A little way
up a narrow old street called St James’s, off the Old Steine (Brighton’s main
thoroughfare) and opposite the Royal Pavilion, Redroaster, an original and independent coffee house,
has been embedded in the heart of the city
for many years.
Single origin beans from Indonesia, Africa, Central America, India and beyond,
are hand-roasted on the original red
roaster behind the counter. New coffees, roasting dates and prices are
chalked up weekly on the blackboard. Larger batches of the House blend,
certified Organic blend and Decaffeinated coffee are roasted by prizewinning
chief roaster Paul Stephens, at their roastery in Kemp Town. Paul was also a
member of the winning UK team at a
speciality coffee competition in Moscow last year.
Tim Hume, managing director of this small family concern, does not compromise on the quality
of their coffee beans and is committed to paying a fair price for the same commitment to quality from the
producers. Redroaster beans are
delivered wholesale to local cafes and restaurants, hairdressers, language schools, country
houses, small hotels, student unions, fishing lodges, cocktail bars, even local
brewery Dark Star, for its Espresso Coffee Beer. They also mail their coffee regularly to Brighton exiles in Scotland and Germany.
More than just a cafe, in the evenings
Redroaster transforms into a licensed venue hosting a regular tango-dancing club, poetry and spoken word events, plays
and book launches, as well as touring and local musicians (Kate Nash has played
there).
During the day, pots of Redroaster leaf tea, a locally famous rich Italian hot chocolate, fresh juices, smoothies,
‘awesome cheesecake’ and cakes are on offer, as well as the coffee. There
is a freshly prepared light lunch menu of grilled ciabattas and baguettes,
quiche and salads, Vegan and otherwise, free range Sussex ham, locally smoked
salmon, grilled red peppers.
The coffee house is airy and spacious with high vaulted skylights in the
ceiling which light the changing exhibitions of artwork on the walls. There is
outside seating for people-watchers and the front of the cafe opens up in summer. National and local
newspapers are freely available to read. Skilled volunteers are welcome to play
on the piano, donated by a loyal customer. The cafe is wheelchair-friendly and
has a convenient downstairs toilet especially for the disabled. There is
even a vast collection of coffee pots and coffee
grinders through the ages if you look up high.
The first Pighog Poetry night of the 2012 season stars Katy Evans-Bush and Jackie Wills with guest host Robin Lawley. There will be an open mic session during the evening, Katy Evans-Bush was born in New York City and moved to London at the age of 19. She lives in Stoke Newington with her three children, edits Horizon Review and writes the literary blog Baroque i...Read More >
Gabrielle Farah's photographs, Awesome Paradox, will be exhibited in the cafe from 8 January to 5 March. Gabrielle says: ‘I drew inspiration for these images from “The Sublime” period and the artist John Martin. I wanted to convey a sense of simple magnificence which conspires to reflect the awesome power and the beauty of our natural world." ...Read More >
