Cornish Coffee Culture
Hands up if you think Cornwall has a thriving coffee culture.
I have just returned back from a trip discovering some of the fabulous independent cafes that Cornwall has to offer and if you’re hands are not raised high then its about time you headed to Cornwall to see what all the fuss is about. From tea-rooms to award-winning cafes, Cornwall has an amazing range of establishments.
Figgie Hobbin, situtated in Stithians Village (near Redruth) is a fine example of a quintessential English tea-room, serving a dazzling array of cakes and slices, easily the best scones with homemade strawberry jam and clotted cream that I have ever tasted, and wonderfully prepared and presented tea or a selection of french press coffees, changing monthly and sourced from CoffeeBeanShop. While you’re there, browse through the art work cards and prints or purchase one of the larger works of art adorning the walls and make sure you take time to speak to the owners who are passionate about the area, and what they do.
Most cafes we visited were using Origin Beans so we have a pretty even baseline for reviews, although Puro and Cornish Coffee featured prominently and seem to be gaining a good foothold of market share
Cofro, in Mevagissey, is an art gallery / coffee house, serving Origin coffee and uses a San Remo machine. The coffee was well made, the couch comfy, and we could have spent all day soaking in the atmosphere and keeping out of the baking hot sun, but we had a timetable to keep to so headed for Penzance where we came across Green Bean Coffee Co (click the name to see the reviews)
Fifteen Cornwall (Watergate Bay) also served up a decent espresso, using Origin beans, although I am led to believe that the quality can vary depending who is working the machine on the day you visit. I’d highly recommend booking ahead. The views are spectacular, probably the best in any UK cafe that I have visited so far.
Hub Bar and Restaurant in St Ives served up a good latte, accompanied by sandwiches stuffed with so much filling that it was impopssible to pick them up to eat, real value for money.
On our way home we stopped in at Relish Food & Drink in Wadebridge, to visit Hugo, the 2007 UK Barista Champion, who also uses Origin beans and serves up excellent coffee, complete with latte art as standard. The locals seem to have gleaned knowledge from Hugo and were full of praise for the drinks they received and were happily recommending the coffee to ‘menu browsers’. That doesn’t happen in London!
However, there are still parts of Cornwall that are devoid of good coffee. A real opportunity for improvement.
We’re already planning out next Cornish adventure. It’s so refreshing to see a coffee culture that exists in the UK that closely mirrors that of New Zealand and Australia, where quality is standard and good service exists.
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