Free Filter Friday: Try Naturally Low Caf Coffee in Peckham
In brief
- Free filter coffee on most first Fridays at MULTI STORY, Peckham Levels - no ticket required, no experience needed.
- We run a short tasting exploring naturally low caffeine coffees - varieties most roasters never stock.
- Taste the difference between full caf, low caf and decaf, and find out what suits your caffeine needs.
- A relaxed, conversational format - come for ten minutes or stay for the full session.
If you've ever been curious about low caffeine coffee - or just want a free filter coffee and a conversation on a Friday morning - join us at Free Filter Friday
On the first Friday of every month, Calm Coffee Roastery hosts Free Filter Friday at MULTI STORY cafe on the top floor of Peckham Levels. From 10:30 to 12:00, we pour free filter coffees and run a short tasting exploring naturally low caffeine coffees. No experience required, no ticket needed - just turn up.
What happens at Free Filter Friday?
The format is deliberately relaxed. We set up at MULTI STORY with a full caf and a decaf brewing on the Moccamaster, and a selection of naturally low caffeine coffees at the cupping table - and invite anyone who's interested to taste with us.
The tasting usually throws up a few surprises. Most people arrive expecting decaf to taste flat or muted. Most leave having revised that assumption. The more interesting conversation tends to be around naturally low caffeine coffee - coffees that contain significantly less caffeine than standard arabica not because anything has been removed, but because of the variety itself.
These are rare coffees that most roasters never stock. Laurina, for example, contains roughly 60% less caffeine than standard arabica, with a lighter body and a more delicate, floral character than most coffees people have encountered. Tasting it next to a full caf and a decaf is one of the quickest ways to understand what makes it different - and whether it's something you'd want to drink regularly.
We're there to answer questions, talk through the coffees, and point people toward whatever suits their caffeine situation. Whether you're pregnant and managing your intake, struggling with sleep, anxious about caffeine, or just a coffee lover who wants to explore something new - there's something worth trying.
What is a coffee cupping?
A coffee cupping is a simple, standardised method used to taste and evaluate coffee - and it's the format we use to taste low caf coffee at Free Filter Friday.
Coffee is ground and placed directly into a cup, hot water is poured over it, and the grounds are left to steep for four minutes. The crust that forms on the surface is then broken with a spoon - releasing the aromas - before the grounds settle and the coffee is tasted using a cupping spoon.
The method is deliberately simple: no brewing equipment, no variables introduced by technique, just coffee and water. That simplicity is exactly what makes it useful for comparing different coffees side by side. Our Free Filter Friday cuppings are for all levels - beginners are welcome.
Why free?
Calm Coffee Roastery is a small Peckham roastery specialising in decaf and naturally low caffeine coffees. We started Free Filter Friday because education is central to what we do - most people don't know that naturally low caffeine coffee exists as a category, let alone that it can taste as good as anything else in specialty coffee.
The best way to change that is to let people taste it. So we do.
Who is it for?
Anyone curious about coffee or caffeine is welcome. You don't need any prior knowledge - Free Filter Friday is genuinely a good starting point for someone who has never attended a coffee tasting before. We keep the format conversational rather than formal, and there's no pressure to buy anything or stay for the full session.
That said, it's equally worth coming if you already know your way around a V60. The naturally low caffeine coffees we feature aren't widely available, and tasting them is a different experience from reading about them online.
Where and when
Free Filter Friday takes place on the first Friday of every month at MULTI STORY cafe, on Level 6 of Peckham Levels.
Address: Peckham Levels, 95A Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST
Time: 10:30–12:00
Cost: Free
From Rye Lane, follow the signs around the side of Peckhamplex and take the lift or stairs to the top floor.
Upcoming dates:
- Friday 6th November
- Friday 4th December
Come and say hello. The coffee's free!
