92 Degrees Coffee

The 92 Degrees logo, taken from above the counter on the Hardman Road coffee shop.92 Degrees Coffee is one of several places to spring up in Liverpool in the last year or two. Whereas most coffee shops are started by people within the industry, 92 Degrees is the brainchild of five friends from the software business, united by a love of coffee/coffee shops. What’s more, while most start small and grow with small steps, 92 Degrees went all in, roasting its own beans onsite from the outset (the roaster, by the way, is Rob Leigh, author of From Lime Street to Yirgacheffe). You’ll be able to read more about the roasting side of things and the motivation behind 92 Degrees in the Meet the Roaster series.

92 Degrees occupies a large, bright, high-ceilinged space, the sort of coffee shop that you could easily lose yourself in for an afternoon. Meanwhile, the roaster turns out some very good single-origin coffee. There are two single-origins and a decaf on espresso, and a further five roasted for filter, all through the V60. All the beans are available for you to take home, along with a selection of coffee kit. If you’re hungry, there’s a good range of cake, toasted bagels and a small selection of sandwiches.


September 2020: 92 Degrees is open again after the COVID-19 shut down. You can see what I made of it when I visited at the start of the month.


You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • 92 Degrees Coffee at the top of Hardman Street in the centre of Liverpool.
  • There's outdoor seating, with one table this side of the door and two more on the far side.
  • I like the use of the planters to separate the tables from the pavement.
  • The A-board nicely sums up 92 Degrees.
  • The view from Hope Street, looking down Hardman Street.
  • An inscription on the wall explains the building's heritage.
  • On the outside, looking in... 92 Degrees as seen from Hope Street.
  • The entrance, however, is on Hardman Street.
  • There's a sort of porch area, with the door on the right...
  • ... which leads you straight to the counter. How very conveninent.
  • The door, as seen from the inside.
  • The seating is to the left/behind you as you come in.
  • There's a long, communal table to the right, armchairs and sofas beyond.
  • There are tables down the centre and a long window-bar on the left.
  • The communal table, as seen on my second visit one December evening.
  • The comfy chairs come next, then the sofas. The book shelves are a nice touch.
  • These two, right at the back, look particularly comfortable.
  • A row of four-person square tables runs down the centre, with a window-bar on the left.
  • This window-bar, in fact.
  • There's a water-station and a notice board to the left, opposite the communal table.
  • Meanwhile, in case you forget where you are, the windows are there to remind you.
  • Although there are plenty of windows, 92 Degrees also has lots of lights.
  • Obligatory light shot.
  • There's also an old bench against the right-hand wall with some retail shelves above it.
  • While I was there, just before Christmas, hampers were obviously all the rage.
  • Other retail shelves are also available!
  • Tea, anyone? More shelves adorn the counter, with even more things for sale.
  • There are even homemade biscuits for sale.
  • A sizeable kitchen hides behind the counter, where 92 Degrees keeps the roaster...
  • ... a shiny 2.5 kg Diedrich to be precise. It's an impressively...
  • ... compact installation (although it's since been moved to a dedicated roastery).
  • The output from the roaster is dotted around the coffee shop, all for sale.
  • More of the beans.
  • You can, of course, also have them to drink in. The menu's above the counter.
  • There are iced drinks, tea, and, snuck in at the top, pour-over.
  • Meanwhile, the espresso menu has its own section.
  • Pour-over & espresso beans are displayed on this chalkboard (upgraded since my visit)...
  • The espresso machine, ready for action...
  • ... along with its two grinders...
  • ... although since my viist, it's been replaced by a three-group Nouvo Simonelli.
  • Double extraction action!
  • I'll just leave that here.
  • If espresso's not your thing, then 92 Degrees will happily make you a V60.
  • And, of course, there's plenty of cake to go with it. And fruit.
  • On my first visit, I had a cortado of the Brazilian (house) espresso...
  • ... and on my return, a decaf espresso...
  • ... which I paired with a lovely, toasted bagel.
Slider Script by WOWSlider.com v4.6

92 Degrees Coffee (not to be confused with Nottingham’s 200 Degrees; that’s my job!) is at the top of Hardman Street, at the corner with Hope Street, a five-minute walk east of the venerable Bold Street Coffee. 92 Degrees occupies a spacious, high-ceilinged Art-Deco building dating from 1931, built as part of Liverpool’s School for the Blind. It had stood empty for 10 years before 92 Degrees opened in 2014.

There’s a single window looking out across Hope Street to the Liverpool Philharmonic, while on the Hardman Street side, four tall, wide windows punctuate the grey, stone walls. The door, with pleasing symmetry, is right in the middle, occupying the spot where a fifth window would be. Outside on the broad pavement, two tables sit to the left of the door, another to the right.

The entrance itself is more like an internal, square porch. Double doors open onto the street, with the door to the interior on the right. At first this seems strange, but it actually works remarkably well, directing you to the counter, which sits between the first and second windows on the right, running almost the full width of 92 Degrees. Behind this, but in plain view, is a large kitchen area, which is where 92 Degrees has chosen to place its 2.5 kg Diedrich coffee roaster.

The espresso machine is to the left of the counter, side-on so you can see the action. Meanwhile, there’s a rack of V60s to the right. In between, there’s the cake and then the till. There are bags of beans for sale in the window to the right and more kit and beans dotted around the place.

Standing at the counter, the seating is to the left/behind you, the internal porch effectively splitting 92 Degrees in two, which makes the area in front of the counter delightfully uncluttered. Turning around, there’s a bench against the right-hand wall, which can be useful if you’re waiting for takeout. Beyond this, opposite the entranceway, is a long, 12-person communal table. Next is a cluster of three sumptuous red-leather armchairs surrounding a coffee table, while a pair of matching three-seater sofas share their own coffee table right at the back. Three square four-person tables run down the centre of the room, while the window/wall along the Hardman Street side is occupied by a long window-bar.

I was there twice, once in the afternoon and again n the evening. During daylight hours, the large windows make it a very bright space, while in the evening, multiple lights make it a welcoming, cosy spot. The sense of space is helped by the high ceilings, white-painted walls and uncluttered layout.

Naturally I had to try the coffee, starting with a cortado on my first visit. This was made with the house espresso, a Mercedez from Brazil, a strong, dark coffee which goes well with milk, a pleasant change from the more typical sweet coffees I’m used to. On my return, at the end of a very long day, I tried the decaf as an espresso. This was really punchy, surprisingly fruity, and very impressive, proving (once again) that you can roast interesting decaf beans. I paired this with a toasted bagel to tide me over to dinner time. This was beautifully done, very tasty and wonderfully crunchy.


January 2020: 92 Degrees now has three coffee shops: this one, a larger one serving food in the Baltic Triangle and the latest addition, a smaller shop five minutes’ walk from here, catering more to the local student population. The roaster, which has been upgraded to a 6 kg Giesen, moved out to the Baltic Triangle shop, but is now in a dedicated roastery/office the original building.

24 HARDMAN STREET • LIVERPOOL • L1 9AX
www.92degreescoffee.com +44 (0) 151 709 1145
Monday 07:45 – 19:00 Roaster 92 Degrees (espresso + filter)
Tuesday 07:45 – 19:00 Seating Tables, Sofas, Window Bar, Tables (outside)
Wednesday 07:45 – 19:00 Food Breakfast, Lunch, Sandwiches, Cake
Thursday 07:45 – 19:00 Service Order at Counter
Friday 07:45 – 19:00 Payment Cards + Cash
Saturday 10:00 – 19:00 Wifi Free (with code)
Sunday 10:00 – 18:00 Power Yes
Chain Local Visits Original: 14th, 16th December 2015
Update: 7th September 2020

Liked this? Then take a look at the rest of Liverpool’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Liverpool. You can also see what local blogger, Georgia, made of 92 Degrees.


If you liked this post, please let me know by clicking the “Like” button. If you have a WordPress account and you don’t mind everyone knowing that you liked this post, you can use the “Like this” button right at the bottom instead. [bawlu_buttons]
Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using the buttons below.

5 thoughts on “92 Degrees Coffee

  1. Pingback: Root Coffee | Brian's Coffee Spot

  2. Pingback: Caffeine Magazine | Brian's Coffee Spot

  3. Pingback: 92 Degrees Roastery | Brian's Coffee Spot

  4. Pingback: 2016 Awards – Best Espresso | Brian's Coffee Spot

  5. Pingback: 92 Degrees Coffee (COVID-19 Update) | Brian's Coffee Spot

Please let me know what you think. Guidelines for comments are in the "Posts" drop-down menu.