Question time: What is the most popular drink in the world?
Nope, not beer, and definitely not that brown fizzy sugar water either. As you’d have guessed by the title at the top, it’s coffee.
Around two billion cups of the stuff are consumed around the world every day, and Brits contribute roughly 95 million of those.
We’re big advocates of the caffeine boost here at FigFlex too (that’s why we lay on complimentary tea and coffee at all of our centres) and because it’s International Coffee Day this week (Fri 1 Oct), we’re spotlighting some of the best cafes near each FigFlex centre. Here we go...
Coventry
Located within Coventry’s cultural city centre, Friars House has more than its fair share of coffee stops close by and one that stands out is Kahawa Cafe.
Set up in 2012, this family-run business whips quality coffee, milkshakes and smoothies, as well as a range of desserts that includes waffles, sundaes, cookie dough and ice cream.
It’s heartening to know it’s all served up, backed with a keen approach to sustainability. They use renewable energy, reuse coffee waste and recycle where possible. Even the cafe itself features large windows and to maximum natural daylight.
You know what goes well with coffee? Cats, and The Cat Lounge - beside Coventry Market - has managed to combine the pair to create the purrfect coffee experience.
Amazingly, Coventry’s first cat cafe doesn’t charge for its coffee. Instead, punters pay £1 for the privilege of sipping down a flat white (or should that be a catpuccino?) amongst an adorable collection of pedigree kitties for five minutes.
The atmosphere is chilled with moggies either catching a nap in a wall-mounted basket or patting around one of the many toys. All the cats live here so the vibe is more home-like than cafe-esque and customers need to understand they could suffer a scratch or two if they fall short of basic cat etiquette.
Hull
Up in the North East, FigFlex Hull also has the nice problem of being in the city centre and thus, a wealth of classy coffee spots and one of the best sits just across the road in the shape of Revival Coffee & Donuts.
After a year of solely wholesaling donuts to independent cafes, Revival set up its first shop in 77 Ferensway in 2020. Flavours change weekly (biscoff & vanilla and strawberry shortcake were two that stood out during our visit) and they also whip some mindblowing 6oz NYC cookies.
Elsewhere in Hull is Two Gingers Coffee - which holds the title of ‘best coffee in Hull’ according to none other than Derren Brown.
Located on Paragon Arcade since 2017, Two Gingers Coffee takes its coffee very seriously, showcasing some of the best coffees from some of Europe’s finest roasters.
All of their sweet treats are prepared inhouse too with their baked Philly cheesecakes attracting especially glowing feedback, and they’ve recently branched into offering natural wine, so that’s definitely two thumbs up for Two Gingers Coffee.
Gloucester
It certainly helps that our Gloucester FigFlex centre sits facing the Docks - which acts as a hub for all sorts of delectable dining options. One of them is Bake & Brew.
The cappuccinos are super satisfying, especially paired with a gluten-free triple chocolate brownie. Their brunch menu looks special and a quick scroll through their socials suggests it’s all prepared with love.
Bake & Brew claims to be the most dog-friendly coffee shop in all of Gloucester, with complimentary dog treats and a fuss made for every pooch that visits the store.
Away from Gloucester Docks and turning inland is Guru Coffee House. It’s worth making the trip to Brunswick Road for the coffee alone, but their vegan sausages and pulled pork rolls are hard to resist.
Again, Guru is ‘fur baby friendly’, with well-behaved dogs welcome to sink their gnashers into some special dog-friendly ‘spot sausages’.
Swindon
Over in Swindon on Faringdon Road, we have Love Brownies. They only popped up in April but they’ve wasted no time attracting plenty of fans (us included), thanks to their premium, freshly brewed coffees and award-winning chocolate brownies.
Anyone who picks up some of their award-winning chocolate traybakes is sure to win some brownie points with their colleagues.
Finally, we’re ending with Second Cup Coffee Company. Located on The Parade, they scale the spectrum of roast coffee.
Their dark roast espresso forte is rich, intense and full bodied, while milder coffee drinkers will love their soft, smooth Colombia San Agustin light roast. Their bright green pistachio cake tastes as good as it looks too.
Category: Community & Culture