Wow! do you know the last time I attended this event? 2008 – 16 YEARS Ago. That sounds crazy BUT it’s been a while since I’ve been in London during this event.
Okay let’s rewind to 2006, when this event was launched. Back then it was the first and only coffee business event of its kind, where all businesses involved in setting up a coffee shop attended to show case their products from espresso machines, grinders, cups, spoons to tea suppliers, latte art classes and even cakes, plus there were lots of lectures on setting up and running a café. It was also the place that I met not one but TWO WBC champs, James Hoffmann (before he started Square Mile) and Stephen Morrisey – read more here. In fact, it was during my attendance at these events that I got the encourage to show my LOVE and set up my first and to date, only café – ESCAPE CAFFE, back in 2010 in Cape Town. So, you can say that this event has a special place in my Coffee heart.
Kiss the Hippo coffees
Fast forward to 2024 and upon arriving in wet, rainy and cold London on 1 October – international coffee day – I knew that even with just 4 hours sleep on the plane I had to attend. So, off I went to the Business Design Centre in Islington. First up, the venue was a lot smaller than the original venue at Kensington Olympia, so when I walked in, I was a little underwhelmed, thinking where the people at …… Secondly, there were not that many world renowned espresso machine suppliers like before – I saw Rocket and Dalla Corte but I’m guessing this might be a sponsorship thing as before, there were a few brands on display. Thirdly, not many stands had people trying to give you coffee bags or free coffee like before.
Cupping session
However, they still have lectures by top experts and I missed the key ones like the one on “the 5 pound cappuccino” – we already have this in Dubai but for the UK it will be a shock.
However, all was not lost, as I met some coffee people and had some deep conversations as follows;
Barbara of Goldbox Roastery and Goldbox Dubai, who I had seen recently in Dubai and also here son, Luca, who won the UK brewers championship twice.
2. Kanye, Head Roaster at Kiss the Hippo, whom I had met earlier this year in Dubai. We chatted for a while and he made me two delicious coffees using their Fruitopia blend on the Eversys (a very expensive automatic machine made famous by Blank Street). Wow! the coffee really tasted like peach, yummy!
3. Tim Ridley, who interviewed me for a job in coffee in London way back in 2012 and started the now discontinued Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (the best name for a coffee shop). When he saw me he said “now here comes someone who knows how to taste coffee better than me…. Hmmm!). Tim knows a lot about the coffee business scene and so I was really intrigued to learn a few secrets from him…. Shhh!
4. Last but not least, Maxwell Colonna-Smalls, former UK barista champ, coffee expert extraordinaire and owner of Colonna Smalls. He was selling his latest book on “the business of specialty coffee” at a discount and signed, so I grabbed a coffee of course and got an espresso from his stand too.
Espresso
What else did I do?
I got a flat white from a special dairy farm, Brades, where they produce milk with 4% fat content – now that’s rare and if you don’t believe me, next time you buy full fat milk, look at the fat content.
I also got some coffee bags from Dark Wood coffee owner/director, Paul Meikle-Janney, who has a long list of accolades, who has been involved in the World and the UK Barista Championships from the very start, as a Head Judge for both the World Latte Art and the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championships (after being a competitor and coming third in the World in 2006). As a board member of World Coffee Events in 2011/2012, he helped to organise the World Barista Championships. (source: darkwoods coffee website).
After about 3 hours, it was time to leave and get something to eat as I was all caffeineD up and had had some great conversations too.
In summary it was great to be back after 16 years and to see the evolution of the event but I think with so many coffee events like the London Coffee Festival, Caffe Culture has evolved to be a space for coffee B2B but still draws some coffee nerds too.
I cannot finish 2023, without mentioning one of the most exciting coffee experiences in a coffee shop I had this year – the opening of Colonna and Smalls on Leather Lane in London. In fact this trip was made even more exciting for me, as they opened the day after I arrived in London for a trip and I visited on my birthday too – what a wonderful coffee experience for a birthday.
Owned by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, a former UK barista champion several years ago, Maxwell has always been one to push the boundaries on all things coffee. When I first visited his first cafe in Bath I had the opportunity to meet with him and quiz him about his coffee philosophy. After all, not only was he UK barista champion twice, but he has won several awards like best UK cappuccino and more. It was also at his cafe back in 2017 that I saw the Mod Bar for the first time. He also grinds all his coffee beans whether for espresso or filter, on a Mahlkonig EK43. His London shop is no exception.
Ready to brew
I digress a bit for the techies, but the debate advocated by Maxwell is that by using the EK43 (not built for grinding for espresso but ideally for spices and perhaps for filter coffee) you not only minimise waste because you grind per cup but that the EK43 grinds very evenly with little differentiation in grind size – this means that you can even lower the amount of coffee you use – they use about 16.5g as opposed to the industry average of 18-20g.
His London branch is his second shop and I must confess I was curious as to why he opened another coffee shop – this time on probably London’ most famous coffee street for the best coffee – Prufrock is a few shops down, as well as the Attendant.
Espresso brew bar
Upon entering the narrow shop, the brew bar is on the right hand side and display of coffee and merchandise to sell is on your left. The menu for both espresso base and filter coffee are on a placard on the exposed brick wall, with the filter options ready to be used. If you walk further back, there’s more sitting. I noticed that most people there were keen coffee drinkers, asking all sorts of coffee nerdy questions.
Aeropress brew bar
However, they have another specific menu for rare filter coffees too. As it was my birthday, I opted for a Panama Geisha from the famous coffee estate, Hacienda Esmeralda. Indeed it was sublime, tea like with hints of jasmine. I gave my wife a taste and she retorted, this taste like tea. I recall that the first time I had this very special coffee was way back in 2011 when I had my cafe in Cape Town – my roaster gave me a small bag, which I brewed on an aeropress.
As its was my birthday I didn’t just have one coffee. In fact I started with a flat white, using Peruvian coffee beans, brewed on their Two Group La Marzocco espresso machine by the head baristi.
Flat white
Prior to my trip I had contacted Maxwell on LinkedIn and mentioned that I would be visiting but upon entering the shop he wasn’t there. However, to my pleasant surprise, I recognised his voice during my first cup of coffee and went over to chat for about 20 minutes about coffee and more. One lesson I got from him this time was about water quality and how it mattered more for filter than espresso – I took notes and will investigate how to manage this at home in Dubai. However, before we left, I spotted Maxwell brewing an espresso for a flat white and captured this on film, asking him if he still had it in him to pour great latte art – of course he did, as I’m sure his DNA is labelled with coffee.
Maxwell pouring latte art
I highly recommend when you visit London that you visit Colonna and Smalls on 96A Leather Lane, Clerkenwell – closest tube station is Chancery Lane.
Here’s wishing you a blessed 2024 and lots of wonderful coffee adventures.
Earlier this month I was in London and of course the opportunity to check out new cafes was top of my list. I must confess, that I prayed that the weather would be warm, coming form 40C Dubai, but you’ll be glad to know that my prayers were answered, as this September went down as one of the warmest on record, with temperatures hovering over 30C on a few days. However, I’m not sure if it is because of Brexit, I was saddened to see that most coffee shops, even in central London, close between 3:30 and 4pm. For me, this was a travesty, as I love drinking coffee after every meal, even at night, which you won’t find anymore in London – sigh! Nevertheless, I only found one exception and for that, you’ll have to read on.
CUPS 1 AND 2 (Colonna & Smalls 96a Leather Lane, City of London)
Famously run by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, former UK barista champion, a few years back but not one that’s shy to push the boundaries on all things coffee – he wrote a book about how water affects your coffee and is about to launch one on the coffee business. His famous coffee shop is in Bath – read here when I visited. But, imagine my delight when I heard that he was opening an outlet in London. So, on the occasion of my birthday, I went here with my wife to try out the newly opened coffee shop and by default my first specialty coffee of my trip. I failed to contain my excitement, opted for a flat white to start, poured by the pleasant barista.
Flat white colonna and smalls
Whilst I was drinking my coffee, I noticed Maxwell had entered and of course we chatted coffee for like 30 minutes from water, and more, naturally. I then ordered a special filter coffee from their menu…. wait for it….
A Panama geisha from the famous coffee estate, Hacienda Esmeralda. Indeed it was sublime, tea like with hints of jasmine. I gave my wife a taste and she retorted, this taste like tea.
The last time I had this priced coffee was when I had a my coffee shop in Cape Town back in 2011 – yes it was tasted like a blue pearl earl grey. So having spoilt myself and spent more money drinking coffee than I ever have in a London coffee shop, it was time to leave after two cups of coffee.
CUP 3 (21 Grams, 155 Northcote road)
As usual, we stayed with my brother in the Clapham area and he told me that there was new coffee shop nearby, so whilst I waited for my wife to get ready, I went exploring to find this new coffee shop. The little chairs outside gave the cafe away and inside it is easy to get confused about where to order from as the barista space is open. In fact, when I went with my wife a second time, she went next to the espresso machine. As it was morning, I opted for another flat white.
Flat white at 21 grams
I noticed they were using Gentlemen Barista coffee, which features an espresso blend that contains Brazil of course. I guessed that the baristi were speaking Portuguese and I was right, they hailed from Brazil. Also on offer are pastries and cakes.
CUPS 4 AND 5 (Watch House, 2-3 Medici Courtyard, Hanover Square/Bond Street)
Now, having walked around London in 30C, looking for coffee after 4pm, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this newish (to me) Watch House was opened. Yes! I practically rushed in and “said gimme coffee” BUT as you know I don’t have an American accent, LOL! So, rewind, I walked in took in the wonderful architecture (after all the founder of Watch House is an architect) – which I have to say reminded me of some of the lavish cafe interiors I’m used to in Dubai and calmly asked for a batch brew – a kind of filter coffee prepared beforehand.
I was pleasantly surprised upon siping this coffee to detect hints of spearmint. I read the card and saw Nestor Lasso. So intrigued I was with this usual cup, that I asked the barista if I could buy a bag because I didn’t see it on their shelf. He went to the back of the cafe and said that I was in luck but they could only sell me 200g (packed in 100g bags each), so I bought it. Upon my return to Dubai, my coffee geek friend told me that Nestor Lasso is a famous coffee producer and has won awards for his coffee, so it was a great buy then.
Two flat whites at watch house
A few days later I met a friend and we had two flat whites. I was intrigued to see a long queue pouring out of the cafe – something I haven’t seen in London for a long time.
CUP 6 (Bobo and Wild, 18 Clapham Common south side)
Back to the neighbourhood. If you don’t know now, then I should let you know that my fave meal of the day is breakfast and what better to go with this tan good coffee too. So, gate crashing my brothers brunch tradition, my wife and I went to Bobo and Wild. A popular spot for brunch, run as far as I know by some Australians. I went for a flat white as I was in Aussie land prior to my amazing truffle eggs aka folded eggs. If you know me, then you’d know that I hardly use the word “amazing” unless I really mean it.
Delicious
I mean wow. Posh eggs, folded on top of sourdough bread and mushrooms topped with Parmesan cloud (okay, shavings). Back to the coffee.
My flat white was their Bobo Blend, a Brazil/Guatemala origin, medium-dark roast, with notes of chocolate, hazelnut and black currant, brewed on a La Marzocco linea. A good choice but I have to admit the egg was the star here.
CUP 7 (The Shed, Clapham South Tube Station)
This shop is second to none if you live in the Clapham South area and need that jolt of specialty coffee caffeine before you head to work. They use Caravan Coffee, brewed on a La Marzocco linea and also stocks pastries and cakes and if needed you can buy coffee bags too.
I went for a flat white – perhaps I should have called this post 7 flat whites (smile). A well prepared coffee with good frothed mil and coffee balance poured by a peasant barista.
CUP 8 (The Hagen Project, 30a Pimlico Road, Chelsea)
On our way from the airport to Clapham, we passed Chelsea and I noticed this little cafe with a Kees Van der Westen machine in the window and thought one day I’ll check this place out. A short history about Chelsea – it’s where the posh and very rich of London live – the end. In any case, I grabbed my opportunity when spending some time with my mum and headed here for my daily dose of specialty coffee and wow! was it special. Initially I wanted one of their coffees as an espressos based drink but then I opted for coffee from Prolog – a famous coffee roastery based in Copenhagen , visited by a one of the most famous chefs in the World, René Redzepi. Upon looking at the bag, Los Hermanos from the La Union municipality of Nariño, Colombia with a name like La Indonesia, I was sold.
Special coffee at Hagen
What splendid cup of coffee prepared by two very young female baristi on the Hario V60 and served in such a delectable manner, wine glass to highlight the notes with a stone covering the glass carafe. The taste was sublime, with hints of aged berries, subtle acidity and just a good cup of coffee. I think the way it was served added to the suspense and when I went to pay – the bill of GBP10 ($13) took me by surprise but I guess it was worth it.
CUP 9 (Urban Botanica, 30 Windmill Road, off Kennington Road)
In late June, our daughter moved to London toe start law school and after the aches and pains of looking for a property, she found one in Kennington. After scanning the area, she was like “I’ve found a good coffee shop for you to try when you visit”. And she was right. As we entered Urban Botanica, I spotted, yes, wait for it Kees Van der Westen machine – custom made with pink undertones.
So, having missed the opportunity at Hagen, I was presented here with the opportunity to have milk based drink on this famous machine and I opted for a flat white.
Beautifully made, suing Horsham Coffee, where the owner, Stephen used to work before, I highly recommend this place if you are nearby. I promise a longer post on this.
CUP 10 (The Shot, 104 Wigmore Street)
Walking behind Oxford Street with my daughter, I noticed this coffee shop across the road and was intrigued by a branding on the shop front as well as a nearby delivery van, so I thought , why not. So, have you ever been to a coffee shop that has a maitre d – someone who takes your reservation and guides you to your seat – very common for posh restaurants? Well, the Shot has that. Upon entering, the interior is quite dark but the gold encrusted Hario V60 breaks that monotone. The image at the top of this post is from their coffee shop.
I watched over as the baristi, who looked a bit intimidating with their waistcoats and well coiffed beards. We were handed a menu, which featured expensive coffees like Jamaica Blue Mountain, so l ordered a standard espresso
Espresso at the Shot
Easy to drink. As far as I can tell this is a new concept and they have another one in Mayfair – of course – another expensive residential community in London, not far from the Kings palace.
I know that my title sounds a bit daring, committing myself to using labels like “best….” but life is too short and when you have these wonderful experiences God throws at you, don’t restrict yourself to holding back and waiting for some other moment that may never come. So, after my philosophical rant, what do I mean ? I don’t think I’ve been this excited about visiting a cafe since Prufrock – see here. A bit of background – as holiday planner in charge; I was asked to find a nice English city to visit with other family members this past summer and initially we thought about Cornwall and what sprung to my mind was cornish pasties (if you’re not English, these are like a specialty short crust pastry pies filled with meat or veggies) and scones with clotted cream ( a cream typical of only this part of England), but whilst I had no aversion to these classical English cuisine gems, I thought if we’re are going to a place for three days, where will I get a great cup of coffee from. After some searching together with some cute boutique hotels, I wasn’t impressed – sorry Cornwall. So, I thought where else would I love to go, Bath – we’ve always wanted to go there, so why not now and suddenly like a flash I recalled that one of the cafes that I’ve always wanted to go in the UK, but never got the chance, was located there – Colonna & Smalls. Sold to the coffee lover!
Before visiting, what did I know about Colonna and Smalls ? Owned by Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, two times UK barista champion, I had many times about his contribution to the UK coffee science, having read about him many times, mentioned by the coffee celebrities many times over. when my brother visited many months ago, he asked me “where should I go for coffee” and I only had one answer; “Colonna and Smalls”. Before visiting I sent Maxwell a tweet and he replied very quickly mentioning that he was looking forward to me visiting.
We got into Bath on a late Sunday afternoon and I found out that their shop was already closed. I found another cafe, ordered my flat white, which was nice and asked them where else they would recommend – there was only one answer and they were like”that’s another type of level” even though I knew that on Monday my first visit would be Colonna & Smalls. And so it was.
As you enter, it’s like you’ve waiting many years to enter this emporium – a homage to coffee. I’m not going to go into details about the decor, but just the experience; I had to ask this at the back of my mind “do people in Bath know how lucky they are to have this cafe in their city?”. As you walk to the back of the shop, there are books authored by Maxwell, his UK barista championship trophies and other trophies awarded to his staff, who are also well decorated (see their website for more, UK latte art champion, etc).
As you walk towards the brightly lit back of the shop, where all the action is located – there’s this oozing calm and air of professionalism, rarely found in other cafes – they are not here just to sell coffee but to make sure you have a great experience too.
Now the techie part.
First I noticed that all their coffee beans were pre-weighed in little metal looking bowls
Then I noticed that there was no “typical” espresso grinder in place. What’s going on?
The Mahl Konig EK43 – something I have only really seen at cafes when they grind for filter coffee.
I must confess, it was until I got back to Vienna and delved into the story of the EK43 in James Hoffmann book about his blog, did I know about the issue concerning using the EK43 for grinding for espresso. It was really talked up and propagated a few years back by espresso/coffee guru Ben Kaminsky and even Prufrock were very excited about it, read here
In summary the debate says that using the EK43 (not built for grinding for espresso but ideally for spices and perhaps for filter coffee) not only minimises waste because you grind per cup but also that it grinds very evenly with little differentiation in grind size – this means that you can even lower the amount of coffee you use – they use about 16.5g as opposed to the industry average of 18-20g (I usually ask) which should result in a better tasting espresso. After all, most coffee aficionado fell in love with coffee through the espresso. In any case, there’s a few top cafes who were converted to do this avant garde way of grinding and hence brewing coffee and of course Maxwell is one of them.
Second, it was great to actually meet Maxwell himself. Usually when you visit emporiums of coffee, the owner or main driver is always not around, tending to some other business or on holiday – the one exception was Cameron of Flat White many moons ago. He was very welcoming and we talked about coffee (of course), their philosophy – they usually offer about three coffees per brew type; filter and espresso, where you can be guided by taste profiles. They try and source the best coffee that fits their preferences, so for example, surprise surprise for me, they roast for capsules – yes, you read that right. You can buy nespresso capsules roasted by one of the finest coffee roasters in the UK – I bought a box of 10 for my brother who has a nespresso machine. As they roast their own coffee in a town outside Bath, they can easily experiment with taste profiles for many styles – visit their “other” website for more about their coffee, see here. If you visit there are quite a lot of their coffees on sale and feel free to ask them for guidance. They even have a booklet on explaining their coffees and brewing methods.
and the coffee….
I opted for a flat white with a fruity profile – well balanced even with the milk, reminded me of hints of toffee like my coffee had evaporated milk added. On my second visit I went for a more “nutty” profile. I was really intrigued by their unique way of making Americanos but sadly I wasn’t able to make it – I thought it best to avoid the wrath of my mum and wife as my plan was to make colonna and smalls my last stop before catching the train back to London, but alas for next time God willing.
One more techie thing – the mod bar. I actually missed this new innovative way of brewing espresso because on my first visit I was so excited to meet with Maxwell, I didn’t go behind the bar to check what type of espresso brewing equipment they were using. On the second visit, as I had more time, I relaxed and had time to chat to the baristi and then I was introduced to the mod bar – short for modular brewing system.
espresso system consists of one espresso tap and one espresso module
Each Espresso Module controls one tap. Retailers have an opportunity to dial each Espresso Module to fit a different coffee. And they have options galore in how they fit the Modules to their retail set-up.
From what I saw, it looks fabulous – it’s like the next level of brewing espresso, where you can change the profiles using a button or touch screen per group head – state of the art – even though I am aware that the Slayer Espresso machine can do this provided that you are a very talented barista. At Colonna all the baristi have some kind of award so the skills are there but the fact that the mod bar group asked them to test it means something too.
As I left, I fell like a boy being dragged out of a toy shop, but I was after all in Bath to see other things and spend precious time with my family.
One more thing. It was really impressive to watch the barista prepare aeropress. He poured the freshly ground coffee into the aeropress capsule, poured a little bit of water, shook it around vigorously but carefully and as he did it, it bloomed and doubled in height, after which he poured more water, covered it and waited for it to complete the brewing process. I wished I filmed it so you can see what I meant, but it was really impressive.
Highly recommended – If you are looking for a beautiful city to visit in England and enjoy exceptional coffee and more, check them out at
Colonna & Smalls
6 Chapel Row, Bath, UK.
My next post will be on drinking coffee in Bath – a beautiful city with tons of coffee culture.
From Coffee With Love 