Looking for an online small batch coffee roaster (small batch unless they have a high turnover of their roasted beans) to order coffee beans in smallish quantities from. Any good reliable roaster-retailer you can recommend please? If they are fair trade/one for the plant/etc., all the better.
Usually buy in region of 500g (200/250g max per bag) every 4 weeks or so. Like to experiment with small producer’s coffees/small limited batches, and prefer single origins to blends generally.
As part of the process of buying, grinding, and drinking I like to be informed and educated about the coffees being sold (good descriptions, background of producers, recommend method, etc) and don’t mind a retailer selling one offs/time limited available batches as long as they has a good wide range to choose from normally in between times.
Thanks.
https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/
https://shop.squaremilecoffee.com/
North Star as already mentioned
Had some very nice coffee from Glen Lyon roastery when visiting Aberfeldy a couple of years back.
https://www.glenlyoncoffee.co.uk/
Also this one
The Bean Shop in George Street, Perth
Excellent prompt mail order service, though we usually try to visit in person. Lovely friendly staff - always a delight to give them our business.
I would recommend my local coffee shop, Unorthodox Roasters.
> North Star do great coffee!
Second and third this from me! Definitely the best coffee I’ve had at home and they’re super ethical.
This one is particularly good at the moment I think
Guatemala Finca La Bolsa Washed
edit: I’ve just read the OPs post in more detail - the company hits your nail on the head. Super small batch, work directly with farmers, actually knowing them personally I mean. Batches come and go then come back the next year. Each one comes with a card explaining the history of the farm and how the relationship was made, and how they grow it and about the community around there. Obviously also has tasting notes and guidance as well.
I really like the people and the shop, but in terms of top-end specialty coffee they're definitely a notch behind the top dogs. Often drop by when I'm in Perth / visiting the parents.
Hasbean and Square Mile. In Glasgow, Papercup are doing some really interesting things.
Fairtrade is irrelevant in specialty coffee. Any specialty grower makes more than the baseline set by fairtrade.
I tend to alternate between Has Bean, Rave and Coaltown depending on who's got what in.
As someone living in Leeds, the cafe is nice but north star coffee is a rip off. Same with square mile and all of the other Instagram coffee roasters.
£50 for a kilo of beans Vs £25 single origin same beans from a well known roaster in Newcastle...
I get through a couple of kilograms a month typically. My go to for classic, medium roast is the American Diner blend from 47 degrees. Makes a lovely morning filter coffee. The Colombian is excellent too.
47degreescoffee.com
For espresso I prefer fruity lighter roasts, and my go to for them is Neighbourhood Coffee, in Liverpool.
www.neighbourhoodcoffee.co.uk
Another Glasgow suggestion - https://www.thegoodcoffeecartel.com/
Been using them for a while as they are close to a TCA bouldering wall. The coffee is always excellent folks in the roastery/cafe are always really nice.
> As someone living in Leeds, the cafe is nice but north star coffee is a rip off. Same with square mile and all of the other Instagram coffee roasters.
I've no particular loyalty to any one roaster but to suggest somewhere like square mile is merely an "Instagram" roaster is clearly nonsense.
> £50 for a kilo of beans Vs £25 single origin same beans from a well known roaster in Newcastle...
Perhaps you could provide a concrete example of this?
Here's another suggestion:
https://invernesscoffeeroasting.co.uk/
Their mail order is very efficient and they have some good blends as well as single origin.
https://www.theclubhousecc.co.uk/
We drink a lot of this. A really nice small outfit in Skipton.
I have a subscription with Ozone Coffee. Sustainably sourced, small growers and a different coffee every week. Very much recommended. Free shipping for subscriptions, which are flexible for amounts, frequency and beans/grind size)
ozonecoffee.co.uk
(Usually I can't make recommendations for the UK, but for coffee I can... Ozone operate in just two countries.. New Zealand and the UK. NZ service is excellent, and I've also bought coffee for my family in the UK from the UK website)
For the ethical side, check out Manumit coffee roasters from Cardiff! I really like their coffee too but my dad finds it a bit tart to be an everyday affair.
They employ slavery survivors and help them get back on their feet. Really good stuff.
Crosby Coffee do everything you asked and more importantly their coffee is brilliant.
https://www.crosbycoffee.co.uk/
I started using them as they are local to me, but I think they deliver further afield. You can do a 500g subscription which comes as two 250g bags.
Many thanks to everyone for the replies, appreciated.
I didn't realise how many roasters there were in the UK!
Currently I am getting mine from a mixture of https://pobladocoffi.co.uk/ which is my mates brother up in North Wales, the coffee is really good. And https://frontlinecoffee.co.uk/ who are ex firefighters and donate to charities.
Another hat in the ring, I've been using Django Coffee - https://www.djangocoffeeco.com/ - I get their random subscription, had some excellent ones and some not to my taste, but can't fault their credentials or service either.
KicKback Coffee in Macclesfield a small batch roaster, great coffee https://kickbackcoffee.co.uk
Can you do us all a favour, get coffee from all of these places and report back which is the best? You might be wired for the next year or so but I think the research is important
Hasbean for coffee and What-cha for tea.
https://wogancoffee.com/about-us/
These guys are good based in Bristol. Also a bag of coffee is slightly cheaper. 250g around £6 and around £16 for a 1K.
Lots of different beans also. As long as it isn't a blend I'm pretty sure it says where exactly its from.
There most expensive coffee at 250g is £6.50!
https://unionroasted.com/ Ethically sources, small batches.
Found the James Hoffman idoliser!
Square mile single origin Ethiopian is £17 for 350g.
Pumphreys single origin Ethiopian is £24 for a kilo.
Aldi! Alcafe espresso beans. Lovely. Cheap!
If you are looking for something a bit different, Artisan Roast do a whiskey barrel aged coffee called the 'Whisky Thief' in limited batches/quantities.. its absolutely lovely and the smell is divine! Not on their website at the moment but worth signing up to their newsletter to get the updates of when it will be available..
I had some of this the other day and was 100% certain it was alcoholic 😅.
I get mine on subscription from Redbank in the lakes.
I have also got coffee from kickback who have also been mentioned above
Plug for my local and seriously good roasters
🤣
Not sure I can cope with all the caffeine; I usually have a 2 cups/day limit.
Thanks again to everyone; lots of recommendations to check out.
> I had some of this the other day and was 100% certain it was alcoholic 😅.
Quarterhouse did some for a sirencraft brewery event. Did have the downside it smelled like I was having an irish coffee at 9am.
Butterworths in Suffolk and Red Bank near Grasmere are both really nice
I use Wogan coffee. Not just because they're relatively close, but because they're the best I've found. Highly recommended.
T.