Where have all the coffee shops gone

[Fat Controller]

Italian coffee shops are the best. They usually drink capuccino in the AM and espresso PM.

 

Frankly I do enjoy the Starbucks "double Espresso" - I have been known to order a quattro espresso  - they wouldn't give me a cinque espresso.

It's all the fancy made up coffee shite I can't stand...

 

Best, Pete.

I believe it's terribly infra-dig to ask for a capuccino after 11:00 in Italy; I've certainly never seen an Italian with one.

If you've ever had one of those double-strength espresso, you finally discover the secret of Italian driving...

[Catkins]

. . . . Perhaps if the larger chains tried to fit style wise into those few special high streets of merit, rather than have their own brand of fascias, they may be greeted into these places but that's for another thread.

There is a Costa in Bourne, Lincolnshire, that has taken over an old building, and AFAIK they have not gone overboard on the corporate styling.

 

If you are around Lincoln, there is a coffee shop called Stokes, on the bridge on the high street, and they also supply some independent cafes in the surrounding area.

[trisonic]

I believe it's terribly infra-dig to ask for a capuccino after 11:00 in Italy; I've certainly never seen an Italian with one.

If you've ever had one of those double-strength espresso, you finally discover the secret of Italian driving...

Believe me, I have driven around Rome many times and enjoyed it! I was a bit disappointed to be doing a good 150mph out to Da Vinci in a Merc to get flashed up by another Merc.

I drink espresso in mugs, for preference...but you're right coffee in Italy is simple.. I like espresso made in one of those old-fashioned stove top affairs even more than an old Gaggia.

 

Best, Pete.

[mow]

Woodes at bottom of Park St (Bristol), hasn't changed much since the 1970s. 

 

edited to change emphasis. 

[hayfield]

Woodes at bottom of Park St, Bristol hasn't changed much since the 1970s. 

 

 

Unfortunately neither has Watford, but by the 70's it had gone right down hill, no coffee shop the only model shop had been taken over by Beaties, the market had been moved and never recovered. One of the two department stores had closed as had Macfisheries along with at least 20 pubs. Pity it was't the town hall as no doubt the high street would have still the heart beat of the town without the so called improvements thrust upon us in the name of progress

[Mallard60022]

Rant begins.... the 'new fashion', in these fancy places, is to say "can I get a (whatever)" ....one day I'm going to say very loudly if I hear that, "yes you can you plonker, but try asking a proper question in a proper fashion, for example may I have a (whatever)", then wait to get beaten up.........rant ends.

Quackers.

[mow]

I think that the most expensive expresso must be from the coffee shops in St Mark's Sq in Venice. There was a surcharge of 5 € when the string quartet plays.

[colin penfold]

Rant begins.... the 'new fashion', in these fancy places, is to say "can I get a (whatever)" ....one day I'm going to say very loudly if I hear that, "yes you can you plonker, but try asking a proper question in a proper fashion, for example may I have a (whatever)", then wait to get beaten up.........rant ends.

Quackers.

 

I agree with your hatred of that particular GBH of the English language but desperately want to hear the Barista reply "no you cannot get one, as you are neither trained nor permitted to operate my machinery. However, I will willingly get one for you if you order it properly, you git."

[colin penfold]

At the risk of being useful to the OP we have a good coffee merchant in Norwich - "Wilkinson's started as a small family firm and have been trading since 1972 from the heart of Norwich, in the East of England. We have since grown to be well regarded quality tea & coffee merchants."  http://www.wilkinsonsofnorwich.com/

 

 

They do mail order if you cant get what you want locally

[raymw]

I wonder if Carwardines are still around in the Bristol area? I used to live more-or-less behind their Blackboy Hill branch; I really could wake up and smell the coffee, or sometimes the less pleasnt smell of over-roasted beans. Before that, I remember Kardomah in Swansea; again, I wonder if they survived?

Hi,

 

That reminded me of the one in Corn Street, by the nails and market I used to get beans from there, must be about 30 odd years ago. They never seemed to clean the extractor fan from the roaster, and sometimes the fire brigade would be there. Anyway, I've not been there for years, but a quick web search turned up this interesting piece of history https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2052840072/

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

[PhilH]

We used to have one at the top end of Southampton, used to roast the beans in the window, when there were proper shops around still. I used to hate going past it as a nipper, couldn't stand the smell -  what I wouldn't give to fill my nostrils with the aroma of those roasting beans now. 

 

BTW I had a takeaway capuccino from a Costa today.

 

Big mistake.

[scorpion]

Pumpkin, you can use your bite card and get a loyalty card

 

but where to find them...

[mow]

Hi,

 

That reminded me of the one in Corn Street, by the nails and market I used to get beans from there, must be about 30 odd years ago. They never seemed to clean the extractor fan from the roaster, and sometimes the fire brigade would be there. Anyway, I've not been there for years, but a quick web search turned up this interesting piece of history https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2052840072/

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

 

 

Somewhere between St Michael's Hill and The Highbury Vaults is a coffee roaster, but I don't think that they are a coffee shop per se, but will find an excuse to visit it purely in the interests of research.

[Horsetan]

Can't stand coffee anyway.

[Catkins]

Pumpkin, you can use your bite card and get a loyalty card

 

but where to find them...

Do you mean -

Pumpkin?

A 'bite card'?

Or a 'loyalty card'?

 

[Pacific231G]

Well, I'm just back after a wonderful week in Paris where even the smallest establishment serves excellent coffee.  Much to my delight, though I saw one Starbucks, one MacDonald's, and one Subway, they were all empty apart from stray tourists wanting a fix.

 

The French just don't eat on the streets, keeping to a sensible 3 meals a day, therefore there was a complete absence of litter, and amongst the 6 unfortunate fatties I saw waddling along the boulevards 3 were American tourists..................

Guess in which country outside N. America McDonald's has enjoyed its greatest market success? 

[Neil]

.....  And if in York, or Harrogate, there is only one place to go for a cuppa etc - Bettys. .....

 

[former York resident]  Noooo, don't do it, you'll queue for ages, pay through the nose and be faintly disappointed though you won't be able to pin this feeling down to any one thing. In York I'd recommend Cafe Concerto, High Petergate near the west end of the Minster or Cafe No8 Gillygate (the city end) with it's splendid garden overlooking the Bar Walls. [/former York resident]

[TheQ]

At the risk of being useful to the OP we have a good coffee merchant in Norwich - "Wilkinson's started as a small family firm and have been trading since 1972 from the heart of Norwich, in the East of England. We have since grown to be well regarded quality tea & coffee merchants."  http://www.wilkinsonsofnorwich.com/

 

 

They do mail order if you cant get what you want locally

I used to use them a lot, and would recommend them, but I've become very sensitive to Caffine, one coffee now sends my heart pounding, and if I had one of the above mentioned quattro espressos now, it would put me in hospital

 If I really want to be ill I'd just take a full fat coke, as I'm diabetic as well now.!!

The Q

[Clive Mortimore]

With the demise of the old fashion coffee shop has there been a detrimental effect on bad poetry? I ask this because where do the old beatniks hang out now?

 

 

Second thoughts they must all be in old folks homes.

[Mallard60022]

Pumpkin, you can use your bite card and get a loyalty card

 

but where to find them...

Donny Station cafes

[Horsetan]

...Second thoughts they must all be in old folks homes.

....probably drinking coffee....

[rovex]

There's usually a chap at Redditch station in the morning serving fresh coffee out of the back of his van, seems to do a good trade.

[AndrewC]

With the demise of the old fashion coffee shop has there been a detrimental effect on bad poetry? I ask this because where do the old beatniks hang out now?

 

 

Second thoughts they must all be in old folks homes.

Old beatnik homes. I can just picture Don B with a beret and cigarette holder.

 

These days its all poetry slams in funky popup "spaces". Nothing better than sitting on a broken barrel in a disused shop front drinking home brewed sludge, eating the latest fad street food, (mmmm pickled yak gonad tacos) while listening to some bearded upper middle class media studies graduate dressed as a lumberjack whinge on about how unfair the system is and why his dog left him. But first everyone has to take a selfie and post it on instagram then tweet about it.

[chris p bacon]

We used to have a coffee roasting shop in Church arcade Bedford but it went many moons ago.

 

Personally I don't like the way high streets are becoming these bland one brand places, I have no intention of stepping into any of the formula coffee houses or "restaurants", on a trip over to the SVR a couple of weekends ago No1 son and I wanted to stop for a bit of brekkie but neither of us wanted either fried chicken or a burger, after passing an endless procession of Costas McD's KFC and Subway we ended up eating in the restaurant at Kidderminster, and very nice it was too.

[Clive Mortimore]

We used to have a coffee roasting shop in Church arcade Bedford but it went many moons ago.

 

Hi Dave

 

I can smell it now, the whole arcade was filled with the bouquet emanating from the coffee shop.....I remember as a kid looking through the window seeing the rollers grinding the beans.

 

Now you got me thinking of going to town on a Saturday, listening to records you would never buy, on headphones, in Carlow's shop, taking the mickey out of the Bedford Modern boys who had to go to school on a Saturday morning....being walloped by my brother because he didn't like going to school on a Saturday.