James from Bubble Head Barista is launching his website for all the coffee enthusiasts out there! Having loved coffee for years he felt this was a great time to launch something that people who seriously love coffee could connect with. James serves in the Royal Navy and became a coffee lover around 5 years ago. In the navy there was always a jar of instant coffee around but with great coffee shops appearing around Southsea and Portsmouth he became hooked on specialty coffee; how it was made, and where the coffee beans came from. Following his new interest, James became a true coffee connoisseur and wanted to visit amazing coffee shops. We all know there are some top ones around Portsmouth, but this has kind of evolved over time. James recalls his first time visiting Southsea Coffee and how Tara and Martyn had really captured the coffee culture perfectly, still offering amazing quality coffee and a warm atmosphere 7 years later.
People love the aroma of good coffee, they may even love the flavour when drinking it but a true coffee enthusiast sees it as an inspiring world of knowledge: Considering things like small-batch coffee, farming, bean selection, grinding, and artisan-quality brewing. They want to know how the coffee beans are harvested and roasted and how they can master the final steps to make a wonderful cup of coffee that properly shows off the bean. This involvement is more than making a perfect shape out of milk on the top of a latte (although that’s a skill too), its about style, immense taste and being interested in the whole process; bean to cup.
James has spent so much time developing skills by attending barista training, going on tours, attending coffee events, and building relationships with coffee shops and local coffee roasters. The next step to create a website came as a natural progression. A place where coffee lovers can buy coffee, purchase equipment, and support the local independent coffee scene. Speaking about the brand of Bubble Head Barista I feel it is more than a brand, it feels like a 'Coffee Community' somewhere to share thoughts, ideas, favourite recipes and to share the whole experience around this amazing bean that comes from a plant!
Coffee beans come from two types of coffee plants: arabica or robusta.
Did you know that the coffee culture we see in the UK today came from New Zealand?
New Zealand ranks higher than the US and Australia when it comes to the amount of coffee consumed and Kiwi’s are crazy about coffee, creating a coffee shop on every corner. They also have more roasters per capita than anywhere in the world – no wonder why the Kiwi’s take their coffee so seriously. The importance of coffee in this country is a similar comparison to the importance of wine to Australia. New Zealand is where the first flat white was invented and many cafes buy freshly ground beans from a roaster that is close by to be able to make the perfect flat white. Now in the UK, we are catching up and we also like to find local roasters which helps build the important bond between roaster, seller, and consumer.
What can you look forward to with the new website? A one-stop-shop of quality coffee goods. Of course, there are coffee beans to buy from a local small-batch coffee roastery based in the heart of rural Hampshire – Moon Roast. A family affair that started with a coffee roaster in a barn in the backyard that has developed into a full-time business, working with small-holding farmers. Having values around sustainability and paying the farmers a decent price for their coffee is high up on the list of priorities for Moon Roast, which is what we can expect from a good independent local business. There is also going to be equipment for sale from the website which will include grinders, aeropress equipment (where you can take it with you on the go and still have a wonderful cup of coffee) and clothing like T-shirts to be worn with no coffee stains on!
Look out for Bubble Head Barista here
