A perfect cappuccino
or mocha
One third
espresso, one
third steamed milk and one third froth. The coffee should be smooth,
noticeably thicker than ordinary filter coffee and have a tinge, just a
tinge, of bitterness about it (not enough and it's probably weak, too
much and there probably wasn't enough pressure). Oh, and mocha isn't a trade secret
any
more... You can make it
at home without steamed milk, as long as you use warm frothed milk
instead, and pour both the milk and froth into every cup. It should not
be too hot to drink.
Machines which produce a "complete" cappuccino (or similar) coffee seem
incapable of replicating the steps
involved in a perfect cappuccino (I haven't worked out why this is
yet), although there are machines made by Tchibo, which amazingly almost
seem to manage it. The skill of the barista (person making the coffee)
can make quite a difference to the finished coffee - there are places
where some people can make a good cup and some can't - more
on the art
of espresso...
These reviews are by A.Boodoo of café
ABsite,
and are based on
my own personal experience. If you're looking for Starbucks here,
don't...
my experience has been overwhelmingly of weak coffee and bad froth, and
extortionate prices. So now you know...
Top
coffee
AMT
Espresso's
delicious coffee to go,
at Birmingham
Moor
Street & Snow Hill, Leicester, Nottingham,
Oxford, Reading, Sheffield and London Kings Cross, St. Pancras,
Victoria
and Waterloo stations, plus other major rail stations around the
country
(though sadly not Birmingham New Street as yet...) - these are all
stalls, some have seating (such as Nottingham and Sheffield)
AMT's is also the choice of Café
magazine,
and is very good value
All
fairtrade
Caffè
Nero,
many places including
Birmingham,
Leeds,
Leicester, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Windsor...
Almost always perfectly balanced, and as good as AMT's, my
recommendation for a High Street coffee... the bitter edge to the
coffee
puts some off, but that's how it should be. Free water, and wireless
internet access (not free) is now available at many shops.
Tenth coffee is free with a loyalty card
All
coffee is traded
fairly
avoid
Birmingham Selfridges
Flavia, machines in strange
places like Learndirect, Bracknell;
Sofi de
France,
Loughborough University and Powerhouse, Wakefield
The best filter coffee out of a machine.
Worth
a visit
Alley Cat
Café, Cannon Court,
Long Row,
Nottingham
Possibly the best
vegetarian sandwiches in the East
Midlands and quite a decent cup of herbal tea or coffee. Hosts open mic
events and local
DJs.
BB's Coffee and Muffins,
Princess Square, Bracknell (also
Birmingham Pallasades, Reading Oracle and elsewhere)
Nice coffee with the tinge of bitterness, though the muffins are too
expensive and look a little dodgy
anyway
Costa,
everywhere
About Costa
from
the
Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. Again, not quite up to the very best
here, but
a
good cup of coffee , with a nice range of sandwiches etc.
Fairtrade
blends available
avoid
Gatwick Airport North
Terminal
Doctor Wu's,
Call
Lane,
Leeds
I've a feeling it's slightly too bitter here, and the froth isn't
frothy enough, but it somehow feels like a good cup of coffee despite
that... They don't serve coffee in the evening, when it's big on music
(whether open mic or DJs)
Global Café
at risc
(Reading International Solidarity Centre), London Street, Reading
Well balanced filter coffee, and it's all fairtrade. There is also a
regular programme of music and DJ nights, as well as political talks.
All
fairtrade
Heaven Scent,
Arndale
Centre, Shipley
I have to put them in here... reasonable cup of coffee at a good price,
bolstered by competition with another independent coffee shop two doors
away. They also run a sideline in alternative therapies, magnetic
bracelets and books about tarot cards.
All
fairtrade
Kada's,
Crown
Street, Leeds
A good cup at a good price... Quality of cappuccino based coffees can
be variable though.
The Love Apple,
Great
Horton Street, Bradford
A wonderful café, great food, great atmosphere and the tinge
of
bitterness that's the sign of a good coffee. DJs at the weekend, but
this is the haunt of many of Bradford's artistic community.
McDonalds,
everywhere
You might be wondering what McDonalds is doing here... well, they
seemed to have invested in producing a perfectly passable cup of filter
coffee, straight from the bean, although cappuccino based coffees are
nothing much to talk about, as they basically come from a machine.
avoid
cappuccino based coffees
Pret
a Manger,
everywhere - well, mainly in the cities...
"Pret" have shops everywhere these days. Prices a bit steep but the
quality's
good enough.
filter
coffee (only) is fairtrade
Puccino's,
Twickenham station, York station
A well rounded cup, if served a little too hot to drink without waiting
for it to cool down. You've got to love their attitude (imagine Marvin
the Paranoid Android serving coffee) - the worst thing about them is
that they closed in Bracknell :-(
Pumpkin,
Leeds station, Sheffield station
Basically the same as Ritazza coffee, but slightly better quality
Sahara,
Headrow, Leeds
A popular Arabic café serving nice sandwiches and cakes.
Coffee
is good quality but cappuccino style coffees are slightly too frothy.
Sphinx,
Kirkgate, Leeds
A little on the weak side, but a good froth layer, nice surroundings
and good sandwiches add up to somewhere worth visiting.
Tchibo, Croydon (London);
concession
at James
France Building, Loughborough University
A strange shop... they sell a range of various products from skateboard
wheels
to microwaves to underwear, which changes every week. The coffee is
good,
though slightly below the calibre of the places above.
The
Smoothie Company, Blenheim
Walk, Leeds
Coffee is a little on the weak side, but with an engaging aroma and
well rounded flavour
All
coffee is rainforest grown and
traded fairly
Virgin Trains,
almost
everywhere
Virgin introduced bean to cup coffee on the UK railway, and the filter
coffee is a rich columbian blend. Shame about the cappuccino based
coffees though... (it's a machine, which probably explains it)
avoid
cappuccino based coffees
Windrush
garage, Farnham Road, Slough
They also do a nice sideline in Volkswagens
Alright...
Café
Nescafe, Wintergarden, Bluewater
Shopping
Centre,
Greenhithe
Cappuccino is smooth but a little weak perhaps, but act quickly and you
can get a card entitling you to a staff
discount!
Ritazza
at The Upper Crust - Doncaster station,
Manchester Piccadilly
station,
Reading station
Reasonable continental style filter coffee
avoid
Leeds City station - the
worst
takeaway coffee ever...
