Tapped & Packed, 114 Tottenham Court Road

It’s getting dark early around the UK at this time of year, so this afternoon I sauntered out of the office to catch a last glimpse of sunlight and grab a little coffee. A friend had mentioned Tapped & Packed favourably, so I put my collar up and headed up Tottenham Court Road.

Apparently, this is a relatively new outlet (there’s another Tapped & Packed in nearby Rathbone Place), but it seemed settled enough. The interior didn’t really seem all that inviting to me, although there were a fair few people sat around reading or “working” on their laptops. When asked whether they did takeaway coffees, the guy behind the counter looked at me like Jack Black did at the poor sod who asked whether they had “I Just Called To Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder. Clearly this is a connoisseur kinda place.

I did get the Flat White I asked for, for the admittedly steep price of £2.40. Service was quick and friendly, but you could tell immediately that the coffee wasn’t as hot as necessary for a quick cup on the go. Having said that, the actual beverage was great: the milk foam was thick and creamy, almost buttery, and the coffee had a distinct, moreish, chocolatey flavour. There was a hint of fruit in there as well, and no annoying aftertaste.

Tapped & Packed is a tad on the pricey side, but they do the basics very well indeed (they even list their coffee-making equipment in the menu) and the coffee is definitely worth trying.

OVERALL COFFEE CHASER SCORE:

7/10