Visiting Bath's Quirkiest Espresso Room
Bath's new espresso room, Colonna and Small's opened 8 months ago and has quickly established itself as a meeting point for the city's creative crowd, mainly thanks to its superb coffee and 'off the beaten track' location tucked away down Monmouth Street.
At Colonna and Small's it's all about the quality of the coffee. Owned by baristas who learnt their craft in the Melbourne coffee scene, the espresso room prides itself on making every cup of coffee unique, thanks to the baristas' skills of grinding, grooming and extracting the beans to utilize their full potential. The choice of coffee varieties also changes constantly allowing an exploration of how variety, process and region affect flavour: their house blend alters according to the seasons and yield from the best crops, whilst new 'guest' blends are regularly introduced alongside.
On entering this small, quirky establishment, there's an immediate European feel, with a front bar and window seats to perch on whilst you grab a quick espresso or wait for your take-out. The back room is more of a social space, with a relaxed vibe... ideal for creative brainstorms or a quiet chat. The walls are painted a deliberate cool blue, whilst a couple of hessian coffee bean sacks hanging on the wall give it an authentic feel. A few cakes are served at the bar, but the focus is very much on the coffee.
Co-owner Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood explains the rationale behind the business model: "We wanted to create a special place for people who live and work in Bath, which is well away from the main tourist thoroughfare and the big chains where all the coffee tastes the same. More importantly though, we want to share our passion for the amazing world of coffee which is as complex and fascinating as the world of wine. The experience we had in Australia - in terms of barista training and developing our whole approach to service – has enabled us create this offering. We hope to redefine completely what coffee can be for our customers."
Colonna and Smalls, 12a Princes Street, Bath BA1 1HL (off Monmouth St)
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30 - 18.00. Saturday: 8.30 - 18.00.
Photography by Jazz-Turner@hotmail.com
