by Sarah Becker
The first thing you’ll notice as you enter Cardews Northampton is the rich dark aroma of coffee beans. The second thing is the whir of the cooler in the background and rows of artisan coffee bags wait their turn in the back of the shop.
“All of our coffee beans are imported from around the world and then roasted fresh in-store, says owner, Tony Egan. “We are very well-known for our roastery.”
People often tell us they could smell what we were roasting that morning – and if the wind’s blowing the right way, you can catch the aroma of roasted coffee beans all the way down St. Giles Street.
Cardews Northampton is a family-run tea and coffee merchant founded by Tony’s father-in-law, Zsolt in 1988. Originally called Blenders, it used to be located where Dreams Coffee Lounge now stands. When Tony took the reins, more than 25 years ago, Cardews moved a few doors down to its current home at 75 St. Giles Street.
Tony’s son Theo joined the business three years ago.
“When we first opened the store, our customers were mostly Northampton locals,” Tony explains. “Now we see a much more cosmopolitan crowd. People come in looking for very specific teas and coffees. They know what they want – and that’s a good thing!”
What hasn’t changed is the original bespoke roaster installed by Theo’s grandfather more than two decades ago which is still going strong.
Best-selling coffee and tea
The shop’s best-selling coffee is their strong, Italian dark roast, playfully nicknamed the ‘knock-your-socks-off-roast.’ Tea-lovers’ favourite is the English Breakfast blend which is mixed in-house.
Cardews’ Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/p/DMz92l6iCxM/ regularly features a coffee and tea of the month.
In August, coffee of the month was Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, a sweet mocha bean grown in Southern Ethiopia. The featured tea was a Summer Blend, combining black tea with a variety of fruity flavours.
Theo has his own favourite: Earl Grey Blue Flower – a delicate, floral tea blended with blue cornflowers.
Rise in wellness trends
Theo has noticed a rise in health-conscious customers. Loose-leaf teas are much more in demand than ever, partly due to the growing awareness of plastic in tea bags.
“Herbal infusions such as peppermint and chamomile are currently proving popular for their natural qualities and health benefits.”
“Matcha tea is also currently very sought-after, which has led to recent supply shortages. There are a lot of alternatives to Matcha tea however, which are equally healthy.”
“Liquorice root tea has also become really popular – it’s great for digestion.”
One of the shop’s popular coffees, Monsoon Malabar, is harvested during India’s monsoon season.
Another trend Theo has noticed is that more customers are asking for decaffeinated coffee.
“There used to be a bit of a stigma around decaf, but that’s no longer the case. Some of our customers even say their doctor recommends it. We roast our decaffeinated beans in exactly the same way as our regular ones, so they have the same great smell and flavour—you’d never know it wasn’t regular coffee.”
“In winter, spiced blends and black chai teas dominate sales, while in summer customers are asking more for fruity and refreshing teas,” Theo says.
Many of their flavoured teas come from Germany where only natural ingredients are used such as real orange and lemon peel mixed in with black tea.
“We import a lot of tea from China too,” says Tony .
Community plays an important part in the shop’s ethos.
“We’ve had the same customers buying their coffee and tea from us for years and now their children are coming in and buying coffee from us too,” says Tony.
Tony and Theo say the community in St. Giles Street is also going from strength to strength. They supply several local outlets along the street, and when the wind blows the right way, the familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifts through the air — a much-loved part of St. Giles Street life.
Cardews Northampton is situated at 75 St Giles Street, Northampton NN1 1JF.
Their website is https://www.cardewsnorthampton.co.uk/ and instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/cardewsnorthampton/
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