Starting top left, clockwise: Flat White, Black Americano, Single Espresso
Starting with the name of this coffee shop, it is making a
statement about its coffee! The website goes further with the http://www.coffee1.co.uk/about/our-coffee/
section. It talks about how much they love coffee and are “super
passionate” and “a bit geeky”. So, after the promise, how does it taste?
Our dedicated team headed down to the Clevedon town centre
this lunchtime on a mission. We each had a different style of coffee and
reviewed our own. The results are surprising for the different responses from the same source espresso.
M's Flat White
The coffee was very pleasant, the milk was textured nicely
and at a good temperature but I prefer
a more full bodied coffee flavour.
Jim's Americano
A sunny day is a nice excuse for a wander to go and find
some coffee in Clevedon. A group excursion to Coffee #1 allowed me to
sample my usual black Americano. Service was slow, ok, nothing to do with
coffee taste but it was only a small queue and took quite a while to
order. Anyhow, it’s the drink that counts. First mistake, don’t
give me an Americano in a tall mug. Nowhere else does and there is a
reason for that…. It’s wrong. The appearance of the coffee was ok,
nothing exciting. The crema was a little grainy and more worryingly on a
quick stir, disappeared completely leaving me with what looked like instant
coffee. First taste impressions were decidedly average. A rather
weak tasting coffee with no complexity of flavour (a bit like an instant you
could say). The most disappointing aspect of the coffee, though, was it
actually got worse as I drank it. Halfway down was enough for me.
It wasn’t that the coffee was undrinkable….. certainly no grounds to return it,
but it wasn’t actually enjoyable. It was a functional caffeine hit that
lacked any grace or pleasure. So in summary, poor flavour and boring.
Nigel's Espresso
First, before we get to the coffee itself, Coffee #1 provide
water jugs and cups for customers to server themselves and I like this.
Espresso and a glass of water has become a standard for me. As well as making
the drink thirst quenching it also extends the experience. Especially useful if
like today I am with friends.
The espresso was mellow, easy and pleasant. It had an after
taste that went on and on. It’s no adventure however and the flavour didn’t develop or
change. Safe ground, probably designed for the lattes and cappuccinos.
Ratings
M's Flat White 7/10
Jim’s Americano 4/10
Nigel's Espresso 6/10
