that has an eye-catching roaster with tubes installed along the ceiling, shooting beans from tubes to coffee machines.
The roaster looks like something Apple and Willy Wonka would think-up if they collaborated.
It's named the "Javabot" and is small but mighty.
The machine can process small batches of raw beans inside a transparent tube.
Instead of collecting the freshly roasted beans from the chute and grinding them down, staff members only have to press one button.
As the robot barista got to work, the room filled with a fruity, smoky aroma.
I stood by the till and watched the Javabot sending beans across the shop and straight to the coffee machine.
They were ground, pressed and extracted in a matter of seconds
In a blink of an eye, the amber-coloured espresso filled a third of the cup up.
Then, the barista frothed up the milk.
I had the fresh latte in my hands in less than 60 seconds – and was impressed with the results.
It's creamy and smooth and the subtle fruity flavour lingers in my mouth.
Naomi Gardner, general manager at Roasting Plant told me: "We pride ourselves in providing the freshest coffee in London.
"We have eight different single origins to choose from, they are all medium-roasted Arabica.
"Everyday, we roast our coffee in store in our Javabot in small batches. They go from the raw bean tubes into the roaster
"When you go to the till, they will help you to choose and ask you which flavour profile you prefer and based on your answers, they will recommend you one of our eight single origin beans or you can create your own blend.
"Then it will ground fresh in a cup and under 60 seonds, you can have your drink that's made from bean tube to cup, fresh in your hand."
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