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Concorde Room espresso or take to the terminal for quality?

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Concorde Room espresso or take to the terminal for quality?

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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:29 pm
  #1  
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Concorde Room espresso or take to the terminal for quality?

I will be passing through LHR Terminal 5 between 7am and 1pm in early July en route to Scotland from the USA.

Where can I get the best espresso at Heathrow, either within the BA Lounges or elsewhere in Terminal 5?

I'm flying BA F and booked a cabana in the Concorde Room lounge for most of my ~6 hour layover. I have some mobility issues, so may or may not be up for a prolonged wander, but I would definitely leave a lounge for a better brew if I'm confident of higher quality, especially where I have plenty of time to wait.

I prefer straight, black espresso. (For other coffee nerds, I also prefer a lighter roast, single origin espresso, with a few Ethiopian and one Ituri from the Democratic Republic of the Congo standing out in recent memory as particular favorites.)

I usually drink one coffee per day and its my greatest vice, so I do seek out the best quality I can find. Searching for single origin espresso in specialty cafés is one of my travel hobbies. It's one of the first things I look for when visiting a new city, right up there with great museums and local food specialties.

I've read about the recent BA coffee collaboration with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, and I applaud the effort to develop better flavor profiles for in flight bean blends, but I don't see anything about espresso drinks in the lounges. Well, except for many mentions of espresso martinis.

Thank you!
--willo
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:32 pm
  #2  
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Don't think I can help you with this. However, I used go enjoy the coffee in CCR. Don't think the union roast is as good. However, there are many who swear by the expresso martini.

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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:40 pm
  #3  
 
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I actually think the machines in the GC/GF lounges are pretty good for espresso, but perhaps that’s my taste.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 12:59 pm
  #4  
 
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I'm not sure if it's a light roast or a single origin, but I can say for sure it's not a good Italian style espresso. It's too sour. Good for milky drinks, though.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 1:01 pm
  #5  
 
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You can probably get to Milan and back on that layover schedule. Probably a better bet than Heathrow to be honest..
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 1:11 pm
  #6  
 
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Originally Posted by ringingup
I'm not sure if it's a light roast or a single origin, but I can say for sure it's not a good Italian style espresso. It's too sour. Good for milky drinks, though.
Union coffee is indeed roasted to the current trend of slightly sour, citrus aftertaste, which in my book ruins espresso. It' the trend of the day in the US, tbh, and in the UK with most artisanal roasters. Nothing like what you would get in Italy. That said, doubtful you'll do much better in the terminal. If you're lucky someone might have Lavazza
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 1:27 pm
  #7  
 
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Originally Posted by bisonrav
You can probably get to Milan and back on that layover schedule. Probably a better bet than Heathrow to be honest..
Top suggestion. Provided the OP's trip is before the Linate runway closes for the summer, a B2B on the 07:35 will get you back to LHR for 12:30, after 50 mins in LIN for a coffee. Fits your schedule perfectly.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 1:41 pm
  #8  
 
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Originally Posted by Deltus
Top suggestion. Provided the OP's trip is before the Linate runway closes for the summer, a B2B on the 07:35 will get you back to LHR for 12:30, after 50 mins in LIN for a coffee. Fits your schedule perfectly.
Milan for (a proper) morning coffee ? I like it !
Undoubtedly more rewarding than hanging around in an airport lounge for hours on end ......
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 1:41 pm
  #9  
 
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Originally Posted by willoL
I will be passing through LHR Terminal 5 between 7am and 1pm in early July en route to Scotland from the USA.

Where can I get the best espresso at Heathrow, either within the BA Lounges or elsewhere in Terminal 5?

I'm flying BA F and booked a cabana in the Concorde Room lounge for most of my ~6 hour layover. I have some mobility issues, so may or may not be up for a prolonged wander, but I would definitely leave a lounge for a better brew if I'm confident of higher quality, especially where I have plenty of time to wait.

I prefer straight, black espresso. (For other coffee nerds, I also prefer a lighter roast, single origin espresso, with a few Ethiopian and one Ituri from the Democratic Republic of the Congo standing out in recent memory as particular favorites.)

I usually drink one coffee per day and its my greatest vice, so I do seek out the best quality I can find. Searching for single origin espresso in specialty cafés is one of my travel hobbies. It's one of the first things I look for when visiting a new city, right up there with great museums and local food specialties.

I've read about the recent BA coffee collaboration with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, and I applaud the effort to develop better flavor profiles for in flight bean blends, but I don't see anything about espresso drinks in the lounges. Well, except for many mentions of espresso martinis.

Thank you!
--willo
OP - I share your concerns; myself and my OH have very specific requirements. We both love Kopi Luwak and the resident femal barista at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay makes for us - on special request - our favourite brew. The first cup of the day tastes like the nectar of the Gods; the second less so. Therefore, like you we restrict ourselves to one per day. Of course, trying to replicate this at LHR is nigh on impossible. We therefore resort to our second favourite coffee - which is much more readily available: Nescafé Gold Blend.

Doc Copper
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:00 pm
  #10  
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No great espresso at LHR but I would say that short of indeed flying to Australia or Italy, the CCR one should be among the most decent in the terminal and should suffice. I'm also not a huge fan of the Union. To me, it is one of those "coffee for people who do not like coffee", but I should warn people that I tend to be a ristretto sort of guy, and like it bitter enough that you can feel a faint taste of almond when you drink, so am generally underwhelmed by the coffee "parti pris" you get in much of the UK.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:17 pm
  #11  
 
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The the good Espreso is made with slave child labor so you will be out of luck at any BA lounge. A 1st world world consumption action issue that causes 3rd world child slave labor. Hard to find a better example. But I or anyone who has the time to post on flyertalk are also guilty.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:26 pm
  #12  
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Is there a Cafe Nero in T5? Tad easier for the OP to get to than Milan I would have thought.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:28 pm
  #13  
 
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Originally Posted by willoL
I will be passing through LHR Terminal 5 between 7am and 1pm in early July en route to Scotland from the USA.

Where can I get the best espresso at Heathrow, either within the BA Lounges or elsewhere in Terminal 5?

I'm flying BA F and booked a cabana in the Concorde Room lounge for most of my ~6 hour layover. I have some mobility issues, so may or may not be up for a prolonged wander, but I would definitely leave a lounge for a better brew if I'm confident of higher quality, especially where I have plenty of time to wait.

I prefer straight, black espresso. (For other coffee nerds, I also prefer a lighter roast, single origin espresso, with a few Ethiopian and one Ituri from the Democratic Republic of the Congo standing out in recent memory as particular favorites.)

I usually drink one coffee per day and its my greatest vice, so I do seek out the best quality I can find. Searching for single origin espresso in specialty cafés is one of my travel hobbies. It's one of the first things I look for when visiting a new city, right up there with great museums and local food specialties.

I've read about the recent BA coffee collaboration with Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, and I applaud the effort to develop better flavor profiles for in flight bean blends, but I don't see anything about espresso drinks in the lounges. Well, except for many mentions of espresso martinis.

Thank you!
--willo
Why not just ask the one of the attendants to go get your preferred espresso for you?
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:30 pm
  #14  
 
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
Is there a Cafe Nero in T5? Tad easier for the OP to get to than Milan I would have thought.
erm... Cafe Nero is nothing like Italian coffee.
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Old Jun 25, 2019, 2:30 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
Is there a Cafe Nero in T5? Tad easier for the OP to get to than Milan I would have thought.
two. both landside, one on the check in level and one on the arrivals level.
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