Oh. My. Word. Jackpot!
The Artian Roast review invited a few comments, which, surprisingly (or not) seem to support my rating. Among these comments there was also a reflection of a friend of mine, fellow coffee-lover, on the two cafes that I mentioned I had passed browsing the coffee shops on Bruntsfield Place.
Prompted by his promising review of Project Coffee I decided to visit the place for my afternoon treat; I was conveniently in the area, and thought it would be good to give the coffee street some credit (as I was told by another friend today, Bruntsfield Place consists of 56 venues offering coffee – please correct me if I’m wrong!). Also, my good friend knows that I like to question his judgement – but this time, he was absolutely right.
I do not remember when I have had such a smooth, perfectly balanced mocha. The last time I experienced simmilar sensation was over a year ago at Wellington Coffee on George Street, which, however, seemed a one-off as a subsequent visit did not deliver for equally tasty memories. Bellow I put together pictures from Project and I heart: you’ll note similar presentation, but – despite bad quality of the photos – I think it’s clear that consistency of the milk is quite different.
My fear is that Project made my coffee with whole milk; nevertheless, I do not regret downing it within minutes and restraining myself from having another. Although, I think I might be back soon to confirm that this is a standard, and not just a beginners-luck (by beginner I meant myself, as I can’t see how a drink could be crafted so perfectly if not by a professional in the field).
As suggested by my questioning attitude towards other’s coffee shop recommendations, I entered the place fairly sceptical, but quickly realised it was my kind of place. Bright and spacious, with comfy seats and plenty of clean tables, which were cleared soon after a customer had left. The pastry case, like rest of the place in fact, looked minimalistic with regards to choice, but it offered treats to suit all kinds of tastes. I received reports that scones here are exquisite (and I am willing to believe that).
The staff is unobtrusive but polite and attentive, none of that “in-your-face” so-called cafe culture. When I ordered my coffee and was struggling to pick a pastry, I was simply asked if I wanted to receive my coffee first and then decide if I wanted anything with it. No forceful up-selling, and instead, some mind reading, because as soon as I took the first sip of my mocha, I knew I would not be spoiling the experience with any other tastes.
Project Coffee feels like a place for professionals, run by professionals; funny enough, they do not have an all-singing, all-dancing website to promote how good they are. And they definitely deserve one.
P.S. A bit of research and I find that Wellington Coffee together with Kilimanjaro Coffee and Project Coffee are run by the same person, a holder of several best Scottish barista titles, some Jonathan Sharp. I will endeavour to speak to this gentleman in person, ASAP.
A Black Spot 
Press coffee is also owned by the same barista – I basically hunted down all this knowledge when I moved away from Newington (having been addicted to Kili’s mocha’s too) and was delighted to discover that the same quality of coffee was never too far away 🙂
oh no – errant apostrophe : I’m so embarrassed!