Merry Christmas to all my readers old and new! I hope, despite everything that’s gone on this year, that you’re having a great Christmas. Once again, it’s time for the Coffee Spot Awards, now into their NINTH year! The Awards provide a chance for me to reflect on all the great places I’ve visited and to give them all some more well-deserved time in the limelight. As usual, there are 20 Awards, the shortlists published between now and New Year’s Eve, with the winners announced on New Year’s Day.

2020 has easily been the strangest year in the Coffee Spot’s history. Things started off normally, with my (at that point) annual trip to a sunny part of America (California, this time, followed by a week in Phoenix, a week in northern Arizona and a long weekend in Portland, Maine). I was back in the USA in February and March, a trip that was abruptly cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. And that was it as far as travel went. For a long time, even visiting coffee shops was out of the question. A strange year indeed.

Thanks to everyone who’s stuck with the Coffee Spot this year, following me on Twitter, liking my Facebook page, and looking at my Instagram pictures. While I do this for the love of coffee, it means a lot to me that so many of you take the time to read and comment on my writing. Without you, it really would be pointless.

Before we go on, let’s check out who won what in last year’s Awards in the gallery.

Before I introduce the awards, a few statistics for 2020.

This year I published Coffee Spots from just four countries outside of the UK (which was significantly down from the nine countries I managed in 2019) and although I managed to write about 116 Coffee Spots in 2019, this plummeted to just 38 this year! However, my overall number of posts held up quite well as I published 165 times in 2020, compared to 210 times in 2019.

To make up for the lack of coffee shops to visit, I wrote my Coffee at Home series and (somewhat ironically) launched the Travel Spot page. Despite not going anywhere, I managed to publish 27 Travels Spots, the most I’ve ever managed, using my down time to catch up on my backlog of old trips!

As I write, the Coffee Spot has almost 100,000 views this year, on a par with last year’s 105,000 in 2018. This is an average of 275 per day and over 60,000 of you have visited the Coffee Spot (again on a par with last year when I had just under 65,000 visitors).

Anyway, enough of the numbers. Let’s see what the award categories are this year. Don’t forget that as the shortlists for each Award are published between now and New Year’s Eve, you will be able to click on the Award title to see who is in the running.

Most Unlikely Place to Find a Coffee Spot (2019 Winner: The Hideout)

Let’s face it, go to big cities such as New York, Edinburgh or Manchester and you expect to find good Coffee Spots. However, good Coffee Spots are everywhere, and some of them are in very unexpected places… This can either be geographically or a result of the Coffee Spot’s setting. Either way, this award recognises them.

Best Takeaway Coffee (2019 Winner: Workshop Coffee at The Pilgrm)

Takeaway coffee is tricky. Often the elements are against you and the surroundings might not be the nicest, so this award recognises those Coffee Spots who produce outstanding coffee against the odds.

Coffee Spot with the Best Basement (2019 Winner: Society Café, The Corridor)

Regular readers with know that I have a soft spot for Coffee Spots with great basements, and this award recognises them. A good basement can be a real boon, particularly in the winter months, where there’s nowhere better to wrap up warm and cosy!

Best Neighbourhood Coffee Spot (2019 Winner: Lost Sheep Coffee)

A lot of the best Coffee Spots are those that are firmly rooted in their neighbourhoods, places that serve and reflect their local communities. This award is for them.

Coffee Spot with the Best Lighting (2019 Winner: Coffee Addict)

Regular readers will also be aware that I also have a soft spot for coffee shop lighting, so this award ensure that those Coffee Shops with wonderful lighting are properly recognised.

Best Filter Coffee (2019 Winner: Tasting Flights at Glitch Coffee)

Writing the Coffee Spot has revolutionised the way I think of (and drink) filter coffee, introducing me to an amazing, delicate drink and opening my eyes to a whole new world of coffee. This award celebrates those Coffee Spots which have helped me on my journey.

Best Coffee Spot near a Railway Station (2019 Winner: Espresso Station, Moor Street Station)

When you’re desperate for good coffee, stuck in a railway station is rarely the best place to be. But what if there was a great Coffee Spot in the station, or just outside and you didn’t know about it? This award is for you (and, new for this year, for anyone looking for good airport coffee)…

Best Saturday Supplement (2019 Winner: Coffee & Science with Bean Thinking)

The Saturday Supplement is the place where I write about coffee, coffee kit and events without writing about specific places. This award recognises the best of them (note that Saturday Supplements where it’s just me writing about stuff aren’t included; this award is for the things I am writing about, not me!).

Best Outdoor Seating (2019 Winner: Pavilion Café)

This award focuses on those Coffee Spots which provide the best environment for sitting outside. The Coffee Spot itself doesn’t have to be outside; anything with a decent outside seating area qualifies!

Best Espresso (2019 Winner: Blueprint Coffee & Books)

Espresso is tricky. While my Sage Barista Express means I can now pull a reliable shot at home, I still admire those who can knock out shot after shot of high-quality espresso. This award is for those Coffee Spots which served me the best and most memorable espressos of the year.

Smallest Coffee Spot (2019 Winner: Alex Coffee)

I have a special place in my heart for small coffee spots and this year the Coffee Spot continued to be full of them. Note that this is all subjective – I did not get my tape measure out at any point!

Best Cake (2019 Winner: Donut Shop)

It’s not all about the coffee you know (despite what the tag line says). What would a cup of coffee be without a decent slice of cake to go with it? So, cake plays a major part in the Coffee Spot and this award celebrates the Coffee Spots which excel in the cake department.

Best Roaster/Retailer (2019 Winner: Wood St Coffee Roastery)

While the Coffee Spot is mostly about places to have coffee, I still drink a lot of coffee at home. This award recognises those wonderful who roast and sell me my coffee beans.

Best Flat White (2019 Winner: First Draft Coffee & Wine)

While I love my espresso and my (black) filter coffee, espresso with milk is very much its own thing, reaching a pinnacle (in my opinion) in the flat white (although, depending on the coffee, I will also go for a cortado). This award recognises those who have produced the perfect blend of coffee and milk with the smoothest, silkiest flat white.

Best Physical Space (2019 Winner: Pražírna Kavárna)

For me, a Coffee Spot is as much about atmosphere, layout and overall feel as it is about the coffee. This award celebrates those Coffee Spots which there’s a pure joy in just sitting there, soaking it all in.

Happiest Staff (2019 Winner: Ngopi)

I think that staff are probably the most over-looked part of any Coffee Spot. Good staff can make a place and bad staff, no matter how great the coffee and wonderful the location, can kill a place. Everywhere that features in the Coffee Spot has great staff, but these were exceptional.

Best Breakfast (2019 Winner: SLOW Café)

Along with cake, breakfast has a special place in my heart, so-much-so that I started the Saturday Spot so that I could write about Coffee Spots where the coffee wasn’t up to much, but where the breakfasts were to die for! Of course, there are also plenty of places where both the coffee and the breakfasts are to die for!

Most Passionate About Coffee (2019 Winner: Coffee Curiosity)

It’s not just about the coffee, it’s also about people who love and care about coffee. In fact, everyone who has been covered in the Coffee Spot is passionate about coffee and one of the great things is how much love there is out there. However, those shortlisted for this award stand out from the crowd.

Brian’s Coffee Spot Special Award (2019 Winner: Kafi)

This is a special award for those Coffee Spots which don’t quite fit into the other categories, but which nonetheless I absolutely love…

Most Popular Coffee Spot (2019 Winner: Omotesando Koffee, London)

Finally, this is the only award not decided by me. It’s given to the Coffee Spot which received the greatest number of views (according to JetPack) in this calendar year. Since the Awards are meant to recognise what’s happened on the Coffee Spot this year, I’ve decided to exclude Coffee Spots published in previous years.

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And that’s it! All the shortlists have been published. Make sure you check back on New Year’s Day to see who has won!

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