CoffeeBeer >> Double Shot Buzz >> Coffee Lab
Last summer, as I was walking up Surrey Street in Sheffield City Centre, I noticed a new place had opened in what was formerly the legendary Lynne’s Pantry, which closed during lockdown. Having popped up seemingly out of nowhere, Coffee Lab is only a few doors down from Caffe Tucci, which is a great Neapolitan cafe that serves excellent coffees. So I was a bit worried that this was going to be coffee overkill in Surrey Street.
A week later when I decided to investigate, I found myself in a cafe populated with female customers, all wearing headscarves except for me and one older woman. As stark contrast to its Italian neighbour, this place had more of a Middle Eastern feel. When I asked the barista if she could do a Cortado, she said she didn’t know what it was, but she really wanted to learn. So I did my best to describe a Cortado, saying it was like a Macchiato but with steamed milk instead of foam--although I wasn’t sure of the exact ratios. I had a choice of four coffees: Brasil, Guatemala, Kenya, and Ethiopian, so I chose Brasil. As it turned out, my Cortado was quite good, made very carefully, and the barista really wanted it to be perfect. (As far as the actual technique, I suggested watching a video online, which I’m sure she probably did.)
The cafe also offers the usual pastries, cookies, doughnuts, and bags of coffee for sale. When I saw the older man come out from the kitchen carrying a really nice-looking dip and some sort of Mediterranean flatbread, I asked the barista where the owners were from. She told me she was Slovakian, but her dad was Yemeni. That explains why the coffee tastes so good.
Coffee Lab actually began life back in 2009 as a Greek franchise. According to their website, they now have 170 branches across Greece, England, Germany, Egypt, Cyprus and Bulgaria, and they’re expanding to the USA. Their coffee is grown in Brazil, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Guatemala, and the beans are roasted in their state-of-the-art facilities just outside Athens. They boast a comprehensive quality management system ensuring product safety, and they have the capacity to produce ten tons of coffee daily.
Not only is Coffee Lab child-friendly, but it’s also dog-friendly, as evidenced by their logo which features the image of a dog. And it’s just a nice change from the other coffee venues in the area. It’s good to have a wide variety of caffeine experiences available.
Speaking of variety brings to mind the vast palette of taste experiences with hops, and also this short very recent WhatsApp exchange with my Bay Area friend:
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