The best UK coffee beans, roaster by roaster
Britain has never had more good coffee, and picking a bag has never been more confusing. This page is a shortlist of 21 coffees from 10 UK roasteries, with the origin, process and tasting notes copied straight from each roastery's own shop pages and checked on 18 August 2026.
It is deliberately not a ranked league table. Specialty coffee is seasonal: the bag a roaster is proudest of in March may be sold out by June, and "best" depends far more on what you like drinking than on any score. What follows is a way to match a flavour you already enjoy — chocolate and caramel, or peach and florals — to a roastery that currently sells it.
How to choose in 30 seconds
- Like your coffee rich and sweet? Look for notes such as chocolate, caramel, hazelnut or dried fruit — these suit milk drinks and cafetière brewing.
- Prefer something bright? Look for citrus, berry, peach or floral notes, and brew them as filter or pour-over.
- Buying for an espresso machine? Choose a coffee the roaster itself labels for espresso; filter roasts behave very differently under pressure. See the best coffee beans for espresso.
- Want the flavour without the caffeine? UK roasters now treat decaf as seriously as their other coffees. See the best decaf coffee beans in the UK.
- Buy small and often. Coffee is freshest in the first month after roasting, so a 250g bag beats a kilo for most homes.
Whatever you buy, grinding it yourself makes the biggest single difference. See the grinders and brewers we recommend or follow a step-by-step brewing guide.
Caravan Coffee Roasters
Caravan roasts at its North London roastery on a Loring Peregrine S70 and runs restaurants across London and Manchester. The business was started by three friends — Laura, Miles and Chris — who met working in restaurants in New Zealand.
House
- Origin:
- Muhanga, Rwanda and Simbu & Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea
- Process:
- Washed
Daily
- Origin:
- Mantiqueira de Minas, Brazil and Cajamarca, Peru
- Process:
- Washed
Climpson & Sons
Climpson & Sons began as a market stall on Broadway Market in East London and now roasts at its own East London roastery. Their site describes growing into one of the UK's leading independent specialty coffee businesses, with coffees served in hundreds of cafés, restaurants, bakeries, bars, hotels and offices.
The Baron: Fazenda Inhame, Brazil
- Origin:
- Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil
- Process:
- Natural
Aquiares, Costa Rica
- Origin:
- Turrialba, Costa Rica
- Process:
- Red honey
Colonna Coffee
Colonna, founded by Maxwell and Lesley Colonna-Dashwood, opened its first Colonna & Small's shop in Bath in 2009 and now runs shops in Bath and London. The roastery is known for its work on coffee capsules and for the Peak Water project.
Foundation Beans — Gorongosa, Mozambique
- Origin:
- Gorongosa, Mozambique
- Process:
- Eco-pulped natural
Discovery Beans — Mugaya, Kenya
- Origin:
- Mugaya, Kenya
- Process:
- Washed
Gesha Beans — Jardines del Encanto, Colombia
- Origin:
- Jardines del Encanto, Colombia
- Process:
- Washed
Origin Coffee
Origin Coffee roasts at its Cornwall HQ and runs coffee shops including sites in Porthleven, Bristol, London and Edinburgh. Their Story page describes a team of coffee professionals, a world-class coffee programme, seven coffee shops and an ever-evolving product range.
Pathfinder
- Origin:
- Wonsho, Sidamo, Ethiopia
- Process:
- Washed
Stronghold
- Origin:
- Brazil, Nicaragua and Papua New Guinea blend
- Process:
- Natural and washed
Rave Coffee
Rave Coffee roasts from its HQ on Phoenix Way in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, offering blends alongside a large rotating single origin range including limited releases.
Redemption Roasters
Redemption Roasters describes its mission as reducing reoffending through coffee, training prison leavers and people at risk of offending for secure, meaningful employment. It has roasted at HMYOI Aylesbury and HMP The Mount, and from December 2025 roasts its social impact coffee at a new Wembley roastery, with an HQ in King's Cross.
The Yard
- Origin:
- Cauca, Colombia and Nyamasheke, Rwanda
- Process:
- Washed
Mutungati
- Origin:
- Nakuru, Rift Valley, Kenya
- Process:
- Natural
Square Mile Coffee Roasters roasts in Walthamstow, east London. Their About page describes a purpose of sourcing outstanding, seasonal coffee, roasting it to bring out its best, and delivering a coffee experience that delights, alongside wholesale supply to coffee shops, restaurants, offices and workspaces.
El Recuerdo
- Origin:
- El Salvador — the Salaverria family
- Process:
- Washed
Red Brick
- Origin:
- Blend — Chacayá, Guatemala and Puente Tarrazú, Costa Rica
- Process:
- Washed (Guatemala) and white honey (Costa Rica)
Steampunk Coffee
Steampunk Coffee roasts specialty coffee from its headquarters in North Berwick, Scotland. It began in 2012 roasting in a garage and serving from a vintage campervan, before moving into an old warehouse building in the centre of North Berwick.
Supreme Coffee: Colombia Hermanos Burbano
- Origin:
- San Agustín, Huila, Colombia — 1,930 m.a.s.l.
- Process:
- Washed
Volcano Coffee Works
Volcano Coffee Works is a London roaster founded by Kurt Stewart, who describes the team as having a vision to bring the best ethically sourced coffee from around the world. Their commitments pages set out B Corp certification and an agroforestry project in Brazil.
Fullsteam Espresso
- Origin:
- Risaralda, Colombia
Workshop Coffee
Workshop Coffee has been sourcing, roasting and serving coffee since April 2011, operating its own café and coffeebars alongside in-house roasting. Their stated approach is participation at all stages of production, from repeat visits to producing partners through to wholesale.
Gakuyu-ini
- Origin:
- Kiamutugu, Kirinyaga, Kenya — Thirikwa Farmers' Co-operative Society
Legacy
- Origin:
- 50% Cusco, Peru and 50% Guji, Ethiopia
- Process:
- Washed
Common questions
How were these coffees chosen?
Every coffee on this page is currently listed for sale on the roaster's own website. The origin, process and tasting notes are taken directly from the roaster's shop page and re-checked on the verification date shown at the bottom of this page — nothing is invented or guessed.
Should I buy whole bean or pre-ground coffee?
Whole bean stays fresh noticeably longer, because grinding exposes far more surface area to air. If you can, buy whole bean and grind just before brewing; most of these roasters also offer pre-ground options matched to your brew method if you don't own a grinder.
Which roast is best for filter and which for espresso?
As a rule of thumb, lighter roasts highlight acidity and fruit notes and suit filter methods like pour-over, while medium to darker roasts extract more easily under pressure and suit espresso. Each coffee on this page lists its roaster's own tasting notes so you can match one to your taste.
How fresh should coffee beans be?
Speciality coffee tastes best within a few weeks of the roast date printed on the bag. UK roasters typically roast to order or weekly, so beans bought direct from the roaster arrive far fresher than supermarket coffee. Store them sealed, cool and away from light.
Found a bag you like?
Brew it properly and it will taste like the notes on the label. Our guides cover filter machines, cafetières, siphons, pour-overs and drippers, and the gear page lists the grinders, scales and kettles worth owning.