Foxes Cafe Lounge, Carlisle, England – Spot Check

Apr 23

Apr 23 Foxes Cafe Lounge, Carlisle, England – Spot Check

I love when fate works her magic. Especially when it involves good people — like BFFs kind of good people.

The morning we set off for the Pencil Museum, we made a stop in Carlisle. No clue why we did. We darted around town, poppin’ in one thrift shop to the next. How are there so many thrift shops in the UK? Thrift shops are the Starbucks of the UK, they’re on every block! And how is every shop chock full of so much random stuff? MINDBLOWN.

Parking meter expired but jonesin’ for some coffee, we dashed into a coffee shop near the car for what we thought would be a quick stop. But quick stop it was not. From the moment we walked into Foxes Cafe Lounge to the last second before stepping out the door, Bruce and Luke poured on the first-class treatment.

They chatted us up, and when they learned that we were just stopping through they loaded us up with a ton of tips from where to get our next coffee fix to places to grub. They even gifted me a bag of Bruce and Luke’s Coffee beans. But here’s the thing — they treat all their customers like old buddies.

And it makes sense. Bruce and Luke met back in college at the University of Lancaster. They’re both into outdoor sports and rock climbing, and they kept running into each other around campus. They’re both outgoing and super friendly. I imagine it was destined for them to be BFFs from the first time they met.

Bruce and Luke’s love of coffee and everything about their craft oozes out of everything they do. From the way they talk about their start as baristas, to opening their cafe four years ago, to roasting their own beans for the last ten months. These dudes are killin’ it. Their blend — Mix Tape Espresso. DID THEY KNOW that one of my monikers is radmixtape? Have they been in my house and seen my rad mixtape silkscreen poster?! And the coffee itselt — so so good. The tastiest cup of coffee I’ve ever made at home. I could taste a difference and the difference was huge. And the packaging? Super legit. I’ve never seen anything like it stateside. No securing the bag with metal tabs, instead the back has a super-strong ziplock strip. The ziplock isn’t the full width of the bag, and it doesn’t sit towards the top. It’s only visible when looking at the back side making for a super-clean design. Form and function done right.