Cardew & Co

You'll smell Cardew & Co before you see it. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee and loose-leaf tea drifts through the Covered Market aisles, pulling you towards a stall that has been supplying Oxford's caffeine and tea habits for decades. The display is straightforward: rows of tea caddies and coffee bins, each clearly labelled with origin, flavour notes, and brewing instructions. No pretension, just good product knowledge and honest sourcing.

The tea range covers everything from robust breakfast blends to single-estate Darjeelings, green teas, oolongs, and herbal infusions. The coffee is roasted in small batches, with single-origin beans alongside house blends designed for different brewing methods. Staff will grind to order for your equipment — espresso, cafetiere, filter, or Aeropress — and their recommendations are reliably good.

For a city that runs on caffeine, Cardew's fills an important niche. It's not a trendy third-wave coffee shop with exposed brick and flat whites — it's a proper tea and coffee merchant where you buy beans and leaves to take home. The prices are comparable to supermarket premium ranges but the quality is noticeably better, and the freshness of the roast makes a genuine difference.

What to look for

If you drink tea, try the house Darjeeling or the Assam — both are a clear step up from teabag territory. For coffee, ask which single-origin is freshest from the roaster. The gift tins and sampler boxes near the front make practical presents that actually get used. The flavoured teas are popular but the unflavoured single-estate options are where the real quality lies. Staff are happy to let you sniff before committing.