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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]