Coffee in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the time of a pandemic

Our VvW-on-the-Road blog has been a little quiet due to the global pandemic and the travel restrictions that have come with it. But as lockdown measures have eased, our team member Gloria found some time to head north to Scotland.

Read here Gloria's report on coffee in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting some friends - as socially distanced as was possible - who are at uni in Scotland, as part of perhaps the only summer holiday I will be going on this year. While I was there, I visited a few of the wonderful coffee shops Glasgow and Edinburgh have to offer, and got a glimpse into the interesting independent coffee scene that has sprung up in Scotland.

Glasgow
After a long train journey I arrived in rainy Glasgow . Sadly, due to Coronavirus, a lot of the shops were closed - something that was not such an issue in Edinburgh. I managed to grab a flat white at Papercup, in the West End area where I was staying. It was smooth, light and on the sweeter side, not particularly complex but I really enjoyed it. The shop roast their own coffee beans; I think they had a Guatemalan one on when I visited. Apparently their food is lovely too but we opted for the famous Paesan pizza down the road, which was fantastic. Overall this was a great spot for a decent coffee if you’re in Glasgow. I was disappointed that some of the city’s other established spots, such as Laboratorio Espresso, were not open yet, but there’s always next time!​

Edinburgh
After only the one flat white in Glasgow, I was ready for some more caffeine when I got to Edinburgh. As soon as I hopped off the train my friend Elsa and I headed into the swanky New Town for a flat white in Fortitude, which was lovely. The espresso, if I remember correctly, was from Malawi, and was on the bitter side - I think there were supposed to be notes of lemon peel and green tea. We also shared one of their vegan peanut butter cookies, which was the perfect dipping companion.
The next day, prior to a walk up to Arthur’s Seat, we visited Cult Espresso. I got one of their bottled ‘Cult Brews’ with oat milk, which I drank at the top of the crags with possibly the best brownie I have ever had in my life - salted caramel and pecan, recommended by the friendly baristas. The coffee was light and delicious, perfect in the (almost) sunshine. Next time I'm back in Edinburgh I will definitely be paying another visit.

​I was gobsmacked at not only the quality of the coffee shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh, but also the quantity. There seemed to be independent, locally roasted coffee available almost everywhere I went! All the staff were lovely and chatty too, and the food was great - when can I move?

Gloria visited:
Papercup, 603 Great Western Rd, Glasgow G12 8HX
Fortitude Coffee, 3c York Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3EB
Cult Coffee, 104 Buccleuch St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9NG