It has been
an exciting couple of months at Caffé Clifton, with Heidi taking over as
manager of the Caffé, and Gloria and myself joining the team. It was time to
get reacquainted with the coffee at the heart of Caffé Clifton. Heidi and I had
been invited over to Clifton
Coffee Roasters who supply their fantastic Village Espresso coffee roast to the
Caffé. We took them up on this offer to learn more about the coffee our
customers love and to get the chance to brush up on our barista skills with the
team at Clifton Coffee.
So last Friday, Heidi and I went to
where Clifton Coffee are based, in Avonmouth, on what should have been a quick
trip, but took us far longer than expected, due to Heidi’s mediocre preparation
for the ‘simple’ drive. After a brief detour onto the M5, we arrived at the
Clifton Coffee headquarters, just shy of half an hour late. We were greeted by
Chris, who by the sounds of things was more than used to delayed arrivals.
Chris gave us the grand tour of the premises, including the stock room,
explaining the large volume of roasted coffee they get through each week, and
the need for them to have plenty of space. Then in the roasting room, Chris
explained the process by which they roast the green coffee beans which have
been brought over to them from all over the world from coffee growing countries
such as Ethiopia, Brazil and India. The roasting process is central
to the success of any batch of beans. In the roaster, all the fats, sugars and
starches are emulsified, caramelised and released by the high temperature of
200°c.
Our tour continued upstairs to the
very suave office space and showroom. It was here where the fun began, as we
were given the opportunity to taste varying espressos, perfect our latte art as
well as a brush up on our coffee machine care. However the added pressure of
the professionals from Clifton Coffee proved an added dimension of difficultly.
We enjoyed the experience to drink our body weight in delicious coffee, and the
chance to get tips from Chris.
Thanks to Clifton Coffee and Chris,
for a fantastic morning and experience. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and
look forward to pass on our new coffee wisdom to the Caffé Clifton customers.
Camilla
