MyCloud Coffee is a family-run coffee shop that, according to its address, is in Ascot, although the immediate area, in spirit at least, considers itself part of Sunningdale. Just south of the A329, which connects Virginia Water (east) and Ascot (west), it sits on Silwood Road at the Sunningdale’s northern edge, part of a row of shops on the eastern side of the road.

Opening in 2015, MyCloud serves Square Mile coffee and other goodies. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it offered inside seating, but due to current restrictions, it’s decided to remain takeaway-only for the foreseeable future. There’s a standard espresso-based menu, plus pour-over, tea (from Brew Tea Co) and Kokoa Collection hot chocolate, along with a selection of pastries, cakes and pre-made sandwiches.

If you want a seat, a row of three tables outside on the pavement faces a line of tall, mature trees on the other side of the road. If you sit here, you’ll get a proper cup, but otherwise, it’s disposable cups only, so don’t forget to bring your own.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

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Although only 25 km north of my home in Guildford, MyCloud Coffee is a four-hour round journey by public transport, which is why, until exactly two weeks ago, I hadn’t managed to visit. However, on that particular Saturday morning, I’d just dropped Amanda off at Heathrow Airport and, in possession of a hire car and in search of decent coffee, I decided to rectify my oversight.

MyCloud is sandwiched between a convenience store/post office (left) and a beauty salon (right), with a convenient row of free two-hour parking bays right outside. With its brown and orange façade, it stands out easily enough, spanning three broad windows with the door on the left. For now, the only seating is outside, a single round, two-person table in front of each window. These are shaded by the building in the morning, with two extendable canopies for when the sun comes around in the afternoon.

Inside, MyCloud extends only halfway across the three windows, resulting in what would have been a cosy interior with a handful of tables and the counter at the back. However, in a dilemma which faces many coffee shops, customers sitting inside are counted as close contacts if anyone subsequently tests positive for COVID-19. Under current track-and-trace rules, this means that anyone working that day will have to self-isolate, which, for most coffee shops, leads to staff shortages.

However, MyCloud is family run (in that all the members of staff are from the same family), meaning that everyone would have to self-isolate, forcing MyCloud to close for the self-isolation period. Having maintained a proud record of being open throughout the pandemic, it’s not a risk the family wanted to take, so for now, it’s operating as takeaway-only.

With this in mind, I ordered a flat white in my HuskeeCup, then took it outside to drink (since sitting outside does not count as being a close contact…). I was rewarded with a lovely flat white, Square Mile’s Red Brick Blend going particularly well in milk. What I hadn’t realised is that if you do sit outside, MyCloud uses proper cups, only realising my mistake once I’d sat down. However, I rectified this by returning inside to order a pour-over (this doesn’t appear on any menu I could see, so you need to know to ask).

MyCloud uses a rotating cast of single-origins from Square Mile, and I had the last of a washed coffee from the Ndumberi Farmers’ Cooperative in Kenya, expertly made in the V60. Once again, I sat outside to enjoy my coffee, this time served in a carafe with the cup on the side. A lovely, delicate brew, it set me up very nicely for the drive back to Guildford and the rest of my day.

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