So heading to work early afternoon on Sunday I was still in a good mood. Maybe a bit sleepy, but in a good mood. Unlike usual I'd left the house in good time and was contemplating where to have my coffee. Taking my usual route through the Meadows I bounced back and forth between options in my head. Then as if out of nowhere I thought "Hmmm I've never thought of this place!" My choice was Union of Genius, Scotland's first soup cafe. Soup cafes seem to have been something of a revelation as of late. No longer is soup confined to community centres and given out in polystyrene cups. Nor is it considered a precursor to a big meal or a dinner for emancipated vegans, it is now the main event as this cafe demonstrates. Now even though Union of Genius specialises in home-made, seasonal soups it also offers an impressive array of hot and cold drinks. As an independent Edinburgh shop with a soup philosophy that can easily applied to my morning coffee, "Happiness-inducing liquid warmth" I think it's worth a try.
The shop itself is a tiny box space. If you really wanted to you could swing a cat and it would hit three of the four walls. (Personally I'd swing a pillow.) There is a small table lined with cushioned benches neatly pushed into the bay window at the front and then a small counter at the side to add your own sugars etc. The counter at the back is dotted with soup cauldrons and behind that is the coffee machine and chalkboard with daily specials. I like it. It feels both contemporary and retro.
I order my coffee, learning from experience to ask for no froth before the milk has been heated "the wrong way". What do I get as a response this time?
"Well technically that's a flat white if you don't want any froth." Pause.
"Is it?" I reply with my head cocked slightly to the right like an inquisitive puppy. I know it's not.
"Oh okay I thought a flat white was kind of layers of foamed milk. But..."
"But...yeah. Okay latte no froth. Hot milk. I get it."
Now I may have won a 'Silliest Student Award' but the funny doesn't seem to translate to my face. Instead my face + coffee shop + specifications to coffee = "Come and 'ave a go if you think your 'ard enough!" Maybe I should be a stand up comedian, I seem to have a face to be heckled. I could wear my badge, do a dance and shout crazy demands at people. It would be a smash at the Fringe.
Anyway she made the coffee and filled the cup half way to the top.
"Sorry" I squirm again "Could I get more milk? I just like a lot of milk." Translation: Give me what I paid for and fill up the cup.
She releases a silent sigh as she opens the fridge to get milk in order to heat more. I'm left wondering, did she mistakenly not heat enough milk and rather than admit it hoped I'd except a half cup? Or do they genuinely only offer this much coffee for your £2? If it's the latter, it seems like a two inch waste of their vegware cups to me. I apologise again for being fussy. (A misdirected attempt to ensure no one thinks of me as an awkward customer.) She offers a dismissive "It's okay" as she hands me my cup. And suddenly I feel very deflated. I wouldn't mind if I actually was an awkward customer or if I was rude or aggressive, but I was none of those things. So I added my sugar and left.
The sad thing is it was probably the best cup of coffee I've had in Edinburgh so far. Slightly less hot than I prefer, but still hot enough. Extremely creamy and smooth. A strong, but mild flavour. I could have drunk another one with ease.
I find it hard to judge this place. In it's philosophy it is right up my street. It serves healthy and wholesome food, it's an independent shop that puts an emphasis on using the best local produce and seasonal food and it it is simple and well designed. I genuinely like it and would recommend it in spite of the slightly temperamental service I received. I would like to believe it was just a bad day and on any other occasion the barista would be quite amicable. For all I know she may have been at the disco and lost out on Prom Queen too, that would be a real bummer.
For my latte/flat white/hot coffee with milk I would give Union of Genius a full 10 out of 10. For the way it was delivered to me I'd have to drop it by five points. Union of Genius that it is can work that out, it equals an average 5 out of 10.
And just for kicks...check out the badge!
Frothy Fun Fact of the Day: Sorry it had to be done, this is an "In your face" fact. The definition of a Flat White:
"A flat white is a coffee beverage originating from Australia. It is prepared by pouring microfoam (steamed milk from the bottom of a pitcher) over a singe or double shot of espresso. It is similar to the latte and the cafe au lait."
Okay there is potential at the moment for me to be wrong...
"In a flat white, the milk is steamed to 60-70 C (typically 150-170 F). Steaming the milk to a lower temperature retains the fats and proteins in the milk which retain a sweet flavour, lost when milk is steamed to scalding temperatures."
Concluded. Asking for a latte extra hot rules out any possibility of my drink being "technically" a flat white as they are served at a lower temperature (and from what I can remember only served with full fat milk). Not just a hat rack my friends.
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