Spilling the beans

A different kind of coffee shop where they know what they’re doing

CONNOISSEURS Coffee Club is one of a number of excellent specialty coffee places to have opened in Edinburgh in the last two years. It opened in March 2022 on Duke Street, near the foot of Leith Walk.

If any single street exemplifies the radical changes undergone by Leith in recent decades, then it must be Duke Street. Traditional pubs dominated until relatively recently. The street is increasingly a destination for those seeking classy gastro pubs and eateries. Connoisseurs Coffee Club joins places such as the Lioness of Leith and Faceplant, which serves plant-based food. Baking specialists Twelve Triangles also have a branch on Duke Street.

With its crisp white and mint green interior, the Connoisseurs Coffee

Club exudes a chilled, minimalist feel. It has echoes of the ‘Op art’ of Bridget Riley. The La Marzocco coffee machine which they brew their espresso on, has the same colour scheme. Connoisseurs Coffee Club uses beans by Santu, which are now being used by a number of cafes across Edinburgh. These include Santu’s own little coffee bar on the Canongate. Connoisseurs Coffee Club uses Santu’s ‘coffee number 1’, the Adelfo Casagrande, which has fruity and sweet tasting notes and produces an espresso with a balanced body. Connoisseurs Coffee Club selected Santu because of its consistency, which allows them to produce high-quality coffee throughout the year. The coffees we had bore witness to this; particularly tasty and with excellent balance. The fruity notes were evident but not overwhelming.

The premises of Connoisseurs Coffee Club are shared with a barbershop (Connoisseurs Barber Club) in the back. For the chatty and engaging barista manager, it’s “a crossover that I’m surprised more people don’t do”, something of a natural combination. As well as espresso based drinks, the Connoisseurs Coffee Club also serves batch brews, teas by Pekoe Tea (who have recently set up a new shop nearby, at the Foot of the Walk) and hot chocolate.

In the warmer months of the year, Connoisseurs Coffee Club also serves a selection of iced coffees. They also offer a range of baking to complement the drinks. With a number of highly rated specialty coffee places in the vicinity (including a large new branch of Artisan Roast, Hideout Cafe, and Williams and Johnson at the Custom House), competition is pretty fierce. On the other hand, the increasing availability of high quality specialty coffee in the area may increase demand.

The Connoisseurs Coffee Club is well placed to take advantage of this shift and the rapidly changing character of the area.

Connoisseurs Coffee Club

106 Duke St, EH6 8HL