- Doppio, a small robin mascot featured on the cups and available as a collectible charm, is central to the 18gms brand. The name comes from the Italian word for “double,” referring to a double shot of espresso made using 18 grams of coffee.
- The Dubai-born coffee concept combines specialty coffee with playful experiences, including a scale challenge where visitors can win a free coffee by measuring out exactly 18 grams of coffee beans.
Dubai, UAE, October 28, 2026: How much coffee goes into your espresso? Most people guess. Baristas don’t. The answer is 18 grams, and as of today it has a kiosk, a menu, a set of games and a mascot named after it. 18gms opens at Unit 32, Europe Pavilion, Global Village, and every part of the experience comes back to that one number.
18 grams is the dose a barista packs into the basket for a double espresso. Go under and the shot turns thin and sour. Go over and it turns bitter. 18gms took that working number from behind the counter and made it the brand: the name, the standard and the promise. Every drink starts with a properly pulled 18-gram shot, and the flavours, toppings and desserts only come after the coffee is right.
Watching over all of it is Doppio, a small robin icon perched on the cups, the charms and the counter. The name is a hint. Doppio is Italian for “double,” and in a coffee bar it means a double shot of espresso, the same shot built on 18 grams of coffee. Doppio is built on 18 grams too: a European robin weighs roughly the same as the coffee in your cup. A bird from Europe, living in the Europe Pavilion, weighing exactly one perfect shot.
The coffee itself comes with a ritual. Each of the three signatures arrives with a mini dessert balanced on top of the cup. Visitors lift it, dip it into the coffee, eat it, then drink, turning a takeaway coffee into a two-minute moment and the shot everyone films. Almond Affair is finished with Brown butter sea salt and white chocolate madeleines, Pistachio Reverie is crowned with a Pistachio & White chocolate cake sticks, and Hazelnut Muse is topped with a Teddy Bear Chocolate Mousse. All three use real sauces and premium toppings rather than syrup alone and start from AED 35.
Every signature also comes with a collectible Doppio charm. Finish the cup, clip the charm on your bag and come back for the next design. For a generation that hunts blind boxes and limited drops, a coffee run becomes a collection, and each Global Village visit leaves something behind to prove it.
The number carries into the games, built for friends and families waiting on their order. At Hit18, players pour coffee beans onto a scale and try to land on exactly 18 grams to win a free coffee or 18gms merchandise, which is harder than it sounds. At the 18 Dartboard, the 18 segment becomes the bullseye, and hitting it wins.
Beyond the signatures, the menu covers espresso classics, Spanish latte and UAE coffee, alongside cold brews, non-coffee coolers and milkshakes for the whole family. A short cake list is led by a saffron San Sebastián cheesecake, and specialty beans are on sale to take home.
18gms is open daily during Global Village hours at Unit 32, Europe Pavilion, through the end of Season 31 in May 2027. Follow @18gmscoffee on Instagram and TikTok.
