Why it belongs in ORBIS
Named for the Native American term for coffee, Black Medicine has served Edinburgh's Nicolson Street since 1998, later expanding into the cellar below its original room.
Black Medicine takes its name from a description said to have been used by Native American communities for coffee — "black medicine" — a name chosen for its directness rather than as scenery. The shop landed on Edinburgh's Nicolson Street in 1998, moving into a space downstairs from an earlier location on the same street.
Over the years the company opened and closed a handful of satellite branches elsewhere in the city; only the original Nicolson Street shop has stayed continuously open, and it later expanded into the cellar beneath it as the business grew rather than relocating. That basement extension is now as much a part of the space as the ground floor.
Positioned near the University of Edinburgh, the café draws a mix of students, shoppers and office workers, and rents out space for study sessions and private functions — a secondary use of the cellar as much as an espresso bar.