Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville - Paris - page 384

COFFEE & TEA
For die-hard connoisseurs craving a genuine cup of proper tea or coffee, Paris savours
a handful of memorable addresses, a couple of which run fascinating ateliers de
dégustation(tasting workshops).
Belleville Brûlerie The roastery opens Saturday for coffee sales and one-hour 'cup-
ping' sessions (€20; book online) during which you taste different coffees, compare
tasting notes and get a bag of beans to take home.
La Caféothèque ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.lacafeotheque.com ; 52 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, 4e;
9.30am-7.30pm; ; St-Paul or Hôtel de Ville) From the industrial grinder to the elaborate
tasting notes, this maze of a coffee house is serious. Grab a pew, pick your bean and
get it served just the way you like it (espresso, ristretto, latte etc). The coffee of the
day (€3) keeps well-travelled taste buds on their toes, as does the €10 dégustation
(tasting) of three different coffees.
Fondation Café ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 16 rue Dupetit Thoars, 3e; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat
& Sun; Temple) It is easily one of the city's smallest cafes - just three teeny tables in-
side, four outside and no toilet. Yet that doesn't stop Paris' international set flocking
here for excellent coffee brewed from Belleville-roasted beans. Pair with a sublime
slice of warm, buttered banana bread for a match made in heaven.
Boot Café ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 19 rue du Pont aux Choux, 3e; 8.30am-7.30pm Tue-Fri, 10am-6pm
Sat; Filles du Calvaire) The charm of this three-table cafe is its facade. The original
washed-blue facade and 'Cordonnerie' lettering of the old cobbler's shop have been
beautifully preserved, as has the fantastic red boot sign above. Excellent coffee, roas-
ted in Paris, to boot - to drink in or take out.
Loustic ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 40 rue Chapon, 3e; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, 11am-6pm
Sun; ; Arts et Metiers or Rambuteau) This pocket-sized espresso bar with Londoner
Channa at its helm has been cleverly designed (by Parisian hotshot Dorothée Mei-
lichzon, no less) for lounging over excellent coffee (roasted in Belgium and ground to
coffee-lover perfection in situ on a Florentine Marzocco machine), a lazy breakfast
(€10.50 to €12) or a revitalising cup of chai tea latté. 'Loustic', incidentally, is old Bre-
ton for a 'smart Alec'.
Le Loir dans La Théière ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 3 rue des Rosiers, 4e; 9am-7.30pm; St-Paul)
Cutesy name (Dormouse in the Teapot) notwithstanding, this is a wonderful old space
filled with retro toys, comfy couches and scenes of Through the Looking Glasson the