27 July, 2017
Square Peg & Peg 2
Square Peg and the newly opened Peg 2 are totally my favourite places to indulge in a flat white! I first stumbled across Square Peg when I made it one of my New Years resolutions to work my way through the South Wales section of the ‘Independent Coffee Guide’. Situated at 29b Gower Road, Sketty (SA2 9BX), Square Peg proudly claims the honour of being the first speciality coffee shop in my home town of Swansea. They do things differently at Square Peg. They are a social enterprise, using their profits to make a difference in Swansea via local causes such as Zac’s Place and overseas via the Children of Hope charity in Kenya. The profits of Peg 2, which is situated at 646 Mumbles Road (SA3 4EA), go to the Red Café Community Projects.
The coffee is fabulous, the best I’ve found locally. Their key roaster is Clifton Coffee Roasters (one of my favourites). At Sketty the house coffee is The E1 Project – Finca Buena Vista, a single origin espresso from El Salvador with tasting notes of rum & raisin, walnut & cocoa. The house coffee at Mumbles is EQ v11, a bright and juicy summer espresso with tasting notes of pink grapefruit, cherry coulis & butterscotch with a sweet raspberry acidity. This espresso is a blend of beans from Peru, Honduras and Ethiopia. At Sketty there is also the option of a guest coffee. On my last visit it was Santa Teresa, a Costa Rican coffee from The Barn Coffee Roasters in Berlin. As well as espresso (which is brewed with a La Marzocco Linea), a variety of other brew methods are available, including V60, Aeropress and Cold Brew.
As well as the coffee, there’s seriously good food which is all made in-house (they have a superb Italian Chef). At Sketty there’s a choice of brunch items as well as wraps, salads and soups. I’ve yet to try these as I can never get past the cake counter! Homemade cakes are available at both establishments, the beetroot, apple and ginger cake is divine! Although I do plan on sampling all of the other cakes as well!
The thing I love most about Square Peg & Peg 2 is that I get to indulge the coffee geek in me! The staff are great, they are so friendly and have been ever so helpful when I’ve picked their brains about my home brewing set ups! They have given me lots of advice and we have had many coffee related conversations on everything from brew ratios and grind size to water filters, coffee bean pests & diseases and even coffee pizza!!! These guys really know their stuff (Barista Josh is SCAE qualified) and are genuinely interested in coffee. Often I’ve been frustrated in ‘Speciality Coffee Shops’ when staff can’t tell me what beans they use?! I want to know the country of origin, in fact I want to know the exact farm the beans have come from, as well as the tasting notes!
If, like me, you love your speciality coffee or you just like a cuppa in a relaxed, friendly environment then give the Pegs a go! You will not be disappointed.
Square Peg Coffee House Sketty opening hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am-6:30pm
Sat: 8am-5pm
Peg 2 Mumbles opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 9am-4pm
Sat: 9am-6pm
Instagram: @squarepegcoffee
Twitter: @squarepegcoffee
Facebook: Square Peg Coffee / Peg 2 Mumbles