#coffeemafia

It's like coffee heaven in here, great atmosphere and proof that Leeds is becoming a force in UK coffee culture - this is definitely a good thing. I opted for something different this time; a split shot. An espresso shot and a side was a 'milky' drink - piccolo. Excellently presented, the espresso was no nonsense, like a debauched gig in my mouth and the piccolo was the after show party, no one wanted to go home and we wanted to party all night. A great coffee. The atmosphere reminds me of my old bedroom (a good thing) the layout of artwork is a common theme in many coffee shops these days, but is always eye catching. God knows I'd prefer to stare at some artwork instead of the miserable frowns of fellow coffee punters - cheer up people. Stop drinking that green tea and get yourself a coffee. Perfectly situated by the galleries, Brew Bar is a thriving hub of creative types. Another jewel in the Leeds coffee crown.

Tea Monkey! In the Centre:MK! Hundred yards from the Starbucks!

"Try this shop, it looks nice, you can get a Starbucks anywhere" i'm told. I know this, but Starbucks make nice coffee and this place is a chain anyway (granted not as big as Starbucks but still a chain).

Despite the name involving 'tea' this place makes a fairly good cappuccino. I did have to wait ten minutes to be served, even though i was the only person waiting int he queue and only one other person was actually drinking in the shop - this did however give my mum plenty of time to think about what over priced bottle of flavoured water she wanted (£3!!!). I eventually got served and ordered my cappuccino in a take out cup but to have in, this always freaks out the baristas, I'm never normally asked why i want this but this young man asked to which i felt i should say "none of your business" but i felt i would explain why, "it's just if i want to get up and leave, i can without having to rush my drink or leave it behind". He seemed bemused.

The great thing i suppose about Tea Monkey is the row of iPads they have on the bench along the wall, all free to use and all connected to the free Wi-Fi. There was even one left logged into someones Facebook account. I resisted the temptation to assume their identity.

All in all a mundane experience. As i was leaving, the girl topping up the sugar sachets asked what i was writing in my notepad (Tea Monkey - home of nosey baristas). I said i was writing a blog about coffee shops. She offered to stamp my receipt as a kind of loyalty card. Explaining i don't come to Milton Keynes often enough to remember a stamped receipt she told me there is a shop in Birmingham - not sure i fancy traveling up there for a one off cappuccino.