coffee

Mrs Atha’s coffee shop, Leeds

November 10, 2012
Mrs Atha's independent coffee shop, Leeds

From absolutely nothing a few years ago, Leeds is now littered with top-rate independent coffee shops. The latest one is Mrs Atha’s a quirky little place on that odd, desolate feeling pedestrianised road behind House of Fraser. They’re springing up all over the place, these indies, to such an extent that it’s possible to say [...]

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Brewbar Espresso, Leeds

June 15, 2012
Brewbar Espresso, Leeds

The community of very decent coffee shops in Leeds seems to be expanding all the time. Good indies are still outnumbered by the Faceless Chains, but you don’t have to walk far these days to get the real deal. Brewbar Espresso takes a bit of effort to get to, not because it’s out of the [...]

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Bold Street Coffee, Liverpool

May 26, 2012
Bold Street Coffee - Liverpool's best independent coffee shop

Costa have started to claim that they’re voted the UK’s favourite coffee shop. I don’t believe that for a second. I’ve had their coffee, after all. Those canvassed have probably never been to the likes of Laynes, La Bottega Milanese or Opposite in Leeds, or perhaps Bold Street Coffee in Liverpool. Bold Street Coffee is [...]

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eightpointnine.com’s personalised coffee

November 19, 2011
eight point nine's personalised coffee

One of the key things about coffee is freshness. It’s the reason that any coffee shop worth its salt grinds their own beans, with the very best grinding small quantities very regularly. At home, it’s difficult to get a decent grind out of most domestic grinders….blade grinders just obliterate the beans, and they do that [...]

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Laynes Espresso, New Station Street, Leeds

July 2, 2011
Laynes Espresso, Leeds

Leeds is littered with bad coffee shops. They’re everywhere, on every corner, selling their burnt-out espresso watered down with a gallon of milk to disguise the terrible taste of the coffee within. In among all the multinational chains, there are a few independents, places serving the real deal and serving it with passion and skill. [...]

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How to brew coffee with a cafetiere

April 9, 2011
How to brew proper cafetiere or French Press coffee

Coffee is easy to make well, and even easier to make badly. There are plenty of methods of making coffee, but the stand-out, everyday method is to use a cafetière, or a French press as it’s known over The Pond. Forget about drip or filter coffee, keep the Italian stove top pot for when you’ve [...]

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How to order coffee like an Italian

October 27, 2010
Sant Eustachio cafe - the best coffee in Rome?

Ordering a cup of coffee in a traditional Italian café at a busy time of day is a little daunting for a visitor. Firstly, the place will be chaotic, full of jostling people knocking back espresso in one gulp.  Receipts and coins fly everywhere, and at the centre of it all, there’s a gleaming espresso [...]

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Why Starbucks might be a force for good

May 5, 2010
Why Starbucks might be a force for good

I think that Starbucks gets a lot of unfair flack, and I’ll admit that I’ve dished some out myself in the past. The ‘is Starbucks evil?’ question is one that’s regularly tossed around.  I don’t think there’s a definitive answer. Any corporation the size of Starbucks will attract some form of criticism, and Starbucks has [...]

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