by Caffe_e_ciclismo » Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:42 pm
Hi everyone, this is my first post. I noticed this thread on Birmingham and i thought i might be able to contribute some useful info.
As a cycle courier in the city I've tried double espresso's in almost every coffee-serving establishment within a 2-mile radius of the centre and until recently had been pretty disappointed. In the last few weeks I discovered Eastside Café on the corner of Meriden Street and Coventry Street, opposite the temporary National Express coach station, they have a La Spaziale machine and serve Monmouth blend and they make a tasty double, with enough crema to be boldly served in two clear shot glasses. They really seem to care about every aspect of the food and drinks they serve there, and have obviously gone to quite some trouble to source good beans, a good machine and train their staff well. Super friendly too! Too anyone interested, they serve all organic, seasonal and locally sourced food - which is very commendable, and the fresh lemonade is out of this world.
I enjoy coffee roasters in Shirley (though not at all in the city centre), Martyn is a friendly fellow that has kindly roasted small batches of coffee from the 'secret stash' not advertised on the boards behind the counter (ask to see the buckets of greens in the corridor by the kitchens), such as the hand-picked organic from zimbabwe and kindly took me through the whole roasting process. It's not perfect, but a real gem nonetheless. I think it's sometimes a bit harsh to judge cafés with the same criteria as home espresso, since compared to almost every other café in Birmingham Coffee Roaster's does serve a 'real' espresso, albeit not a perfect one.
I thought Eastside was the best i'd get in Birmingham, but today I came across Saint Caffe at St. Paul's Square, and i'm really excited to find a café that shares the same passion for coffee as myself. They are clearly passionate about every aspect of the coffee making process and I had a really good chat with the couple that run the place (although on a caffeine high, i managed to blabber on and on...and on...and on...in my excitement in discovering this place). They have come up with their own custom blend too, roasted to their exact specifications. Every detail in making the coffee, cleaning and storing is done with the absolute relentless precision that only a true coffee enthusiast would go to - and I was super impressed. They also produce some fabulous latte art, which is the first I've seen in Birmingham. I have seriously been waiting to find somewhere like this for such a long time, and I'm really happy to have found this spot. I highly recommend this place!!!
As for chains, well...you can't expect too much, but all things considered Eat at Martineau Place (where they have..gasp...real cups not made from paper, like the other branches) make a very passable espresso on their La Marzocco and Caffe Gusto in the Mailbox is actually reasonable also. As I said already, you can't expect too much, but definately drinkable. I found Nata a gem in many respects, but i find the coffee tastes musty and a bit mildewy if i'm honest, but I'll go back in the hope they clean their machine, or solve whatever is making the coffee taste funny.
If anyone gets a chance to pop into Eastside or Saint Caffe I'd be interested to know what you think.