To many people Costa seems like Starbucks and Nero's annoying baby sister, the one who tags along and tries to meet all their cool friends. But actually, it's far superior to Nero, and the fact that it seems to be the only coffee franchise dotted along the service stations of our motorways has probably had a negative impact on its critical reception.
But don't knock it. You haven't known the true value of Costa until you've bought a coffee for a very tired driver sitting next to you and it's lit him up like a Christmas tree. Its appearance at train stations and airports is also welcome for frothy hot beverages on the go, especially on those cold mornings. And to be perfectly honest, I've never been more tempted by the food on display in any other coffee shop than Costa. Breakfast loaves for toast with raisins, carrot, pumpkin seeds and pecans, paninis lining the walls ready to be toasted and muffins and cakes that gleam with deliciousness.
It's a fairly young company, having appeared in London in 1971 by brothers whose last name was actually Costa, Bruno and Sergio. They created a blend called Mocha Italia, and this is the coffee that's remained in Costa for all these years and stayed a closely guarded secret. Skimmed and soya is always on the menu, but the company falls down a little by offering a fair-trade 'option'. Why can't all the coffee be fair-trade in that case? I feel guilty for not ordering it when it's more expensive, if all the coffee was that price I'd be ordering it anyway.
Costa's definitely my preferred coffee franchise alternative and I do like the fact that it's crept into bookstores and building societies, it adds something of a homely feel. The colder or frozen drinks aren't quite as good as the ones offered by its big siblings, but let's face it, we're supposed to be going to coffee shops for the coffee. read more