After my dissapointing experiences with McCoys in Princes Dock Side, I thought I must take a closer look at some of the remaining Coffee Houses in Historic Hull. Remembering with affection our frequent visits to Cafe 10&1/2 in Trinity Square, which at one time (sigh!) housed a rip roaring open market with stalls of every description, plus a fairly passable Fish and Chip stall. The open market, sadly, is now long gone. Killed off by the building of flats for the better off, facing the Holy Trinity Church and over some of the shops that formed one side of the square. The buyers were happy to move into the new flats, but no sooner had they done so that they raised a racket and forced the council to demolish centuries of tradition. Now...no more open market.
But what of Cafe 10&1/2? It was still early when I called. The staff were quite happy for me to take photographs of the engine room, which boasted one of the GAGGIA'S, which I am fairly certain was an E90. I ordered a single shot of espresso and was surprised that there was no loading of grounds, no tamping down, nothing. Just the demitasse held under a steady flow of dark syrupy liquid. My espresso?
Right away I could see that there was no 'crema', just a thin circle of what purported to be 'crema' around the edges of the demitasse. The cup was splattered with coffee and what I can only describe as coffee grounds. Not what I expected at all.
Taking a seat near the window, from where one can see some of the old buildings, the Holy Trinty Church and the just as ancient School, now a museum. I tried the espresso first of all for aroma. There was a distinctly Malty aroma, not heavy, but certainly there alright. I sipped a little, holding it in my mouth and moving it around. It was acidic. No sweetness at all. In fact the opposite. It was very very bitter with a very strong taste of, dare I say it, stale tobacco coming through. I am certain that this strong taste was not liqurice. No, I think stale tobacco is the nearest description I can come up with. I finished my espresso and left the Cafe.
Somehow, with that bitter, stale tobacco taste still lingering in my mouth, I doubt very much that I shall return. Come back McCoys, all is forgiven.
I have included the photographs that I took. Hope that you enjoy as much as I enjoyed taking them. Next time I hope to take a seat in Planet Coffee in the, not so historic area of Newland Avenue. Regards. Walt.