44 Poets opened in Poets’ Corner in Hove in 2018, bringing Melbourne-style community coffee to the neighbourhood. Since 2020 it has co-roasted its own coffee in partnership with Craft House Coffee in Sussex. The espresso runs on a La Marzocco Linea PB, with Mahlkönig grind-by-weight grinders, and the counter carries pastries, homemade cakes and soft drinks from local suppliers.

The house coffee is Montgomery, a washed Caturra from El Muro in Buesaco, Colombia, first meant to change regularly and kept because customers liked “Monty” too much to lose it. Special releases are co-roasted too, such as Razzle Jazzle, an Ombligon processed by the Colombian producer Nestor Lasso, which the team brewed on the community brew bar at the 2026 Brighton Coffee Festival. Guest roasters rotate through the shop: 17 Grams in summer 2025, Intermission from London on pour-over that November and All Caps in February 2026.

Jeric, from the 44 Poets team, won the festival’s first “Level” filter brewing competition in 2024. 44 Poets made a coffee liqueur from its own cold brew recipe with Madame Jennifer, sold at Quaff, the wine shop down the road, and in 2026 it sponsors the Poets’ Corner Football Club under-11 team.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: 44 Poets