Welcome!

Hello, Its July, well August but you know what we mean! Our third month of the newsletter, back to the norm from our previous Slovakian Special. I personally have moved into my new home, coffee machine all set up and ready to go, so fingers crossed I find the time for more consistent instagram posting.

This month, our line-up of topics for you is:

• Are Store Bought Premade coffees good?

• Explore this months local coffee spot in Manchester with our Coffee Shop Shoutout.

• Stay informed with the latest coffee news from around the world.

• Lastly, Joe will tell you all about the Coffee history of Newcastle

We hope you enjoy this edition and find inspiration for your next coffee adventure! Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and recommendations with us—we'd love to hear from you.

Stay tuned for more exciting content in future editions of Brew and Review. Thank you for being part of our coffee-loving community!

Store Bought Ready to Drink Coffee

Hey coffee lovers! If you've been following us on Instagram, you already have a sneak peek of what’s coming next. I've been on a quest to find the best ready-to-drink coffees from popular brands like Starbucks, Jimmy's, and Costa. Spoiler alert: none of them blew my mind, but they’re convenient and decent enough. Let’s dive into which ones offer the best value for your money!

Starbucks 750ml Caramel Macchiato

First up, Starbucks. I tried their 750ml Caramel Macchiato, and here’s the scoop: it’s good, but not as good as what you’d get at a Starbucks café. The coffee flavor isn’t very prominent, and the caramel is overpowering. At around £3.75 in most UK stores, that’s £1.25 per 250ml glass.

If you’re indulging in two glasses a day, you're looking at £17.50 a week. For that, you could buy a quality bag of coffee beans that’ll last a month! If you’re more conservative with just one glass a day, it’s £8.75 a week—still close to the cost of a single Starbucks coffee.

Jimmy’s Iced Coffee 250ml Cans

Next, Jimmy’s 250ml cans. Jimmy’s offers a variety of flavors, and I’ve featured some on my Instagram. Comparing Jimmy’s Caramel flavor to Starbucks, Jimmy’s wins hands down.

Priced at £1.70 per can, they’re a bit pricier than Starbucks. A week’s supply costs £11.90 compared to Starbucks’ £8.75. But trust me, the extra 45p per day is worth it for the flavor boost!

Costa Caramel

Lastly, Costa. I snagged two 250ml Caramel drinks for £2, making them just £1 each, but alone they are £1.70 on average, the same price and Jimmy’s. Costa’s variety isn’t as broad as Jimmy’s, but their caramel flavor outshines Starbucks. The texture is smoother, though not as crisp and cold as Jimmy’s.

Verdict

So, who’s the winner? Jimmy’s takes the crown with its delicious flavors, wide availability, and decent price. Costa comes in a close second with its excellent caramel taste and smooth texture. Starbucks, despite being the cheapest, falls short on flavor, letting down the coffee world once again.

Idle Hands Coffee: Another Hidden Gem in Manchester's Northern Quarter

Idle Hands Coffee is more than just a coffee shop; it's a haven for coffee enthusiasts and food lovers alike. Located in Manchester's Northern Quarter, this charming spot offers a delightful blend of quality coffee, delicious pies, brunch food, natural wines, and craft beers. Here's a brief overview of why Idle Hands should be your next stop:

Coffee Excellence

At Idle Hands, coffee is treated as an art form. They believe coffee is a fresh crop with the potential to deliver diverse flavors, making every cup a unique experience. With a range of brewing methods and a commitment to consistency, they ensure that every drink is special. And if it isn’t, they genuinely want to know so they can improve.

Delicious Pies and Brunch

Idle Hands isn't just about great coffee. They also make some of the best pies in town. Whether you're a sweet tooth or prefer savory, their pies are a must-try. Their kitchen also churns out a fantastic brunch menu that perfectly complements their coffee offerings.

Wine and Craft Beer

For those who enjoy a good drink, Idle Hands offers a selection of natural wines and craft beers, available for both dine-in and takeaway. It’s the perfect place to relax with friends over a glass of something special.

Good Vibes and Affordable Prices

The atmosphere at Idle Hands is relaxed and welcoming, making it an ideal spot to unwind. Despite the high quality of their offerings, the prices are surprisingly affordable. A latte here costs only £3.40, making it one of the cheaper coffee options in Manchester without compromising on quality.

A Story of Resilience

Established in 2014, Idle Hands has faced its share of challenges. After starting as a pop-up at Piccadilly Station Approach, they experienced a nomadic 16 months before finding their permanent home. Their resilience is a testament to their passion and dedication, making every visit feel like you're part of their journey.

Location

Dale House, 35 Dale Street, NQ, Manchester, M1 2HF

Conveniently situated in the Northern Quarter, Idle Hands is easily accessible and a great addition to Manchester's vibrant coffee scene.

Idle Hands Coffee offers more than just a caffeine fix. It’s a community hub where you can enjoy excellent coffee, delicious food, and good company. Whether you're a coffee connoisseur or just looking for a cozy spot to relax, Idle Hands has something for everyone.

Coffee News

First up A Harvard Doctor warns we are drinking coffee wrong and making ourselves ill

Summary:

A top doctor, Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a Harvard-educated gastroenterologist, has highlighted three common mistakes people make when drinking coffee that could harm their health. He advises against adding sugar, as it spikes blood sugar and increases inflammation, recommends using organic coffee to avoid pesticide consumption, and suggests switching to darker roasts for those with acid reflux due to their lower caffeine content. Dr. Sethi emphasizes coffee's benefits for brain, gut, and liver health, provided these guidelines are followed.

Next: Climate Change Threat Is More Than a Storm in Vietnam’s Coffee Cup

Climate change is significantly threatening Vietnam’s coffee industry, with a severe drought expected to cut coffee exports by 20% this year, driving prices to record highs. Coffee is a vital part of Vietnam’s economy, contributing over 10% of agricultural export revenues and 3% of GDP. The drought highlights the fragility of coffee production in the face of climate change, which has also impacted other major coffee-producing countries like Brazil and Indonesia. Rising temperatures are increasing pests and diseases, reducing the quality and yield of coffee berries. By 2040, robusta coffee shortages could reach 35 million bags, and by 2050, half the land suitable for arabica coffee may no longer support the crop.

The high prices from limited supply can temporarily boost export revenues, but individual farmers’ livelihoods remain at risk. Latin America’s coffee leaf rust crisis, which devastated Colombia’s coffee production, shows the impact of climate change on coffee-growing regions. Some countries, like Colombia and Honduras, successfully implemented central coffee authorities and rust-resistant coffee varieties to recover, while others, like El Salvador, struggled without centralized support. Farmers must adopt sustainable methods to cope with climate change, and nations experienced in climate adaptation, such as Australia, can provide valuable insights. The recent price spike due to Vietnam’s drought underscores the urgent need for sustainable farming practices to ensure coffee supply stability and protect farmer livelihoods.

The intrinsic history and culture of speciality coffee within Newcastle:

Coffee hit the UK during the 16^th century, and with this Newcastle took advantage of its geographical location and the influx in shipping to the UK. When speaking about coffee culture and history in Newcastle the first place to start is a place deemed by locals as something of a legend to the coffee scene, Pumphreys. The first coffee distributor to hit Newcastle, Pumphreys Coffee, was established in the Flesh Market in 1750 by a tea purveyor Leigh Smith. Taking up new residency in the iconic Grainger Market in 1983. Pumphreys is a national treasure which started out as a distributor for speciality coffee beans and is still a staple of coffee culture within the Northeast today, becoming a very popular coffee shop since its new residency in 1983.

Despite the fact that Newcastle was amongst one of the first distributors in the UK, Stuart Archer, former distributor for Pumphreys and competitive coffee brewer who represented Newcastle, claims that there were no speciality coffee shops in the region until as late as 2005 onwards. Quoted in an article in the Chronicle he also claimed the coffee industry gained a lot more knowledge and skills around 2012, leaving only 12 years to build upon speciality coffee in the Northeast.

This, however, does not mean that Newcastle is in short supply of independent coffee shops. For example, this can be seen in Sprudge’s guide to coffee in Newcastle which includes a handful of standout cafes and spots, deep within the culture and heart of Newcastle. Within the guide there are more traditional spots such as the aforementioned Pumphreys, and Laneway & Co, to new, vibrant and exciting spots such as Pink Lane Coffee, Backyard Bike shop, and Brew and Bite. I had the pleasure of living just down the road from Brew and Bite, formerly BLK, for two years while studying at University and living in Heaton. The new look of Brew and Bite is very enticing to say the least, serves phenomenal coffee and pastries, and has now expanded its outdoor seating area due its on fault that it is on the slightly smaller side.

The vibrant city of Newcastle is not short supply of independent coffee shops, and as showcased above can cater to the traditional coffee lover,  to someone who wants more of an experience, or to someone like myself, a former student who enjoyed a nice iced latte with some outdoor seating for my studies.

Not only is there an abundance of choice for speciality coffee places within Newcastle, the typical comradery and friendly nature of the city transfers through into the independent businesses in the fact that every owner is wanting the other to succeed. This was best showcased in the Chronicle article which claimed there to be an ‘underground resistance movement’ within Newcastle,in which underground baristas in the independent coffee scene are trying to go up against the giants such as Starbucks and Costa. It is not a secret that it is much more difficult for an independent shop to succeed compared to a larger conglomerate chain, but why is this?

Why are the big hitters so much more successful than independent shops?

James Draper, the manager of Newcastle’s very own Harvest Canteen, states the ‘biggest hurdle’ to the speciality coffee scene is the overconsumption of instant coffee due to ‘genius marketing campaigns’ of the 80s and 90s. Draper even went as far to liken growing up drinking instant coffee to being brought up on microwave meals. The surge in technology and television was cataclysmic for instant coffee at the time, with promises that barista style coffee can be made hassle-free in your kitchen. Historically Newcastle is a very working-class city, known for its industrial and mining roots, not typically striking as a city which requires speciality coffee. Rightly so, the city has a very do it yourself attitude due to the background from which it came from, because of this it took a long time for the people of Newcastle to convert to the luxury of going out for coffee and really making it an experience.

This was not helped by the advances in technology that followed shortly after. For example, The Speciality Coffee Association announced that baristas will be using a Black&White4 CTS in competition for the next three years. The Black & White4 CTS refers to ‘Thermoplans fully automatic coffee machine’, meaning that even the most untrained individual can create the perfect cup of coffee at home.

This seems great for the consumer but means that the individualistic touch that is provided by speciality barista’s in Newcastle is lost, rendering the cafes that we have talked about previously almost moot. If supposedly the same coffee can be made at speciality cafes, at Starbucks, and at your own home, tell us, which experience would you choose when taking the financial aspect, and time efficiency into account?

Also, within speciality coffee shops staff costs have now taken over raw materials as the biggest expenditure, this is because the level at which baristas must be trained now is so much higher than as expectations have risen following the opening of new coffee ships and improve technology. This is not the case for the larger companies who can afford to pay their staff with minimal training due to standardised technology, and the lack of an individual touch that is required at a speciality coffee shop.

As Ethan said in our first Brew and Review magazine the cost of the average coffee is on the rise, approaching the fiver mark, and it doesn’t look like it will be coming down any time soon. Inflation and uncertainty surrounding the political landscape of the UK as of recent, accompanied with rising global conflict means the opportunity to export coffee has become much lesser, meaning the price of coffee exportation has sky rocketed. Coffee shops have been hit by the rising cost of arabica beans in recent years due to the impact of climate change in countries such as Brazil and Ethiopia.

But what does this mean for speciality coffees, particularly in Newcastle? It becomes a case in which the main conglomerates such as Starbucks and Costa retain their distributors a lot more effectively than those of speciality coffee shops due to the supply and demand. This is particularly difficult if independent businesses offer a certain coffee bean as when their distributor can not follow up on this request then the coffee shop must look for alternatives and risk reducing the quality of their coffee.

The rise in coffee consumption across Europe and North America from 2015 to 2020 increased by just 1% from 3.5 to 3.7 billion kgs, yet the total spending in the same time has increased 3% from 40.5 billion USD to 47.7 billion USD, showing how the demand for coffee is still growing, but the price of coffee is far exceeding the demand asking of coffee.

Numbeo is a cost-of-living indicator that updates regularly, taking into account multiple indicators such as restaurants, transportation, utilities, rent etc, to determine which cities are the best to live in based off data updated by the public.

It shockingly ranks the average NCL cappuccino at £3.49, compared to the average cost across the UK at supposedly £3.21. However, Newcastle is considered, in terms of cost of living on the same website, to be one of the best places to live in the UK.

The points we have talked about above could be an indicator as to why this cappuccino statistic is an outlier within Newcastle, as it is becoming increasingly harder to be successful and to keep a competitive price, especially in a city that is only beginning to come around to the idea of speciality coffee.

According to an April 2019 survey, around 62% of independent coffee shops fail within the first five years of opening, while 17% close within the first 12 months.

A lot of this is put down to the business and management aspect of the coffee shop. It is great to have ambition and love for the craft, but if a business is not run smoothly from the top down then it is hard to succeed. This can be seen in Newcastle where a lot of coffee shops are started out of ambition and love for the craft, but luckily the history of speciality coffee in Newcastle only just seems to be getting started.

Finally, the most important point of all, the main competitors in the coffee world already have a name. Think about it. You could ask the majority of the Western world, even if they don’t drink coffee, if they have ever heard of Starbucks. I can guarantee you what the answer would be. Additionally, due to their name and higher status major companies are beginning to introduce reward systems which can get you a free drink or discounts off after a certain number of purchases as they can afford to due to their large consumer base. This is a lot less marketable and practical for speciality coffee shops who rely on a core ‘family’ as their consumer base.

What can we do to make sure speciality coffee has a place in Newcastle and the rest of the UK?

• Make a conscious effort to visit independent coffee shops where possible.

• Leave a good review if you enjoyed the coffee and the service that was provided to you.

• Recommend the spot to friends and family.

• Most importantly, continue to go to independent coffee shops you like instead of large conglomerates!

A WORD FROM US!

We hope you Enjoyed our third edition of Brew & Review Monthly! and we thank you for reading! We know this was a long one! 3k words to be exact but we think you deserve the best even if it is once per month! Anyway we hope you’ve had a good July and have a great August!

We would greatly appreciate any feedback! and to suggest your favourite coffees for the coffee review check our Instagram story to submit!

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