Costa Coffee

Although I prefer Starbucks to Costa, I like the idea of a café in a bookshop. I came in here looking for the Gluten Free Chicken and Basil wraps, unfortunatly as the store is very small they didnt have them. The staff were really nice, polite and helpful and advised me the nearest place to find these wraps. I never thought I would say this but I had a reasonably positive experiance at Costa Coffee!!!

When I hear this name, lots of memories come into my mind. For instance, I can portrait some years back, when it was a rainy day, it was two of us and we were running not to get too wet. Too late. As we were laughing and running like two little kids, we saw this coffee shop. How amazing. It was that time when you could smoke inside. We got a table right next to the windows. First thing? We took our packs of Marlboro out, started to smoke and be quite, looking at that peaceful rain. After that I’ve moved to Manchester and when I saw Costa, in!!! For the sake of the old times. To be honest, I’ve never bought a coffee from costa. I don’t really know why. I always went for a big cup of tea, in their awesome cups. That place is surreal. Maybe because so many things are related to it. When I walk along on the streets and see the name ‘Costa’, I always smile and wish it was a rainy day to repeat my experiences over and over again. For me, this coffee shop was a beginning of something beautiful, the rest, it’s for you to discover.

Coffee shops in bookshops are a genius idea. You can sit and review potential book purchases whilst supping a cappuccino. Thus rash purchasing decisions are avoided, and the stress of shopping is reduced. You can even read the first few pages and decide the book is rubbish, as long as you haven’t spilt coffee all over it.
I’ve got to argue with Sarah-​Jane here on this suggestion that they should have put an independent coffee shop here instead of a chain store. They obviously want a deal with a coffee company that allows them to set up cafes in all their stores. And more importantly, did you not notice that Waterstones is itself a major chain? Why do people always complain about chain coffee shops? I know that big chain stores are bad for business because they spoil the market, but why do people only moan about the coffee shops?! So Waterstones was absolutely fine being a chain store until they decided to support a chain COFFEE SHOP. Oh the hypocrisy.
Costa tastes nice. Waterstones sell a good books. It’s the same.

To many people Costa seems like Starbucks and Nero’s annoying baby sister, the one who tags along and tries to meet all their cool friends. But actually, it’s far superior to Nero, and the fact that it seems to be the only coffee franchise dotted along the service stations of our motorways has probably had a negative impact on its critical reception.
But don’t knock it. You haven’t known the true value of Costa until you’ve bought a coffee for a very tired driver sitting next to you and it’s lit him up like a Christmas tree. Its appearance at train stations and airports is also welcome for frothy hot beverages on the go, especially on those cold mornings. And to be perfectly honest, I’ve never been more tempted by the food on display in any other coffee shop than Costa. Breakfast loaves for toast with raisins, carrot, pumpkin seeds and pecans, paninis lining the walls ready to be toasted and muffins and cakes that gleam with deliciousness.
It’s a fairly young company, having appeared in London in 1971 by brothers whose last name was actually Costa, Bruno and Sergio. They created a blend called Mocha Italia, and this is the coffee that’s remained in Costa for all these years and stayed a closely guarded secret. Skimmed and soya is always on the menu, but the company falls down a little by offering a fair-​trade ‘option’. Why can’t all the coffee be fair-​trade in that case? I feel guilty for not ordering it when it’s more expensive, if all the coffee was that price I’d be ordering it anyway.
Costa’s definitely my preferred coffee franchise alternative and I do like the fact that it’s crept into bookstores and building societies, it adds something of a homely feel. The colder or frozen drinks aren’t quite as good as the ones offered by its big siblings, but let’s face it, we’re supposed to be going to coffee shops for the coffee.

I know chains usually go hand in hand but it breaks my heart that Waterstones allowed a Costa Coffee to open in the middle of this wonderful book store.
Wouldn’t it have been better if they’d encouraged an independent coffee company to open here? One that sells great coffee, home-​made cakes and genuinely tasty hot sandwiches that don’t come in plastic wrappers? I know I shouldn’t have such big expectations but the coffee at this Costa always tastes too burnt and strong and the cakes are either too dry or too sugary. Their commerical branding is also completely at odds with the grandness of the building.
Suffice to say, I wouldn’t drink here if you paid me.