Today we’re providing our list of the top specialty coffee roasters in Wales for 2024.
Though we’re also a Welsh coffee roastery, you won’t find us on the list. We like to scope out the offerings of our competition every once in a while, so we thought to ourselves: Why not have some fun with it and give some credit where it’s due?
How we Tasted the Best Coffees in Wales
So, we ordered a bag from all the Welsh coffee roasters we could get our hands on and held a coffee tasting with our entire team.
Where available, we chose to order the ‘house roast’ or ‘house blend’, which typically best reflects the roasting style and taste preferences of the coffee roasters.
Thirteen members of our team took part and were asked to note their findings using Prufrock’s coffee tasting scoresheet from worldslargestcoffeetasting.com/resources .
The top five placings were allocated to the coffees with the highest overall scores, but we also took notes on various flavour characteristics for each coffee to give you a little more information. Some of our favourite tasting notes that did not make the list included burnt tyres, rubber, vinegar and boring.
Please note that the ranking order and scores are purely based on a blind tasting of a single coffee from each roaster, and therefore may not be truly reflective of their overall quality and coffee offering.
The Top 5 Welsh Coffee Roasters – The Results
1. Big Dog Coffee
The Coffee: Top Dog – House Blend | Overall Score 5.8
Aroma 2.95/5 | Acidity 2.75/5 | Sweetness 3.25/5 | Body 2.85/5 | Finish 2.95/5 | What we tasted: Lychee, Apricot, Toffee Aroma, Floral, citrus, Yuzu, Liquorice.
So, the best coffee in wales? During the tasting, it came from Big Dog, a coffee roastery in South Wales, who go beyond providing quality coffee by building a community and fostering trust. They prioritize sourcing sustainable coffee, ensuring freshness, seasonality, and continuous innovation in their specialty offerings. With a warm and diverse aesthetic, they aim to make exceptional coffee accessible to everyone.
Big Dog is committed to environmental sustainability, employing practices such as minimizing plastic use, recycling hessian sacks, and using locally sourced ingredients. They also emphasize ethical sourcing through direct relationships and certifications.
By engaging with their community and supporting initiatives like The Rescue Hotel, Big Dog fulfils their purpose of creating a positive impact beyond the realm of coffee.
2. Manumit Coffee Roasters
The Coffee: House Roast | Overall Score 5.58
Aroma 2.45/5 | Acidity 2.6/5 | Sweetness 2.7/5 | Body 2.45/5 | Finish 2.55/5 | What we tasted: Sweet, fruit tea, raspberry, faint aroma.
The second best coffee in Wales came from Manumit Coffee Roasters, located in Cardiff, Wales, who are on a mission to empower survivors of modern slavery by offering them training and employment opportunities.
Their commitment to ethical practices is reflected in their sourcing of coffee beans from slavery-free suppliers. The survivors they employ as coffee roasters receive fair wages and comprehensive support to rebuild their lives.
What sets Manumit apart is their dedication to using all their profits to support local and global anti-slavery projects. With their vintage gas-powered Probat roaster, they produce exceptional coffee that not only tastes great but also contributes to the fight against modern slavery. Together, they are creating a path to freedom through the transformative power of coffee.
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3. Quantum Coffee Roasters
The Coffee: Bae Teigr (Tiger Bay) Signature Blend | Overall Score 5.54
Aroma 3.25/5 | Acidity 2.45/5 | Sweetness 2.9/5 | Body 2.7/5 | Finish 2.9/5 | What we tasted: Dark chocolate, plum, caramel, pleasant sweetness and a medium body.
The third best coffee roasted in Wales came from Quantum Coffee Roasters; a family-owned coffee house and roastery based in Cardiff Bay and a dream venture founded by Dimitris and Katia in 2015.
Quantum Coffee Roasters prides itself on a deep-rooted love for coffee, focusing on the origins, roasting process, and diverse flavours of each bean. With a commitment to quality and a genuine approach to customer relationships, the Quantum team strives to create an authentic and welcoming atmosphere.
Their dedication to the art of coffee is evident in their continuous exploration and experimentation, aiming to delight coffee enthusiasts with every cup.
4. Tied – Bay Coffee Roasters and Coaltown Coffee Roasters
Bay Coffee Roasters
The Coffee: Dawn Patrol | Overall Score 5.31
Aroma 2.85/5 | Acidity 2.8/5 | Sweetness 2.8/5 | Body 2.7/5 | Finish 2.7/5 | What we tasted: toffee, tropical fruit, milk chocolate and nuts.
Bay Coffee Roasters, located in West Wales, draws inspiration from their coastal surroundings to produce coffee that engages the senses. With over 10 years of experience, they prioritize sustainability by sourcing only Arabica beans and using renewable electricity for their roasting process.
The company supports organizations like Coffee Kids, Food 4 Farmers, and International Women’s Coffee Alliance, aiming to improve the lives of coffee farmers.
Recognized for their exceptional coffee, they have received awards for taste and sustainability, including Most Sustainable Coffee Roasters in the Welsh Enterprise Awards 2021. Committed to a strong sustainability policy, they actively monitor and reduce their carbon footprint while continuously seeking ways to improve their practices.
Coaltown Coffee Roasters
The Coffee: Black Gold, House Blend no. 3 | Overall Score 5.31
Aroma 2.7/5 | Acidity 2.7/5 | Sweetness 2.8/5 | Body 2.35/5 | Finish 2.55/5 | What we tasted: Fresh apple sweetness, dark chocolate with a light finish.
Coaltown Coffee Roasters, based in Ammanford, Wales, emerged in 2018 with a mission to revive their post-industrial town. They prioritise fair trade, paying above the Real Living Wage, and delivering high-quality, delicious coffee.
Formerly fuelled by anthracite coal, Coaltown brought a new industry and purpose by roasting ethically sourced green coffee beans. The town’s history saw a shift from agriculture to a vibrant industrial hub before experiencing a decline with the closure of collieries.
Coaltown’s roastery and espresso bar offer a range of coffee beverages, workshops, and a commitment to a green future as a certified B Corp, focusing on sustainability, ethical sourcing, and workplace equality.
Our team had a great time tasting a large number of different offerings from the top coffee roasters in Wales. Please note that our rankings and findings are purely subjective and meant for entertainment purposes only. We are sure there are a number of coffee roasters based in Wales that we may have missed, as our research was largely conducted via Google search. So if there are any Welsh coffee roasters that you believe should have been included, let us know!
Looking for Wholesale? Try Bridge Coffee Roasters
If you’re looking for the next Welsh coffee roaster to try for your at-home brewing, we highly recommend the top 5 shown above. However, if you’re looking for a roaster than can support your business, look no further than Bridge Coffee Roasters.
At Bridge, our customers are able to solve their issues in quality and consistency through training, quality equipment, servicing and great wholesale coffee beans. If that sounds more aligned with what you’re looking for, get started here.