Hatch Coffee is the latest addition to Newcastle Upon Tyne’s steadily-growing speciality coffee scene and had been open all of ten days when I visited one sunny Monday afternoon. Situated in an old hut which used to belong to the car park attendant at the top of Ellison Place (the car park’s still going strong, but is now pay-and-display, so the attendant and accompanying hut are surplus to requirements).
Given its size, Hatch’s set-up is truly impressive. With less space than you’ll find behind the typical coffee-shop counter, the owner and head (sole for now) barista, Mark, has installed a fully-functioning speciality coffee shop. The espresso’s from local roasters, Colour Coffee, plus decaf from Bath’s Round Hill Roastery on a second grinder. There’s tea from Canton Tea Co, hot chocolate from Kokoa Collection and a range of soft drinks, plus locally-baked cakes and other goodies. All that’s missing is pour-over!
You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.
Hatch Coffee occupies a very smart-looking black hut at the top (northern) end of a small car park on Ellison Place in the heart of Newcastle city centre, a few minutes’ walk from Newcastle stalwart, Flat Caps Coffee. However, it was far from smart-looking just a couple of months ago, the hut having been abandoned for several years before the council leased it to Hatch.
Hatch opened on Saturday, 14th May, after an extensive fit-out which has resulted in a very impressive set-up, including a two-group La Marzocco espresso machine and a pair grinders (house and decaf). Indeed, the range on offer would put some indoor operators to shame, with cold brew and iced coffee ready for the summer, plus a wide selection of cold soft drinks (straight from the fridge) as well as tea and hot chocolate.
The set-up, however, is deceptively simple. The black hut is rectangular in shape, with a single serving hatch/counter running almost the full width of the front. It is, in size, slightly smaller than Terrone & Co’s container at Netil Market. The cakes and soft drinks are to the left of the counter to tempt you, while the espresso machine is against the right-hand wall. While not exactly sit-down material, don’t underestimate the pleasure of standing at the hatch on as sunny day, sipping on your coffee and chatting with Mark (the owner/head barista). The only downside is that Hatch is takeaway only, so don’t forget to bring your own cup.
Hatch uses local roasters, Colour Coffee, with a seasonal single-origin on espresso, currently the Brazilian Londrina. I put Mark to work, pulling me a shot in my Kaffeeform cup. The resulting coffee was very bright and fruity, perhaps a little bit too much for me, but was very well made.
Hatch is very big on using local suppliers (hence Colour Coffee), with a pair of local bakers providing an impressive range of cakes. Emily Botham supplies the millionaires shortbread, rocky road and cookies, while Pet Lamb Patisserie from the nearby Grainger Market is responsible for the lemon curd blondies and Nutella brownies.
Being a fair-minded sort of chap, I decided to have one from each supplier. I started with the lemon curd blondie, which was very sticky and lemony, not unlike a lemon meringue pie, with a lovely pastry crust. This went down very well with my coffee. I followed this up with a slice of the millionaires shortbread which I got Mark to wrap up so that I could have it on the train later (that was actually his idea, clever fellow that he is). This too was delicious, the caramel filling in particular being done to perfection.
December 2016: Hatch Coffee has won the 2016 Best Takeway Coffee Award.
ELLISON PLACE • NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE • NE1 8ST | ||||
twitter.com/hatchcoffee | ||||
Monday | 07:30 – 18:00 | Roaster | Colour Coffee (espresso only) | |
Tuesday | 07:30 – 18:00 | Seating | N/A | |
Wednesday | 07:30 – 18:00 | Food | Cakes | |
Thursday | 07:30 – 18:00 | Service | Counter | |
Friday | 07:30 – 18:00 | Cards | Amex, Mastercard, Visa | |
Saturday | 10:00 – 16:00 | Wifi | N/A | |
Sunday | CLOSED | Power | N/A | |
Chain | No | Visits | 23rd May 2016 | |
If you enjoyed this Coffee Spot, check out the rest of Newcastle and Gateshead’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Newcastle & Gateshead.
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