Having found myself on an errand in Newmarket on a hot day in June 2008 I looked around for a suitable place for a coffee. This when I first discovered Coffee & Co, a fabulous little coffee shop just off the High Street on a quiet little corner of the town (corner of Sun Lane and Palace Street) which was just perfect. On this day, and there were to be many more later in 2008 when I was visiting the town nearly every day, Julie, the owner, served up an excellent latte and a fabulous piece of Chocolate Malteser cheesecake. I was able to relax in the comfortable little coffee shop, which had a charm and style a million miles from Costa and Starbucks. On subsequent visits, when I was able to sample the ‘best roast beef and cheddar panini in Newmarket’, I got to know Julie Eden quite well and more recently found out what first brought her into the coffee business.

Coffee & Co's outdoor pavement seating

In 2002 a coffee shop in Newmarket was in need of a partner and Julie provided her expertise; within six weeks she had taken over the business completely and in her own words, has “never looked back”. Julie’s career background was in care agency management but had also run a successful catering business in the past and so she had a great deal of experience. But she freely admits that running a coffee shop is different and has been a great deal of hard work. Coffee & Co has been described as one of the main gossip centres of the town and Julie loves the intrigue, the coffee business and the contact with customers of all different kinds. Julie says, “we know what’s going on with everyone in the town, the marriage break ups, the affairs and who has done what to whom!” I asked her how the credit crunch has affected business – “well it’s not been a bad year so far [2009]; people still feel they deserve a small treat and so £5–10 on lunch is not so bad, although I suppose we are helped by Newmarket being quite an affluent town.”

New interior - we love the vibrant colours!

So what are the main difficulties in running a small coffee shop? “Cash flow can be a problem as overheads such as rent rates and utilities are so high but VAT is also a significant factor.” The coffee shop always seems to have a steady flow of custom streaming through, so I wondered whether there were any plans to expand, and perhaps set up another branch of Coffee & Co? “A couple of years ago we had another smaller operation in a travel agents on the High Street in Newmarket but, although the owner was enthusiastic, an employee made the working relationship rather difficult and it closed. I think customers at that time did not quite grasp that they could have a gourmet coffee and browse for a holiday at the same time, although now we see Costa and Starbucks routinely sited inside other stores such as bookshops, health clubs, garden centres and kids clothes shops … The costs of expanding can be phenomenal – as an example I recently made an enquiry about the cost of a site in the new ‘Arc’ shopping centre in Bury St Edmunds and this required a rent of £50,000 per year. What I would really like to do is to open a branch in Cambridge, but again the rents are far too high at the moment.”

Cafe interior: Surf while you sup in the Internet corner

Julie loves the coffee shop business and has now rekindled her previous outside catering services so that the food served at Coffee & Co can be enjoyed across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk at corporate and private events. BestCuppa wish Julie at Coffee & Co all the best for the future and we’ll keep popping in for a latte and a cake when we visit Newmarket!

The BestCuppa guide to reading a coffee menu. What is …

What is an AFFOGATO?

Affogato is a coffee-based beverage/dessert taking the form of a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso (other flavours may be used).

What is an AMERICANO?

Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to a single or double espresso shot, giving a similar strength but different flavour from drip prepared coffee. The strength and size of the Americano will vary with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added. The crema layer is not usually preserved. Can be produced using lighter roast beans from Ethiopia or Sumatra instead of darker roast espresso coffee. It can also be served as an iced version.

What is a CAFÉ CON LECHE or CAFÉ AU LAIT

Café con leche (Spain) or café au lait (France) is a coffee drink consisting of strong coffee (possibly espresso) mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio. Sugar or a pinch of salt are then added to the drink according to taste. This coffee drink is popular across Europe and has many different names, but it is distinct from a latte.

What is a CAFFÉ LATTE (LATTE)?

Caffé latte (latte) is a hot coffee and milk drink that is typically prepared with around ⅓ espresso and ⅔ steamed milk, with an added layer of foamed milk approximately 0.5–1 cm thick on the top (the latte can contain up to 1:1 espresso to steamed milk depending upon taste preference).

What is a CAPPUCCINO?

Cappuccino consists of ⅓ espresso, ⅓ steamed milk and ⅓ milk foam. The texture and temperature of the milk and the foam is very important. The steamed the milk is part converted into a micro-foam with tiny bubbles of air in the milk, giving it a smooth velvety texture and sweetness. Traditional cappuccino contains an espresso shot, over which the barista pours hot foamed milk to give a 2 cm thick milk foam on the top of the drink.

What is a CAPPUCCINO CHIARO?

Cappuccino chiaro (white cappuccino or wet cappuccino) has more milk than normal.

Wet cappuccino

 

What is a CAPPUCCINO FREDO?

Cappuccino Fredo is a cold cappuccino drink made with two shots of sweetened espresso over ice and topped up with foamed milk.

What is a CAPPUCCINO SCURO?

Cappuccino scuro (dark cappuccino or dry cappuccino) has less milk (and typically more foam) than normal.

What is a CORTADO? 

Cortado is an espresso diluted with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The ratio of milk to coffee is about1:1–1:2 and the milk is added after the espresso. This is a longer drink than the espresso machiatto and is served in a 7 oz glass with little or no foam. Variants of the drink also use cream or condensed milk.

What is an ESPRESSO?

Espresso is a concentrated coffee drink that is brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through a specially prepared finely ground coffee. This has a thicker consistency than coffee prepared by other methods and also has a hazel brown foam on the top called the crema layer. The pressure brewing process captures more caffeine (2–3 times more) and flavours than other coffee brewing methods. The single espresso shot is typically a one ounce (30 ml) drink served in a small cup or glass. Variations on this are the DOUBLE ESPRESSO (doppio) (double strength) or TRIPLE ESPRESSO for those who need the extra caffeine kick.

Double espresso

 

What is an ESPRESSO CORRETTO?

Espresso Corretto (corrected) is a single espresso with an addition of a small splash of grappa or brandy (liqueur of choice).

What is an ESPRESSO MACCHIATO or CAFFÉ MACCHIATO?

An espresso macchiato or caffé macchiato is a single espresso with a small amount of hot, foamed milk (typically a teaspoon full) ‘marking’ the top.

What is a FLAT WHITE?

Flat White is a latte variant popular in Australia and New Zealand served in a smaller ceramic cup with the creamy steamed milk poured over an espresso single shot, with the lighter froth held back. Defined as: An antipodean-style coffee which is served as a strong shot of espresso served in a small cup with textured milk; a damn good strong coffee.

What is a LATTE MACCHIATO?

Latte macchiato (marked milk) is a milk-based drink where the steamed white milk is ‘stained’ by the addition of ½ a shot of espresso. The top of the drink is marked by a brown spot of crema to distinguish it from a normal latte. The difference between this and the caffé latte is that less espresso is used. The latte macchiato is mainly milk.

What is a LONG BLACK?

This is a well-known drink in Australia and New Zealand and is made by adding espresso to 30–60 ml (1–2 fl oz) hot water, retaining the crema layer.

What is a LUNGO?

This is a black coffee produced by extracting espresso coffee for longer. This gives additional volume to the drink but will also carry over some bitter flavour elements from the coffee.

What is a MOCHA?

Mocha is a variant of a latte with ⅓ espresso and ⅔ steamed milk. In addition the drink contains chocolate in the form of sweet cocoa powder or chocolate syrup (dark, white or milk chocolate, or a mixture). There is not usually any milk froth on top but the drink can be dressed with whipped cream and marshmallows and dusted with cinnamon or cocoa powder. Mocha can also refer to a specific type of coffee bean with a slight chocolate flavour grown in Ethiopia.

Mocha

What is a PICCOLO CAFE LATTE (Piccolo)?

Piccolo Cafe Latte (Piccolo) (Australian) is a single espresso shot in a machiatto glass, which is then filled with steamed milk in the same way as a caffé latte to give a 3 oz drink, with a 1:2 ratio of coffee to steamed milk, and about 0.5 cm of foam on the top.

What is a RED EYE?

Red eye is a filter coffee to which a single espresso shot has been added to give much higher caffeine content. Variants of this include a BLACK EYE, which is a filter coffee with two espresso shots added and a DEAD EYE, which is a filter coffee with three espresso shots added.

What is a RISTRETTO?

Ristretto (corto) is a special short shot of coffee similar to an espresso but produced in a modified way to capture the true coffee essence. The ristretto shot is produced with a reduced volume of water and the extraction process is much shorter. This has the effect that much less caffeine is extracted and much more of the flavour oil components of the brew come through. Ristretto must only be produced using very high quality coffee and by a skilled Barista. Production involves a finer grind of coffee, shortening extraction time and tamping the coffee down much firmer in the group. A typical ristretto is less than 0.75 ounce and takes around 20–25 seconds to extract.

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