18 grams, Greenwich

23 Lovibond Ln, London SE10 9FY

Crisp, clean and minimalist, the starkly Scandinavian inspired 18 Grams is trying to carve out a niche for itself in London’s coffee landscape where the Italian or Australasian influence seem to reign supreme. Sure, there’s Hagen that is making waves across the capital with Nordic roots but this more Northern European take on coffee is still a rarity in comparison to the aforementioned origins. 
I can’t decide if its location directly opposite Greenwich DLR station is a genius or misguided. I don’t know how longs it’s been here because I’ve always got of at the Cutty Sark station that’s located at the heart of the action for the area, so it’s only local residents or people passing through this specific spot that’s going to notice it. That being said, that perhaps allows it to generate more of a local feel and low key vibe that sets it apart from the hustle and bustle of the tourist spots in the area. 
Dry, punchy coffee that positively fizzles on the tongue it has a zing of soaked raisins, like of a Christmas pudding or rich, dessert. Interestingly, the stock on display all comes from overseas roasters - Kawa from Paris, Dak from Amsterdam, mazelab from Prague. Which raises some interesting questions about the overheads of this place, but it’s still a fantastic way to expand the coffee drinking palate and experience roasts from across Europe.
My sublimely smooth oat latte arrives with a professional sheen that you don’t tend to find too often anymore with the proliferation of specialty coffee shops, especially not with oat milk - granted a notoriously hard alternative to grapple with when it comes to latte art. 

I converse a little with the barista who is only too happy to find out how I’m enjoying my coffee and chat all things caffeine whilst things aren’t busy and it’s this sort of enthusiasm for coffee you love to see. I’m not saying all baristas should be passionate about coffee, I for one wasn’t when I got my first cafe role and developed that later down the line, but when you do get the opportunity to chinwag with someone who knows their stuff and clearly wants to be there it does make the whole experience far more enjoyable.
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Greenwich has an abundance of coffee shops and so, to really stand out in this market, you need to offer something special. 18 grams has run with that and is trying to carve its niche with friendliness and charm, so if you are stopping off in the area - maybe it’s worth going via Greenwich DLR station as opposed to Cutty Sark.