Category Archives: Manchester

Coffee Spots in the city of Manchester

Grindsmith

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Grindsmith, on a rainy day in Manchester. A rainy day? Well, I never!A relatively recent addition to Manchester’s coffee scene, Grindsmith opened in February 2014. Just across the river in (say it quietly) Salford, it’s a pioneer, funding itself via Kickstarter. I should confess that I have a vested interest, having funded Grindsmith sufficiently to get the Coffee Spot a prime spot on the counter-front, just below the espresso machine.

Grindsmith isn’t big, on the scale of Manchester’s very own Caffeine Cube, aka the original Caffeine & Co on St James’ Square (now Pavé Coffee). However, it’s surprisingly spacious and comfortable, dispelling my original misconception that it was little more than a glorified container. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth: Grindsmith’s lovely, bright and gloriously-appointed shop would grace any open space in Manchester and beyond. Frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that someone would be bound to notice its absence, I’d be tempted to relocate it to my back garden…

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TAKK

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Detail from the TAKK sign which hangs outside on Tariff Street: the TAKK logo, a cut-out T over the words "TAKK Coffee House", etched in wood in black .In Manchester’s Northern Quarter, five minutes’ walk from Piccadilly Station, there is an unprepossessing street on which, about half way down, is an unprepossessing store front, part of a tall (four storey) terrace of solid, brick-built buildings. This in turn proclaims itself to be the home of TAKK, a relative newcomer to the Manchester coffee scene. Perhaps this is down to innate modesty (although given the A-boards, I doubt that) or maybe it’s a cunning ploy to lull you into a false sense of security, but the exterior really gives no clues as to the delights that await you when you step inside.

TAKK, which is “Thanks” or “Cheers” in Icelandic, is a friendly, welcoming place, its size concealed by what appears to be a relatively small store front (it’s got roughly the same floor area as Manchester’s North Tea Power). The coffee is excellent, with a bespoke house-blend from Bristol’s Clifton Coffee Roasters (NorthernProjekt) and regularly-rotating single-origins from various guests on filter, with Berlin legends The Barn as a mainstay. Add to that an increasing focus on food, with locally-sourced ingredients, regular specials and simple menus, part of TAKK’s push to be the place for breakfast, lunch and coffee.

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Ancoats

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The Ancoats Coffee Co logo, the "o" in Ancoats being replaced with a stylised green coffee bean.Typical: you wait ages for a Meet the Roaster Saturday Supplement, then two come along in the same month! Hot on the heels of North Star Micro Roasters comes, from the other side of the Pennines, Manchester’s Ancoats Coffee Company.

Back in August, as part of my Manchester tour for Caffeine Magazine, I popped in to see Jamie, the man behind Ancoats. Appropriately enough, you can find Jamie in the birth-place of Manchester’s industrial revolution, the Ancoats district, after which the company takes its name. Just to the east of the city centre, it’s a remarkably accessible part of town, although it does look like it’s come straight out of the famous Life on Mars TV series, which was set in Manchester in the 1970s.

Jamie set up Ancoats in October 2013 and began trading in January 2014, so he’s about to celebrate Ancoats first birthday. Roasting on a 6 kg Giesen, Ancoats produces a seasonal espresso blend (appropriately enough, called Warehouse City), an excellent decaf and a number of single-origin beans. You can learn about Ancoats’ coffee on the website, where you can also buy the beans. Alternatively pop in and say hello: Jamie would love to see you.

November 2015: Ancoats has moved to an amazing new café/roastery in Manchester’s Royal Mills development. I’ve also done an update on the roastery.

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Cup North 2014 Part II

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An espresso being pulled on Foundry's Londinium lever espresso machine at Cup North.Today’s Saturday Supplement is the second half of my detailed report on the wonderful Cup North, Manchester’s two-day coffee festival. I’ve split my reporting into five main themes: Old Friends and New Roasters, which I covered last week, and Coffee Cuppings, Miscellaneous and Street Food, which I’m covering this week.

Coffee Cuppings, as the name suggests, is all about the two coffee cuppings I attended, while Miscellaneous covers an interesting mix, including a latte-art thrown down, tea (yes, I know…) and books. Finally, Street Food is a round-up of all the delicious food that was on offer at Cup North, organised by the wonderful Grub.

Each section has its own gallery and a short write-up which I present below, starting with Coffee Cuppings. Continue reading →

Cup North 2014 Part I

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An espresso being pulled on Foundry's Londinium lever espresso machine at Cup North.In the previous Saturday Supplement, I presented a round-up of Cup North, Manchester’s two-day coffee festival. This week I dive into the weekend in more detail. I could easily publish my adventures over five different Saturday Supplements, but at that rate, we’d soon be at Christmas, so I’ve decided to split it into two posts, with five main themes: Old Friends, New Roasters, Coffee Cuppings, Miscellaneous & Street Food. Part I, this post, includes Old Friends & New Roasters, while Part II, out next weekend, will have Coffee Cuppings, Miscellaneous & Street Food.

Old Friends covers a pair of roasters I’ve previously visited and one roasters I’ve never met, but whose coffee I’ve been drinking for a while now. This particular roaster also roasts some of my all-time favourite espresso blends. In contrast, New Roasters covers (some) of the roasters that I ran into the first time at Cup North. Completely by accident, they were all from either Yorkshire (three) or Lancashire (two).

The two sections have their own galleries and each has a short write-up as well.

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Cup North 2014 Round Up

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An espresso being pulled on Foundry's Londinium lever espresso machine at Cup North.Last weekend, I made a brief return up north to Cup North, Manchester’s two-day coffee festival. It was lovely, not just because of Cup North, but also because I could catch up with old friends such as Caffeine & Co and North Tea Power, discover new ones, such as the amazing Pot Kettle Black, and hop over the Pennines to Huddersfield and the delightful Coffee Kabin.

But what of Cup North itself? Well, if you’ve been to the London Coffee Festival, it was a bit like that. Then again, it wasn’t. Cup North was on a very different, much more manageable and, dare I say it, friendly, scale. Not that anyone at the London Coffee Festival has ever been unfriendly, far from it, but the sheer size of London and the number of visitors crammed in, make it a very hectic affair, even if, like me, you’re there for three days!

In contrast, Cup North was much more laidback, with more time to talk and socialise, and a chance to really get to know the various exhibitors. In all there were about 30 of them and you’d think, in two whole days, I’d have managed to visit them all…

August 2015: Breaking news! Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Cup North, taking place on 7th/8th November in Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse.

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Pot Kettle Black

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The Pot Kettle Black logo, the letters PKB in a black circle over a red espresso cup, flanked by coffee beans and a pair of portafilters.Continuing a theme of Coffee Spots in glorious Victorian shopping arcades, I present Pot Kettle Black (PKB), which has been gracing Manchester’s coffee scene since the start of October 2014. The Barton Arcade, home of PKB, is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen and PKB takes its lead from there, with gorgeous external features and some of the most ornate and sumptuous window art there is.

Stepping inside, PKB is one of the most beautifully-appointed coffee shops I’ve ever visited. It’s a spacious delight of glass, wood and ornate ironwork, with some great tiling thrown in for good measure. There’s a wide range of seating options and, with the laptop/smart phone generation in mind, power outlets have provided at every possible opportunity. While this might be at odds with its Victorian heritage, it’s a welcome addition.

However, a beautiful environment is not much use without some decent coffee to serve in it. Fortunately, PKB scores highly here too, with Workshop’s Cult of Done and decaf on espresso, plus guest filters through Aeropress and V60. There’s loose-leaf tea as well, with a tempting selection of cakes, sandwiches and a small breakfast menu, including porridge and toast.

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Fig + Sparrow

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The Fig + Sparrow logo painted in white on the window, rain lashing down on the street outside.Just a block down the street from the mighty North Tea Power, and a few steps along Oldham Street from its junction with Church Street, is relative newcomer to Manchester’s coffee scene, Fig + Sparrow. Established in 2013, it’s half life-style shop, half café, but 100% excellent. Serving an espresso-based menu using beans from London’s Climpson and Sons, with guest filters on Aeropress and Chemex, plus loose-leaf tea from Newcastle’s Ringtons, Fig + Sparrow also does food. There’s a small but excellent range of cakes, an all-day breakfast menu, lunch, with various specials, sandwiches and a separate toast menu. You have to admire a place that has a separate toast menu.

The front half of the store is given over to the retail arm, selling gifts and various items for the home. The back half houses the coffee shop, with two rows of seating and the counter right at the back. It’s beautifully laid-out, uncluttered and spacious, with wooden floorboards and whitewashed walls and ceilings. Although not much natural light reaches the back, the high ceiling and multiple light bulbs make it surprisingly bright. The result is a very relaxed atmosphere, with quiet, easy-listening music in the background.

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Cup North 2014 Preview

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A stylised outline of a white cup on a black background with letters cupnorth written above it (also in white).It’s been a bumper year for Coffee Festivals and it keeps on getting better. As well as the annual fixture that is the London Coffee Festival, there was the first ever Amsterdam Coffee Festival (which I would have gone to, had it not been so soon after the London Coffee Festival!), both of which graced us with their presence back in April. Not to be outdone, 2014 also saw the first Dublin Coffee and Tea Festival (which was September and which, alas, I also couldn’t attend), while end of November and start of December will see the inaugural Scottish Coffee Festival followed by the inaugural Glasgow Coffee Festival, both to be held in Glasgow.

Then, of course, there’s Cup North, which comes to Manchester on the first weekend in November. It’s a self-described two-day northern coffee party which promises to be, well, a two-day coffee party. In the north. Straight-talking folk, these northerners. With a guest/sponsor/exhibitor list to make even the hardiest coffee fan’s eyes water, it really is a must-attend event. I’ll be there for both the Saturday and Sunday, so there’s no chance of avoiding me!

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Coffee Fix

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The Coffee Fix logo on the front window.It was a day for finding great coffee in unexpected places. Having run into About Coffee in Colne that morning, I called in on Coffee Fix in Gatley on the way back that afternoon. Neither were chance encounters, having come across both on twitter, but neither location immediately springs to mind when thinking of where to find excellent coffee.

A friendly, neighbourhood café with top-notch coffee (roasted by James of Coffee Circle in Manchester), excellent cakes, lovely breakfast and lunch menus (all made on the premises), Coffee Fix has something for everyone, breaking my rule that you should do one thing and do it well. Instead, Coffee Fix does everything and does it to an excellent standard, especially the coffee, which is as good as anywhere I’ve been in a year of Coffee Spotting. Coffee Fix offers a full range of espresso and filter coffee, including V60, Aeropress and cafetiere.

In fact, the only thing I can think off that would improve it (in my opinion) is a move about 150 miles south so I don’t have such a long drive when I want to visit.

Or I could move nearer to Manchester… It’s a tempting thought!

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