2013 Awards – Coffee Spot Most Resembling…

Upstairs at Coffee Bean Central, Plymouth: the espresso eye-viewThe last shortlist for today for the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards is the “Coffee Spot Most Resembling a Coffee Shop” Award. This Award was won in 2012 by Plymouth’s Coffee Bean Central and celebrates those archetypal Coffee Spots that look just how they should look…

Of course, coffee shops come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s more than one archetype, so this award reflects the wide range of coffee shops and all the different styles they represent, with entries from around the UK (Exeter, Coventry, Brighton and London).

You can see the shortlist after the gallery.

  • The Boston Tea Party in Exeter, nailing that coffee lounge look.
  • Kahawa Cafe in Coventry, a classic coffee shop if ever there was one
  • Kaffeine, one of the London vanguard both in looks and in coffee
  • Taylor Street Baristas, Brighton, one of the most visually appealing coffee shops I know.
  • Taylor Street Baristas, Mayfair, just to prove Brighton wasn't a fluke!
The Boston Tea Party in Exeter, nailing that coffee lounge look.1 Kahawa Cafe in Coventry, a classic coffee shop if ever there was one2 Kaffeine, one of the London vanguard both in looks and in coffee3 Taylor Street Baristas, Brighton, one of the most visually appealing coffee shops I know.4 Taylor Street Baristas, Mayfair, just to prove Brighton wasn't a fluke!5
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There are five Coffee Spots on the shortlist this year, all listed in order of publication.

The Boston Tea Party on Exeter's Queen StreetBoston Tea Party, Exeter

Regular readers will know I have a soft spot for the Boston Tea Party chain of coffee shops in the west of England. One of the the Tea Party’s knacks is taking iconic buildings and turning them into places which are instantly recognisable as branches of the Tea Party and yet are their own individual places. The upstairs lounge at the Exeter branch is the perfect example of this and the archetypal coffee lounge.

Kahawa Cafe, occupying its corner spot with pride in the centre of Coventry.

Kahawa Cafe

Not only has Kahawa Cafe brought quality coffee to Coventry, but its done it in a beautiful space that is exactly how I imagine a coffee spot should look. So much so that Kahawa featured in the Coffee Spot Calendar for 2014.

Kaffeine on Great Titchfield Street on a rainy October day.

Kaffeine

A London legend and one of the original Australian/ Kiwi-owned coffee shops that some credit with launching the recent coffee revolution in the capital. However, antipodean-style coffee wasn’t the only thing it introduced us to: there’s the look as well!

The Taylor Street Baristas since, with its emblem of a latte-art leafTaylor Street Baristas, Brighton

The Taylor Street Baristas chain of London (plus the Brighton branch) has got the coffee shop look nailed. I’ve never seen such a visually appealing coffee shop as the one on Queen Street Brighton. It sort of grabs you as you walk past and drags you inside.

Taylor Street Baristas in MayfairTaylor Street Baristas, Mayfair

Just to prove that the Brighton branch wasn’t a fluke, here’s the Mayfair branch. There’s something about these two: they just look and feel exactly how coffee shops are supposed to look and feel. Not only that, they serve an excellent cup of coffee too!

 

 

And the winner is Kahawa Cafe!
Runners-up: Taylor Street Baristas, BrightonTaylor Street Baristas, Mayfair

You can find all 20 of the 2013 Coffee Spot Awards here.

Special mentions also go to Boston’s Caffé Vittoria (for looking like a typical Italian café) and Café de Flore from Paris (for being the archetypal Parisian café).


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4 thoughts on “2013 Awards – Coffee Spot Most Resembling…

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