Brewsmiths Coffee and Tea

Brewsmiths is quite possibly one of the loveliest coffee shop/​café I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting, the staff are lovely, the food is lovely and I get nothing but good vibes coming here for a drink and a cake in the afternoon.

A little out of my way but worth it because it is a cute place with an unusual décor. I like the arch seat area and the idea of a bookcase for customers to use. The owner is lovely as are the staff and seem very passionate about what they do.

I have know this place for a long time back since it was in the hands of its original owners Kate and Dave, but has since changed hands. The atmosphere in this place is very homely which makes it a friendly and fun place to hang out.
i especially love the blackboard in the toilets where your can add messages or drawings to the wall for everyone to see. everywhere you look this place is designed to be fun and exciting. They have a collection of books which you can read and even take away with you. Also they have board games for children too. Lots of snug places to sit like the alcove area.
It is great for a family with children, group of friends, or alone. Free wi-​fi is a bonus too. its right next to Snow hill station which makes it the perfect location to grab a quick coffee/​snack which is dry reasonably priced too.

Warm and friendly, cheap drinks and food.
This place has been on my ‘to visit’ list for a long time. It has always been just that little far out of the core city centre to think about walking to. However for the 5 minute walk from Colemore Row it is worth the time if you’re a price concious person. You can have tea and filter coffee for £2, and if you want to stretch to £3 you can have bottomless self-​service refills.
On my visit I decided to get a bite to eat, I chose egg and sausage patties with GLUTEN FREE bread. I was so bowled back that they have gluten free products as an option extra it made my day (I’m a little bit of a fitness freak so I try to avoid gluten where possible), it was also at no extra cost.
The place is no frill affair, it has free wifi (but not very speedy), music was none offensive and lovely and warm for a November day.
Will visit again. I may treat this as my city getaway location in the future.

Finish work in afternoon and came to town. Was around Snow Hill Station and knew this place was close by. I’ve seen some good reviews and wanted to visit.
Got welcomed by staff, I went in around 2ish, most of the stuff had been finished. They close at 3pm, couldn’t get to try much. Was told they make sandwhiches but kitchen closed at 2.
Asked for some reccomendation for tea. Staff was awesome, he showed me variety of teas and got to smell some. Told me his favourite one (forgot the name). Went for lemon and ginger as it smelled really good. Would love to try the others, will try them next time. Now I know which ones to try next. Tea was lovely.
Not much of a chocolate person but give me chocolate cake or brownie anytime. I got a slice of chocolate loaf that was left. That or carrot cake. I believe I made good choice, it was really good.
place is very homely, sat at the back which was very comfortable and had pillows which was great for lumbar support. Hate sitting in wooden chairs, uncomfortable and get backache.
Could’ve stayed longer but I went late. Not many people there at the time, there was a group of young people who seemed to be having great time drinking coffee, teas and playing board games. Great place to just chill. Free wifi
Next time will try go early and try those sandwiches or anything else they have.

I love this fab little café. The kitsch décor is really nice, and the selection of coffees and teas would suit even the fussiest of people. The food there is lovely & reasonably priced. Being right by Snow Hill it’s a great location. Try it! The staff are lovely & it’s always a bonus to see a book shelf or two in a café! ⁵⁄₅. I’d go there everyday if I could!

Anything which is situated within the arches near Snow Hill is going to be quirky and interesting. This coffee shop certainly doesn’t disappoint! From the 70’s style crockery to the mixed seating and cushions, it has a «cool grandma» vibe going on — which is certainly no bad thing!
Due to busy mornings around the station, they do a 2 quid filter coffee with an honesty box system. The coffee is fresh and strong — a perfect pick-​me-​up on the way to catch a train or to work in the City.
I haven’t eaten here (yet) but sat with a good friend who demolished a DELICIOUS looking breakfast that I am assured was both artery damaging AND good for the soul (both at the same time).
If you haven’t checked out this offering from the latest batch of brilliant new independent coffee shops as yet — I recommend you rock up and give it a go!

Without question, the best coffee shop in Birmingham. This says a lot, as there is some tough competition out there.

I love this coffee shop! Friendly staff, tasty food and a great relaxing atmosphere makes this shop a great place to catch up with friends, or chillax on your own watching the world go by or reading one of their many books from their book shelf or a magazine.
I had a homemade panini for lunch which was very tasty and a pot of mint tea. Once I finished the pot I was offered a free refill of hot water to make the most of the leaves –how lovely!
A gem of a coffee shop that makes me feel welcome and at home.

If you want to spend some time chilling out and drinking cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate accompanied by delicious cakes then look no further than Brewsmiths. It’s the kind of place where you can spend a few hours reading the papers, reading some books from the book collection they have or if you need to work you can use their free wi fi.
I like the quirkiness of the place, the board games, I played connect 4 today, the loo with the blackboard and chalk to leave comments on, the retro goodies like chocolate teacakes covered in foil and caramel bars (these always make me very nostalgic), the 70’s inspired teapots and milk jugs, the little alcove with the cushions etc etc .
One of the best things for me is that they have soya milk and do not charge extra for the privelege unlike some places which really is annoying. They offer a selection of food and today I tried the vegetarian sausage pattie sandwich. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I liked it alot and will be back for another one sometime soon.
Dave is a good sort and always says hellow plus I have always found the staff to be friendly. I am a tea drinker so I like the full range of teas on offer. A favourite tea is strawberry and kiwi — delicious and you can’t get it anywhere else.
This is definitely a great independent coffee and tea place to check out.

I take my coffee seriously. No, I am lying. I have some barista friends who take their coffee seriously and I mostly like to mess with them, pull faces at their fancy V60 and tell them that it all tastes the same, and needs at least a ton of sugar to make it palatable. Still, I seem to take my coffee more seriously than the folk at Brewsmiths, who, both times I have visited have failed to serve me a decent cup of coffee.
And by decent, I’m not being some sort of coffee snob who is going to complain because my water was 97 °C or some other caffeine crime — I mean, when I ordered a Chemex from their menu, I was told that for some unspecified reason I couldn’t have a Chemex and would I prefer a filter coffee made with a cafetiere instead? Which is almost as bad as ordering a Coke and getting a Pepsi and tempted me to offer to pay in Monopoly money instead.
Everything about Brewsmiths put me off. The staff were dismissive and bordering on rude.** They didn’t bother to resolve their lack of coffee situation satisfactorily, but they did attempt to foist a bacon sandwich on me. Me being a lifelong vegetarian, by the way. Am not sure about the supposed ‘great cakes’ that other reviewers have mentioned, since all I saw were stacks of Dairy Milk bars along the counter, by way of accommodating sweet-​toothed customers.
I put it down to a bad barista day, which is why I went back a second time, and was equally unimpressed. Needless to say I won’t be back.
Good for… people who don’t like coffee?
**Edit — for an example of just how rude, please check Brewsmith’s official reply to this review below.

I am a big fan of Brewsmiths! Dave and Kate make this place one of the friendliest independent places to be and it is one of my absolutely favourite places to work, chill and hang out in Brum.
Not only is this place great for coffee, it has a strong tea selection, sells a number of great cakes, and they aim to source their ingredients and products from local indies.
Recommended in particular: the big bacon butty and a brew (tea or americano coffee) at just £3.20 represents one of the most glorious bargains in Birmingham.
The only really issue for me is the opening hours. I would so love to be able to visit this place at later times in the day but equally I understand the need for them to serve customers during peak times.
Highly recommended!

What a great place; friendly, reasonably priced and with a good tea and coffee selection.
We turned up a little before opening this morning but were let in anyway. Having heard so much about the bacon butties I had to give one a try and it was pretty good. Freshly baked doorstep bread with good thick bacon (fat removed) and only £2.20 if you have it without the tea. Pleasingly breakfast is served quite late so you have until 3pm to get yourself started in the morning. If you arrive later there’s some pretty great looking cake.
I always love a coffee shop with bookshelves as I know you’re welcome to stay a while and the chalkboard in the loo is very entertaining. Did I say the place looks cool? It looks cool.
It’s a shame it’s a bit out of town and has short business hours, but it’s definitely worth the trip and it’s not far from St. Paul’s Square so if you live or work in the jewellery quarter/​Hockley you should definitely go there!

For me, Brewsmiths offers perhaps the best English Breakfast in the area, being only a short walk from the city centre. They do some great deals on food and drinks, and their bacon sarnies are truly fabulous.
Being a fan of herbal teas, I love that they serve PROPER tea, you know, leaf teas, with a strainer, not a tea bag in sight. It costs a little more, and is absolutely worth it.
I love the décor and do find it a relaxing place to work.
If you’re driving, parking isn’t too far away. Sadly, since the council deemed to turned half of the Jewellery Quarter into Permit Only spaces, you do have a walk for a couple of minutes if you drive, but so what? It’s worth it!
Oh, and the JQ Porter cake, exclusive to Brewsmiths… well worth a nibble. It’s very tasty!
I don’t go into Birmingham all that often, but do love to visit Brewsmiths from time to time, as it’s always a pleasure, and I can guarantee great value, tasty food.

Great little independent café on Livery Street near the Jewellery Quarter.
I can’t believe I’ve never been here before! I had a meeting here last week and was really impressed! The staff are really friendly and incredibly helpful. I told the manager I wanted something ice cold and refreshing and he immediately made a couple of suggestions, I tried one (I think it was an Arnold Palmer?!) and wasn’t disappointed.
The atmosphere in here is very relaxed and you could just as easily sit and work in peace as have a business meeting or meet pals for a catch-​up.
My companion had a vegetarian breakfast which looked amazing and there

For a brilliant cup of coffee in Birmingham, this is where you need to come. My second local (another 2 minutes walk from Saints on St Paul’s Square), Brewsmiths has passed its first birthday now and is a welcome addition to both the indie coffee scene and the Jewellery Quarter community.
If you want a taste of what a tea or coffee place in the 1970s may have looked like, come here! From their vintage wall paper to the adoringly non-​matching furniture, this is retro. Apart from that, the only thing that is old school is their homely charm; the coffee making equipment is very much from the 21^st century.
As the name suggests, Brewsmiths is about good coffee AND tea and whilst I don’t drink the latter, this is where I send anyone who asks for a good loose leaf tea. In fact, the way they present their teas in little pots makes me want to drink it.
I frequent an indie coffee shop to work in daily and the only drawback for me is that this place isn’t open long enough! I’m just getting into my creative flow at 3pm and Brewsmiths close at 3.30 and only opens till 2.30 on Saturdays. However, serving as it does the commuter (and the London Midland Rail workers) from Snow Hill station next door, I absolutely understand that it opens during the peak hours. However, Dave & Kate actively encourage us laptop huggers into Brewsmiths and their legendary breakfasts are amazing value.

The owners of this friendly place, Dave and Kate, are as enthusiastic about the local community as they are the coffee.
They offer all sorts of exotic and high quality coffee blends, as well as a good choice of teas.
Brewsmiths is located close to the Livery Street exit of Snow Hill station, making it a good place to pick up your commuter coffee. It has free wifi and welcomes people looking for somewhere to do a bit of work whilst enjoying a good cup o’ Joe in relaxed surroundings.
The food is good, with an emphasis on locally sourced produce. I tried a slice of the chocolate and stout cake, and lets just say that I was impressed! There are excellent value lunchtime meal deals, which include a sandwich, salad or mezze with crisps/​fruit and a drink for just £4.00.