 David Brinn of "The Jerusalem Post" found the song wistful and radio-friendly.In the "Sunday Herald", Samuel McGuire characterised the track as "a gem of a truly wonderous lustre"; the newspaper's Graeme Virtue hailed it as one of "the best pop singles ever".BBC Music's Nigel Packer chose the song as a highlight on "Saints & Sinners", while Russell Baillie of "The New Zealand Herald" said "Black Coffee" along with "Pure Shores" and "Surrender" "put [most of the album] in the shade."