All the coffee shops on UoN’s campus rated on the things that really matter

So you can satisfy your coffee craving without wasting money


During my year out before going to university, I did the very typical North London “gap yah” thing and worked as a barista at my local café.  I quickly learnt that there’s a very specific science behind a good cup of coffee, more importantly I can now tell the difference between a good coffee and a bad one. It’s important as a perpetually broke student to know the difference as we can’t always afford the luxury of going to artisanal café, paying the big bucks for nothing special.

UoN boasts a range of coffee shops on campus but which one is really the best? Getting value for your money is even more important these days so we decided to compare the best coffee shops on campus and to see which ones actually provide you with the goods. We rated them on the things that really matter such as: Taste, barista skills, the availability and range of milk alternative and price

Portland Coffee

Portland Coffee uses 200 Degree coffee beans which is a very popular Nottingham based coffee roaster, but to be honest I don’t think it’s all that- it tastes nutty, but, not in a good way. The café also has the highest priced coffee on campus and charges 50p for milk alternatives other than soya. It’s always super busy with long queues. However, Portland certainly has the widest variety of drinks compared to other cafes and some good looking cakes. Even though it’s on the pricier side I will say their baristas are the most skilled out of the four I reviewed.

Taste- three stars
Barista skills- four stars
Availability of milk alternatives- two stars
Price- two stars
Overall= 3/5

Trent Café

A hidden gem, this is one of the most underrated cafes on campus. It’s bigger, less busy than Portland and has very comfortable seating. The main draw for this café is the pricing- its the cheapest coffee I have found on campus without substituting for taste. Trent uses Grumpy Mule coffee which I think tastes pretty good. They offer less of a range of drinks than some of the other cafes but sell cortados for the more refined coffee drinkers.

Taste- four stars
Barista skills- four stars
Availability of milk alternatives-  five stars
Price- four stars
Overall= 4.5/5

George Green Library Cafe

George Green serves Starbucks coffee which is alright if you’re just after a caffeine hit and don’t respect your taste buds. Look, it’s great for convenience if you’re in the middle of a study day and don’t want to trek, but if you’re after a real coffee I’d suggest going somewhere else. I was stuck in a fairly long queue, but I enjoyed the general vibes of this café and the lady who served me was very nice. They did offer milk alternatives for free but they weren’t listed, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Taste- two stars
Barista skills- three stars
Availability of milk alternatives- three stars
Price- three stars
Overall=3/5

Hallward Library Cafe

Hallward café is basically the same as George Green but it does offer a wider range of drinks if you fancy a Starbucks Frappuccino. The service was really quick but my coffee was definitely served too hot which didn’t help the taste. I also spied an automatic coffee machine rather than a manual one meaning there wasn’t much skill involved in making my latte, but nonetheless I was satisfied with what I got.

Taste- three stars
Barista skills- 1 star
Availability of milk alternatives- three stars
Price-  three stars
Overall=2/5

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