If you are used to travelling to/through North Wales on the A55 expressway, Prestatyn is one of many places you’ll bypass, probably without even noticing. Despite growing up nearby, it’s not somewhere I have visited very often, even though it’s just one stop further on along the North Wales line from my regular station. However, with the opening of Caffeina Coffi in June this year, I sense that this is going to change. Located on the High Street, a short stroll from both bus and train stations, and with plentiful free parking nearby, there really is no reason not to visit. You can sit outside in the shade of nearby trees, or inside in the minimalist interior.

When it comes to coffee, Caffeina Coffi serves a Peruvian single-origin from Easy José, with a guest espresso from Heartland Coffee Roasters, all the shots pulled on a brand new Victoria Arduino Eagle One (the first, I believe, in North Wales). There are also plans for pour-over in due course, while Caffeina Coffi offers a range of loose leaf tea and a series of iced special drinks. If you’re hungry, there’s a concise brunch menu, backed up by a small selection of (excellent) cakes.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Caffeina Coffi is towards the top end of Prestatyn High Street, just down from the train station on the western side. Occupying what was an outdoor shop, the modest shop front is tucked between the Post Office and a hospice shop. Four two-person tables stand in a square on the broad pavement, under the shade of a pair of trees and, while the road can be busy, it’s actually quite a quiet spot.

The front is almost all glass, with a glass door on the left and a large window occupying the right-hand side. Stepping inside, the layout is simple, with a three-person bar ahead of you against the left-wall and, opposite it against the right-hand wall, a large, white sofa, flanked by two large, potted plants, and facing a pair of armchairs over a glass coffee table.

Beyond this, on the left, is the counter, the short side, facing the door, lined with cakes and bagels, while the long side has the till, where you order and pay, then the Eagle One espresso machine and its grinders. Opposite this is the remaining seating, five round tables against a row of benches down the right-hand wall. The first and last of these are three-person, while the middle three seat two people each.

The minimalist décor is predominantly white, with additional hints of white. Even the furniture is white, with the exception of the armchairs and stools (which are black). The bar next to the door, the benches opposite the counter, and the floor are all wood, offering a nice touch of warmth, while the addition of multiple pot plants really lifts the space. The overall effect is a relaxing one, with the high ceilings and large window adding to a sense of space and light.

When it comes to coffee, Caffeina Coffi has chosen Easy José and its Mayni single-origin from Peru. The Mayni, an indigenous people living in the Pango region of the Peruvian cloud forests, grow and process the coffee themselves, with Caffeina Coffi being the first coffee shop in Wales to offer it. A washed coffee with classic chocolate and nut notes, it is complimented by a guest espresso, currently the Los Nogales Natural from the Jasal Cooperative in El Salvador, roasted by Heartland Coffee Roasters.

Amanda and I visited for breakfast, and, while I went for a falafel and hummus bagel, with roasted peppers and salad leaves, it will come as no surprise to those of you who followed our adventures in Iceland, that Amanda had toast and jam. We paired this with a flat white (Amanda) and a cortado (me), both made with the Mayni coffee.

In the flat white, this was rich and smooth, while in the cortado (which was very short, perhaps more of a piccolo), the coffee came through very strongly, with a touch of acidity on the first sip. I returned on my own a few days later, when I tried the Mayni as an espresso, where its acidity really came through. I also tried the guest, which was much more rounded and less acidic, but equally enjoyable, providing quite a contrast to the Mayni (I also tried the same coffee as a cortado at the Heartland Coffee Bar).

Finally, since Amanda couldn’t come (she was working), I bought the last pecan and salted sticky toffee bun, which we shared when I got back. Put simply, it was amazing, with a really chewy, sticky dough and loads of pecans, while the toffee added a lovely sweetness without making it sickly sweet.

December 2021: Caffeina Coffi was a runner-up for the 2021 Most Unlikely Place to Find a Coffee Spot Award.

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