THROUGH MY LENS: POP UP CAFE, DEAL

A KAMILA COFFEE REVIEW

Back in May I was visiting some Heritage sites; Deal & Walmer castles. I did my coffee shop homework the night before and I chose the Pop Up Cafe in Deal as a place for a break in between visiting the two sites. Situated in the city centre, opposite the famous pound shop, the Pop Up Cafe offers an ecstatic and pleasant experience. The walls were covered with some really cool artwork; one of the posters looked like Tretchikoff’s painting “Chinese Girl”. I noticed that they use coffee beans which are roasted in Margate from Curve Coffee and was excited to see what they had to offer. After a good chat with the baristas I ordered an espresso with a filter coffee to follow. I ended up trying two of their filters - the first one Juan Saldarriaga, Colombian was mellow and citrusy. I enjoyed it so much that my friend bought me a bag of the beans. I also tried the Rwandan espresso and an Ethiopian filter to go. I will definitely go back to Pop Up coffee as they know how to brew a decent cup. It was a good coffee experience.

See:

Pop Up Coffee: www.popupcoffe.co.uk

Curve Coffee Roasters: www.curveroaster.co.uk

Photos: Canon AE-1 on Fujifilm Colour 200 35 MM FILM

THROUGH MY LENS: Blueprint Coffee, Whitstable

A KAMILA COFFEE REVIEW

Blueprint Coffee in Whitstable has become a coffee shop I save as a treat, a place that I make special time to go and visit. The shop is modern and clean with a Scandinavian inspired look. It has specially selected books, coffee equipment, magazines, artisan cakes, and one of the highest standards of coffee making I have seen in Kent. 

On my most recent trip over to the shop I was welcomed by baristas Aimee and Ed. After a friendly chat we started talking coffee. As per usual I ordered an espresso followed by a filter. The shelves were stacked with bags of coffee from Ozone Coffee Roaster and Cast Iron Coffee Roasters. Aimee suggested the single origin Cafex, Burundi from Cast Iron as an espresso starter, it was beautiful. After a short debate about which filter coffee to chose, I decided to try Colombian La Conchita, again from Cast Iron, it was delicious and it surprised me with beautiful notes of papaya and coconut. If you are ever in Whitstable, set aside some special time to visit Blueprint Coffee.

See:

Blue Print Coffee: http://blueprintcoffee.co.uk/

Cast Iron Coffee - https://castironroasters.com/

Ozone Coffee: https://ozonecoffee.co.uk/

Photos: Canon AE-1 on Fujifilm Colour 200 35 MM FILM

THROUGH MY LENS: HOT NUMBERS COFFEE

A KAMILA COFFEE REVIEW

I didn’t have much knowledge of Hot Numbers Coffee, but when my friend Phil told me that he was moving to Cambridge and was working there, I did my research. He suggested going to their Instagram page and said that : “The interior of the place is just beautiful for photography,” it sure looked like it. Phil worked as a barista at Lost Sheep Coffee in Canterbury at that time – my favourite spot for a morning coffee. Then he left. By coincidence, a few weeks later my friend Elina invited me to Bishop Stortford, when I arrived she suggested going to Cambridge. I googled the postcode for Hot Numbers and discovered that they had two shops in Cambridge, not just one. I didn’t have a choice, I had to visit them both! The first one we went to was located on Gwydir Street, it was a lovely place with a modern feel to it. We ordered an espresso, filter coffee and some food. I have never tried better kimchi, which came alongside whipped feta and eggs – amazing! That plus my Rwandan filter, I was in heaven. After that, we headed downtown around 6pm over to the second shop. I had already drank 3 coffees by then so I only treated myself to a flat white to go. I loved the people, the atmosphere, and the funky feel of the place. I will have to go back there again to see Phil and explore their coffee more!

See:

https://www.facebook.com/HotNumbersCoffee/

http://hotnumberscoffee.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/hotnumberscoffee/

Photos: Canon AE-1 on Kodak Portra 400 35 mm film