Great news for coffee lovers, as a new venue owned by two coffee lovers will be opening on Small Street on Thursday, December 13th.
Number 23 Small Street has been taken over by Chris and John, two friends in their late 20s who are both from Bristol and very much into their coffee. Says Chris, “After years of discussing the lack of decent independent coffee shops in Bristol compared to other cities in the UK, we finally decided to do something about it. John, my business partner, is a part owner of and currently runs Kondi Brasserie in Henleaze, and I have spent the last 5 or 6 years working in various cafes/roasters and restaurants in Melbourne, NZ and London.”
The premises, which used to be sandwich bar Brunch in a previous incarnation, is very small – it will be more of an “espresso bar” than a cafe. “Being very central we are going to be offering everything to takeaway, but we do also have casual seating for 12-15 people”, says Chris. “We are focused on quality coffee, but will also offer a range of loose leaf teas, handmade cakes and sandwiches. We will have 3 espresso beans on at any one time (1 decaf), as well as 2 single origin beans for filter from the brew bar. We have bought a beautiful La Marzocco FB80 for the espresso and have had it custom painted a light blue, for the brew bar we will have drip filter coffee and Aeropress.”
Their house espresso blend will be Clifton Coffee’s E6 Blend: the brand’s “ever changing blend which is truly seasonal, craft roasted and cupped and profiled daily.” Over the next year, Chris and John will be looking to create their own house blend and roast it themselves at Clifton Coffee’s roastery.
You’ll also be able to choose from a selection of guest blends, which will rotate between various roasters including Monmouth, Roundhill, Nude, Extract, Hasbean, Origin and Small Batch. Both of the single origin beans for the filter coffee will also be rotated between the same roasters, and tea will be supplied by the Bedminster-based Canton Tea Co.
Exciting times for Small Street! To keep up to date with Chris and John’s plans, check their website (not live at the time of writing), find them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.