ANYONE FOR COFFEE?

as said there are just too many of them. I wonder how long it will be before the market retreats and they will be closing them like the old town pubs

Consumer

Smokers' guide to coffee shops

Jo Gaffikin offers a consumers' view of high street coffee shops from Starbucks to Caffe Nero and Costa Coffee. If you want to post details of your favourite smoker-friendly coffee shop send an email to info@forestonline.org.

HIGH STREET coffee shops are all pretty formulaic. There are occasional variations (Balham Caffe Nero is a bit different to St James' Caffe Nero) but they don't alter the standard formula unless they have to. The look and feel of one Starbucks to another (ditto Coffee Republic or Costa Coffee) is marginal.

Staff can be replied upon to be pretty disinterested in (a) their job, (b) coffee in general, and (c) the customer. I invariably find myself standing around trying to work out who's in the queue, how I can get served, and where my drink will appear. On a bad day I'll start a fight with a woman (300 carrier bags, chatting noisily on her phone) over the ownership of a cup that could be my latte or her decaffe frappachino with extra sprinkles.

Behind the counter you'll find a selection of vastly overpriced sandwiches to choose from, a few carbohydrate-heavy brown things in jars and, if the shop's big enough, a selection of cafetieres so in future you can make your coffee at home and never darken their sanitised doors again.

Once you have secured a mug of your favourite tipple and a vapid muffin you may be lucky enough to find a newspaper and maybe even a sofa if you are light on your feet. But don't expect to overhear the musings of French intellectuals stimulated by caffeine and tobacco.

Modern coffee houses are primarily an opportunity to sit down for a few priceless moments before (and this is very important) going for a pee. But please don't tell the people at Costa Coffee they work in a glorified public toilet - I'll never get served a grande Americano to go ever again.

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Cigarettes and coffee

Cigarettes and coffee. A classic combination that ranks alongside other great coalitions like gin and tonic, Torvil and Dean and cheese and pickle. But a coffee drunk while a cigarette is smoked is far more than just a pleasing junction. A smoker knows there is little that can't be faced after a strong coffee and leisurely smoked cigarette.

Cigarettes and coffee. A well rehearsed and sustaining ritual whether it's a peaceful introduction to another day or a fitting conclusion to a good meal. You pick your moment, sit back and the bitter taste and sweet smoke revives your senses.

Cigarettes and coffee. A delectable combination you can rely on. It has stood the test of time and is enjoyed throughout the world. It has been said that the pleasure of a cigarette with a coffee lies in the complimentary effects on the brain of nicotine and caffeine taken simultaneously. But such joyous fusion should not be over-analysed! Although some physiological effects are undeniable, there are still those who rely on their morning coffee and cigarette to perform a certain evacuation!

Cigarettes and coffee. A largely indoor preoccupation, though the opportunities to indulge in this delightful union are becoming increasingly scarce. So here is our guide to the major high street coffee shops. If you have a favourite coffee shop, write and tell us at info@forestonline.org:

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Aroma and Caffe Nero
www.aroma-cafes.co.uk and www.caffenero.com

Caffe Nero is the Italian coffee bar that started life as a small espresso bar in South Kensington in London. Caffe Nero as we know it now came on the scene in 1990. Today there are more than 100 shops stretching from Brighton to Glasgow.

Floated on the stock market in 2001 they are a rapidly expanding company achieving sustained growth. They are currently in the process of converting Aroma sites - which the group bought out in March 2002 - to Caffe Neros.

Caffe Nero serves only espresso. An espresso is a thick, satisfying, smooth, full bodies coffee topped with a hazelnut coloured 'crema'. They make it in the venerated tradition of coffee making pioneered in Milan in the 1940s by a Mr Gaggia.

The 'art' of espresso making is taken very seriously at Caffe Nero: from the secret blend of beans through 'the grind', 'the tamp' and finally 'the pour' - delivered by 'highly trained' staff known as 'barista'.

OK, I hear you say, BUT ARE WE ALLOWED TO SMOKE?! The good news is that with very few exceptions (Canterbury, York MG, and Heathrow Terminal 1) most branches have smoking areas. How civilised. How Italian.

FOREST rating: 4/5

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Coffee Republic
(No website at present)

Nationwide there are 96 Coffee Republic bars (down from 102 as the six Waterstone branches have now closed). The vast majority are non-smoking because 'We felt that the ventilation in some bars was inadequate to extract cigarette smoke and we had had a number of complaints about smoke affecting the quality of food on display.'

Last year however the company told FOREST that 'Our bars are generally a lot bigger now and we try to designate an area with improved ventilation for smokers.' In addition, 'In many of our bars we have outside seating where people can smoke.' So, room for improvement but with a little bit of encouragement (write to Customer Services!), your local branch might be persuaded to introduce a smoking area.

FOREST rating: 2/5

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Pret a Manger
www.pret.co.uk

The first Pret opened in London in 1987. Today there are 130 shops thoughout the UK and branches in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

The first shop had its own kitchen where fresh ingredients were delivered daily and food was prepared throughout the day. All Pret shops continue to follow this model: they make all their sandwiches, wraps and baguettes in every shop each day. Whatever Pret hasn't sold by the time they close, is given to local charities.

The Times credits Pret a Manger with having 'revolutionised the concept of sandwich making and eating'. Committed to avoiding chemicals, additives and preservatives, the company says that 'Quality fresh food is our passion.'

Sadly their passions don't include smoking. Every shop is a 'smoke free zone'. So buy a fancy sandwich (at a price!) and get the hell outta there!!

FOREST rating: 1/5

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Costa Coffee
www.costa.co.uk

The Costa brothers opened their first shop in London in 1978. With notable growth in the past decade the company had 186 stores by 1999 and in 2000 3.7 million cups of coffee were sold each week. Costa is now 'the largest UK branded coffee shop' with over 300 stores and host units in a number of retail outlets (Ottakars and Waterstones bookstores, WH Smith and Homebase stores, Marriott Hotels, Abbey National and Middlesex Hospital).

Costa serve a blend that is 'six different parts arabica beans and one part robusta'. The beans are roasted for 22 minutes to avoid a bitter taste. The process is done by hand under the watchful eye of their accredited Master Roaster. Each store has its own specialist barista (coffee maker) who has been trained the Italian way at Costa's dedicated roastery.

The chain offers a Fairtrade coffee option, available on request. They are also purveyors of the 'massimo'. The cup is round, rather like a French soup bowl with handles on either side to make it easy to lift the 20oz of coffee inside.

Having banned smoking in most of the its 350 UK outlets over the past two years, the chain has just announced a ban in all outlets. According to the company, food sales had risen at many of the smoke-free outlets. It estimates 63 per cent of customers are non-smokers and 80 per cent prefer a smoke-free cafe.

FOREST rating: 0/5

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Starbucks
www.starbucks.com

In 1971 Starbucks opened its first shop in Seattle. Now they have 5886 locations worldwide. In recent years they have born the brunt of many an anti-capitalist/globalisation protestor but they survive, it seems, undaunted.

Despite (or because of?) their reputation they are big on corporate responsibility and have committed themselves to 'a role of environmental leadership' that covers all aspects of their business.

According to the company Starbucks is 'dedicated to providing high quality coffee beverages and a unique coffee experience to our valued customers.' Unfortunately 'valued customers' do not seem to include smokers.

The company told FOREST that, 'Cigarette smoke could be harmful to coffee, as coffee attracts and absorbs odours from products including but not limited to perfumes, colognes, cigarettes and cigars. As such, we have taken the decision to have a non-smoking policy in our stores in order to maintain the quality of our coffee beverages.'

FOREST rating: 0/5