Coffee Buyers Guide: how to select the best speciality coffee beans in the UK.

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The Best Speciality Coffee Beans – Updated 2022  January

That beautiful smell of coffee that fills its way through the nose, do you know what I am talking about? The thing which sets the worry of people aside kicking off your day in the right way.

Coffee is one of the world’s famous and highly consumed drinks. Because of its significant levels of antioxidants, it’s extremely beneficial to our health. A recent study demonstrates that coffee consumers have a much lower danger or risk of a few severe diseases.

The match of Coffee and United Kingdom:

According to the British coffee association, “In the UK, we now drink approximately 95 million cups of coffee each day. For a cup of coffee consumed in the UK, up to 76% of its value is estimated to produce in the UK. The coffee industry creates over 210,000 UK jobs.” With this so much production, it is almost hard to find what you are looking for, and perhaps that’s the reason why some people don’t like coffee – because they never got the ones they would love.

Let’s make it easier for everyone who is wondering what beans to choose. It’s more comfortable if you have a full guide on how what and where to choose your coffee. You might want to sit in your chair quickly and relax and imagine a cup of nice coffee full of flavours, as you read your way through this. Down below, a few tips you should keep in mind when you are looking for the best speciality coffee beans in the UK.

best speciality coffee beans tips
best speciality coffee Beans are important when you brew you coffee cup

Tips for choosing the best speciality coffee Beans:

Tell your friends that you are a coffee master and show them off your abilities on how much you know about coffee. Just remember one thing: it’s everything on the labels, from its origin, varietal, processing method, altitude, to the tasting notes. All you have to do is to grab your bag of coffee and read carefully.

 

Know what your pallet would like:

Some people who love coffee want their cups to have a tasty, “predefined characteristics”, and getting this takes just a bit of knowledge. Let’s assume that you are that person who likes and drinks tasty coffee, with a nice body and with not too much of acidity in it; at that point, you need to go for a coffee that is being processed with the natural method. Generally speaking, the natural process brings less acidity in the coffee and has some remarked, fruity notes.

On the other hand, a coffee that is being processed with the washed method is higher in acidity and has delicate, floral notes. Another way to choose your coffee is about the roasting profile. Roasting to a medium to light profile bring more acidic and flavours and it’s the type of roasting profile chosen by the speciality coffee shops.

On the other side, a dark roast profile matches the commercial coffee industry which is not considered part of the speciality coffee, but it’s part of the big chain coffee industry and commercial coffee shops. A dark roast profile brings only bad notes, like wood, burnt rubber, ashy notes and so on. Another way to choose your coffee is about the country of origin.

Generally speaking, if you love acidity you should go for Kenyan coffee. In case you like fruity notes, you should go for the Ethiopian one. Both Ethiopian and Kenyan coffee are nice as a black one (espresso or filter coffee). Colombia and Brazil have often notes of chocolate and because they mix well together, they are roasted to make a blend for the milk-based beverage. Also, coffees from El Salvador and Honduras mix well in a blend but are also good as single origin.

 

What to choose?

New exciting flavours and discoveries await you every day as soon as the words like “Oh man, I don’t know, what I’ll be having today” rolls out of your tongue. There are so many varietals and new hybrids coming out in the next years, and with a few new counties that cultivate coffee (China and Myanmar for example), no one can guide you to choose the right coffee. So, let’s introduce some of the things you have to take into consideration for the next time you have to choose in front of a retail shelf of a coffee shop or just on the website of a coffee shop or a roaster.

So, there are two types of coffee plants that are cultivated right now, the Robusta and the Arabica one. Arabica coffee grows in the highlands and can be cultivated over 2000m above sea level: Arabica plants are known for producing high-quality coffee but are also less resistant to disease and climate change. While Robusta plants, on the other hand, grow in the lowlands areas and it’s cultivated up to 600m above sea level. It’s best known for its high resistant to diseases rather than its quality.

Avoid label of 100% coffee:

I know it may look the best to you, but beans named only 100% Arabica doesn’t necessarily mean good quality. There are no reasons to not explain on the label from where the coffee comes from.

That happens mostly in the commodity industry, where coffee has been harvested mechanically with an uneven ripeness of the cherry. So, the coffee is then mixed with different varietal and also blended with Robusta plant. The good thing is that in the UK, coffee is mostly labelled with all you need to know.

From the producers, the country of origin, the varietal, the method of process, the altitude and the cup profile. Just remember one thing: always try to grind your coffee fresh just before brew it and enjoy your bag of coffee within 3 months from the roast date. If you are picky enough, consume your coffee within the first month for its full flavours and freshness.

SEE RELATED HERE

The best speciality coffee beans in the UK:

Coming to the significant part of it now that you know the essential tips. I know that everyone deserves the best in their life, and your best might not be someone else’s best, but you know what might fulfill your needs. People of the United Kingdom, we have got your back. Down below are some of the best speciality coffee beans in the United Kingdom; let’s check it out and know about it.

square mile coffee roaster
Best speciality coffee beans : few rasteries in London and UK

Square Mile:

Square Mile is a roaster that has improved a lot the London coffee scene in recent years. Founded in 2008 by the 2007 World Barista Champion James Hoffman, it roasts only speciality grade coffee (84+ score point). The company is also focused on wholesale with which it has strengthened its relationship. Square Mile is now delivering its coffee internationally.

One of its mainstays coffee is the red brick, a blend from Costa Rica and Guatemala. This coffee is available to purchase on its website; a bag of 350g is on sale for £10.50.

SEE RELATED HERE

 

Colonna & Small’s:

Colonna Coffee was founded by the three times UK Barista Champion Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood. At the start, it was a multi-roaster, a roaster that builds relationships with other roasters to buy their coffee. Gradually, as time passed, it has started to sourced and roasted coffee. The company now offer also the option of the coffee capsules with an all-aluminium design which is also Nespresso compatible. Capsules can be purchased on its website from £0.55 per capsule and a bag of 250g of beans is on sale for £12

SEE RELATED HERE

origin coffee roaster
Best speciality coffee beans : Origin is a speciality coffee roaster

Origin Coffee:

Origin Coffee is one of the leading coffee roasters in the UK, with their beans sourced from everywhere throughout the world. The Cornish company is focused on every single stage of the coffee chain, from the farm to the cup. Origin travels directly to the farms with which it builds direct trade relation. The company pay the farmer up to more than three times to create a sustainable supply chain and also supporting the farmers living condition.

Origin is also focused on education, with a wide offer of courses that range from simple enthusiast courses to the SCA courses. The company roasts their green coffee to its shops and its wholesale.

A coffee subscription or a wide selection of single bag of coffee can be purchased on its website. A bag of 250g of coffee is on sale from £6.99. Water in the mouth? Well, I feel the same writing this for you. Read below as I get my mug of coffee.

 

Union hand roasted
Union hand roasted coffee roaster

Union Handcrafted Coffee:

Union began roasting in San Francisco in 2001 and began bringing the same vibrant homemade coffee scene to England. They abandoned the daily work of scientists and began to solve some disasters faced by coffee growers. It is because after the decline in global commodity prices, a new direct trading method was used to buy coffee, and people paid high prices to allow farmers to invest in their land and business. It was one of the first in the UK that start building long-term relationships with the farmers.

SEE RELATED HERE

https://unionroasted.com/collections/all?fbclid=IwAR1a-SwNSwJKKbPRbu8qmkG-nYVHegKSyLLqKsKFdMjs43LFbGx1qHJAjto

https://www.kruveinc.com/blogs/main/best-coffee-roasters-in-the-uk?fbclid=IwAR1MxO7Mwu-ah9pm6Tu0x5h0O8RlW5lTl-i-8CzD8wu8vvE4ECx51QhBnK0

https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/best-independent-coffee-brands-ground-bean-ethiopian-colombian-brazilian-a8957046.html?fbclid=IwAR39_JSnjwusg7ZQTAqsWe9YZPMhr0AcNxPGFch6ijph0jaHAlmUAJRUyZ0

Kiss The Hippo coffee

Pretty new in the London coffee scene but already got credits from everyone from the coffee community. Kiss the Hippo coffee has moved pretty fast as it opened two shops in less than a year.

It’s never easy to make a choice regarding the best speciality coffee beans in London but Kiss the Hippo it’s for sure an example from which to take inspiration.

The first carbon-neutral coffee roastery in the UK, the company makes sure that every single step of the supply chain is respected in order to serve one of the best speciality coffee beans in the country.

They only source the best speciality coffee beans thanks to their direct trade relationships with the farmers, experimenting new way of processing methods.
Not to mention their commitment to important causes such as Karma, Clearer, Rainforest Trust UK, the London Zoo and many more.

North Star Coffee

Award-winning coffee roastery based in Leeds (the first roastery of the country, founded in 2013), the guys work over the profit, aiming to create value on their relationship with the farmers, sharing their stories and getting consumers closer through transparency, kindness, equity and respect.

The company works only with smaller producers in order to make more impact by running training session and sensory workshop during their trip to the origin.

Head over their website if you want to know more about their ethics. Also, have a look on their blog for some tips and tricks about brewing coffee, coffee reviews and much more.

SEE RELATED HERE: https://www.northstarroast.com/

Has Bean Coffe

It’s located just outside Stafford, in the West Midlands. One of the best speciality coffee beans in the UK come from Has Bean Coffee, one of the famous speciality coffee roasters of the whole island.

The company travel all the world constantly on the look for the best speciality coffee beans to showcase. It’s not only about roasting great coffees but providing customers with a full coffee experience second to none that includes tips for choosing the best coffee equipment for home, tips for brewing, flexible coffee subscriptions and plenty of information about the coffee sourced.

Head on this link to know more:  https://www.hasbean.co.uk/

Benefits of Consuming coffee:

After all the knowledge and the know-how, it is time to know the right part, the part which gives us that feeling that we are dependable, introducing something which has benefits inside of our body. There are many mixed reviews about many things in the world, but here we are discussing the benefits a person might get when he consumes coffee. My dear coffee drinkers, this one is for you.

Burns FAT, Yayyy!

I know how much we want to lose weight, but hey, cheer up. Coffee can make you lose weight. Several types of research show that caffeine can boost your metabolic rate by 3–11%. Happy? There is also a study which indicates through direct links that people who are obese perform 10% of fat burning by drinking coffee, and for lean people, it accelerates up to 29 %.

Decreases the risk of Diabetes

There’s a 22% chance of the lowered risk from diabetes if a person consumes three to four cups of coffee a day. This study enhances and reduced many people that are suffering from type II diabetes. There was a research conducted by a professor at Harvard, which showed that there was a decrease in type 2 diabetes of 9% by consuming a single cup of coffee. What are you waiting for? Get up and start drinking a cup of coffee.

Reduces Depression

For all the people who didn’t know, it’s time for you to turn your cheeks. Coffee can reduce depression and result out in making you happier. It is said to improve the cognitive functions and behavior of a person who may have a positive result in the risk of getting depression.

SEE RELATED HERE

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-13-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coffee?fbclid=IwAR1WZn4Xp5pCMyWnE9xO6bLjhdJS5uYSzJsqqqsXOEEruLpvPnty_64nFa8#section14

https://www.caffeineinformer.com/7-good-reasons-to-drink-coffee?fbclid=IwAR2Sw6uan1ZmgXkcVrrCdHEBjGcdLNK3x2u_uv5w86-swRyB91NsQ1RWkAA

EndNote:

However, coffee brings people closer, whether it is a family gathering party, or just a casual and cosy date with your darling, who doesn’t love a coffee date? We all secretly do that. People who love drinking speciality coffee should expand their sensory experience as every year there are new producing countries coming out with new varietals, new hybrids and new processing method.



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