Several years ago, when I was walking to work every day, I noticed that this coffee shop had opened in the former location of Beanie’s Whole Foods, and I was intrigued. As a person who enjoys good beer I’m an avid fan of hops, and as an animal lover I also like creatures that hop, like rabbits. In addition, as a person who is well into the art of scamper, I do enjoy engaging in a good hop or three myself.

So I can’t really explain why it’s taken me so long to visit the place, except perhaps that those inevitable Things (meaning Life In General) always seem to get in the way. But recently, after a quite embarrassing amount of pre-planning in my Friday pre-work activities, I did manage to finally visit. And I’m glad I did.

The Hop calls itself a plant-based CBD coffee shop, and everything they sell is indeed vegan. Even my cortado, brewed with Dark Woods coffee, was served with the default oat milk, and the pastries are all vegan as well. I’m definitely not a veganist myself, but because this place is just so, well, comfy and cosy and mellow, with absolutely no feeling of anti-dairy militancy, I’m okay with having my coffee without animal milk. And my cortado looked just like the perfect macchiato-with-extra-foam that I used to always order, so I was feeling quite content.

The menu features espresso drinks, tea, and plenty of cold drinks like juices, seltzer, and kombucha, and there are snacks and pastries available. There are some unusual lattes offered, featuring beetroot, turmeric, and matcha. I, of course, ordered my usual Cortado and took it into the bigger room, where I sat on a bench against the window that was covered with cushions. There was a high wooden table in front of me, and a small collection of books on a side shelf, including one on the philosophy of coffee.

The music enveloped me like a hygge throw as well, featuring various jazz standards that my own mother would have enjoyed. The furnishings are eclectic but comfy: sofas, a rocking chair, a variety of tables and chairs. This is a welcoming, mellow place. While I was there, two men were sitting by themselves with their obligatory laptops, and two young women were sitting on the sofa chatting away.

About a month later I came back with my friend Carmel. Once again we sat in the bigger room, and this time I decided, for just a quid more, to have a Hop, which is a shot of CBD, added to my Cortado. They also offer the stronger Skip or the even stronger Jump -- but at 250mg of CBD, the Hop was quite enough for me. Once again my coffee was very good, with the CBD making very little difference to the taste, and the whole atmosphere was very relaxing and cosy. Carmel and I both really needed an environment like that on this particular day.

The Hop hosts various events from time to time, and dogs are quite welcome, and hopefully cats as well. I can’t help assuming that rabbits would be welcome, too, if one likes to take their rabbit out for a stroll. After all, I grew up with an iguana that my brother used to take out on its lead, so why not? I do think the cafe is a bit too small for horses or alpacas, though.