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This is a topic that may be considered by some to be a bit “niche”, but please allow us a moment of self-indulgence.
A little over a month ago, BA started serving Union Hand-Roasted Coffee in its UK lounges and in First and Club World.
Having tried it on flights and in the lounges at Heathrow, what’s the verdict?
There is marked difference in the taste of the coffee on the ground and it is a huge improvement.
In the air, there is a difference, but it much less marked. If you didn’t know the coffee had changed, I doubt you’d notice. This may be due to the limitations of making coffee in the air more than anything else.
In both the lounges and the aircraft, the actual coffee making equipment hasn’t changed. The lounges use the same self-service bean-to-cup machines. In Club World, BA still serves only one choice of filter coffee.
Arguably, this should change. BA could never get away with offering only one white or one red wine in the air. Given how much tastes have changed, as evidenced by the huge number of independent coffee chains in London, it is absurd that you have to fly First Class to get an espresso or cappuccino.
Also bear in mind that in the Qantas lounge at Heathrow you can have coffee made for you by a barista, and on Qantas long-haul business class you are offered coffee in a cafetière.
Given BA will be introducing with the Airbus A350-1000 next year with an entirely new Club World cabin and it is also due to refurbish its lounges at Heathrow in the coming years, this should an area for attention.
