After a wet and wild October, we finally had a dry weekend at the start of November up here in the North-east of Scotland. This lazy Sunday was perfect for a stroll along the Old Railway line, I decided; and as I marched on, soaking up the golden autumnal scenery, I reminisced how I first discovered this route during Covid, when venturing outside of city bounds was forbidden, but exercise was encouraged.

Inspired by these memories I decided to pay a visit to one of the cafes along the way; and thought it would be rather fitting to stop by Boxcar Coffee & Yard for a take-away experience (like in those not-so-good-old-days when that was the only option for “eating out”).

Boxcar had set camp next to the former Cults railway station back in 2020 and I had visited before (I was stunned to realise it was more than a year ago!), but I had company then and the coffee was not the goal of the day, so I didn’t pay much attention to my drink at that time.

On this occasion, it was purposeful. The cafe served as a nice midpoint for my walk, allowing me to sit for a few minutes at one of their outdoor benches before setting back along the main road for a neat, oval-shaped circuit.

The Railway line is always popular on weekends but somehow this time it was pretty low in human traffic, which made me wonder if the cafe would bother opening; but when I approached the old Cults station I could tell service was on with the expected dog walkers and cyclists venturing in and out of the fence surrounding the black trailer – serving as the cafe proper.

There was a small queue waiting to order, dealt with swiftly, and another line awaiting their orders, moving at a much slower pace. In fact, the slowness of the service is the first thing that stuck with me as a marker on the experience; I had registered at least 3, but probably 4 young people in the trailer, but the drinks were being made by a single person in a seemingly highly inefficient fashion. (Call me inpatient – but strategising heating milk and pouring espressos to maximise my resources and minimise time between orders was something I took great pride in, back in my busy barista days…!)

Once my mocha was finally called, I took an edge seat at one of the large campsite-style tables, occupied by two other couples, to conduct a proper assessment of my drink. It felt light as I picked it up and the froth under the lid seemed to confirm the concoction would be underwhelming. And so it was.

The first sip – rather hot and not readily drinkable – left a longing for a taste… any taste that would allow to put a label on the drink. It wasn’t very chocolatey, nor was it bitter, nor particularly milky or strong. What it was is rather watery, thin on the tongue and missing luxurious texture that a well blended (and proportioned) mocha should have. I decided to let it cool a little – although now, cooling rapidly myself, sitting on a wet bench, I was ready to indulge in hearty gulps of something that would warm me up from the inside; so I stood up to be on my way again.

Ironically, the Vegware cup didn’t give out enough heat to at least comfort my hands as walked up to the main road and set off on the return route. I finished the drink for the lack of anything else to sustain me for the remainder of the journey, but all I felt was cheated out of a little indulgence (or at least a caffeine kick) to round off a glorious afternoon.

It’s unlikely I would be advocating for another pit stop at the Boxcar, seeing that just round either corner in Cults there are a few cafes where you could sit down in comfort – even if made to wait longer than expected; with the winter approaching, that prospect is even more alluring than a mediocre cup of takeaway brew. However, I’m sure my absence won’t be missed – evidently, the Boxcar has that “je ne sais quoi” that keeps the good people of Cults coming back for more.

To find out more about Boxcar Coffee & Yard, visit their Facebook page.