Speciality Coffee and the Bristol Buzz

I'll admit it, I used to be a Costa worshiper, with my Costa card taking pride position next to my debit card, I never thought I'd see the day where I would turn my back on my beloved cafe, but hey it's happened! A new internship and a trip to Bristol have converted my former sins to appreciate independent, speciality coffee shops. 

Flat white at Full Court Press

Ever since entering the world of full time work in my gap year I've drank coffee, loved coffee and essentially been addicted to coffee. At university the coffee addiction was sustained by long days in the library and sleepy lectures after evenings out with little sleep. I knew that my relationship with caffeine wasn't healthy, I was drinking coffee as soon as I woke up and throughout the day amounting to around 4-6 cups. When lent came around this year I wanted a challenge so decided to give up caffeine completely for 40 days, that meant no coffee, tea, green tea, Pepsi max or energy drinks, basically all the things that kept me running. It was hard, really hard, but I did it and felt so much better for it, surprisingly I had more energy than ever before, and what became really clear was that before I wasn't even drinking coffee for the taste and that the cheap instant brown liquid I was constantly consuming was actually pretty vile. 

So fast forward a couple months and I'm in an internship at Food Magazine and keeping my intake to 1 or 2 cups of good quality coffee a day. One of the projects I’ve become involved with is the creation of a South West Independent Coffee Guide which is really exciting stuff and I was lucky enough to be invited on a research day in Bristol. I couldn't wait to visit a few of the small, independent coffee shops and try out their interesting coffee roasts in this quirky city. My existing coffee knowledge was choosing between the medium and dark roast at Boston Tea Party (medium roast always won) so I was eager to learn the ins and outs of this fascinating and surprisingly comprehensive coffee scene in the South West. 

City Deli

Our first stop of the day was Clifton Coffee, a growing coffee roaster in the South West which supplies many of the independent cafés in Bristol and beyond. Here we were able to watch the roasting progress from green bean to the coffee bean we're all familiar with. Walking into the warehouse the smell of the roasting beans were amazing, sweeter than I had expected, it almost smelt like a bakery. Andy, the head roaster at Clifton Coffee, let us try one of his most interesting (and expensive) single origin coffees from Bolivia. Served black, the flavours of the coffee surprised me, at first taste it almost tasted like a fruit tea, with the bitter kick of coffee hitting moments after. It was like no coffee I had ever tasted and it was really fascinating to try such a unique blend. 

Our next stop was Friska, a new cafe and deli chain to open in Bristol, which Andy had advised us to visit. Stopping here for lunch I enjoyed a refreshing chicken pad thai salad, which was light and delicious, accompanied with a sweet and tangy sauce. This is a great place to stop for a quick lunch, with long sociable benches and food to pick up on the go. We decided not to grab a coffee at our second stop, as with three cafés left to visit, we would be wired with a second caffeine buzz within the hour. A couple doors down from Friska is another new arrival on Victoria Street, City Deli. This sleek and stylish coffee shop was our next visit of the day and similar to Friska had a welcoming open plan layout with a individual deli style design. Here there are two coffee roasts on offer a mixed blend with beans from Kenya, Brazil and Guatemala and a single origin roast, sourced just around the corner from Clifton Coffee. I tried the house blend, which similar to the Bolivian coffee carried fruity flavours, again it was beautiful coffee however I made the mistake of adding milk, which I felt tainted the taste. The deli also offers a tempting selection of freshly prepared sandwiches in really intriguing flavours, if I hadn’t of just eaten I would have definitely been tucking into their tuna and cheddar melt.

Coffee at City Deli

Heading into the centre of Bristol we came across Small Street Espresso. Tucked away in a quiet street is this amazing, quirky coffee shop, where the first thing you’ll notice as you wander in is the striking blue coffee machine against the wooden décor. The second thing your eyes will be drawn to if you’re anything like me is the seductive selection of cakes and baked goods. This tiny little place only seats around 8 people but is a definite must visit for any coffee lover’s trip to Bristol. Unlike city deli, Small Street Espresso source coffee from several roasters across the South West and always includes a guest coffee within their menu. Fulfil your inner coffee geek here and browse their collection of caffeine guides and books, you can also pick up a copy of the Bristol Coffee Map here.

What started to become apparent by the end of the day was just how different each coffee shop was, each serving their unique take on good quality, speciality coffee.  Just up the road from Small Street was our last visit of the day to Full Court Press, a stylish and simple venue, vastly different in appearance to the other places we had visited, and again had a very distinctive range of coffee on offer. Within this minimalist café the different forms that the coffee is served in are not displayed on the menu as you would expect to find (e.g espresso, flat white, latte etc.), instead the roasts which are on offer are displayed with the flavours that they carry. I decided to try El Filo, a roast from Columbia, as a flat white, which was described as possessing flavours of malt, banoffee and chocolate. This small cup of creamy brown brew was truly delicious and definitely my favourite coffee of the day. The description did not disappoint, and the warm milk really brought out the sweetness of the coffee with a biscuity after taste. Full Court Press also offer cold brew's which again are bursting with exotic flavours, I would highly recommend trying one of these exciting concoctions before opting for the classic iced coffee on a warm day!

Delicious bakes at Small Street Espresso

This first trip for the coffe guide was simply to get a feel of the South West coffee scene but really unveiled how passionate and committed this little community is towards speciality coffee. I can honestly say I learnt so much about roasting, blends, flavours and the geekyness of coffee which I never knew existed in just one day. Never again will I succumb to a Costa or Starbucks coffee when there are so many great, independent shops around, I urge you to give the little guys a chance too! The tasting trip in Bristol proved how bland and boring the commercial coffee actually is and also highlighted how the coffee chains are a complete rip off. I expected independent cafes to be pretentiously priced, however I was surprised to find their prices were really reasonable. What's more I loved how each establishment we visited had their own unique style and interesting nic-nacs to explore, can you really pinpoint any design differences in the multiple Starbucks you have entered? Of course not as they're carbon copies of each other, not very mentally stimulating huh?! Giving up rubbish instant coffee was the best decision I made, as now I can appreciate good quality coffee for the flavour and enjoyment, not just rely on the drink as an energy source. Next stop on the coffee trail is Exeter and I can’t wait to explore the coffee houses that my home town have to offer! 

P.s. I highly recommend that you visit any of these cafes mentioned the next time you're in Bristol!

Check out the South West Independent Coffee Guide's progress at @indycoffeeguide .