The List Issue 762

DRINK UP In our regular drinks column, Kevin Fullerton tries a few tasty beverages and lets you know exactly what he thinks of them.

This month we need Kevin to talk about . . . speciality coffee

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EAT DRINK SHOP DRINK

t’s time to chuck your fetid freeze-dried granules out your grubby window, because this month’s drinks round-up is pitching a tent in the tantalising territory of speciality coffee. As an out and proud coffee snob, I’ve ensured that all this month’s selections hail from local Scottish roasters with an easy-to-source ethical supply chain, so no mediocre supermarket fare here. Each bean was ground with an electric grinder and consumed without milk or sugar after five minutes of brewing.

First up is a Colombian bean from Dear Green (£8.95 for 250g), produced by the Amaca Women’s Co-op in Congo’s La Mayanga region. These beans smell so good that I wanted to pop two of them up each nostril and breathe them in all day, such is the rich chocolatey scent that’s only strengthened after a few seconds in the grinder. The taste itself becomes a little more complex after brewing, revealing a top note of citrus, but the omnipresence of caramel and chocolate is lush and undeniable.

Unlike Dear Green’s instant olfactory hit, Sacred Grounds Coffee Company’s selection from Ethiopia’s Bensa District (£9 for 250g) didn’t strike me as particularly special in that initial nasal exploration of the bag. But the brewing process cracked open an aroma of Parma Violets that was gloriously pungent.

After letting the beans settle, the taste took an unexpected but not unpleasant left turn into smoky territory, with a smooth aftertaste of honey that would make this the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon slice of cake.

The caffeine had kicked in by this point, my heart palpitations ranging from ‘mild’ to ‘should I call an ambulance?’ Yet nothing could stop me from immediately tearing into my third choice, Edinburgh-based Artisan Roast’s Kenyan beans (£8 for 250g).

Sourced from a co-operative factory in Kenya’s Kagumo Town, these beans are drenched in the scent of currants straight out of the bag. It’s a wintry aroma that continues in the taste and, as with any selection from Artisan Roast, is maintained until the very last sip. As coffee makers go, this is a company that could never be accused of subtlety, but this is still the best of an incredibly accomplished trio.

PICTURE: STEPH NICOL

BAR FILES We ask creative folks to reveal their favourite watering hole

SINGER-SONGWRITER LUKE LA VOLPE

I love St Luke’s & The Winged Ox, and not just for the name. It’s a former church run by proper music people, and standing on stage with the stained glass behind you, looking out at the balconies and a choir singing back your lyrics really does have a holy feeling to it. I finished a tour supporting Lewis Capaldi there and opened for Tom Grennan the night I quit my job to do music full-time.

Selling out my own show last December was a dream. The food’s great and the after-shows are legendary, usually with more live music in the bar to keep the party going. Heaven. n Luke La Volpe’s new single Freakwave is out now with full EP Lifelines released on Friday 15 July; he performs at TRNSMT, Glasgow, Friday 8 July; Over The Bridge, Edinburgh, Sunday 31 July.

June 2022 THE LIST 29