Meal Ticket: Vice Coffee Inc, Dublin 1

When 3FE moved out of The Twisted Pepper in 2011, it was Vice Coffee who stepped up to fill those shoes. Tom Stafford is the head barista, known by his trademark beanie hat and comprehensive coffee knowledge. Tom and his team of baristas took over seamlessly from 3FE, showcasing independent roasters such as Ireland’s Roasted Brown and 3FE alongside Germany’s Five Elephant and Sweden’s Koppi. Sandwiches were made by Oxmantown, just down the road along the Luas tracks, and toasted up in Vice.

A few years back, I did a coffee-tasting course with Tom. On a Saturday morning, we propped ourselves up on the bar at Twisted Pepper and delved into the flavour profiles of a number of coffees from independent roasters. It was like a wine tasting course, for coffee. We were even offered a spit jug if we wanted.

We tasted three distinctly different types of coffee, while Tom talked us through the flavour wheel that encompasses coffee, as well as the independent roasters who prepared the beans that went into our coffee. In the same way as wine, it takes training to decipher the layers that make up a cup of coffee. But with some practice, and ideally with a good teacher like Tom, you can start to pick out tastes like blackberry, burnt toast and caramel in your coffee.

The Twisted Pepper is going through extensive renovations at the moment (the latest is that a beer hall is in the works) and while that is going on, Vice have moved upstairs to the fourth floor of the building. You have to buzz to get in through the Snake Bite tattoo studio. And, don’t worry, there’s a lift.

This isn’t so much a pop-up as a temporary home. Up here, they’re boasting the same great attention to caffeine detail with the added bonus of great views of the city. They’ve brought the Dublin Doughnut Company up to the fourth floor with them, whose blackberry apple doughnuts ooze autumnal tartness from a plump, round dough ball. They also sell coffee breweing equipment such as aeroppress, as well as single origin and blends from independent roasters for you to take home.

Lots of cafés say that they welcome questions about brewing and coffee but in reality questions aren’t often appreciated. At Vice, provided it’s not coffee rush hour, the baristas will take time to answer your home-brewing questions at length. It’s that kind of place.

Vice are currently hosting tasting classes up on the fourth floor. The classes are €25 per person and make for a superb gift for coffee lovers.