How weird is your coffee order?
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Doubloons, in the British seaside town of Margate, looks a lot like it belongs in a 1980s kids’ TV programme. With a bright, white and red facade and a window decorated with cartoonish lettering that reads “drinks”, “cocktails” and “coffees... Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Doubloons, in the British seaside town of Margate, looks a lot like it belongs in a 1980s kids’ TV programme. With a bright, white and red facade and a window decorated with cartoonish lettering that reads “drinks”, “cocktails” and “coffees”, the interior is also bedecked with primary colours.The latest batch of new-gen coffee fixes boasts extensive ingredients and innovative flavour combinations – think cold brew with hazelnut and cardamom (the Marylebone location of London’s Abuelo), a latte with pear syrup and brown sugar (Rhythm Zero in Brooklyn), a spiced cold brew with cinnamon, chilli and sweetened cream (Maru in Los Angeles), and a honeybun latte (Neighbourhood in Belfast), made using a local Irish honey.Cloe de la Vega, co-founder of Abuelo in London, claims her drinks are “not comparable” to what coffee chains offer. They “use flavouring . . . like 10 pumps of a store-bought vanilla or pumpkin syrup . . . to cover a lower-quality product”, she says.Speciality coffee has long been seen as a serious affair. It’s one where top notes must not only be tasted but respected. A few years ago, most aficionados wouldn’t have been caught dead with a mug topped with whipped cream. But many batch-brew types are willing to try these new-age drinks, says de la Vega.
