Colchester's Black Sheep Coffee, in Lion Walk, reviewed after opening

Black Sheep Coffee opened its doors at the Lion Walk Shopping Centre on Tuesday, May 23.

The brand has stores across the UK, France, and the Philippines but the Colchester site marks its first venture into Essex.

Walking into the café, I was given a great first impression. It’s very aesthetically pleasing and the surroundings make a welcome change from some of the bigger chains.

Inside - Black Sheep Coffee is a cashless cafe which takes orders through a touchscreen system (Image: Newsquest)

Ordering, in theory, should be a breeze, as it’s all done through a touchscreen cashless system.

But the system is only reliable as the technology – and during my visit two of the four screens had crashed while processing payments, and another wasn’t working at all.

Receipts are paperless, delivered by email. I faced a hiccup there too – with my receipt getting lost in cyberspace.

I can’t fault the customer service, though. As soon as the staff were aware there were issues with the ordering system they started working to fix it.

The menu is vast. I like coffee but I’m no connoisseur – and the screens give a good explanation of the different types of beans. There’s also a great selection of milks, and other extras like syrups, on offer.

The system made it easy to order a cup of coffee suited to my palate. I opted for a regular-sized iced latte, made with oat milk and caramel syrup.

Leave the herd behind - The coffee shop boasts cool branding (Image: Newsquest)

I also picked up a tuna melt panini and a brownie.

The brownie was phenomenal – possibly one of the nicest I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another.

The panini didn’t blow me away, but it was nice. The bread was the right balance of crusty and soft, but it was comparable to what you could pick up from any other café.

My iced coffee was the highlight for me. It tasted great and the clear explanations of the different choices paid off.

Treats - I ordered a tuna melt panini and a brownie (Image: Newsquest)

All three items totalled £14.95.

While the coffee, which is obviously the main attraction of a coffee shop, was nice, it was on par with what’s offered by independent businesses like Loofer’s, in Culver Street, and Paddy & Scott’s, at Colchester Sports Park.

So would I return to Black Sheep Coffee?

The concept is good and the branding is great.

By night, the café is transformed into a cocktail bar, and I’m intrigued to see what that looks like.

Any new business is going to have teething problems to iron out.

I did feel the cost was slightly pricey compared to others in the city.