The Best Coffee Shops In Paris And How To Order

Among the young baristas ridding Paris of its bad-coffee rep, Thomas Lehoux is a bit of a star. He trained at Caféothèque, one of the first places in Paris to roast and grind its own beans, and until recently manned the Marzocco gear at Ten Belles.

Now he's co-founded his own roastery - Brûlerie Belleville - in the edgy 19th. 'If you go to the usual corner cafés, it's still hard to find good coffee,' he says. 'But because of the French relationship with wine and gastronomy, the great thing is as soon as Parisians understand that what we're doing is special, they're in.'

The roastery supplies beans from Guatemala and Honduras to cafés across Paris, including new cocktails-and-coffee bar Lockwood (run by Thomas' brothers, Olivier and Christophe - all three are pictured above). And every Saturday, Lehoux and his Giesen roaster are open to the public for tastings and some of the best cups of coffee in Paris. Visit Brûlerie Belleville's website for more.

PARIS COFFEE TIPS
Don't know your single origin from your crema? Mon dieu! (That's beans from one farm and the foam on your espresso, FYI). Read on...

Do note fruity, hoppy and, yes, winey notes
Don't ask for a decaff or soya milk
Do slag off Italian espresso. Old rivalries die hard
Don't expect to get a decent coffee before 8am. Where do you think you are, Melbourne?Do ask for your espresso bien serré (strong) and add an Anglo snack such as a teacake or sausage roll
Don't looked shocked if you're invited to do some 'cupping' (analysing the aromas by sniffing and slurping)
Do look interested in extraction times (how long it takes your espresso to pour), ratio (amount of liquid out divided by amount of coffee going in) and reverse osmosis (a science-y way to purify the water used)

This story by Sophie Dening first appeared in the February 2014 issue of Condé Nast Traveller