Artisan, Brighton, UK

The Artisan Delicatessen is focused on a fine selection of products including a large range of olive oils but they also serve up food and coffee. Although not marketing themselves as a coffee shop they could happily do so as they stand up with the best in Brighton. The barista beavered away on my drink and it came just in time; the different cured meats, some hanging and a large range of cheeses were tempting me to go wild and spend.

 What arrived was a thick, black and steaming medium to small mug. It was moving around like a demented dark weather system, the swirling masses were quite hypnotic. The immediate sense was that this was super strong coffee based on the look and the rich aroma. One sip confirmed this but showed more too. The coffee had a dark roasted flavour with earthy taste. This broad, full taste gave way to a creamy after taste at the back of the throat.

There were no real hints of sweetness and perhaps this was too strong which is a rare complaint from me and nothing a little water would have resolved. The beans came from Lazy Jose and this was their "we are 3 espresso" blend as far as I could tell from their sign.

• Black Americano
• Very strong
• Dark, broad and rich in flavour
• Thick crema
• Medium cup
• £2.10 

A near flawless coffee from this far from basic deli; great full flavour although perhaps a little strong and dark for some. 

http://www.artisanlivetoeat.co.uk/

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