Brighton and coffee are a match made in heaven and here are five coffeemakers that we can be proud of for those who are always looking for that perfect cup of coffee.
Redroaster: Situated on St. James Street this original Brighton coffeemaker is a bit of a legend. It opened over fifteen years ago before having a roasting and serving coffee shop became fashionable.
It has a comfortable slightly retro feel if you’re a customer of the coffee shop and the speciality coffee roasting takes place in Kemp Town.
The red roaster that the company used at the start was the inspiration for the coffee shop name and while this red model sits in the shop it is now largely left as a monument to the early days rather than acting as a full time roaster. Redroaster sells its own coffee beans with great success and offers espresso, organic, decaffinated and cafetiere options. Of their range of coffees, the house blend is £2.50 for 125 grams and the decaffeinated blend is £2.80.
Small Batch: This roaster is Brighton born and bred. It is a well respected and established brand with nine varieties at the time of writing.
There are several Small Batch coffee shops in Brighton and Hove including stands at the railway station.
The coffee is espresso and filter and Small Batch pride themselves on the quality of their beans, their fair trading techniques and their finished products which they sell wholesale, retail and for domestic use. They also sell gift vouchers for home users, so if you are a budding barista they’ll teach you how to do everything perfectly.
They offer surprisingly large servings at the coffee shop which very few will complain about.
Ground Coffee – Pharmacie: This is a newcomer to the world of roasting. Pharmacie was launched as an independent hand roasted speciality and espresso brand relatively recently as the in house coffee for Ground Coffee which has a branch in Kemp Town and another in Lewes. Pharmacie’s coffee shop is in Hove.
Available in wholesale and bulk brew their coffees are not the only product they sell, they will loan brewing equipment, offer branding expertise, barista training (free to wholesale customers) and shop layout advice.
Although the Kemp Town coffee shop is tucked away, apparently on the site of derelict estate agents, once you find it the experience is satisfying.
Drury U.K. : This tea and coffeemakers opened in the 1960’s and from its local coffee shop beginnings the firm has grown, it’s now located in Hove, it acts as a wholesaler, coffee shop, retail outlet and workshop. Drury’s has over thirty blends and same day delivery is available for local wholesale customers.
Roasted Coffee: They have teamed up with Brighton and Hove college to offer barista training and they are registered as Fairtrade distributors and support the Rainforest Alliance and Brighton charity Off the Fence. They sell all coffee related products, including Roasted merchandise and fresh roasted beans and filter coffee.
Time for a coffee, anyone?