Bould Brothers Coffee — Restaurant in Cambridge

I've visited this café two times a few months apart and both times were great!

First visit (June 2023); Latte, Pain au Pistache and Dark Hot Chocolate. Second visit (October 2023); Flat White, Double Chocolate Swirl and Cinnamon Bun (and another Dark Hot Chocolate because it was so good the first visit)

Both Latte and Flat White were great coffees; little to no bitterness, nice body of sweetness with a hint of sourness with perfect milk texture. The Dark Hot Chocolate however, was my favourite drink overall. It had a rich chocolate flavour with such a smooth and near-thick consistency. Unfortunately I hadn't asked, but my guess for the cocoa percentage would be maybe 60-70%.

The Pain au Pistache was recommended to me by the lady on till and she did not disappoint me. The pastry was airy and flaky with a delicious pistachio filling and the icing sugar on top was a nice extra layer of flavour for my sweet tooth. The Double Chocolate Swirl had a thin layer of chocolate within the swirl itself with half of the pastry covered too; this is the dream of a chocolate pastry lover. The Cinnamon Bun was the only thing I wasn't too impressed with unfortunately, very little sweetness and cinnamon flavour to it and was the most expensive out of all the pastries.

The cafe itself has a great atmosphere with its beautiful modern interior design. My first visit was on a quiet midday Monday so it had quite calm vibes. It was during a little heat wave and a barista gave out water to every customer at their tables which was very sweet. My second visit was during a very busy Sunday midday rush with tables all filled and a queue out the door. But both times, the baristas were still giving good quality service with a lot of patience and I do respect them for their work professionalism.

Latte: 8/10 Flat White: 8/10 Dark Hot Chocolate: 9/10 Pain au Pistache: 9/10 Double Chocolate Swirl:...

Wow, people love this place, don't they! Pros: exceptionally personable staff and engaging decor. I understand the coffee is excellent. I had tea which was of very high quality and arrived nicely brewed, though in a much smaller quantity than is usual in an English cafe. Reservations: prices eye wateringly high for a coffee shop outside the metropolis. £4.50 for pieces of slab cake of very dense texture and seemingly overcooked and undersized cinnamon buns did not impress. I can only speculate that the prices align more closely with the establishment's aspirations or chosen market placement than with objective quality or value. I thought that things were rather well summed up by the wall cabinet next to our table. It had a vague look of a shabby chic Victorian job, but the date painted on the front was so phoney that it was hard to tell if those who chose it were taking an ironic dig at the modern taste for ersatz wear and tear (as I hope they were) or whether they really thought it was...

Visited on a recent trip to Cambridge. It was a little later in the afternoon, so there was only a couple of sandwiches left, but the beetroot and avocado one I had, along with a chocolate brownie and roobios tea absolutely delicious. It's more of a destination coffee venue, so a little more expensive than other coffee shops, but personally I think it was good value for money, given the freshness of the food and selection of teas and coffees available. The venue was very relaxed, the staff friendly and knowledgeable, and there was no pressure to leave and there were several people working on laptops quite happily. The killer jar filled with water, flavoured with strawberries, mint, lemon and cucumber was a particular highlight. Would definitely recommend as a treat to yourself and would suggest getting there early to sample some of the delicious...