Bogota Coffee Co

An independent coffee bar in the heart of the city

By Julia Revitt Photography

January 16^th, 2018

Heart of the city

Bogota Coffee Co is a cosy, warm independent coffee bar in the middle of a cold, windy city in the heart of England. Milton Keynes won't appear at the top of anyone's list for top coffee destinations as it's more well known for its glass shopping centre with big name chain stores.

Tucked up a narrow pedestrian street whipped by the constant wind, Bogota Coffee Co is a welcoming beacon. Its design is unlike anything else around and it beckons you in with a bright neon espresso sign and people huddling in conversation sipping coffee.

There is a buzz about the place that is lacking in any of the other restaurants and bars in the area. It serves great coffee too. I can thoroughly recommend their cortado and croissant on a winter Sunday morning with a friend.

A conversation with...

-Paul Ashby [Co-owner of Bogota Coffee Co]

What type makes your coffee taste so good?

Our coffee is graded as speciality. All coffee beans are graded across the world by the relevant coffee association for that region; any bean that scores 80 or more out of 100 is classed as speciality. Ours has a score of 86. Add to that we train our staff to properly weigh the ratio of coffee to water, keep our equipment clean and don't burn our milk, results in a higher quality coffee being served.

How many cups of coffee do you serve on a busy day?

On a busy day we serve about 350 cups of coffee.

What is the most popular drink?

Flat White or large latte. Increasingly people are switching to a smaller coffee like the cortado (same amount of espresso just less milk) so they can taste the bean properly.

What nationalities are your baristas?

We have had baristas from all parts of the world. At present we have Colombian, English, Irish, Australian, Chinese, Bulgarian and Italian.

The coffee shop is very different from anything else around. What gave you the idea for the design?

The design is meant to look different to anything else in Milton Keynes, less corporate and formal. MK has little character in its food and drink establishments, we wanted to change that. The design is rustic, relaxed and almost cave-like at times when it's dark out. It's a representation of the various coffee shops I have enjoyed hanging out in a place where you can leave your office life at the door and chill for a while.

Why MK?

We did look at a couple of other towns but I knew the Hub when Starbucks was there. I found it hard to believe it had closed and there was no coffee in the business district, something that normally goes hand in hand. Clearly, that chain didn't do things right and, while it was a risk taking on a location where the world's most famous coffee brand had tried and failed, I like a challenge and a risk!