Colonna & Small’s

Coffee made by the multiple-​times UK Barista Champion? Yes please!
I have been a customer of Colonna & Small’s since they opened their original shop on Princes Street and have been hooked ever since. If you want the very best coffee made the way it should be made then this is the place for you.
The selections of coffee, 3 for filter and 3 for espresso drinks, are changed regularly and are always great choices. As you would expect, the staff are extremely knowledgable and very friendly and helpful.
Basically, if you want the best coffee then this is the place for you.

Very knowledgeable about the coffee and flavours, which is good. They have a variety rather than the same coffee all the time. Nice layout inside and they also do some pastry too. With the visit.

I’ve been here twice now, and the coffee is always amazing.
Kind of hipster atmosphere, but the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.
Best place for a flat white in town

What a great café! I like coffee, but I’m not an expert by any means, so I trust the accolades they have in their store window to tell me that what they serve is quality. The espresso I had was delicious and my boyfriend seemed very pleased with his cappuccino and that’s all you can ask for.
I absolutely adore the little card on the table that explains specialty coffee and how you should drink it to get the best out of a cup of espresso or latte or brewed coffee. So much knowledge! The staff are super helpful and friendly (and will pick the coffee for you if you have no clue, like I did) and the café itself is small, but cute. Definitely make a stop here if you are in Bath!

I am yet to have visited a better coffee bar in the UK. Only downside of that is that it is constantly busy. But it is worth it, my father was getting frustrated with all the choice (wasn’t used to it and doesn’t take coffee as serious) but as soon as he sipped that flat white he sighed, knowing there was a coffee party and that he was invited.

Good coffee. They take themselves very seriously, and they have three brews each day for each of drip and espresso. On a blackboard they describe the flavors of each both with and without milk using the sort of terms one would use to describe wine – e.g., nutty, floral, using particular fruit comparisons. Doesn’t open until 830. Convenient central location. Filled with likeminded people. There’s a tiny garden out back with a couple of small tables.

This place deserves the reputation it has earned. The co-​owner and coffee-​world legend even has an awesome name: Maxwell Colonna-​Dashwood. Fab. Colonna & Smalls (read: Maxwell) wouldn’t dare employ just any average barista. The staff here are at the top of their game. Complete with smart Colonna & Smalls shirts, the whole set up is very professional. They do indeed take their coffee very seriously.
Both my mother and I had espressos, but there is a brew bar where you can try different filtration methods in order to find your perfect cup. I had a Kenyan (Kanthi) blend that had tasting notes of lime, brazil nut and black tea (when drank with milk, I had a flat white). My mother opted for a softer espresso with floral tasting notes as well as a hint of vanilla and malt. The flat white’s were prepared to perfection. Temperature, latte art and espresso, all spot on.
The staff were friendly and more than happy to share their knowledge and passion for coffee. As I sat at the brew bar, I spent a good chunk of time watching their careful work and chatting to the baristas. As they extracted a perfect shot, I tried to extract as much of their valuable knowledge about the coffee world as possible!
In addition to coffee, there’s a selection of cakes and pastries. They all looked appealing, especially the carrot cake. If you don’t want a wedge of cakey indulgence, there were small short breads with interesting flavours– for example rosemary and Stilton. These were two for £1. I think in general the cake looked to be fairly priced, cheaper than many cafes I visit in Manchester.
In terms of coffee, this really is as good as it gets.

This place has absolutely ruined coffee for me. That is to say I haven’t been able to think about let alone drink the stuff in the same way since.
Stopped by in July while visiting a friend who lives in Bath; he knew I was a bit of a snob when it came to food and beer and figured I’d feel right at home, which I did. I still remember reading the menu and thinking aloud that «this is the craft beer of coffee» — a barista behind the bar immediately told me that I had hit the nail on the head.
I ordered a cold brew of something that tasted like heaven, and about halfway through my cup Maxwell brought out a complimentary espresso version of the same bean for me to compare. He spoke with us for a bit about what we generally liked, what we were tasting, etc. and then proceeded to give me some great recommendation for similarly-​minded coffee shops where I’m from in California. This man clearly knows his craft and has a love for it like I’ve never seen before. Seeing him so passionate about something that most people never think twice about made me reevaluate how I viewed and understood coffee. It’s no longer a morning necessity or vehicle for caffeine for me, but a kind of simple luxury and an experience in and of itself.

Colonna & Small’s pride themselves on being at the cutting edge of the art of coffee. Unfortunately, for me at least, the result doesn’t resemble what we’re used to.
I’m sure small shots of remarkably sharp, acidic espresso are absolute nectar to the true enthusiast, and that their Aeropress’d filter coffees are delightful to some, but neither resemble coffee as most of us understand it. I drink a lot of espresso in a range of independents, mostly in Leeds, occasionally in Nottingham, London or anywher else I find myself, so I imagine I’m not entirely without knowledge or experience, but I found myself being told I was at the start of a journey of exploration into the true flavour of the coffee cherry (never bean!).
I resent being informed that sugar will ruin the drink I have just paid for. No matter how delicately they couch that information on their menu, it still feels rather like being told off for not being sufficiently sophisticated.
I wish them luck, because they are clearly craftsmen and artists creating a premium product with a good deal of dedication, but people should be aware that high-​end, esoteric coffee-​making culture doesn’t necessarily aim for something that will resemble the drink they know and love. If they’re right, I don’t mind being wrong.

These guys are really cool, they gave the best customer service I’ve had in hospitality for a long time. Love the whole café and the coffee was delicious. If you know about coffee it’s clear that they’re good at what they do usually you only get this type of thing in London.
Everyone’s a winner! Totally glad I walked in the door.
Harry

Brilliant coffee place. Im a total milk and two kind of girl but this place really opened my eyes! We visited whilst on a weekend break and went back the next day! Try a coffee with milk (flat white in my humble opinion!) and one without. Sit near the counter and watch some sort of coffee related magic happen with apparatus that wouldn’t look out of place in a chemistry lab! Staff were friendly and the place is delightfully un-pretentious.Love it!

What I like
— Really nice interior
— Coffee appears to be a science and an art here
What I don’t
— No sugar on the table. They’d rather you didn’t put it in the coffee because it spoils their perfect cup (a friend claims to have seen people smuggling in sugar rather than ask for it).

The best Coffee Shop in Bath.
Has recently relocated to 6 Chapel Row (BA1 1HN) in Bath (Just off the bottom Left of Queen Sq When looking up the Sq)

Not that they have a lot of competition– coffee in Bath tends to be big and corporate, or else the instant-​crystals kind. It was a thrill to be introduced to these lovers of the bean; they take coffee incredibly seriously but manage to avoid an NYC sort of snobbiness. I’ve had a few top-​notch lattes there and am looking forward to going back. In fact, I have a couple of extra minutes right now…

Tasty coffee. Very small room downstairs, so we were lucky to find two empty seats. Nice touch, having the jugs of water on a sideboard.

Really amazing coffee… best I’ve ever had

Definitely the best coffee in Bath, with a relaxed feel and incredibly chilled out staff.
Max takes a real pride in his coffee — if you’re looking for a friendly atmosphere then this is the place to be.

Simply the best Coffee available in Bath.

I highly recommend this very different coffee shop. Very friendly staff, with a weloming smile. they know their coffees and serve lovely fresh cakes
5 stars!!!

It is a rare delight when you stumble accross somewhere truly special.
It’s a grey, cold, uninspiring world of high street chains out there; litres of scalding dishwater served in almost comically oversized buckets. Therefore I was thrilled to meet a team with huge passion and commitment not just to making truly amazing coffee, but to helping people understand it too.
Coming from a background in coffee I can understand the need to bring it to the Uk… And you’ll find here a true slice of espresso nirvana. So pop along as I surely will again and see what a real barista achieves!