Serve up Strangers at Home – Strangers Coffee Review

Have you seen the McDonald’s advert that takes the micky out of the overcomplicated and overpriced hipster cafes? Surely, when the fast food giant attempts to steal the customers from small, independent coffee houses, it is a compliment and acknowledgement that these coffee houses are creating and providing something that people want; good coffee.

Strangers coffee house is the epitome of third wave coffee; an independent coffee shop in Norwich city’s Pottergate, with their roastery just around the corner on Dove Street. A team of guys work in both the coffee house and roastery, all expressing a passion for coffee and an interest of sharing their product with the community, whilst only revealing a hint of hipster, which is just the right amount.

Listed in The Daily Telegraph’s Britain’s 30 best coffee shops in 2017, Strangers is unassuming and relaxed; quite simply, you must pop in if you are visiting the fine city and pick up a bag of coffee to take home.

A coffee-grinder, a basic set of kitchen scales, a cafetierre and most importantly, a bag of Strangers coffee, and you’ve propelled your own kitchen into one of the coffee hot spots in your own city. You can leave the coffee grinder off the shopping list, as the roastery on Dove Street will grind the coffee beans for any brew method you have at home.

It is highly advisable to follow the brewing guides on the Strangers website, bringing about a flavoursome home-brewed coffee experience. However, they don’t deter you from experimenting with your own ratios and timings; just the right amount of coffee geekiness in their online advice.

Both the African and South American single origin coffee are worth purchasing. The Guatemalan Santa Lucia packs a punch, providing the wake me up flavour that a coffee should deliver when drank in the morning; a full-bodied cup with hints of milk chocolate and orange flavours.

The Kenyan Kainamui AA has a sweeter and fruitier flavour making it a refreshing brew late morning or early afternoon. Pronounced “khin-a-moo-ee” it has hints of apple and blackcurrant, and makes for an energising cold brew on hotter days.

You can trace the heritage of your coffee bean to the very farm it was harvested from. In-depth information is readily available on the Stranger’s website, from the knowledgeable baristas in the Strangers coffee house, and on the coffee bag itself. The Strangers coffee bag would not look out of place on a pharmaceutical shelf, but it represents the precision that the guys at Strangers apply to the craft of coffee making.

From a takewaway cup, to a sit-in or home-brewed experience, Strangers coffee will deliver a coffee experience that will make you become a coffee aficionado.

Average Jane’s, tell us your favourite local independent coffee house to scout out this summer.