COFFEE. A lot of people love it. And at the moment coffee culture in the UK is constantly growing.

According to the British Coffee Association we drink approximately 55 million cups of coffee per day. Now that is a heck of a lot of coffee…

Being a coffee lover myself, I’m always a fan of supporting a good local independent. And with more independent coffee shops opening up across Newport and Gwent each month, it feels nice to be able to visit new cafes and test out a good old flat white.

So why is coffee culture becoming more prevalent in Newport? Well, it’s because the public want it.

One of the newest coffee shops to open its doors is Rogue Fox Coffee House in Clytha Park Road, Newport.

Will Green, the owner, said a lot can draw people in to a café, as it’s a place to relax and get away from hubbub of everyday life.

He believes the quality of the coffee is important, but the atmosphere is also important.

“The coffee culture in Newport does seem to be growing and I think it’s simply because we are a community that loves coffee,” Mr Green said.

“Atmosphere is important because people come here to chat with friends or come here to work or to just have a sit down.

“I think that it is important you get the balance of good quality coffee and the atmosphere right to draw people in. And that’s what we offer – great coffee and a great atmosphere. It’s sort of our motto really.”

Mr Green said during his research into opening up the café, he read that in 2020 the UK will have around 30,000 coffee shops in the country – with a lot of these being independently run.

“That’s the great thing about Newport, people want to support independents,” he said.

“We have a lot of independents where we are based – there’s mEAT – the burger place open near to us. There’s a few other independently run restaurants as well. There’s going to be a microbar popping up next to us and at some point there will also be a toastie shack opening up down the road. It’s good because people want to support local business and it’s thriving here. That’s what is fantastic about Newport.”

Cappuccinos, flat whites, mochas and cold brews. There’s a huge variety of coffee to choose from in every café. However, some coffee shops offer more than others.

Horton’s Coffee House – which opened in Millennium Walk at the end of 2016 – is one of the newer cafés in Newport that aims to offer a bit more than just ordinary coffee to its customers.

Owner of the coffee house Gavin Horton said the venue differs to others in the city because of its focus on speciality coffee.

He said that before he even thought out developing the layout and style of the venue, he turned his focus to the equipment that was needed for - as Twin Peaks character Agent Dale Cooper said - a “damn fine cup of coffee.”

Mr Horton said: “I would say that we are a bit different compared to the other guys round here. We use seasonally grown beans so we change coffee every few months. That’s the scene I want to see in Newport. You get this in the bigger cities but it hasn’t come to Newport just yet.

“A lot of people look at the venue before the coffee or the equipment. But they should be looking at the best equipment to make the coffee with before anything else.”

Horton’s Coffee House features a variety of events for the avid coffee lover and maker. Recently they held a barista competition where baristas from Cardiff and Bristol battled it out against each other with their latte art.

Next month, Mr Horton is looking into holding a coffee cupping session where visitors can taste different speciality brewed coffees and discuss the different flavourings.

For more information about both Rogue Fox and Horton’s Coffee House, visit facebook.com/roguefoxcoffee and facebook.com/Hortonscoffee/