Passionate about coffee? So are we and so are the wonderful roasters we met on our latest trip to Northern England and Scotland. If you live in Northern GB and are looking for a quality, fair-minded roaster with excellent coffee, we strongly recommend the following (listed in alphabetical order, not in order of preference). They all produce sensational coffee!
Scotland
Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters offers carefully selected, beautifully roasted single origin coffees as well as an array of unique blends. With cafés in Edinburgh and Glasgow, a subscription service, training options, and a wholesale division, Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters is sure to cover all of your coffee needs! While visiting one of their cafés in Edinburgh, we had the pleasure of experiencing their superb Nicaraguan pour-over coffee. It was bright, clean, thoughtfully roasted, and perfectly prepared.
Primary locations: Edinburgh and Glasgow
Website: artisanroast.co.uk
Thomson’s Coffee Roasters, one of Scotland’s oldest coffee roasters, offers a range of private label, wholesale, and retail options in the Glasgow area. Devoted to quality yet wonderfully inspired, Thomson’s offers a broad range of beautifully roasted single origins and blends. They also have a great café in Glasgow’s Argyle Arches — once you get in there, you won’t want to leave!
In their own words: At Thomson’s we are proud to be an independently-owned Scottish family business with a rich heritage. Quality and integrity are at the heart of everything we do, and since taking the reins we have pursued the same pioneering spirit that our founder David Thomson instilled when he opened his first shop in Glasgow all those years ago.
Primary locations: Glasgow area
Website: thomsonscoffee.com
Northern England
Darkwoods Coffee, founded by three coffee loving friends, offers a range of masterly roasted single origin coffees and blends. They also offer wholesale and training services. We were lucky enough to see one of Damian’s roasting demonstrations and it was spot-on. He did a phenomenal job of explaining the bean nuances and the delicate subtleties of roasting in a way that anyone could understand. If you are looking for a crash coffee course, we encourage you to check them out.
In their own words: We want to be “inclusive” rather than “exclusive”. Roasting coffee that would be loved by the coffee specialist, but also appreciated by the general public, advising and supporting them through some of coffee’s more ‘challenging’ flavours and brewing techniques. This approach goes back down the supply chain as well, working in partnership with those who grow and supply the coffee we rely on.
Primary locations: Northern England
Website: darkwoodscoffee.co.uk
Joe Black Coffee has been roasting exceptional coffees in the Liverpool and Manchester areas for over fifty years. Quality-focused with a creative flare (they do custom blends!), they are sure to deliver a stunning cup. If you are a local business looking to develop a coffee program, Joe Black Coffee offers a suite of commercial offerings. You are sure to be pleased!
In their own words: Passionate about our coffee, our staff are dedicated, well trained and highly motivated. Our beans are sourced from among the best importers in the UK. Constantly developing new blends and enhancing existing ones we seek to share the ultimate ‘coffee experience’ with our customers.
Primary locations: Liverpool and Manchester areas
Website: joeblackcoffeeandtea.co.uk
We visited the Red Bean Café in Leeds and loved it! It had great coffee, a pleasing, relaxed vibe, and friendly staff. If you work in the area, we recommend dropping in!
In their own words: Red Bean Coffee was born to provide a gourmet coffee experience to vibrant workplaces and unique retail spots. It’s fresher than your high street chain with an artisan twist and its proven! … Conceived by a blend of coffee experts and successful business people, Red Bean exists as a flexible model to deliver the very best product to the people who really deserve it.
Primary locations: Leeds, Newcastle, Reading, Theale
Website: redbeancoffee.co.uk
Source Climate Change Coffee is a truly a coffee with purpose! This remarkable company, founded by Cristina Talens, produces superb single origin beans while remaining carbon neutral. Talens, a former human rights campaigner and UN researcher, has undertaken the laudable task of partnering with local communities in coffee growing regions to develop carbon-neutral coffee. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the terminology carbon-neutral means that there is no net release / increase of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is often achieved by carbon offsetting. At Source Climate Change Coffee, the planting of new trees is used to offset the coffee growing, processing, roasting, etc. processes. Source Coffee offers a subscription service and many great gift coffees. Check them out!
In their own words: Source Coffee Blends reflect some of the very finest tasting coffees. They originate from traditional coffee growing communities in Central and South America, Africa & Asia. All of the small holder farmers who supply the coffee are involved in reforestation and conservation. For every bag you buy, local farmers plant trees to support the forest and their families. All Source Coffees are offset using reforestation carbon credits.
Primary locations: Harrogate, Leeds
Website: sourceclimatechange.com
Coffee with the Queen 
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