Under Pressure Espresso

Best coffee shop I’ve ever been to. The coffee is amazing and the décor is simple yet perfect for the business. You can tell how passionate the man (don’t know his name sorry) is about what he sells. Perfect for a quick brunch or catch up place with friends. Definitely recommend it.

Really nice cup of coffee and an extra special selection of cakes. I opted for the spiced coffee cake which was really quite lovely.
Edit: on my second visit I had a red berry and hibiscus tea and I think it us one of the best teas I have had!

Outstandingly good coffee served with an almost fanatical quest for perfection by the owner Matt who with a very modest manner has a wealth of knowledge for all things coffee!
This is not your ‘average’ coffee shop nor is it pretentious or ‘clicky’ it really is somewhere rather superb & the best thing to happen in Sutton Coldfield for a long while!
It’s a great place to just drop into & relax over a fantastic cup made with passion & pride!

I’ve followed Under Pressure for quite a while, even before it opened when the idea was a mere twinkle in the eye of the owner. To visit tho’ from where I live and work is such a mission I hadn’t bothered until today, despite the good reports from a couple of people who’s views I’d respect. So there’s maybe 4 buses go direct from the city centre to right outside the door and the trip is may 25 minutes or so to Sutton Coldfield.
The owner seems a very nice, quietly dedicated chap and he’s crafted a chilled place to hang out. When I was there the small room, maybe seating for 14 at a squeeze, was largely full and folks were chatting away. It was a reasonably mixed bunch from yummy mummies (is that a term!) and assorted babies, two laptop types and a few couples. It felt good and that is way harder to achieve than good crema! But it’s not that comfortable truth be told, with small, hard stools and chairs, so it’s maybe not I place I’d stay in for too long.
I liked the simple approach to coffee selection. You can have espresso (black, a bit pricey!) or same with silky smooth, steamed milk. For the milk option you can have 6 oz (to me a flat white) or, I think, 12 oz (so pretty much a Latte). No cappuccino … but let’s be honest, very few staff in Brum can be bothered creating a classic cappuccino: the bigger flat white with half-​ar*** latte art impostor has become ubiquitous in most ‘third wave’ coffee establishment! You can also have a brewed coffee — I think he uses the Kone, which is a very good choice once you know how to use it. He has different beans for brews but I didn’t notice what as not my tipple.
Beans used for the espresso drinks on my visit where the excellent Workshop Coffee 100% La Ilusion, El Salvador v13 Cult of Done. It’s almost a Winter espresso to my mind: a thicker, darker, chocolate, nuts and mildly fruity option than some of their previous efforts and so much more to my own taste. Milk was nice, very smooth; if not quite the best I’ve had, certainly up to par and at least as good as anywhere in the Birmingham area. Workshop beans ain’t cheap even wholesale and really a highly competent barista like this guy could squeeze a great drink from a less expensive, still quality option.
He uses a Victoria Arduino which is an interesting change to the La Spaziale and La Marzocco machines more often seen about the city. I’m pretty sure it’s a Nuova Simonelli brand these days, but that’s a good thing.
I had a slice of Beetroot and Chocolate cake … sounds yuk but is pretty much a Red Velvet if you know that one. Nice and moist, over sweet creamy topping but the base made up for that. Both together £4.50 which was OK. Everything was served with care and unrushed. Customers all seemed happy with the slow pace.
Nothing much to eat there tho’ so I had to go elsewhere for lunch (bad choice — Cambaz Bar & Chargrill over the road which was snooty and mediocre!) And therein lies the key challenge for Under Pressure! How do you make a viable business, not just flog yourself to stay open, when all you sell is nice coffee and cake?
I guess the answers include a limit on customer numbers/​covers, work long hours yourself and keep all costs as low as you possibly can. Ideally, you need to attract ‘regular people very regularly’ not just the once off coffee geeks and offer rather more than cake and coffee. I’m not sure what else he can do, given location, space and number of covers but some lunch time options would work. At the end of the day the balance of running a viable business while keeping standards super high and yourself rested, happy and healthy is a difficult one. I wish him all the luck in the world!

Possibly the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had!
The shop is just past the Wetherspoons «The Bottle of Sack» but on the other side of the road, opposite «Cambaz» Turkish Grill. It’s quite an intimate coffee shop, seating for maybe 10 to 15 people and has a vintgae/​modern fusion décor.
They serve a range of speciality filter coffees and espresso with a very simple menu, there’s no fuss, no vast ranges of syrups or milks or iced coffees to confuse you, but the drinks they do serve are just exceptional. Price beats Starbucks, Café Nero and Costa which is also a bonus considering how good the coffee is!
Definitely worth a visit!