"Coffee lovers heaven" Food and Drink Tip by TheWanderingCamel

True coffee lovers will love this shop. Not only is it packed to the rafters with more varieties of coffee (and tea, it must be said) than you thought possible, there are coffee makers galore as well as a whole raft of coffee-friendly accessories and sweet treats to tempt you. There's even a little coffee bar dispensing cappucinos and lattes at 1.20p each and espressos , single and double at just a pound! (Beat that Starbucks!). You'll have to stand or take your coffee with you but that just means you can try as you buy.

The shop is wonderfully old-fashioned, the original wooden counter and shelves still in situ, and the smell is divine.

What to buy: Real coffee's the name of the game - some 50 single origin varieties from all around the coffee-growing world, plus blends, Fair Trade coffees, spiced,flavoured and rare - even the extraordinary Weasel coffee from Vietnam (the beans are collected and roasted after being eaten and regurgitated by the animal - definitely an acquired taste!) - are all on sale here.

Add 160 teas, exotic sweetmeats from the MiddleEast, South America and Europe and you know you're in the hands of people who really know and love their product. A real Soho institution, they've been selling coffee here for 121 years now - long may they continue.

What to pay: Coffee prices start at about 3GBP for 250 grams of a standard blend and soar to 17GBP for the same amount of Jamaican Blue Mountain.

If you're feeling adventurous - weasel coffee will set you back 15GBP for just 60 grams.

Address: 52 Old Compton Street , London W1
Directions: Map
Theme: Food and Drink
Website: http://www.algcoffee.co.uk/scripts/openExtra.asp?extra=8