Stars align in Hockley at this cool and collected cafe
Serving up Outpost Coffee and with guest roaster Stephen from Lucid slinging out pour-over samples at the counter, Cosmos in Nottingham’s city centre is a carefully crafted space for coffee lovers to converge and enjoy some fresh and funky coffees.
At a glance Nottingham is unsuspecting of being a burgeoning coffee hub. Look a little deeper however and a slew of speciality coffee shops appear, tucked behind corners and stocked up with dynamic beans from local roasters. Cosmos, formerly Kigali of Stoney Street, is one such coffee shop. Having found their instagram page through Outpost Coffee Roasters, we were impressed by the aesthetic and passion they were conveying online. We thus set our sights on Cosmos for our first coffee in Nottingham and headed there early on a Saturday morning.
Bought and renovated by James Daykin and Matias Juarez last year and reopened in January, the duo have made good use of the intimate space. A gleaming La Marzocco greets you from the countertop at the entrance, and to the right, the space extends, with a wall-length window keeping the room bright and airy. Tables line the walls, filled with pairs and groups of people chatting and sipping from speckled cups. All seem to have one eye on the hive of activity at the island countertop, where a man is in the process of brewing a fresh batch of pour-over coffee. A barista tells us that he’s their guest roaster for a few hours and that we’re welcome to sample a few of his blends. We happily agree.
Coffee Jargon
Ordering two flat whites, we nab a recently vacated table at the end of the room, lit up by a Wes Anderson-style lamp set against the white wall. A leaflet on the table lets us know about the guest roaster, Stephen, from Lucid Roasters in Belfast. Roasting up a limited edition birthday blend of Brazilian beans to celebrate Lucid’s second birthday, he readily chats with the people around him as he pours.
Our flat whites arrive on a wooden tableau, and as the tables around us empty slightly, we sip. Brewed using Outpost’s Brazilian Amarildo beans, featuring natural washed beans, the cherries feature an extended fermentation period that ensures a slightly funkier taste. Zesty and zany, there is a mild acidic aftertaste that is more refreshing than off-putting. The milk is a little foamy and adds weight to the coffee, but it remains an enjoyable and fresh cup of coffee all the same.
While we finish our flat whites, we’re offered a sample of Stephen's birthday blend. Made as a pour-over, the coffee is quite weak but packs a lot of flavor. With beans hailing from Mio producers in Brazil, this Flomesco roast is incredibly floral and sweet. The filter really allows a complexity of flavor to carry through, and we enjoyed every sip of the delicate coffee. Stephen himself was enthusiastic and passionate, and it was lovely to hear about his experience in the coffee industry.
In creating a space that encourages the convergence of roasters, baristas, and consumers, the team behind Cosmos has succeeded in building not only a coffee shop but also a community. Stephen from Lucid Roasters mentioned that specialty coffee can often seem a little obscure or inaccessible but that what it really comes down to for those in the industry is simply a drive to encourage more people to drink better coffee. In hosting events like these that celebrate a smaller specialty coffee roaster and inviting them to be on-site to explain the process, Cosmos is facilitating that drive. Combining that with their own baristas' knowledge, skills, and approachability makes this coffee shop a well-worth visit while in Nottingham.
