Boot Café, Paris
Possibly Paris’s smallest café and certainly the most charming, Boot occupies – you guessed it – an old cobbler’s on a sleepy stretch of Le Marais, and its cornflower-blue façade, original “Cordonnerie” sign and highlighter-bright stools are hard to miss. It takes its coffee very seriously, with a single barista serving espressos and Chemex pour-over brews using beans sourced from acclaimed local roastery Belleville Brûlerie. Given that this nook can only fit a handful of seats, most customers grab takeaways and mill about outside. It’s my favourite spot for a quick breather.
@bootcafe Jamie Waters


Coffee and pastries at Drop, Stockholm
Coffee and pastries at Drop, Stockholm

Drop Coffee, Stockholm
Tucked away in the hip neighbourhood of Södermalm is Drop Coffee, an award-winning roastery and café founded in 2009. Its sustainably produced and certified organic coffee puts it at the forefront of not only Stockholm’s coffee scene but also Scandinavia’s. Go for the amazing coffee; stay for the cardamom cinnamon buns. This intimate space is the perfect spot for an afternoon fika. dropcoffee.com Cherish Rufus


Roasting beans at Bonanza Coffee Roasters in Berlin
Roasting beans at Bonanza Coffee Roasters in Berlin

Bonanza Coffee Roasters, Berlin
It used to be that Berliners would be hard-pressed to find a world-class cup of coffee in the capital. Over the past few years, however, an influx of coffee fanatics has transformed the city into a third-wave roastery haven. Leading the way is Bonanza, an “unnecessarily good” roastery sourcing beans from small farms across Africa, Indonesia and Latin America. Visitors to the Kreuzberg outpost should note the huge 1950s Probat G45 drum roaster. Some say it’s the source of the best flat whites in Berlin. bonanzacoffee.de Rosanna Dodds


Muddy Paw Coffee (​​Silverlake), Los Angeles
The coffee world’s Savile Row, the strip of Sunset Boulevard that runs through Silver Lake seems to have a vendor every 10 paces. If you can bear the dog theme, Muddy Paw offers a rear courtyard, a front ledge on which to sip come un italiano and a break from the ultra-bitter style of espresso that rules much of bohemian LA. Later-than-average opening hours draw a post-dinner crowd as well as the usual MacBook-wielders, and pleasing clutter distinguishes the place from its modishly spartan competitors nearby. muddypawla.com Janan Ganesh


Latte art at Cuervo Cafe’s Chacarita branch
Latte art at Cuervo Cafe’s Chacarita branch © Mikeila Borgia/Lourdes Maseda
Cuervo’s outdoor seating
Cuervo’s outdoor seating © Mikeila Borgia/Lourdes Maseda

Cuervo Café (Chacarita), Buenos Aires
Childhood friends and musicians Pablo Tokatlian and Agustín Caro always dreamed of owning a coffee shop. So after selling their music equipment in 2017, they finally opened their first café, followed more recently by a speciality roaster in an old workshop in Buenos Aires’s Chacarita district. Here they carefully source and roast blends such as Cuervo’s Cumbia line, naturally fermented with a good amount of acidity and a light body: ideal for both hot- and cold-filtered preparations. cuervocafe.com Allie Lazar


El Horreya, Cairo
Steps away from downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square sits El Horreya, an institution that has provided a home for generations of artists, intellectuals and writers to gather and exchange ideas. “Horreya” means “freedom” in Arabic, a moniker that perfectly captures the spirit of the capital. The menu offers three choices: coffee, tea and cold local beer. +022-2392 0397 Laila Gohar


Outside Ideal Caffe Stagnitta in Palermo
Outside Ideal Caffe Stagnitta in Palermo

Ideal Caffe Stagnitta, Palermo
There’s a great deal beyond the actual coffee to recommend this historic roastery. The mint location on the Discesa dei Giudici, for instance, just off the Piazza Bellini (home to three of the prettiest churches in all of Sicily); or the burnished-wood shelves still lined with old-world chocolates and sweets, the jars of single-origin beans arrayed in neat rows on the marble counters, the 19th-century brewing accoutrements arranged in glass vitrines. But the coffee itself won’t disappoint either: take a seat at one of the tables on the cobblestones and enjoy a ristretto or a macchiato from blends the Stagnitta family has been perfecting since 1928. Then take some home; they even make capsules now. idealcaffe.it Maria Shollenbarger 


Coffeewerk x April Zewde Estate Natural Ethiopia Espresso, €19
Coffeewerk x April Zewde Estate Natural Ethiopia Espresso, €19

Coffeewerk + Press, Galway
A Galway institution on Quay Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, Coffeewerk is a calm, minimalist escape from the cacophony of Celtic knitwear shops and penny whistling. Home to a small gallery showcasing international artists, Coffeewerk sells nice books about Nordic houses and produces its own stationery range. It recently collaborated with April Coffee Roasters Copenhagen on a line of beans, and serves a cracking cappuccino too. coffeewerkandpress.com Jo Ellison


Café Integral, New York
Behind the quiet façade of this Nolita-based café is a roastery dedicated to Nicaragua’s stellar coffee scene. Since launching the shop in 2012, former photographer César Vega has flown the flag for his native country’s coffee across the US, with three staple blends currently available: Dulcinea (the café’s flagship espresso blend), El Emperador (notes of peaches, raisins and honey wheat) and La Esperanza (a collaboration with Nicaraguan coffee royalty, the Peralta family). Don’t miss the chocolate-covered coffee beans and pre-poured bottles of cold brew – the latter won’t go amiss in a makeshift espresso martini. cafeintegral.com RD


Sitting outside at Onibus Coffee
Sitting outside at Onibus Coffee

Onibus Coffee (Nakameguro), Tokyo 
Japan is a haven for things made with care and precision. Coffee is no exception, and even the drinks dispensed in Starbucks are a cut above what you will get in many countries. Of the countless outlets intensely dedicated to their craft, I pick Onibus Coffee, in a shack by the metro station in Nakameguro. The coffee is superb, and you can sit by the serving counter to drink it, climb the narrow stairs to a room overlooking the railway tracks, or sit on a bench in a neighbouring playground. It all adds to the taste. onibuscoffee.com John Gapper


Have we missed your favourite?

Let us know which coffee roasters you think should make the list at htsifavourites@ft.com

Forty Hands, Singapore
These days Forty Hands has a second location on the residential east coast, and a whole plethora of bottled and packaged takeaway potables, from cold brews to honey oat lattes, but the original, opened in 2010 on Yong Siak Street in the low-rise heritage Tiong Bahru neighbourhood, remains the standard for artisanal coffee brewers. (None of which is to say you can’t get a bubble coffee if you really crave one; you’re in Singapore, after all.) The Dirty Chai – a traditional chai latte with an espresso shot thrown in – was what I lived on for four years in the Lion City. All the beans come from Singapore-based Common Man Coffee Roasters, but the artistry – crema, dosage, froth and all – is signature Forty Hands. There’s a nice Aussie-style brunch menu most days, and plenty of beans to go. 40handscoffee.com MS


Tandem Coffee + Bakery, Portland
The first thing you’ll notice about Tandem Coffee + Bakery is its unusual home: the café is housed in a former 1960s gas-station-turned-laundromat, complete with a sign that reads “Brakes & Shocks – our specialty”. In contrast to its exterior, however, Tandem is a thoroughly modern third-wave coffee shop, and aside from the vinyl it sells alongside its house-roasted coffee, its only retro quality is that it’s a WiFi-free zone. Not that the lack of internet deters customers: Tandem regularly draws long queues, and popular baked goods sell out early (an unsurprising feat, given its James Beard-nominated head baker). tandemcoffee.com CR 


A barista making pour-over brews at Tim Wendelboe
A barista making pour-over brews at Tim Wendelboe © Dorothee Brand
The flagship Tim Wendelboe bar in Oslo’s Grünerlokka neighbourhood
The flagship Tim Wendelboe bar in Oslo’s Grünerlokka neighbourhood © Dorothee Brand

Tim Wendelboe, Oslo
It’s no coincidence that Tim Wendelboe has been dubbed the René Redzepi of coffee: over the past 20 years, the Norwegian roaster and former World Barista champion has brought a haute-cuisine-like meticulousness to his craft, championing farm-to-cup supply chains and pioneering the lighter, slightly acidic style of Scandinavian roasts. For the full experience, head to his flagship espresso bar, a slick sliver of raw bricks and chocolate-panelled wood tucked into a quiet pocket of Oslo’s Grünerlokka neighbourhood. Order the “coffee tasting for two”, a smorgasbord of four Aeropress-style filter brews highlighting different beans. Or, if the weather’s warm, try their signature Cappuccino Al Freddo, a frothy iced number whipped up in a milkshake maker. A three-Michelin-starred café if ever there was one. timwendelboe.no JW


The SoMa branch of Sightglass coffee has a roastery and training lab along with the coffee bar
The SoMa branch of Sightglass coffee has a roastery and training lab along with the coffee bar © Michael O’Neal

Sightglass Coffee (SoMa District), San Francisco
It was the viewing window on a vintage Probat coffee roaster that inspired the name of brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison’s California-based coffee company. Just as that window gave them a clear line of sight into their machine’s roasting process, the Morrisons have built a business based on trust and transparency – from the seasonal beans, directly sourced from origin in freshly harvested lots, to its small-batch production methods. Along with a coffee bar, Sightglass’s SoMa branch is home to a roastery, training lab and headquarters; adventurous guests should try the iced coffee cascara shrub, a drink made from the cherry-like fruit surrounding the coffee bean and sparkling water. sightglasscoffee.com RD


Paramount Coffee Project, Sydney
The inner-city district of Surry Hills has an embarrassment of great cafés, but there’s no better spot for whiling away the day than Paramount. Occupying the foyer of a heritage-listed building formerly home to Paramount Pictures (there’s a working cinema downstairs), this high-ceilinged space has a variety of seating options: morning commuters sip espressos at a communal subway-tiled bar; brunchers munch at low tables; and I’ve lost many a morning sat at one of the light-flooded windows. The coffee, made with an ever-changing roster of beans from around the world, is excellent, and its food menu is also a standout: think twists on Aussie breakfast classics like smashed avo topped with an “everything bagel” crumb and granola spiked with pistachios, kiwi and puffed rice. paramountcoffeeproject.com.au JW 


Rosetta Roastery in Cape Town
Rosetta Roastery in Cape Town

Rosetta Roastery (Bree Street), Cape Town
Based on Cape Town’s popular culinary strip Bree Street, this award-winning roastery’s newly opened coffee shop features green marble tiling, dark wooden benches and timber floors. Take in the atmosphere while sipping on a Kyoto-style cold brew (prepared for more than four hours in a Japanese ice dripper) or choose from two rotating varieties of single-origin coffees (both seasonally sourced from across South and Central America, Africa and Asia). Finish with one of the homemade baked treats, including sticky cinnamon buns, miso caramel loaf cake and canelés de Bordeaux. rosettaroastery.com Sara Semic


FT staff favourite Rosslyn café
FT staff favourite Rosslyn café

Rosslyn (Queen Victoria St), London
James Hennebry and Mat Russell founded Rosslyn in 2018 in a corner of London’s financial district. Inspired by the legendary standards of Australia’s coffee scene, the shop aims to spotlight the world’s best producers – all with the warmth of a local Irish pub. As such, a trip to Rosslyn is as much about the coffee as it is the friendly service, although the thoughtful house blends, rotating guest roasters and (not so) secret list of off-menu drinks are enough to satisfy any coffee snob. A new outpost is scheduled for this spring – the third after a second Moorgate location – but Rosslyn’s original branch remains the fan favourite (possibly owing to its proximity to the FT’s London offices). rosslyncoffee.com RD


Ama Cafe, Delhi
Nestled in the alleys of Delhi’s Little Tibet – so named for its Buddhist temples, Himalayan restaurants and population of Tibetan refugees – Ama Cafe makes for a delightful surprise. While the menu gives a few nods to the neighbourhood’s heritage with a handful of Tibetan dishes, it mostly focuses on brunch classics. The chic aesthetic makes it a favourite with Instagrammers, who diligently document their cappuccinos and squat, sugar-dusted pancakes. Ama is a rare and welcome find in India’s capital. +9192891-08826 Benjamin Parkin 


Bowen Holden, left, and Pip Heath, owners of Patricia, Melbourne
Bowen Holden, left, and Pip Heath, owners of Patricia, Melbourne
Patricia in Melbourne sells its coffee blends to take home
Patricia in Melbourne sells its coffee blends to take home

Patricia, Melbourne
Fans have flocked to Bowen Holden and Pip Heath’s coffee shop for more than a decade, lured in by its ethical beans, house-made blends and no-nonsense “standing room”. In a city that takes coffee more seriously than most, Patricia’s success is based on simplicity. Most of the drinks served are based around its seasonally adjusted espresso blend (currently a mix of Colombia’s San Vicente and Ethiopia’s Nensebo), but there’s also a filter option and a rotating guest roast. patriciacoffee.com.au RD


Colo Coffe in Bogotá
Colo Coffe in Bogotá

Colo Coffee Usaquen, Bogotá
A sprawling, multi-tiered café dotted with plants and tree trunks, Colo Coffee is an oasis of calm in the heart of Bogotá’s Usaquén neighbourhood. Here you can enjoy coffee roasted on-site in the café’s solar-powered roaster, with traditional snacks such as cheese-stuffed arepas and espresso martinis come sunfall. Beans are divided into three categories – Diversos (regionally diverse coffee varieties), Ancestros (traditional varieties that have been harvested for centuries) and Contemporaneos (beans with unconventional cultivation and fermentation processes) – each aiming to showcase Colombia’s best beans and support local growers. A portion of sales from its coffee bags and cold brew is donated to World Bicycle Relief, which provides bikes to citizens of rural developing countries. us.colo.coffee SS


Dizengoff, Auckland
Kiwis are, above all, no-nonsense types. The success of Dizengoff likely results from the same fundamental quality: it’s been around, on the Ponsonby Road – the undisputed brunch capital of New Zealand – for decades, and has never been divested of its primacy, though trends and more fashionable places have come and gone. It’s named for the famous Tel Aviv avenue, and the food is Israeli-inflected and delicious – if you’re not getting your long black to go, order yourself the pork-free eggs benedict with parsley pesto. What you come for, though, is the faultless coffee, still made in the old-school La Marzocco machine that’s been there for yonks, and still bracingly strong. facebook.com/dizengoff.ponsonby MS


Outside seating at family-owned Spill The Bean
Outside seating at family-owned Spill The Bean
Everything at Spill The Bean is homemade, including its almond milk
Everything at Spill The Bean is homemade, including its almond milk

Spill the Bean, Dubai
Even the almond milk at this family-owned café is homemade. Part of Dubai’s Sustainable City (the emirate’s first net-zero energy development), Spill the Bean serves up specialty single-origin coffees, plant-based treats and a raft of nutritious, delicious meals. Take your coffee with one of their signature raw brownies, a blend of nuts and cocoa that, according to the menu, is “actually good for you”. @spillthebeancoffee Rasha Kahil 


Inside Me Kolonaki in Athens
Inside Me Kolonaki in Athens

Me Kolonaki, Athens
For decades, the only coffee Greeks would order was a frappé. Before that it was an ellinikos (or tourkiko, as some still call it), which some claim can tell your fortune when turned upside down. While you’ll still find those classics at Me Kolonaki, the menu also has all the offerings of a café from London or New York, and you can enjoy a nouveau Greek cuisine version of gluten- and dairy-free breakfast options too. Just don’t expect anyone to predict the future out of an oat macchiato. meathens.com Isabelle Kountoure


A pour-over brew at Mistral
A pour-over brew at Mistral

Mistral coffee, Palma
For the best brews in Palma, cross a sun-drenched plaza in the heart of the old town and enter a limestone-lined archway: this is the entrance to the new two-storey café from beloved local roastery Mistral. Founders Agata Mikulska and Greg Schuler have paid careful attention to the design with terrazzo tables, timber accents and succulents galore. The coffee, made from beans roasted upstairs, is excellent, whether you’re after a café con leche, a daily changing filter drink or a thirst-quenching espresso with tonic. There are also lots of tasty things on sourdough, including burrata with truffle oil and locally grown Ramallet tomatoes. mistralcoffee.com JW


Kalei Coffee Co (Hamra), Beirut
For Dalia Jaffal and André Fadel, “coffee is more than a caffeinated drink, it’s an identity”, and the mere smell of roasted beans conjures memories of blissful mornings spent on their grandmothers’ balconies. It’s this nostalgia – alongside the fact that, aside from traditional Lebanese coffee, the duo had failed to find a perfect cup in Beirut – that led to the launch of Kalei Coffee in 2016, followed by a second branch three years later. The latter serves their fairtrade green coffee in a 19th-century heritage Lebanese house, just five minutes’ walk from the Corniche. kaleicoffee.com Gilles Khoury 


Occam Deli, Munich
A perfect day in Munich always includes a stroll through its English Garden, one of the world’s largest urban public parks. Occam Deli, located right in the park’s neighbouring Schwabing district, is a near-perfect spot for a coffee. The café is a great place to brunch, not just because they know how to make a proper cappuccino – even with dairy alternatives – but also the wealth of breakfast offerings. Don’t be fooled: the homemade cakes are sinful. occamdeli.com Isabelle Kountoure


Partisan Café Artisanal, Paris
Just as Parisians were starting to complain about the quality of their daily coffee, brothers Georges and Anthony Karam opened Partisan Café Artisanal in the historical Arts et Métiers district. Having grown up with Lebanon’s renowned coffee culture, the brothers wanted to create a space where coffees could be savoured as if they were wines (Anthony has 15 years’ experience in the drinks industry). The resulting café and roasting atelier serves coffee under two major styles: the new wave approach, which calls for lightly roasting arabica beans to enhance sweetness, fruitiness and vivacity; and the Italian approach, a darker roast coffee best suited for espresso. The banana bread is also worth a visit. parispartisancafe.com GK


Ditta Artigianale in Florence
Ditta Artigianale in Florence

Ditta Artigianale (Via dei Neri), Florence
You wouldn’t have ever said you couldn’t get a good coffee in Florence (heaven forbid; it’s Italy, after all). But when Francesco Sanapo opened Ditta Artigianale in the Via dei Neri in 2013, the proposition was a new one – an Italian coffee roaster with an international vision – and the game was subtly changed. What did it mean? Telling the coffee story in a new way, one that included free trade, single-origin beans and micro-lots, community stories and international brewing styles. Translation: while the cappuccino is unassailable, so is the flat white. Likewise, the cornetto and the avocado toast. Pro tip: the second, Via dello Sprone location moonlights as an excellent cocktail venue when evening descends. dittaartigianale.com MS


Abraço, New York
Located in New York’s East Village, Abraço is run by husband-and-wife team Liz Quijada and Jamie McCormick, who roast their own coffee and make all baked goods in-house. The shop on 7th Street has a clubhouse-like feel, attracting an eclectic group of regulars who come for the olive oil cake, cortados and familial neighbourhood feel. At Abraço everyone is made to feel like a New Yorker – dogs and children included. abraconyc.com LG


Bean in Killarney, Killarney
Set in a bright yellow shop near the shores of Lough Leane, Bean in Killarney is a family-run business at the forefront of Ireland’s coffee scene. Among its favourite offerings is An Fear Marbh (The Dead Man), a caramel-inflected blend named after the Dingle Peninsula landmark. Ashe’s Annascaul pork and black pudding sausage rolls complete the County Kerry experience. beanindingle.com RD

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