Leave the Herd Behind - Coffee Masterclass - Black Sheep Coffee

I was so excited when Jane offered an opportunity for a Coffee Masterclass at Black Sheep Coffee at Regents Place.

I hadn't heard of the particular brand before, but this weather is perfect for fueling my caffeine addiction and I quickly said yes.

The evening began on a perfect note. As we signed in, we were handed freshly made espresso martinis and cups of popcorn. Very practical for participants like me, that had survived the whole day on just coffee, snicker bar, a piece of fruit (all true stories).

I caught up with some of my friends, Joanne from Love PopUps London, Joice and Jason while sipping our cocktails and waiting for the others to arrive.

While Black Sheep Coffee functions as a coffee shop during the day, they also have a couple of bar tenders and depending on the day of the week, they start filling in cocktail orders whenever their mainly office going customers request them for it. They have a huge space that's quite comfortable for business meetings, so they said that they have people who come in for meetings requesting coffee and as they get don with work, they segue to the alcoholic drinks. What an amazing concept!

Black Sheep Coffee has quite a few branches around town, mostly concentrated in the business districts. I can't wait for them to come to Paddington.

Once everyone was assembled, we were addressed by Tony and Monia. They showed us how to smell and taste coffee and gave us a few tips on what to look for when buying coffee grounds. We did the slurp test to try out a couple of different varieties.

We were then split into 2 groups. Our group headed to the heavy machinery first. Matt here was extremely patient with us as we tried our hands at some latte art.

Hint : Its not as easy as your Barista makes it look! Both your hands have to constantly move, but in completely different motions. Tougher than playing the piano I tell you.

We then returned to our table with our lattes. We now learned how to use a simple filter at home and a few tips to make better coffee at home.
1. Brew coffee at 93C. Anything higher burns out the sugars in it.
2. Let all the bubbles dissipate from your kettle before you pour hot water on your coffee.
3. 7 gms of coffee per 100 ml
4. Use really good quality coffee beans.
5. Coffee should be light caramel colour
6. Coffee loses taste and aroma within 15 minutes of grinding. So best to grind freshly when you want to make some coffee.
7. Brew for 3.5-4 minutes.
8. The longer you brew your coffee, the higher the caffeine content.

Through this whole process, we kept sipping on coffee and cocktails. The velvet martini was outstanding.

I have to say that the coffee was amazing. We sampled the Love Berries, Robusta Revival, Blue Volcano and Swiss Decaf. While I loved the smell of the Decaf, taste wise the Robusta Revival was my favourite.

They have a coffee that is combined with coconut oil for a whole day slow release of caffeine that sounded very intriguing. The peanut butter hot chocolate also piqued my interest. I will have to return soon, to try these out.

I'd definitely recommend the coffee here and if you have the chance to attend a masterclass, I'd say 'jump at it' and 'leave the herd behind'

Camden Coffee House, London

Camden Coffee House
30 Camden Road
London NW1 9DP

Phone number 020 7428 9477

Given the high rating of this place, I've been trying for awhile to grab a coffee here, but they shut quite early (last orders around 16:45), so yesterday was the first time I actually managed to step in by 16:30 and order some takeaway coffee.

The people at the counter were really sweet and polite and it looked like they had a lovely garden area downstairs.

When we arrived, they warned us that they would be shutting in 20 minutes, in case we wanted to linger over our coffees. After 4 hours wandering around the warrens of Camden markets, We just needed to sit down for 5-10 minutes and get our caffeine fix before carrying on, so this wasn't a problem.

The reason I haven't given the place a higher rating is
1. The seats were low and slightly uncomfortable. (We sat upstairs) I understand the tighter fit (think economy seats on budget airlines) as their space is limited in a small shop, but they were really low or maybe it's just my bones growing older.

I could ignore this completely as I mostly take my coffee to go and don't bother with sitting down.

However,
2. We ordered 2 iced coffees and my mum got a nice iced latte type coffee, but mine barely had a spot of milk in it. Mums looked and Tasted like it had been well blended, mine looked like a black coffee poured on ice and a spot of milk added to it.
I had to go back and request more milk in my coffee as I couldn't drink it the way it was served.

Unfortunately, we were so hot and tired that mum finished her coffee before I even got up to add more milk to my coffee, so I didn't have the chance to click a comparative picture.

Dad's hot latte was fine. I'm not sure if this was a shop / machine closing time problem, but if I order 2 of the same thing, I do expect them to look and taste similar.

We had a lemon white chocolate muffin and that was good too, but for a coffee shop to not make my coffee right? I really wanted to like this place and was sadly disappointed.

Rating : 2/5

Rapha Cycle Club, London

Rapha Cycle Club
85 Brewer Street
Soho
London W1F 9ZN
Phone number 020 7494 9831

It's a coffee shop inside a cycle store. The cycle store is amazing if you are a cyclist, but my only self propelled motion activity is walking, so I have to confess I haven't paid too much attention to the store itself.

I've only ever picked up takeaway coffee from them and the coffee is worth a little detour when you are in the Piccadilly Circus area.

They do have seating space with large tables and I've always seen people working on their laptops or having quick meetings here. So it's a nice quiet space to get some work done too with awesome coffee on the side.

They offer some basic snacks and lunch options too. But that coffee is 5* and what keeps bringing me back. The staff is pretty awesome too.

Rating : 4.5 / 5

Rita, Marseille

Rita
36 rue Sainte-Françoise
13002 Marseille

+33 6 49 45 92 52

Stopped here for coffee after a long day of walking and sightseeing.

The service was lovely and friendly and the Cafe Latte was the best I had in Marseille over the weekend. It really energised us enough to continue walking for another 3 hours after.

There were tables inside, but they were all taken. We sat on one of the two small tables outside and it was quite pleasant watching other tourists stroll in and out of the arty type shops around.

Rita was a lovely full stop to the half day we had spent in this particular area.

Rating : 5 / 5

Urban Social, London

Urban Social
148-151 Queensway
London W2 4SB
020 7243 9031

The only non-chain place available to eat at, at Whiteleys (the others are pizza express, Costa and Starbucks)

They do waffles, crepes, fruit juice/smoothies, hot drinks, some cookies and cakes. They often have a fresh hot organic soup on offer too.

I like their coffee. Costa next door is normally my default choice. But if I want to sit down and not have people constantly bumping me, then Urban Social is more conducive to that. And it's quiet, unlike Costa which is normally the hub of "loud" conversations.

Their crepes are decent, nothing outstanding, but better than a reheated sandwich if you want something hot and fresh.

Rating : 3 / 5

Paul, London

Paul
55 Baker Street
Unit 65
London W1U 8EW
020 7486 0626

Stepped in here for a quick coffee before heading for a seminar. Paul's makes coffee that's perfect to my taste - strong, good amount of milk, and not too bitter or too heavily roasted. Maybe I should stick to French instead of Italian coffees?

What I like about Pauls in general is that their coffee shops are always clean, tables are well spaced apart (so you aren't unwittingly eavesdropping on others conversations), they have outdoor seating. This outlet ticked all those boxes too.

Friendly staff who immediately offered to heat my ham and cheese croissant when I ordered it (others who shan't be named, act like you are asking for the moon if you want your croissant /sandwich warmed/toasted).

They have washrooms on the premises and are ok with people lingering around while working on their laptops.

I'd go here any day if they were closer to where I live.

Oh and they do lovely picnic hampers too. I remember ordering one last summer, think we'll do a repeat one of these days, now that it's turned sunny.

They have a membership / loyalty card, which gives you free croissants & coffee at various milestones

Rating : 4 / 5

Trianon, Cairo

Trianon Restaurant,
Mall of Arabia
Cairo
02 2480 2294

I have a lot of fond memories of Cafe Trianon in Egypt. From the wonderful atmospheric and historic one in Alexandria overlooking the sea to the one in Dandy Mall where I frequently would meet up with my friends for mid-morning coffee before heading into Carre Four to finish our grocery shopping.

So on this 3 day trip to Cairo, I had to stop at a Trianon for old times sake.

This location in the Mall of Arabia is quite fancy with shisha options too. I just wanted a simple coffee latte and a pastry.

The coffee (16.95LE) was as good as I remembered and the service was helpful, especially with my rusty broken Arabic. In the pastry cabinet they had 3 eclairs (12.95LE) and a variety of mille feule (which I particularly dislike) and some richer pastries. The eclair looked the least calorific of the options available, so I opted for the maple/hazel flavoured one. Imagine my shock when I tasted banana with my first bite! The universe was screaming at me not to consume that much sugar and cream.

So I just enjoyed my coffee and the free wifi for a bit, before heading out again.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Sacred Cafe, London

Sacred Cafe
in-store at STANFORDS
12-14 Long Acre
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9LP
020 7700 1628

This outlet (1 of 4 in London) of Sacred Cafe is inside the Stanfords Bookstore in Covent Garden and is one of the quietest places to grab a very good cup of coffee in the area, especially during the weekend when Covent Garden is worse than the Monday morning tube.

Noise levels are low and few people know about this cafe, since its inside the bookstore. If you just need a quiet place to recoup, be able to actually have a conversation with a friend over coffee or are looking for a good cup of coffee (non large-chain) : Sacred Cafe is the best place to pop in for a bit.

This is a tiny space,compared to some of their other outlets, but they had a lot of variety and seating space for about 15-20 people at a time.

We had some really good coffee here. Cold Coffee for me and a Large Cappucino double shot for him (Total Cost 7.80)  It was wonderfully brewed. Nice and strong and a perfect pick-me-up. They did have a few snacks and pastries too. But we were just here for the coffee this time.

Once you are refreshed, do browse around the store. Stanfords is the most comprehensive travel focused bookstore you could ever visit.

Timings:
Mon-Fri: 9.00am – 6.00pm
Sat: 10.00 – 6.30pm
Sun: 12.00 – 5.00pm

Choco L'Art - Hyatt, Ahmedabad

Choco L'Art - Hyatt
Opposite AlphaOne Mall
Near Vastrapur Lake,
Vastrapur,
Ahmedabad
079 61908888

Stopped here for a quick bite. They have a good selection of basic coffees, milkshakes, cakes, pastries, breads and a few savoury dishes too.

The menu for savoury dishes is limited to a sandwich, burger, kathi roll and a Cesar salad among the non-veg options, so not much to choose from. But I was in no mood to eat at Collage, so we sat down here.

The Dining space is airy and there are quite a few outside tables, that look lovely, but with the threat of rain, we were quite happy sitting inside.

Service was on the slower side, but it could have been due to the large demanding kitty party at another table.

We had the lamb and the chicken burger which were really nice. My lamb burger (375/-)I asked for medium rare and it was beautifully juicy and well seasoned. Mum's chicken burger (375/-) turned out to be a piece of chicken rather than a chicken patty, so it wasn't as soft and juicy, but it was well seasoned too. The meat came with cheese melted on top of it and pickles, onions, tomatoes and lettuce on the side. The French Fries weren't the best I have tasted, but they weren't bad either.

Mum lived her nutella shake (250/-) but I felt there was more Hershey's chocolate syrup in it, than nutella for flavour. My latte (250/-) was a bit too strong for me (they had first mistakenly got me a cappuccino and I suspect, he just took off the foam and brought me the mug back), but once they got me some extra milk, it was good.

They have a huge range of pastries, we tried the Berliner (100/-) which is like a doughnut with some preserved fruit as a stuffing inside. The almond hazelnut gateaux (150/-) was slightly chewy but in a good way like caramel toffee chewy. It had a faint taste of orange blossom and was quite light. I suspect the texture of the biscuit base had gone a bit soft because of the humid weather and would be better when it was nice, crispy and biscuity.

Its a good place to stop for an evening snack, but not if you are in a hurry.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Coffee Connection, Ahmedabad

Coffee Connection
A 104, - First Floor - Shivalik Plaza,
Opposite AMA,
IIM Road,
Vastrapur,
Ahmedabad
079 30631515

When we walked into Coffee Connection, we were greeted by really nice warm interiors (more relaxing and welcoming than CCD) and lovely English music, so I had high hopes. I loved their decals on the wall of the different coffee cups and the seating was quite comfortable.

They have a really extensive drinks menu and an even longer snacks menu. Since we had, enjoyed a filling lunch at Simran's Farm and had then walked a couple of hours at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Museum in the heat, we just wanted something chilled to drink.

Between the 3 of us we ordered a mango shake, cinnamon frappe, amaretto frappe and a choco chip waffle.

The Mango shake (136/-) was good, the amaretto frappe (136/-) was lovely and I would recommend it. The cinnamon frappe (136/-) however, was more the "Big Red" chewing gum flavour of cinnamon than the kind of cinnamon flavour that I like in my coffee - fail :(

The waffle was supposed to be chocolate flavoured batter with chocolate ice cream (as described in menu) - what turned up was a regular waffle, topped with chocolate sauce, sprinkled with chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream. The waffle tasted like biscuit rather than waffle (not light and airy enough) But neither of those, was the biggest disappointment. the credit for that, goes to the quarter sized waffle that was served, hence making the ice cream portion, way larger than the waffle proportion. For 157/- + tax in Ahmedabad, I think the waffle portion was too measly.

Service was weird. The mango shake appeared 5-7 minutes after the order, the amaretto frappe came another 5 minutes later, the cinnamon frappe came a further 7 minutes later and the waffle came after another 10 minutes. Hence there was only 1 drink at a time on the table, between the 3 of us, as each drink was finished long before the next one arrived. (2 other tables were occupied when we entered, 1 couple finished and left before we placed our order, the other group did not order or receive anything as long as we were on the premises, they were just relaxing - so its not a case of too many orders to deal with and we saw at least 5 staff walking around, in and out of the kitchen)

Taste was average, interiors are nice, some of the food is good, but service is weird.

Rating : 3 / 5

Caffé Nero, London

Caffé Nero
60-61 Trafalgar Square,
London WC2N 5DS
020 79307929

Cafe Nero, prides itself on offering "The Best Espresso, outside of Milan". I did not have the Espresso, so I cannot comment on that claim.

What I did have was the Ice Latte (2.70) and it was a very weak Iced Latte. Thin Cold coffee, served on ice. Maybe I would have been better off ordering the Frappe Latte (3.25)?

While there are sit down tables, service is all self service and there's often a build up of people waiting their turn in this area.

Remember to order the coffee and other items to go. there is a 10-25p extra charge on each item for dining in.

They have clean washrooms, so not a bad idea to stop here for a coffee-to-go and a quick bathroom break.

The pastries on dispay looked really yum the only reason I didn't try to taste any of them was because I had already had an extremely filling, very late lunch.

Rating : 3 / 5



Caffé Nero
36A St Martin's Lane,
Covent Garden,
London WC2N 4ET

020 78365110

After my last experience, I decided against ordering the cold coffee and stuck to a Latte (2.45) and I was glad that I did. It was a good strong latte with the perfect amount of coffee to energise and rejuvenate me at the end of the day, to aid in another couple of hours of walking around the city. Husband also loved his Cappucino (2.40) and said that it was one of the best cappucinos he had had on this trip, which is saying a lot.

We also ordered their coffee cake that was absolutely yummy.

Rating : 3.5 / 5


Caffé Nero
Stand 6, Heathrow T2 Bus Station,
Hounslow,
Heathrow TW6 1AP

Tel : 020 8759 3000

When we were stuck at this terminal waiting for a bus to take us where we needed to go, we stopped here for a quick meal. Between the 2 of us we had a Chicken Milanese sandwich (4.40), a Ham & Mozarella Panini (3.70), a Ham & Egg Muffin (2.45), packet of crisps (0.90) a large still water (1.55) and for dessert we had a carrot & raisin cake (1.55) and a
Lemon drizzle slice (1.55)

The sandwiches were quite good for cafe food and the cakes were excellent.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

Aureate, Ahmedabad

Aureate - El Dorado
Opposite Shree Krishna Centre,
Across Crossword,
Mithakali Six Roads,
Navrangpura, Ahmedabad
+91 7820096332

The location is a little difficult to find, because no matter how long you stare opposite the Shree Krishna Centre , across Crossword, all you will see is a very fancy white building that looks like a modern furniture shop.

This restaurant is actually located inside that very building and the building is a relatively new hotel called "El Dorado"

They have a very good lunch offer. For 350 bucks + tax, you get a single drink and dessert of the day, but unlimited soup, an Oriental and an Indian starter (both non veg), green salad, papad (our lime pickles and buttermilk that were also on the menu, never materialised), a mutton and a chicken gravy, non veg biryani and roti/naan/paratha. The Vegetarian option is for 250/-.

They have too many cuisines on the menu (20 pages of food items and multiple cuisines) and hence have ended up a bit confused along the way.

The Indian food was actually quite tasty, but the oriental and other cuisines were below average. I ordered a la carte for myself : the Mexican tortilla chicken nachos (325/-) wondering how they would combine tortillas & nachos in the same dish - turned out to be just nachos with some chicken, beans, onion + tomato salsa and cheese sauce on it - it wasn't bad, but the name was completely misleading and they weren't a patch on the nachos of "That Place"

The other starter I had ordered was thod man pla (315/-) - Thai fish cakes which they promised to spice up with an extra flavouring of Thai red curry on the inside. What arrived was 2 slices of basa fish with some yellow paste sandwiched in the center, then battered and deep fried and tossed in an indeterminate red colored sauce. I had also ordered the poh pia je (240/-) which was supposed to be a fresh spring roll with glass noodle stuffing, what I got was a vegetable cutlet rolled in vermicelli/noodles and deep fried!

So instead of 2 light starters with a bit of protein, what arrived was deep fried, battered starters that were the complete opposite of what I had expected and was in the mood to eat.

The names of the non-Indian foods are all wrong. They have just generally used names that sound Thai /Asian / Mexican, but the actual end products are very different from what the names actually mean. A local who understands the language or anyone who knows the cuisine would be nonplussed to see what actually arrives and how different it is from the name it was ordered by.

The taste of these Thai dishes wasn't very great either. And this is what has brought their rating down.

Also, while I had ordered these 3 dishes a la carte, mum had ordered the unlimited lunch and I was tasting some of the stuff that had come to the table. One of the staff came up to me and said "Madam, I'm sorry, but you cannot share anything that is unlimited!" Yeah right! like 1/2 a tsp of soup is going to cause you a loss. He was reasonably polite when he said it, but the general norm in India among the better hotels is that if one person has ordered a buffet and the other hasn't, but has ordered a proper meal or food of the same value, a little tasting from each others plates is nothing to worry about.

At Taj Surat last week, I had ordered the buffet at Flow and my husband and his parents just ordered a khichdi and a special mixed veg dish. The staff there actually brought a couple of tiny tasting plates of appetisers and desserts from the buffet for them to try, even though my husband sent more than half of them back as the 3 of them wanted to eat a very light dinner.

And THAT is the difference between good service and great service.

The rating of 3 is for their Indian food, if not, the rating would have dropped to 1.5-2, for promising one dish on the menu and presenting something totally different.

Rating : 3 / 5