When I first went to Canterbury, in May 2017, Lost Sheep Coffee was already a fixture in the city, having, in 2015, traded in its cart on the High Street for a neat black pod down by the bus station. By the time I returned, an awful lot had changed, starting with the neat black pod, which was no more, having been replaced by a much larger (although still small in the grand scheme of things) pod. In addition, Lost Sheep had started serving in its own coffee from its new roastery in Whitstable.

In fairness to Lost Sheep, had I returned six months after my initial visit, I’d have found both these changes. However, thanks to my extensive travels, it was 2½ years later, at the end of November 2019, that I finally returned to Canterbury, making a beeline for the bus station to check out the “new” pod.

You can see what I found after the gallery.

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The Lost Sheep Coffee pod is still in the same location on St Georges Lane, serendipitously opposite the statue of a lamb by Kerry Hunter. The new pod is larger than the old one, so much so that where the old one was just a counter, the new one has enough space on the left-hand side for a narrow, standing bar, which can accommodate three people if you need shelter from the elements. The outside seating has also had an upgrade two, with a pair of low, mesh benches and two similar stools arranged in a rectangle in front of the pod.

The additional space has allowed Lost Sheep to expand its retail offering, with bags of coffee for sale, along with three different types of coffee capsule. There’s also a small range of coffee-making equipment, plus a selection of cake bars and crisps if you’re hungry.

Although plenty has changed, in many important ways, Lost Sheep Coffee is still the same, serving top-quality espresso-based drinks, with the Get To The Hopper house-blend supplemented by a guest, usually from a different roaster. However, while I was there, the guest, a Ugandan single-origin, was also roasted by Lost Sheep.

Although primarily catering to takeaway customers (for whom Lost Sheep provides biodegradable takeaway cups if you forget to bring your own), there are also glasses and proper cups for those, like me, who hanging around to drink their coffee. I marked my return with a flat white made using the Get To The Hopper blend. Lovely and smooth, the coffee and milk (from the Plurenden Manor Farm, on the other side of Ashford) went really well together.

Perhaps the most important thing not to change is the friendly, neighbourhood feel of the pod, with most of the customers (from what I could tell) being regulars. I was well looked after by Dan, my barista, who, before I left, offered me a shot of the Ugandan single-origin as an espresso. This is a slightly darker roast than Lost Sheep normally offers, with an interesting flavour-profile, although for me, the roast slightly overwhelmed it.

There’s a full write-up of Lost Sheep Coffee, including a complete gallery, in its main entry. You can also see what I made of it in my original write-up, from May 2017.

December 2019: Lost Sheep Coffee has won the 2019 Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot Award.

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