32-34 Bird St, Lichfield WS13 6PR I’ve made my way up to Lichfield for a friend’s wedding and this particular spot was recommended to me by the groom, so it would be rude not to try it out. I always try to seek out independent coffee shops serving up third wave coffee when out of town because (apart from being a trained barista and unrelenting caffeine fiend) the way they try to mark themselves out against a globalising wave of mass chains and high street apathy often takes a quirky turn, hence why the often derisive turn of ‘hipster cafe’ is thrown about so often when the reality is not so much about being obtuse for the sake of it but rather trying to be ‘hip’ in order to survive. This one has gone down the route of marking out a sort of Australian heritage, which is wise given that Australia (and to some extent New Zealand) is now perceived as the primo destination for third wave coffee, the starting point for fine espresso products and the nation that brought us the Flat White. As such, by calling itself ‘Melbourne’, this little spot some 13 miles North of Birmingham, England, has marked out its intentions and perceived prestige. Graffitied walls and bright colours play to a sense of child like enjoyment in the space filled with a mix of cluttered furniture, going so far as to mix a sort of archetypal elder’s sitting room in a setting painted with video game characters drinking coffee. This juxtaposition is exactly the sort of thing I’ve come to expect from something in East London but this far North in a tiny medieval cathedral city, perhaps less so. I opt for an oat latte (my go to beverage of choice nowadays) and am warmed by the nutty notes and swirling caramel. Having spent some time in Australia, trailing through the East Coast coffee scene, I can’t say if this matches up to the Melbourne title it bestows upon itself but it certainly seems to be going in the right direction.
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