Dan Yee (ex- Salvage) and Shoji Sasa (Mecca and Single Origin) are masters of their craft.

After years of working and roasting for other companies, big and small, the pair decided to open a their own cafe. Artificer gets back to the business of producing good coffee, without distraction.

The name translates to a craftsperson or skilled artisan. The pair buys quality beans and roasts for the qualities of that particular coffee, rather than using a standard, unchanging brief.

Yee and Sasa won’t buy pre-shipment samples. That way they know what they’re getting. And they buy small amounts more often. At Artificer, it will never be more than a month before a new coffee is in stock.

The cafe serves no food at all. No distractions means that the focus is on the product. The space is an exercise in minimalism, with floor-to-ceiling American oak. The bar, gilded with brushed brass edges, is surrounded by a few stools, enough for some to be seated, but more to stand.