Top coffee

AMT Espresso's delicious coffee to go, at Leicester, Nottingham, Oxford, Reading, Sheffield and London Kings Cross, St. Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo stations, plus other major rail stations around the country (though sadly not Birmingham New Street as yet...)
AMT's is also the choice of Cafe magazine, and is very good value.

Caffè Nero, many places including Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, London, Nottingham, Windsor...
Nice, very nice, and almost as good as AMT's... the bitter edge to the coffee puts some off, but it's just about perfectly balanced at every branch visited.

Flavia, machines everywhere, especially strange places like Sofi de France, Loughborough University and Powerhouse, Wakefield
The best filter coffee out of a machine.

Worth a visit

Tchibo, Slough, Milton Keynes, London Croydon, concession at James France Building, Loughborough University
A strange shop... they sell a range of various products from skateboard wheels to microwaves to underwear, which changes every week. The coffee is good, though slightly below the calibre of the places above.

Costa, everywhere
About Costa from the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. Again, not quite up to the best here, but a good cup of coffee at a good price, with a nice range of sandwiches etc.

BB's Coffee and Muffins, Princess Square, Bracknell
Nice, though the muffins are too expensive and look a little dodgy anyway

The Shop, Virgin Trains services
The first bean to cup coffee and proper cappuccino on the move. However, the quality isn't amazing, though it does the job...


Cafe Connections, Guild of Students, The University of Birmingham
More a place to go with friends, their steamed milk is very hot so make sure you have someone to talk to while it cools down!

Cafe Nescafe, Wintergarden, Bluewater Shopping Centre, Greenhithe
Cappuccino is smooth but a little weak perhaps, but act quickly and you can get a card entitling you to a staff discount!

Pret a Manger, New Street, Birmingham
"Pret" have shops everywhere these days. Prices a bit steep but the quality's good enough. Mong talks about Pret

Ritazza, The Upper Crust, Reading station
Nice continental style filter coffee

Windrush garage, Farnham Road, Slough
They also do a nice sideline in Volkswagens

© A.Boodoo, 19-Jan-03, r1.3