THE BEST COFFEE ROASTERS IN LONDON
Here’s our Top 27 Coffee Roasters in London (in no particular order!)
It is safe to say, the coffee roasting scene in London is beginning to boom. Here are our all time favourite coffee roasters, from across the capital. We love them for different reasons, whether it be their passion for the coffee beans, relationships with the growers, or their unique take on the science of roasting. So have a read, and get ready to head out and stock up on these lovely beans.
Some of our best london coffee roasters have featured in our RiSE coffee box and some others will feature in 2022!
1. Chapter Coffee
Based in the heart of West Kensington, Chapter Coffee are leading the industry, focused on bringing the highest quality beans onto the London Scene. They hand roast to ensure the beans are packed with flavour. To illustrate their success with this, they have won three taste awards! Co-founders Vinny and George have combined both their passion for coffee, and their British and Brazilian heritage, to roast gorgeous coffee with artisanal craft.
Photo: chaptercoffee.com
2. Press Coffee, Herne Hill
Seasonal coffees are the focus of this family owned, Fleet Street based roaster. Founded in 2013, they set up shop and began pulling shots of espresso on their Marco Batch Brewer for coffee lovers! Since then, they have established their own roastery. They have strong connections with their growers, travelling to origin when they can. They are also innovative in their pursuit of sustainability, having saved over 400,000 bags from going to landfill by encouraging roasting partners and customers to use airtight metal drums for storage. They also deliver using a zero emission electric van, and use fully recyclable bags.
3. Mont 58
This artisan coffee roaster in South East London, roasts arabica beans in small batches to get the perfect cup. Love and passion for coffee are central to Mont 58, which is why they test roast and taste again, to ensure the highest quality for their customers. All of their coffees are Fair-Trade and some even organic, traceable back to the growers each time. They deliver by bicycle to local customers, and they also offer zero waste options for bean lovers, so bring along your container and pay by the gram!
4. Purple Forest Coffee
Roasting coffee from Cameroon in the heart of London, Purple Forest Coffee keep it simple, with minimal packaging and maximal flavour. They label each bag with the elevation where it was grown, as well as noting the subtle flavours on the front. The communities in Cameroon are central to this London roaster, aiming to boost market access for their growers and farmers. The rich volcanic landscape at source, keeps their roast flavoursome and full of flavour.
Photo: @purpleforestcoffee
5. Assembly Coffee
Housed in a 19th century fire station in Brixton, assembly coffee is unique in their pursuit for quality! They stand out in the way that they work so collaboratively. Right from the start in 2014, Assembly Coffee has been keeping one ear to the ground, cultivating their roast so that its not only high quality, but meets the customers needs. On top of this, they have beautiful coffee illustrations, and their packaging is made of lovely organic rice paper material!
Volcano Coffee Works
Ethical coffee is the bread and butter of the Volcano Coffee Roasters business. Founder Kurt Stewat, and the Volcano team believe that coffee can be a force for good, holding their ethical trading principles dear. As their coffee roasts in Brixton, the communities who grow the beans used are also being supported. So if you want to bring positive change with each little sip of joe, check out volcano beans, ground coffee or even pods!
Photo: Time Out
7. Old Spike Roastery
Photo: oldspikeroaster
Old spikes are based in Peckham, and are making a huge social impact. 65% of their profits go to people experiencing homlessness, including directly through their training and employment program. Not only that, Old Spike are also sorting us out with some photosynthesising friends - as for each bag of coffee sold, one tree is planted! With this they aim to tackle the issue of deforestation demanded by bean production. This is in partnership with the Eden reforestation project. They also have a lovely online shop full of coffee lovers garb, so go on... take a look!
8. Square Mile Coffee Roasters
‘We’re on a mission to continually evolve,'' says Square Mile, as relationships with customers and expertise based innovation is central to their vision. Square Mile was founded in 2008 and has grown into a team of 22! They also offer bespoke tasting and brewing events for groups! We think you will love them.
Photo: Squaremilecoffee.com
9. Mission Coffee Works
Photo: missioncoffeeworks.com
Starting life in a coffee van in Peckham, Mission Coffee Works now focuses wholly on the beans themselves supplying to restaurants, cafes and hotels . They are focused on sustainability, partnering with the Eden Reforestation Project to plant 12,487 trees so far! Not only that, but their coffee bags are 100% recyclable. They also sell green coffee so you can roast your own at home - don’t worry, it comes with a little 30 gram taster of what it could taste like roasted, so you are not on your own!
10. Balance Coffee
An inspiring coffee roaster that was set up by James during the Covid-19 Pandemic! It has beautiful branding with watercolour optics that also remind us of swirling cafe crema! Balance coffee aims to bring the coffee shop experience to people like you and me in our own homes! Balance chooses ethical coffee, aiming to support the coffee farmers at origin, plant trees, and donate to the charity Project Waterfall. What we also love about them, is that their blog is full of coffee hacks and methods to make sure homemade coffees are the highest of quality!
Photo: balancecoffee.co.uk
11. Carnival Roasters
The founding story of this colourful and energetic new South East London roaster is like something out of novel! The founders are Jaye and Juan, and Juans grandfather won the mountain side where coffee is now grown, in a game of cards! We love that they have such strong links back to Colombia, promote respect for farmers, and that their branding is just so full of magic and joy!
Image: carnivalcoffee.co.uk
12. Terrone Coffee Roasters
Specialists in Italian coffee, Terrone Coffee Roasters are serving London and more with coffee of the highest quality. They are proud of their unique roasting style, using the Giesen W15 15kg to roast small batches at a time, saying ‘We roast coffee differently’. The Tottenham based roasters source their beans directly from farmers in Guatemala to ensure the fairest price for the farmers.
13. Scarlett Coffee Roastery
Photo: @scarlettcoffeeroastery instagram
The unique approach to coffee held by Scarlett Coffee was borne out of their background in wine and spirits. They are masters in single origin coffees, saying that for the coffee to really sing, it does not always need to be blended with other flavours. They roast their coffee from the fresh green beans, giving it seasonal tastes. They focus on representing the origins of the coffee with each roast, bringing out the specific qualities to their fullest.
14. Perception Coffee Roasters
After setting up a successful coffee shop Balance SW9, Ali began to venture into coffee roasting. Not only does the name perception link to his view that each coffee is subjective, it also fits well with his aim to change perceptions of young people in Brixton! The branding is refreshing, colourful and beautiful, and Ali has an eye for detail, profiling all of the different coffees as they come to the roastery.
15. Caravan Coffee Roasters
Image: caravancoffeeroasters.co.uk
Serving blends and single origin roasts to the people of London has been Caravan Coffee Roasters' pleasure since 2010 when co-founders Miles, Laura and Chris first set up. They have everything, from crowd pleasers to really unique and pioneering tastes. They focus a lot of time and energy into sourcing the right green coffee, traveling monthly to most origins.
16. The Colombian Coffee Company
Image: boroughmarket.org.uk
Launched to make a difference in Colombian communities, they support sustainable and ethical coffee growing. They source single-origin coffees from Colombian farmers at above market price, as well as providing knowledge on how to access markets overseas. Their roastery is in Flat Iron Square, where they also have a lovely cafe. Their beans can also be bought at Borough Market!
17. Elsewhere Coffee Roasters
Image: studithomas.co.uk
Originally an in-house roastery for the events company ‘Social Espresso’, Elsewhere now provides its coffee online for all coffee lovers! They have a keen focus on the quality of the coffee, believing that people should be able to enjoy the very best of coffee from home! Not only quality is important, but also impact. Elsewhere source their beans ethically and their packaging is 100% recyclable. They even use metal buckets instead of bags for some clients! These can be reused, saving hundreds of bags in the process.
18. Wood Street Coffee Roasters
Image: woodstcoffee.co.uk
One of the most adaptable, and growth focused roasters on our list - the journey started in 2013 for roasters, Gareth and Clare. Walthamstow Village then hosted Wood Street Coffee as a pop up in 2014, before finally Blackhorse Workshop became the new hub for the roaster's activities. They proudly serve single-origin speciality coffee that is sustainably and responsibly produced from farm to cup.
19. Gentlemen Baristas
Image: tripadvisor.com
With locations across London, the hub of Gentlemen Baristas is their roastery in the heart of East London. There they have been roasting according to their value of ‘getting the most out of every bean’, bringing scrumptious roasts to their client. Their brand draws on the history of the ‘Coffee House’ as an epicentre for political and philosophical thinkers. Gentlemen Baristas aim to provide a similar atmosphere for London's creative minds to meet over an inspiring cuppa. They have promised they will never be a coffee shop, always a coffee house - so brush up your manners, and head on down!
Buy Gentleman baristas
Image: tripadvisor.com
With locations across London, the hub of Gentlemen Baristas is their roastery in the heart of East London. There they have been roasting according to their value of ‘getting the most out of every bean’, bringing scrumptious roasts to their client. Their brand draws on the history of the ‘Coffee House’ as an epicentre for political and philosophical thinkers. Gentlemen Baristas aim to provide a similar atmosphere for London's creative minds to meet over an inspiring cuppa. They have promised they will never be a coffee shop, always a coffee house - so brush up your manners, and head on down!
20. Union Coffee Roasters
Image: unionroasted.com
They work interdependently and on a long-term basis with their partners, which is why the name ‘union’ fits so perfectly with this East London roaster founded by scientists Steven and Jeremy. Their story started in San Francisco in the 90’s where they fell in love with artisan coffee, so much so that they decided to set up their own roasters in London. It has evolved into a high quality, mission focused company with sustainability and ethical trade at the centre. In 2017 Union was awarded The Queen's Award for Sustainable Enterprise, what an achievement!
21. Roasting Plant
Image: @roastingplantUK twitter
This truly unique roaster has three London locations, Borough High Street, The Strand and Selfridges. They are at the heart of coffee innovation and creativity, with a belief that automation pairs well with coffee! They roast in every store, using the ‘javabot’, the idea for which came from the founder (and engineer!) Mike Caswell. The javabot prototype was built by Mike in his garage, and it is a true work of art! Now it is implemented in each Roasting Plant store, to make coffee from scratch. That means it is as fresh as it can get, and a little bit magical if you ask us!
22. Ozone coffee roasters
Image: ozonecoffee.co.uk
Ozone coffee takes their responsibility as a roaster very seriously, striving for ‘continual betterment’ in terms of its actions and impact. They foster positive and long-term relationships with their suppliers, and we think when ethics are at the heart, the coffee tastes just that little bit better! They use recycled and recyclable packaging to reduce waste, but they also have a few very unique strings to their sustainability bow! One is fermenting food, which reduces food waste and promotes gut health. The other is the chairs used in their London Fields coffee shop are made from fishing nets and ropes, created by Snohetta. Sustainability is not just a buzz word for Ozone, they live it out in all they do!
23. Workshop Coffee
Image: tripadvisor.com
Careful, consistent and considered, is the mantra of the roasters at Workshop Coffee. Found in both Fitzrovia and Marylebone as well as other locations around London, these roasters have an eye for detail! They test every single batch by taste, meaning each tiny detail is evaluated and perfected even post-roasting quality checks. They offer their beans as wholesale, gifts or subscriptions as well as running master classes at their London locations!
24. Perky Blenders Coffee Roasters
Image: perkyblenders.com
A classy heart of London roaster, with a family vibe. Tom, Adam and Victoria started their coffee journey outside St James Street Station, and now have four shops across Waltham Forest. They offer blends and single origin roasts, aiming to make coffee accessible to all! A good place to start would be their intro four pack, which has all four resident blends to try! Using biodegradable or ‘oxo-degradable’ bags, as well as offering a pay per gram zero packaging option for bean buying, means Perky Blenders are upping the sustainability game!
25. Lomond Coffee Roasters
Image: lomondcoffee.co.uk
This all female specialty coffee roasters, is taking the coffee scene by storm. They are excited about their coffee beans not only because of the high quality flavours, but because of their growers and suppliers that they are passionate about. Social responsibility is key to Lomond, making sure their farmers receive a fair price in a fluctuating market. They roast single origin and blend roasts, so take a peek and try their fresh roasts.
26. Electric Coffee Roasters
Image: electriccoffee.co.uk
Ambassadors of industry, Electrical Coffee Roasters first opened in Ealing - serving the community with fresh roasts. They roast beans from a very wide range of origins, from Mexico to Tanzania, India to Honduras. These roasters love the process itself, the pressure, valves, levers and steam. This is what they aim to celebrate with each roast, making the process transparent for their customers from farm to blend.
27. Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters
Image: tripadvisor
In a true celebration of Colombian culture, coffee and people - brothers Victor and Santiago Gamboa founded Hermanos Columbian Coffee Roasters as a pop-up in Walthamstow. They have since opened shops in East London and other parts of the city - serving us Londoners with sustainably sourced Colombian Arabica! What is inspiring about these roasters, is that they focus on the communities where the beans come from, and want them to be at the heart of each cup. They aim for their coffee to be traceable right back to origin, and also to celebrate the hardworking farmers by bringing out subtle notes in each roast.
We hope you are just as buzzing as we are, to go out and visit these wonderful, inspiring and tasty coffee roasters in our beautiful capital city of London!
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