And yet how best to cut through the plethora of websites offering subscriptions to unearth only those that offer the crème de la crème? When it comes to the best specialty coffee roasters, it is vital to do your research which, handily, we just so happen to have already done a deep dive on. These are the ones we really rate, from the best London coffee roasters to the UK-wide monthly coffee subscription boxes to get your names down with now, whether for yourself or as a great gift.
Yallah Coffee Roasted Subscription
Those who sign up for Yallah’s brilliant offering can be assured of one thing: they will never run out of coffee again. What’s more, they will never run out of exceptional single-origin coffee ever again. Why? Because Yallah will deliver it straight to your door every month. Of their product, they say: ‘For us, single origin represents the pinnacle of quality, character, and traceability. It strips back coffee to its naked self. A traceable, tangible product that can be celebrated for its flavour, origin, and diversity. We source from the best and most sustainable farms we can find and roast delicately to ensure the natural flavours are allowed to shine.’ Plus, it is sustainably sourced; farmers are paid a fair price for their coffee; and its freshness ensures flavour (each bag is shipped within 24 hours of being roasted, as you’ll note from the date of roasting helpfully scrawled on the bag). A House Coffee subscription starts at £9.50, with the Trust and Explore ranges being a little more pricey.
Origin Coffee Roasted Subscription
Founded in 2004 by Tom Sobey, Origin Coffee has one simple and uncompromising mission: ‘to source exceptional coffee through a sustainable, triple bottom line approach.’ Steeped in the coffee trade (Tom’s father worked in the business), a formative trip to Australia opened his eyes to a more progressive coffee culture and thus Origin was born. As one of the trailblazers of the UK movement, it remains one of the best. Subscriptions start at £10 a month for its Beija Flor offering and go up to £47.60 a month for an office subscription or £25.95 for a cold brew subscription. Got a sweet tooth? Check out its chocolate offerings, too. A certified B Corporation, you can be assured of its social and environmental responsibility while you slurp.
Mission Coffee Works Roasted Coffee Subscription
Mission Coffee began its life as a street van business serving coffee to the denizens of Peckham. That was 2012,and, since then, the good folk behind this lovely business have taken the decision to focus on the beans themselves and become roasters. Supplying to cafes, hotels, restaurants and offices, you can similarly snap up their beans and have them delivered straight to your home. As they say, ‘Without the farmers, pickers, mill workers, green buyers, and importers we wouldn’t be able to roast the specialty coffee we love. We work with fair and transparent pricing, sustainable relationships, and environmentally sound practices. We always pay careful attention to every step of the supply chain, so everyone gains from the coffee you’re drinking.’ Jump onto its website to completely customise and build your own coffee subscription according to regularity, type, weight and how you like to receive your coffee depending on how you make your brew. Genius.
Colonna Roasted Coffee Subscription
Maxwell and Lesley, the duo behind Colonna Coffee, first caught the coffee bug when in Australia in 2008. Swept up in an underground movement known as Third Wave, focused dually on flavour and provenance, they returned enlightened and fired up. The following year they opened their premises in Bath, and it wasn’t long before the awards started rolling in. Colonna & Small scooped the Best Coffee Shop In Europe gong in 2016, while Maxwell is the three-times winner of the UK barista championship, in which he triumphed in 2012, 2014 and 2015. And it was in the same year as that last win that the duo launched Colonna Coffee, the roastery arm of the business. It’s serious stuff. As they say, ‘We have co-authored published scientific papers on coffee delving into the complexities of water science and frozen grinding, as well as sensory science and sustainability. Every research project started with a simple day-to-day coffee problem, an observation that didn’t quite make sense at the time and more importantly — got in the way of good coffee!’ Want to glug the good stuff every morning in the comfort of your own home? The beautiful website allows you to configure your subscription by genre, format, roast type, quantity and frequency. Every base covered. Then simply sit back and enjoy both the coffee and the winning simplicity of the brilliantly designed bags it comes in.
Workshop Coffee Roasted Subscription
Workshop Coffee has four central locations: in Fitzrovia, Old Street, Marylebone and Bayswater. As they say, ‘For us, showcasing the best coffee possible means working closely with the right coffee farmers, producers, exporters and co-operatives; those that are willing to develop, evolve and adapt as together we target ever-improving quality in the cup. Working with the same people each year helps both parties develop quality, however we will always look to foster new relationships with those who are producing great coffee… We focus our travel and purchasing on Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda in Africa, the Central American countries of El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala with Colombia and Brazil being our focus in South America. We are spending more and more time in these countries, travelling and learning from the people who grow our coffee.’ Shipping all over the world, simply choose your preferences and hey presto: excellent quality coffee, every day of the week.
Hard Lines Roasted Coffee Subscription
Based in Cardiff, Hard Lines specialises in sustainably sourced coffee and in building relationships at origin. They say simply: ‘We aim to keep it fresh, fun and not too serious throughout.’ We love its easy-to-use website, through which you can join its Coffee Club, and subscribe from £9 per month. Choose how many bags you’d like to receive, which roast you’d like and what grind you prefer, and Hard Lines will take care of the rest.
Full Court Press Roasted Coffee Subscription
This Bristol-based coffee business is all about friendliness and honesty. As they say, ‘We aim to be both clear and transparent about the drinks we serve and the way we serve them. With every cup we highlight the unique flavours that showcase not only the terroir, but the effect of every step along the production chain, from picking to brewing. It is through this open attitude that we feel we can best highlight the work of everyone involved in coffee production.’ We also love the fact that on the website, FCP makes clear its disdain for snobbery; good coffee, its founders believe, is for everyone, not just for the in-the-know elite. But if its lovely Bristol coffee shop is not within reach, then why not subscribe to its subscription service and get a taste of FCP at home? It starts at £10 for a weekly, fortnightly or monthly subscription depending on how much you want and need, with decaf options available too. Want to give it as a gift? Choose from three-, six- or twelve-monthly options for a lucky friend.
