200 Degrees, Carrington Street

A piccolo in a glass and on a green saucer, made with the guest espresso at 200 Degrees, Carrington Street.Once-upon-a-time, there was a roaster in Nottingham called 200 Degrees. Then, after a little while, there was a coffee shop. And, that, it seemed, was that. Until this summer, when suddenly up sprang two more coffee shops, one in Birmingham and this one, on Carrington Street, next to Nottingham Station. Now, in fairness to 200 Degrees, I’ve known about the second Nottingham branch ever since I visited the original in the city centre last summer. It’s just that, as is so often the case with coffee shops in older buildings, everything took that little bit longer and summer last year slipped into autumn, then winter, before turning into spring and finally, summer this year!

However, it was definitely worth the wait: the new 200 Degrees is quite stunning. All three coffee shops are elegant, but this one even more so. Plus, with its glass front and side windows overlooking the canal, it’s easily the brightest of the three. The usual 200 Degrees elements are all there: plentiful seating, house-blend, guest and decaf on espresso, with a single-origin filter and another on nitro-cold brew. This is all backed up with some excellent breakfast and lunchtime options, with cake throughout the day.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

  • What this, just past the bridge over the Nottingham Canal? Why, it's 200 Degrees!
  • The view from the front. All the best-dressed buildings are wearing scaffolding this year.
  • Steppign inside, and over to the right is the counter area...
  • ... while dead ahead is the seating...
  • ... with this neat, raised seating area off to the left.
  • You can sit here at either one of two window bars and watch the road (left) or canal (right).
  • Alternatively, there's this two-person table to the right and a similar one on the other side.
  • Down the left-hand side of 200 Degrees is the now familiar sofa-bench...
  • ... while on the other side are the equally familiar wooden clad-walls and fireplace.
  • The view of the fireplace and surrounding tables from the back.
  • It looks pretty cosy, doesn't it?
  • Another view of the fireplace.
  • Beyond this, there is more seating in the form of a scattering of tables.
  • An alternate view of the seating at the back.
  • Some of the tables at the back. They are mostly two-person tables...
  • ... although some, like this one in the middle, have four chairs.
  • There are a couple of lovely stained-glass windows in the left-hand wall.
  • One of the windows in detail.
  • Right at the back is what can perhaps be described as 200 Degrees' moto.
  • This is next to a notice board listing barista courses at the training school.
  • Despite the windows, there are lots of light fittings too. These hang to the left of the door...
  • ... while these hang over the counter.
  • This lot, meanwhile, are towards the back...
  • ... and these beauties hang above the sofa-bench.
  • An alternate view of the lights above the sofa-bench.
  • More of the lights at the back...
  • ... which are so fierce, they need to be kept in cages.
  • These are of a gentler disposition, so can be kept behind glass.
  • Talking of cages, even the coffee-making kit needs to be kept behind bars!
  • An interesting statement about the coffee...
  • ... seen here to the right of the door. Roaster Mike is lovely, by the way.
  • Down to business. The L-shaped counter has espresso machine and grinders facing front...
  • ... and the food off to the right.
  • Soft drinks are next to the door.
  • There's quite an array of food at 200 Degrees these days.
  • Startng at the right: crisps and filled croissants...
  • ... followed by a tempting range of salads (top) and sandwiches (bottom).
  • The sandwiches in more detail.
  • Finally, there are the cakes and pastries.
  • The salads in particular caught my eye...
  • ... with lots of interesting combinations.
  • I'll just leave this one here...
  • ... and this one.
  • Finally, there's a frittata option as well.
  • The coffee menu is on the wall behind the till...
  • ... while the Black Eagle stands ready to do its duty on the other part of the counter.
  • In the corner are the three espresso grinders: house-blend, guest and the decaf.
  • I had a piccolo of the guest, the Indonesia Gayo Mandiri.
  • The latte art was excellent, always hard in a piccolo glass.
  • Even more impressive, it was still there at the bottom of the glass!
  • For lunch, I had the aforementioned frittata with a mixture of the salads.
  • I also tried the nitro cold brew, which is available on tap...
  • ... and rounded things off with a decaf piccolo. More excellent latte art!
Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

200 Degrees’ second Nottingham coffee shop opened in July 2016, next to Nottingham train station, providing the perfect welcome to the city, or a lovely parting gift. I should know, I partook of both! Located on Carrington Street as it crosses the canal, 200 Degrees benefits from having an entirely glass front, plus a significant set of windows overlooking the canal, so, despite being quite deep, there’s plenty of light at the back.

The recessed door is just off-centre to the left, leading you into a large L-shaped space. To the right, in the bottom of the L, is the counter/serving area, which has sensibly been left clear of tables, giving plenty of room for customers to order and, if taking-away, wait for their coffee. The counter’s an L-shaped affair, running down the right-hand wall, where you’ll find the food and till, before continuing along the back wall, home to the Black Eagle espresso machine, its grinders and the brew-bar, where 200 Degrees prepares V60s and Aeropresses.

All the seating is to the left, in the upward stroke of the L. Next to the door, a slightly raised seating area is separated by railings. It has two three-person window bars, one overlooking the street, the other, the canal. There are also two two-person tables there, one to either side.

The bulk of the seating, however, stretches out ahead of you. If you’ve been to either the new Birmingham branch or the original in the city centre, things will seem familiar. There’s a long, padded bench to the left, with a row of two-person tables, while to the right, there’s an open fireplace, with a neon-effect fire. This has three two-person tables running in a row alongside it. Finally, right at the back, there’s another handful of tables, mostly two- and four-person ones. Wooden floorboards, wood-cladding and exposed brick abound, giving 200 Degrees a truly elegant feel.

When it comes to the coffee, 200 Degrees is unashamedly looking to the mainstream market, a gateway, if you like, to speciality coffee. The main house-blend, Brazilian Love Affair, has a sprinkling of Robusta which won’t please some purists, but is very popular with the locals. However, there’s always a guest option on espresso, usually a single-origin, with another single-origin on filter and a third on nitro cold-brew, which is available on tap.

These choices, by the way, are the same in all three 200 Degrees, with the guest espresso and filter changing every six weeks or so. Having tried the filter, a Tanzanian, when I visited the Birmingham branch, I went for the guest, an Indonesian Gayo Mandiri, which was recommended by none other than Roaster Mike, who does all of 200 Degrees roasting, with the barista suggesting I try it as a piccolo. Both these recommendations were spot on, with the bold flavours of the coffee cutting strongly through the milk, but never at odds with it.

I also tried, at Mike’s insistence, the nitro cold-brew, made with an Augustino Forest Colombian. This, I have to confess, was a big surprise. Normally I’m not a cold-brew fan, but this was refreshing, a smooth, full-bodied drink that was very pleasant. Cold-brew still isn’t my drink of choice, but I’d happily down a glass of that.

I stayed for lunch, trying the frittata, with a mix of the three salads on the side. This too was excellent, served warm, while the salads were an interesting mix of tastes and textures. Finally, I popped back on my way to the station the following day for a cheeky decaf piccolo, a fitting send-off before my train.


You can also see what I made of all the other branches of 200 Degrees that I’ve visited.

99 CARRINGTON STREET • NOTTINGHAM • NG1 7FE
http://200degs.com +44 (0) 115 837 2240
Monday 06:30 – 20:00 Roaster 200 Degrees (espresso + filter)
Tuesday 06:30 – 20:00 Seating Tables, Comfy Chairs, Window Bar
Wednesday 06:30 – 20:00 Food Breakfast, Lunch, Cake, Sandwiches
Thursday 06:30 – 20:00 Service Order at Counter
Friday 06:30 – 20:00 Cards Amex, Mastercard, Visa
Saturday 08:00 – 19:00 Wifi Free (with sign-in)
Sunday 09:00 – 18:00 Power Yes
Chain Regional Visits 8th, 9th August 2016

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.

4 thoughts on “200 Degrees, Carrington Street

  1. Pingback: 200 Degrees, Birmingham | Brian's Coffee Spot

  2. Pingback: 200 Degrees, Leicester | Brian's Coffee Spot

  3. Pingback: 200 Degrees, Cardiff | Brian's Coffee Spot

  4. Pingback: 200 Degrees, Leeds | Brian's Coffee Spot

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