It’s always heartening to see a plucky little independent coffee shop taking on the global chains. This recent arrival, though a welcome addition to Covent Garden’s caffeine and light lunch options, could do more to differentiate itself from its corporate competitors. Oddly enough, it’s in its provision of tea that the clearest blue water can be seen.

The Venue
At first glance, this could be a 35-cover branch of any of the chains with floors, chairs and a sofa in uniformly dark brown wood and leather. The paintwork is a little more playful, however; peppermint green below the dado rail, white above. And funky light fittings, particularly an on-trend, OTT chandelier, further assert the venue’s independence. The large, curving, tongue-and-groove-sided counter to the rear feels welcoming. A coffee table sports a extensive – one might almost say non-judgemental – selection of newspapers and magazines, from The Times and Country Life to The Sun and celebrity mags of the Heat variety. There are two tiny, adjoining rooms in the basement with feature wallpaper which would be perfect for ad hoc business meetings. Packs of coffee and brewing paraphernalia for sale adorn shelves.

The Atmosphere
It’s early days, but at certain times of the day, business can be slack, leading to a dearth of atmosphere despite the inoffensive 80s pop playing at a discreet volume. Expect a excitable rush, however, before and after matinees and before evening performances (closing time is 8.30) at the nearby theatres and opera houses. The young baristas are friendly and interested, with attractive uniforms of striped shirts with white collars and cuffs and black aprons over good jeans.

The Food
One way in which this coffee shop could steal a march over its international rivals would be to serve really delicious, homemade sandwiches and panini. Alas, so far, only bought-in, prep-packed varieties are available, although at least they are good makes like Cranks and Brambles. A big bowl of daily-changing soup – leek and potato, perhaps, or chicken, leek and parmesan – comes with a roll and butter for a very fair £2.90. Savoury pastries like spinach and ricotta or ham and cheese or that recently rediscovered old favourite, the sausage roll, are £2. Chicken, bacon, tomato and mayo on brown is towards the upper end of expectations; the filling is moist and generous, the bread soft and fresh. A toasted-to-order, pre-packed brie, roast pepper and tapenade calzone is run-of-the-mill.

There are usually four cake options which might be carrot, chocolate, coffee and walnut and (the somewhat duplicative) cappuccino, all at £2.80. The last isn’t a bad slice; it’s moist with good icing and a reasonable hit of coffee flavour. Muffins (mega-berry, lemon, banana and toffee, triple chocolate and the intriguing blueberry cheesecake) are £1.90 to eat in, £2.10 to take away. From a selection of pastries, a Portuguese nata (£1.50) is an outstanding custard tart with unfeasibly flaky pastry and a rich, creamy filling. Cream teas are an attractive option, featuring two scones, Tiptree jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea for £4.95.

The Drink
This coffee shop is proud of its hand-roasted Brazilian beans and the fact that, as its name suggests, each drink is made with a double shot unless otherwise specified or requested. The usual range including cappuccino, latte, Americano, espresso and the like are all present and correct, modestly priced between £1.35 and £2.50. All the usual syrups – caramel, almond, hazelnut, vanilla, coconut – are available, plus the bizarre-sounding bubblegum. It certainly produces a cappuccino like you’ve never tasted before, and is extremely sweet, so it might be wise to order a small one to start with.

An espresso and an unadulterated cappuccino are both fine, although the flavours aren’t outstanding despite those Brazilian beans, nor pronounced despite the double shot policy. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s in its treatment of tea that this place pulls furthest away from its rivals who usually insult you a bag in a waxed paper cup of hot water with the milk sloshed in before it’s had time to brew. At Double Shot, your camomile, lemongrass, super-berry, peppermint, green, English breakfast or Darjeeling/Earl Grey hybrid (all still in bags rather than loose leaf, albeit upmarket fabric jobs) comes in proper china cups, mugs or various-sized pots. The two components of the Darjeeling/Earl Grey mix both shine through, making this a most unusual and delightful brew, and a £2 one-person pot yields two generous cupfuls. You can choose from full-fat, semi-skimmed, skimmed and soya milk, all organic. Cold drinks including upmarket Luscombe ginger beer and lemonade (£2), smoothies at £1.90, flavoured waters and good old Coca Cola and Diet Coke at only 90p a can.

The Last Word
Spending your lunch break here or pausing between shopping is an undoubtedly pleasant, competitively-priced experience but it could be even better. The coffee is perfectly good although perhaps not quite distinctive enough to be its USP. Its teas are high quality and served in a civilised manner. Its mainly bought-in cakes are fine, if not swoon-inducingly indulgent. Where it could really score over the big boys would be by making its own sandwiches and crusty, filled baguettes, and maybe by baking its own cakes, too.

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