So how come we're all suddenly okay with global coffee chains again?

It seems like only yesterday we were self-righteously proclaiming a boycott because of some ethical infringement or other... but now it seems all is forgiven?

Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a hostage to the triple latte as the next man, but I can't help feeling that we're missing the point. Back in the day, there had clearly been an epiphany: good friends in a Seattle coffee house, all simultaneously peaking on freshly-brewed flat whites, charged by the sound of MOR Rock America - and the decision was made to try and sell their vision to the world.

But such a prophecy, such a soul-felt crossroads of good vibes, doesn't necessarily sit well with capitalism and today, if you go to such a lifestyle-infused coffee house (you know who) and look around, all you see is a McDonalds, post-healthy-eating overhaul. Not to mention that having 880,000 virtually identical branches tends to dilute the original loving vibe, not to mention the coffee quality.

That's why we all like Homestead - a Motown-playing toastie and coffee-serving art and furniture gallery/ hangout, which up until now has been a closely guarded secret of a couple of trendy Clerkenwell media agencies. Defying categorisation (and with little to prove) Homestead is the latest venture from the cultural prophets who brought us Café Kick - the very model of a modest but soul-felt, genre-busting business.

So, please, go and see what good vibes and coffee really feels like.