Although I've been drinking coffee from Sussex-based Pharmacie Coffee Roasters since 2018, somehow it took me until this month to visit their roastery and coffee bar in the heart of the South Downs in Lewes. To be fair, even though they've been around a lot longer, the roastery has only been in Lewes since 2021 and suffice it to say, my visit was well worth the wait.
I've been spending more time in Brighton in recent years but hadn't been back to Lewes for almost two decades. Several of my friends university friends hailed from the small town and surrounding area, so I visited a fair few times — usually around Bonfire Night — and I'm well-versed in Harvey's Brewery and the high pubs-to-inhabitants ratio, Anne of Cleves, Thomas Paine, Simon De Montfort and the like!
Pharmacie itself is based on an industrial estate just over a mile's walk from the town centre. The location may not sound too glamorous, but the name of the estate — Cliffe — offers a clue to the striking view you get on arriving at the roastery, which lies at the foot of the chalk cliffs of Lewes Downs.
It's a huge space inside, with lots of tables in different configurations, large and small, high and low. There are also some tables outside but unusually it was so hot that we sought shelter inside.
The roastery is at the back, although it was relatively quiet during the Sunday brunch time when we stopped by. Over to the right is a series of shelves with retail bags of coffee beans — each coffee bearing its own colourful and distinctive design on the bag — as well as some Pharmacie merch and an assortment of coffee-making and -brewing kit.
The counter is about halfway in, with a big selection of cakes, focaccias and toasties on offer. As for the coffee, the usual espresso-based drinks are available, as well as hand-brewed filter coffee, iced coffee and cold brew.
I fancied a pourover and asked the barista's advice for which coffee to choose from the extensive range. They ended up picking the one I'd already chosen to buy (great minds!) so I went for a different Peruvian variety instead, from Elvis Tineo. Brewed as a filter coffee, it was bursting with juicy orange and blueberry notes, especially as it cooled. I brewed up the La Coipa beans I bought in my V60 this morning and they have a lovely peach sweetness, perfect for the end of summer.
Our food soon arrived: a scrambled egg and smoked salmon focaccia and a mozzarella and salami toastie. The former was for me and it was a tasty and filling twist on the usual sourdough toast. I even managed to eat a small piece of the lemon cake we'd ordered before my nephew ate the rest (well, it was really for him!).
Pharmacie Coffee's roastery is a lovely, relaxed space. If you have kids, it's a handy place to stop by en route to the soft play across the way. And if you're with companions of a drinking age, there's a brewery next door.
Most importantly, the coffee is as great as ever. Even though I never made it to Pharmacie's Hove roastery, I've enjoyed so many of their coffees over the years, in various Brighton coffee shops, at the London Coffee Festival and via Dog & Hat. So, it's nice to finally drink their coffee in their home!
Pharmacie Coffee Roasters.11 Cliffe Industrial Estate, Lewesm BN8 6JL. Website. Instagram.
Looking for more Sussex specialty coffee recommendations? Check out my guide to the best coffee shops in Brighton and Hove!
No comments:
Post a Comment