Origin Coffee (South College Street) — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

After a years-long clever marketing and research campaign on social media to find out what the public really wanted, Brew Lab finally opened to much attention in September 2012 - and from day one it was busy.

Their focus has always been to make excellent coffee and most people think they've succeeded. Each drink is made individually - and you can see this - with no re-using milk or making do with things being just about right. Coffee which is described as tasting of blueberry really does, and not because someone has added a flavour but because it's good stuff made right. The hot chocolate/mocha ingredients come from Chocolatiers Edward & Irwyn and tea from PekoeTea, using local businesses that are also of exceptional quality.

Sandwiches are fresh every day with a range of ever-changing fillings; salads - often suitable for people with various food allergies - are far more than a few things in a bowl and are meals in themselves; soup from Union of Genius and a whole bunch of cakes round off a very pleasing range of edibles for most tastes.

The ambience is unusual - with bare brick walls, recycled school gym flooring and mixed seating and lights - but it seems to work. Plenty of sockets and decent free Wifi to get stuff done, if you can get a seat. For the only real flaw in this place is that it's never quiet. There are always people working, chatting, having meetings, and sometimes there is no seat left untaken. A sign of success, but it can be a bit of a gamble planning to meet there.

[NB recent changes to their policy as of September 2013 sees the Wifi turned off 1145-1400 Mon-Fri...

Espresso Masterclass Session - I am a newbie to the art of attempting to pull a shot and very much on a steep learning curve to making decent espresso using a manual espresso machine - in my case the Gaggia Classic Acrobat. Having watched numerous YT vids and surfed the net I wanted to have the hands on learning experience. I found Union Brew Lab & after some research duly booked (11/6/22). UBL team very helpful from get go and also very understanding re my hearing impairment. Fraser was our tutor for 3 hr session - 3 participants in the group so a good balance re time for questions and room to move around. Fraser was articulate; helpful and kept session moving at a comfortable pace. Helpful power-point as well. Lots of espresso made - I was well wired afterwards! You can tell which is my latte on pics :-) I was able to pop back to UBL a couple of weeks after session for some further guidance as having problems with recent blend & my workflow - luckily Fraser on shift and provided seem very useful tips which have helped immensely. I enjoyed the experience and it has given me the confidence to keep progressing up said steep curve! I would have rated 5/5 if not for session price imho been a little too expensive. Thank you to Fraser & all at UBL PS - suggestion - 1:1 tutorials with popular machines folk use at home but I appreciate this will be...

Brew Lab is the latest of a number of coffee shops that have sprung up in Edinburgh in the last two years. Situated south of the Royal Mile, firmly in University of Edinburgh territory, Brew Lab has been an instant hit, enjoying immediate success and carving out a niche all of its own.

Partly this is due to the fantastic space it occupies, which manages to feel both cramped and spacious, with knocked-through walls, low ceilings and bare brick/concrete walls. The other factor is the coffee. As the name suggests, Brew Lab is all about experimenting with different ways of making coffee. There’s the usual range of espresso drinks from the impressive-looking Slayer espresso machine, but what sets Brew Lab apart is its brewed coffee: two guest beans, one made with a V60 and the other with a Clever.

It’s rare that I walk into a coffee shop with a look of bewilderment on my face, but Brew Lab managed it, which is impressive. I suspect it’s the feeling which someone who wants a “white coffee” has in a modern coffee shop :-)

Brew Labs also does food, which I didn't try, and cake, which I did. I can attest to the general excellence...