Roasteries / Colonna Coffee
Colonna Coffee
Bath, United Kingdom
Colonna Coffee's roots trace to 2008, when Maxwell and Lesley Colonna-Dashwood discovered Melbourne's Third Wave coffee scene. In 2009 they opened Colonna & Small's, a destination coffee shop in Bath built around flavour-driven conversation, named Best Coffee Shop in Europe in 2016. The in-house roastery launched in 2015 to gain full control over sourcing and flavour profiling, followed by reimagined capsule technology (2016) and the water-science-focused Peak Water Project (2020). A second shop opened on Leather Lane, London in 2023. Maxwell is a three-time UK Barista Champion (2012, 2014, 2015), and the team has co-authored published research on water and sensory science.
10
coffees
United Kingdom
base
Locations
Colonna & Small's - Bath
6 Chapel Row, Bath, BA1 1HT, United KingdomMon-Fri: 08:30-17:30 · Sat: 09:00-17:30 · Sun: 10:00-16:00
Colonna & Small's - London (Leather Lane)
96a Leather Lane, London, EC1N 7TX, United KingdomMon: 08:00-16:00 · Tue-Thu: 07:30-16:00 · Fri: 08:00-16:00 · Sat: 09:00-16:00 · Sun: 10:00-15:00
Coffees
10 coffees
Colonna's limited release 027 brings back the Elida Washed Gesha first sold as LRR 020 in 2024, from green kept frozen since. Elida, inside Volcán Barú National Park, has been farmed by four generations of the Lamastus family, who in 2018 won both Gesha categories at Best of Panama with a record score. Bought directly from Wilford Lamastus Jr: floral aromatics, tropical-fruit sweetness and a syrupy texture.
Colonna's first Rwandan decaf: a washed Red Bourbon that keeps the stewed-fruit and spice character of Rwandan coffee.
Stewed fruit · Spice
Colonna's Discovery line, currently a natural from Aceh Gayo in Sumatra. Colonna rarely buys Sumatran coffee because wet-hulling tends to give earthy, savoury cups; this naturally processed lot keeps the generous body and bold fruit of Indonesia with winey depth, blackcurrant and a spiced finish.
Colonna's Foundation line, currently a washed Costa Rica from the Café Vida micromill, sourced through Oxcart, Cafe Imports' local operation that buys from the same micromills year after year and runs open cuppings for the coffee community. Rounded sweetness, mellow acidity and a full mouthfeel.
Colonna's Gesha line, currently a washed Gesha from Ebert Huaman Villegas in Cajamarca. Ebert grew up on his family's commercial Catimor farm, worked on fishing vessels to pay for study, then took a barista course in Lima, met the specialty trade and replanted with better varieties; he now sells through Khipu Coffee. A clean, tea-like cup with bergamot aromatics.
Bergamot · Tea-like
Colonna's Rare line, currently a G1 red honey from Lalesa, the largest processing site in Gedeb, run by Ephtah, which buys ripe cherry from nearby farmers and funds a daycare centre and the Ama Commitment for women in coffee. The red honey sits between the floral clarity of washed and the blueberry boldness of natural Ethiopian coffee.
SOLO is Colonna's seasonal single-origin washed espresso, currently from smallholders farming the steep slopes of Huehuetenango, western Guatemala, through the Regional Select programme that rewards quality and keeps value at origin. Molasses sweetness, gentle berry acidity and a syrupy body.
Molasses · Berry · Syrupy
A seasonal espresso blend curated for consistency: boutique African lots against a clean house base. Currently 60% Araku Valley washed (India), 30% Mchana AB washed (Kenya) and 10% Mount Sunzu washed (Zambia). Complex fruit, floral aromatics, good acidity and a sweet, syrupy body.
Complex fruit character · Floral aromatics