Bean & Bud

Always a great variety of coffee, tea, and homemade baked goods and sandwiches.
Try the iced flat white for something different!

In a constant quest to find a great cup of coffee and having read the positive reviews, Bean & Bud sounded like a great place to try. A good portion of outdoor seating welcomes you in; a little to chilly to investigate on the day we visited though. A warm welcome from the owners as we entered was a good start; Bean & Bud is not a huge place, so we were fortunate to get a table; modern paintings adorned the walls, and a shelf on the wall promoted loose leaf tea. The music was an eclectic mix, and provided that challenge of naming the tune. Drinks wise, a variety of coffees from cappuccino to flat whites, and other exotic sounding drinks like V60. Most coffees came in two sizes, we opted for the smaller 6oz; a small quantity of great coffee is much preferential to a bucket of coffee with no discernible flavour. There were two blends on offer on the day we visited, one Columbian, smooth and mellow, which my wife had for her cappuccino, whilst I had a Puerto Rican blend for my Flat White, quite strong with a caramel aftertaste, both great. One thing that annoys my wife is that most establishments put chocolate on the top of her cappuccino; when the owner assured her that would never happen at Bean & Bud, she was sold!
There are also a variety of food options available, the maple and pecan danish made for a fresh tasty morning snack, there was also tempting looking Carrot Cake, chocolate twists and various home made sandwiches too. Bean & Bud is part of a triumvirate of independent coffee houses in Harrogate, which also includes LMDC and Balzersens.

What a difference a day makes.
Friday evening — 4 hour car journey that should have taken 1.5 hours due to accident on motorway. Pouring with rain. Call in at Holiday Inn Express to chill out and have a break. Spot a Starbucks in it. Ask the girl if they do flat whites. She says they can do me a flat white. I pay £3.50. What I get is not a flat white but a bucket of milk with some faint taste of bitter Starbucks coffee. Put it down to one of life’s mistakes to use as a good learning. Have 2 pieces of gum to try and get taste out of my mouth.
Saturday lunch time — a lovely day out in Harrogate for Tour de France with my wife and daughter. Lovely sunny day. Find Bean and Bud on Unilocal.Go in and instantly know it’s a lovely coffee shop with nice smelling coffee, friendly staff, and a range of coffee options. Proceed with buying a flat white for £2.50. Drink, enjoy, smile rises on face. Chill out to lovely tunes in a fantastic setting. Satisfaction personified. Salute the owner for a job well done and decide to make this a regular haunt when I’m in Harrogate.
If only every chain coffee shop was replaced with a quality independent — now that’s a world I want to live in!