Will travels West
Our head barista Will recently headed west on a little trip to Bristol and Cardiff. Here’s what he found.
Will on the coffee scene in Cardiff and Bristol:
The last three years have been rather hectic, as they have been for most people, and it felt like the right time to jump out of the busy London life and slow myself down with a long weekend. My friends live in Penarth, Wales, so while visiting them, I decided to take some time to go and visit some coffee spots in Cardiff and Bristol, to see how the scene is outside of the Big Smoke.
CARDIFF
Cardiff was originally going to be a brief excursion for me, as I had been up since 4am to make sure I caught my coach from Victoria. Upon arriving in Wales at midday and getting picked up, Hard Lines Cafe over in Canton was the one place I knew would be perfect; diner plates, fresh brews, and chilled vibes. Solid.
Pulling up, the place is subtle amongst the rest of the high street, but walking in it definitely boasts a laid back aesthetic that is shared by the patrons and the staff on shift; really welcoming and so familiar even for a first visit. My friend and I instantly knew what we’d want to drink to get us going, selecting a batch brew and a cold brew, both made using their Neighbourhood Batch blend. The mix of the juicy Chilcon Flores from Peru, backed up with some great body and florality from the Natural Sawana Kebele from Ethiopia was exactly what I needed after a very long morning of travel. The food menu is straightforward yet hard to navigate as there are so many tempting options to pick from, but my friend went for a mortadella sandwich on fresh baked ciabatta from a local bakery, and I went for one of their set breakfasts; pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, home fries and maple syrup. Everything was tasty, it was well worth the wait. Although, their instagram always boasts some tasty dessert options, so I went back up for round two, opting for a coffee flight with my friend grabbing another cold brew. I didn’t see what components made up the Canton Blend they use for espresso drinks in this location, but it was a brilliant accompaniment to the cherry pie I grabbed, which was a fantastic choice.
The cafe is lined with many bags from the Hard Lines Coffee roaster, alongside a curated selection of craft beers and tasty wines, so of course I had to grab a bag of the Rwanda Kilimbi as well as a bottle of St John Beausoleil 2020 to tag along with the next few days of sunny serenity by the coast.
BRISTOL
After some down time and narrow avoidance of sun burn in Penarth, it was time for me to make my trip back home from Wales, with a stop off in Bristol, a place I used to enjoy passing through when I used to travel a lot in my younger days.
First, I had luckily booked a hotel with a coffee spot directly outside the door. Can’t Dance Coffee were one of many businesses set up during 2020, and they blossomed as a business from a mobile coffee trike to an upcycled shipping container in Clifton. An eco conscious business, they encourage locals with green fingers to take any waste coffee they have available for compost, and they were the first cafe in Bristol to be granted their own cup recycling bin from Bristol Waste Company to help with the responsible disposal of their cups, as they are take away only.
They have their own partnership coffee roasted by Triple Co, one of many local roasters in the area. A washed Guatemala espresso, clean and fruity with pleasant chocolate notes, it was the kick I needed to get my morning started as I made for a long walk around Bristol to soak in the local sights, and even more sun.
Sweven Coffee is a roaster I’ve had my eye on for a while, as they have outstanding packaging for their beans and from what I had seen online, the cafe looked stunning. And I can confirm that the pictures did not lie, the space was modern and fresh, with a minimalist styled bar which was packed with a lot of features to give baristas the best chance of making delicious coffee time and time again.
For espresso, I went with Intego, an anaerobic process coffee from Nyamasheke in Rwanda. A more modern take on an espresso brew due to the equipment used, the body being lighter than I am used to with espresso gave way for crisp berries on first sip, with it mellowing into rich chocolate flavours as it cooled.
The filter was a little left-field for myself personally; the origin and process were something I would usually be expecting big bold flavours from - a Natural Carbonic Maceration process from Tolima, Colombia - but they seem to favour a lower drink strength in order to allow clarity and help with acidity to pop through. For me, there were notes of guava and papaya, but it felt a bit weak. That said, it’s not a criticism per se, it’s just a style of brew that I don’t normally lean towards, and I know that for what it was, it was a great example. Even with that filter experience, I still chose a bag of their Natural Ethiopian coffee from Sidama to take home for me, and a big juicy Washed Kenyan coffee for the V+vW brew bar that the team and the lovely folk of Crouch End can enjoy.
A nice walk along the River Avon later, stopping off at Mokoko to grab a cinnamon bun - and a really good cinnamon bun at that - I arrived at Small Street Espresso, a coffee bar that has been a strong part of Bristol’s coffee scene since 2012. As I was a little behind my schedule, I opted for a house espresso, which that day was the EQ Espresso Blend from Clifton Coffee.
A blend of 40% Washed Colombia, 30% Washed Ethiopia, 30% Panama, it was yet another solid espresso with lovely stone fruit and dark sugar notes. It went down very quickly, which helped as the next spot was one I was very excited to visit.
Last on my list, Full Court Press. A cafe proud in its transparency of its coffee, and its accessibility to the community they serve, it stands as a shining example of what I love to see in the people who serve specialty coffee.
Walking in, they have a well presented retail selection, stocking not only coffee they roast themselves, but guests from locals and from far away visitors - in the case of my visit, it was Round Hill Roastery from Somerset, and Black & White Roasters all the way from North Carolina, USA. I decided to go for the Natural Mexico coffee they had on their espresso - I didn’t realise it was not one of their own but was roasted by Dark Arts, but it was a delicious espresso rich with flavours of raspberry yoghurt so at least I didn’t miss out.
But while ordering my espresso, I found one thing that made me purposely choose FCP as my final spot of Bristol - their frozen filter menu. Like a few other cafes, they have a freezer filled with coffees that they have found exceptional, and rather than try to sell them as fast as they can while they’re still fresh, they use reusable vacuum sealed bags to lock in these delicious coffees at their prime, ready to be called upon when someone places an order.
After what was, frankly, a more than impressive detailed explanation of every single coffee on the menu - seriously, the knowledge blew my mind - I selected a coffee roasted by FCP themselves; El Placer, an Infused Carbonic Macerated Washed from Colombia. The taste? Let me put it this way; the flavour notes provided were “Lemongrass aroma, blueberry, plum, pink peppercorn”. Not only was it accurate, it was perfectly balanced, deliciously sweet and acidic in all the right way, and left the best taste in my mouth as I made my exit from this lovely city.
And I must give a massive shout out to Mari and Laurence, the team members working the cafe that day. With the combination of the warmest welcome, detailed coffee knowledge, and just a delightful conversation while we waited for my coffee to brew, it was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve had anywhere in any hospitality environment and I can not thank them enough for absolutely making me feel just as welcome as one of their veteran locals. Overall, an uplifting end to what was definitely an uplifting holiday.
Will visited:
Hard Lines Coffee, Ground Floor Unit, St Cannas Court, Cowbridge Rd E CF5 1GX
Can’t Dance Coffee, Victoria Square, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4EW
Sweven Coffee, 12 North St, Southville, Bristol BS3 1HT
Mokoko, 2 Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WE
Small Street Espresso, 23 Small St, Bristol BS1 1DW
Full Court Press, 59 Broad St, Bristol BS1 2EJ