Coffee is the elixir of life, or at least, life at university. No other beverage can get you though that 9am lecture better than a ‘good ol’ cup o joe’. Coffee is popular, there is no doubt about that, but as with most ‘mainstream’ things it’s easy to find that the majority of it isn’t very good. The burnt, tasteless, mud water that is consumed by so many should not be called coffee. However, there is a glimmer of hope out there. In the less crowded streets of Glasgow, the quieter corners, there are people who care about coffee. You just need to find them.
Artisan Roast
15-17 Gibson Street
Perhaps one of the most well known coffee shops in Glasgow is situated on Gibson Street, just a short walk from the university library. Its relaxed atmosphere and a variety of freshly roasted beans every week make it unique. Serving cakes, breakfast and light lunch as well as numerous types of coffee makes it a perfect haven for getting some reading done whilst enjoying something tasty.
Tapa
19-21 Whitehill Street
721 Pollokshaws Road
Tapa situated in both the east and south ends of the city, providing more than just fresh coffee to folk living outside the west end bubble. With a full menu of yummy lunch time food and some of the best freshly baked bread it’s certainly worth a visit. They roast their beans slightly darker than others so if you like your coffee a bit more Italian, Tapa is the place for you.
Coffee, Chocolate & Tea
944 Argyle Street
CC&T is admittedly a place that I’ve never tried coffee from. I know, it’s terrible and I call myself a coffee lover. So I will go by what my coffee loving friends say: they love it. As with the other places CC&T roast their own coffee and choose the best single estate beans, taking care to bring out the best flavours of each variety. As the name suggests they are passionate about tea and chocolate as well. I can at least vouch for the tea part, after receiving some as a Christmas present.
Dear Green
Dear Green is my latest coffee love affair. After only discovering they exist a few months ago I ran to All That Is Solid to give it a try. It was love at first taste. Not only do Dear Green distribute bags of beans to sell in various outlets across the city, they provide freshly roasted coffee for use in so many coffee shops across the city that it’s hard to list. Ok I’ll try: CCA, Left Bank, Bungo, Two Figs, King Tuts, Metropolitan Bar, Mono, Stereo, The 78, The Ivy, Big Slope, The Finnieston, Lebowskis and the list grows everyday. What’s more, all this is done by one individual, Lisa, in an east end roastery that is smaller than my kitchen. Phenomenal.
All this is great but what happens when you have all the essays to write and no time to go out and buy coffee.You can buy anything online, including great freshly roasted coffee. Here are a couple of roasters that have great reputation online.
Has Bean
Has Bean is one of the most popular coffee roasters in the UK. A short visit to their website feels like stepping into a giant coffee candy shop. You can spend hours browsing and reading the flavour notes for all the coffee types. As well as choice they provide brewing equipment and coffee subscriptions, where they send you a different coffee every month. Very useful if you don’t have the time or the correct sleeping pattern to get beans from a physical shop.
Square Mile
Square Mile coffee roasters in London have some of the nicest coffee I’ve ever tasted, all available to buy in their online store along with any coffee making equipment you’ll ever need. Although they have a modestly small selection of coffee compared to Has Bean, Square Mile beans have always been unique in their flavour.
Because both Square Mile and Has Bean operate online, they take care to only ship right after the roasting so you get the freshest coffee available.
