The Coffee Column

Each week, we’ll be bringing you a taste of what’s on offer in the various locations around university, to filter out the rubbish, leave you full of beans, and hopefully have a latte fun.

IDLE HANDS

Not just coffee

But also, a lot of coffee.

The Hands have a station or ‘brew bar’ which houses around five different types of the filtered stuff in all kinds of depths and flavours. This is available both in the conventional hot form, or in the Zeitgeisty ‘cold brew’ style. The latter is a no-heat method which helps to avoid the bitter aftertaste which is formed when the grounds reach a high temperature, leaving instead those subtle, fruity flavours of the java to infuse. This style is perfect for those who crave the taste of coffee but without the sharp ending. So if you’re one of those people that like products such as coffee cake and coffee cream but can’t stand the drink, then the cold brew may be for you.

As well as these filter varieties, Idle Hands serve espresso straight up, as a latte/flat white/cappuccino/everything you’d find at a commercial coffee shop, but more special. The selection is handpicked with the customers’ preferences in mind. Staff are well-versed in the coffee jargon and not because they’re being paid to do so; everyone here is genuinely passionate about coffee which affirms their tagline “specialists in coffee”.

Something that may put people off, says manager Dave, is that Commercial Coffee Company use the rather misleading sizes tall, grande, and venti, where here they use the traditional Italian measures. Where at first the customer may feel short-changed, once one is aware that CCC actually fills their cups with extra steamed milk to dilute the drink, one realises the honest service of Idle Hands. There is no need to mask the personality of the coffee with lashings of milk because the flavour speaks so well for itself.

Bottom line: Delicious coffee, honest staff, quality not quantity.

TAKE-AWAY ✓

FOOD ✓

CAKE ✓

OTHER DRINKS ✓