Behind the scenes at Bournemouth's own coffee roastery

Yes, of course coffee beans are the key ingredient and perhaps a little bit of milk but there is so much more to that delicious coffee than you may have first thought.

The town centre coffee roastery Bad Hand were kind enough to give the Bournemouth Echo a lesson in all-things coffee and a tour of their workshop.  

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Luke Lamb from Bad Hand with the new electric van they use for deliveries.

Tucked away on Norwich Road, just off Poole Hill, Bad Hand's coffee roastery and workshop is a quirky and welcoming hub of activity. 

Sharing their converted warehouse space with independent creatives from across the region, there was a photo shoot and even a toddler dance class going on when we arrived.

The workshop on Norwich Road is home to a yoga studio, tattoo artist, plant-based kitchen, graphic design hub and there's even an impressive hand-made sauna that the guys at Bad Hand threw together in a week over lockdown.  

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Of course, this isn't what makes a cup of their hand roasted espresso taste so good - but it does help to fuel the experimental minds of the five coffee gurus behind Bad Hand.

The love child of South Coast Roast and Cafe Boscanova, owners Joel and Jamie started roasting their own coffee while they still owned the cafes.

After discovering a passion and skill for the art of coffee roasting, the pair decided to sell up in 2018 and open Bad Hand. 

Employing a small team there are just three employees at Bad Hand, plus hands-on Jamie and Joel. 

The tight-knit team all have a background in coffee and have been baristas for the past decade. 

Jack-of-all-trades at the roastery, Luke Lamb said: "When Bad Hand started up it was like a melding of minds and we'd all worked in the industry for a long time."

Not only do they roast their own coffee but the team at Bad Hand even judge the Great Taste Awards - drinking upwards of 10 espressos each in a morning.

How do they make their coffee?

The coffee roasting process all starts with sourcing the best coffee beans for the blend, and Bad Hand produce a number of different coffees using beans from all over the world. 

From Mexico to Brazil their famers are all paid a decent and fair wage, something Luke explained was key to their ethos at Bad Hand.

Luke, who previously won a regional title at the UK Barista Championships said: "We don't specifically deal with fair trade and we don't actively look for it.

"But what we do actively look for is a direct trade model which often pays about 25 per-cent more than fair trade."

By seeking out this alternative working model with farmers, Bad Hand ensure their growers and producers are paid a decent wage for their work. 

Coffee beans come into the warehouse green and once they're roasted they leave in the distinct brown colour, whole or blended.

Roasting the coffee is a skilled art of its own, with no rule book or instruction manual to follow when these mavericks started out - a lot of what Bad Hand have become known for is down to being experimental with their coffee. 

They roast the beans using a Probat roaster which was originally built in 1968 - although you could be forgiven for thinking it was brand new due to all of the high-tech computing that the machine uses.

The refurbished 12-kilogram Probat coffee roaster was built in 1968. 

With the roasting times, air pressure and technique down to a fine scientific art, the coffee is perfectly cooked and cooled every time. 

Once the coffee is roasted it is rested for about a week or so, to allow for natural gases to leave the beans, before being delivered to customers.

Delivering their award-winning coffee to cafes, trade customers and directly to the consumers - coffee lovers can even get their caffeine fix through subscription. 

The new subscription service allows customers to tailor how frequently they'd like their coffee delivered (for free) so they never have to go without a fresh cup of Joe again.

How do they limit their environmental impact?

As Luke said, "coffee is the second largest commodity in the world" and whether Bad Hand exists or not, people will continue to drink it.

Although coffee production itself takes a huge toll on the environment, Bad Hand's ethos is all about minimising any further impact of the coffee making process from the moment the green beans touch-down in Bournemouth.

All of their packaging is completely compostable and their trades packaging is via reusable buckets. 

Roasting with a difference is exactly what Bad Hand do - from sourcing green importers who trade directly with farms (and pay them a fair price, rather than the bare minimum) to powering the entire warehouse from renewable energy sources.

All of their retail packaging is completely compostable, online orders are plastic-free and their cafe partners and trade customers get their beans in buckets which are collected, sanitised and reused. 

Not only this, but the roastery prides itself on going the extra mile to ensure its local deliveries are carbon neutral - delivering by cargo bike, electric bike or by using their electric van. 

What's your favourite coffee? Let us know in the comments.