Hot Black is open! After all that looking through the window, here it is...
Hotblack aims for nothing less than *perfect* coffee an tea. This starts with a high-tech reverse osmosis system that the owner proudly showed me downstairs. This system feeds not only the espresso machine upstairs, but also a 70C tap for tea (100C is too hot for green tea, he explained), and a cold carbonated tap for water (kindof like a soda stream, but better).
The espresso machine is a Marzocco "beta" system that has a digitally controlled pressure profile. Manager Momiji Kishi and her dedicated staff are still dial-ing in these many variables, so I'm excited to see how things develop. There are four grinders ready to go, so coffee connaisseurs will have fun with a rotating selection of beans.