Finding Great Coffee in Paris, France

by Teena Hughes

OK, I admit it ... I'm a bit of a coffee evangelist, someone who loves the taste of good coffee. My background is that I've had coffee in many countries of the world, and my favourite is Italian coffee, made in an espresso machine. Luckily for me, there is a huge Italian population in Australia and many of us have become connoisseurs because of the wealth of fantastic cafes in Sydney, Melbourne and other locations.

My favourite type of coffee is a latte which is comprised of good strong Italian coffee, topped off by thick creamy hot milk and a bit of foam.

What's that I hear you ask? "Have you ever been unhappy with a coffee?"

Yes, I've sent back lukewarm tasteless coffees in many cafes. This doesn't mean I'm a coffee snob, it just means I like to have a bit of coffee in my coffee if you know what I mean :-)

When I was visiting Paris, France recently I knew I'd need to find some good coffee. I've lived in Paris and visited many times, and the French are not known for their coffee. Or milk. My experiences on this trip brought back vivid memories of when I lived there ... lots of cafes served coffee that tasted like tar, and the milk added was almost always UHT milk - milk which doesn't need refrigerating, and which has a smell which is hard to describe.

So - the search was on! I arrived in Paris and found the closest internet café [what would we do without the internet? I shudder to think ...]

I found a couple of potential cafes who SOUNDED good, so my first adventure was to head off and do the taste test.

=== Caffé Kimbo de Napoli - 5 Place du Ternes, 75017 Paris ===

One of my friends in Paris [Gabrielle] had spotted the name of this café from the bus on her way to work. It had an Italian name, so we held great hopes that it might turn out to be a little oasis amongst the other cafes in the area. We arranged to meet late one afternoon, and I quickly spotted the name of the café snuggled tightly between some lovely shops. I stepped inside the cute little café, with beautiful dark wooden walls, and was greeted by a delightful woman with a huge friendly smile who answered all our demanding questions.

"Do you have real Italian coffee??"

"Is it Arabica??"

"Is it strong??"

"Do you use fresh milk??"

"Have you ever heard of a latte??"

The lady in the café answered, "Yes!" to all our questions with the greatest of patience, and Gabrielle and I wriggled and squirmed like happy new puppies, in anticipation of having the first good strong Italian latte in Paris. The wait was worth it - the coffee was excellent! I highly recommend this café.

Taste: Strong Italian espresso made with a REAL Italian espresso machine.

Milk : Fresh milk, steamed to perfectection!

Quality: Thick and creamy latte - decidedly delicious.

Read more: http://www.a-night-in-paris.com/coffee-at-cafe-kimbo-de-napoli.html

We drank way too many coffees in our first sitting, but we were so excited we were hooked on the flavour and had to keep savouring 'just one more cup'.

A few days latter I decided to check out another possible cafe, on my adventure to find the best coffee in Paris.

=== Café Malongo - 50 rue St Andre des Arts, 75006 Paris === I found Cafe Malongo mentioned on the internet, so I took the metro to St Michel, walked along the gorgeous Rue Saint Andre des Arts and stepped inside Malongo's wide glass doors. Wow! What a huge café! I was overwhelmed by the size of the café, and delighted by all the little sections where I could sit down and read the paper; some people had laptops plugged in, everyone was savouring their coffees in a great atmosphere, with easy-listening music in the background.

You can order coffee plus cakes or pastries, but no sandwiches or lunch-type food is available.

My latte was served in a long glass, the tray was wonderfully presented, and the staff efficient and very friendly.

Taste: Different coffee ground on the premises each day. I tried one, then asked for 'strong' for my next one.

Milk : Fresh milk, steamed.

Quality: The milk didn't have that thick creamy quality I adore, but it was good.

Read more: http://www.a-night-in-paris.com/coffee-at-cafe-malongo.html

Was my adventure worthwhile? Absolutely! As I discover more places I enjoy, I will continue to write about them and share with you.

A bientot! See you soon!

Teena!

About the Author

2007 © Teena Hughes loves Paris, France and writes about her favourite places, faces and spaces on her website - you can receive updates by signing up for the irregular newsletter, "Postcards From Paris" at : http://www.a-night-in-paris.com/postcards-from-paris-newsletter.html