What are some of the best coffee roasters in Leeds UK?
I was in Leeds last month and visited Laynes Espresso; I needed coffee, so I grabbed one from them without thinking twice. Great guys with amazing customer reviews as well.
As I sipped on my cup, I could tell the espresso was tasty, the atmosphere was cosy and curiously I asked; what roastery supply your coffee beans? Turns out he didn’t want to disclose.
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So I thought, okay, since I love coffee and I am in Leeds why not explore the best of the best roasteries here. I ordered, taste-tested, and reviewed coffee beans from over ten different roasters in Leeds.
I wanted to find the best coffee roasters in Leeds to get a great coffee that perks you up without knocking you down later (And I did; purely driven by curiosity and my love for coffee)
And in this post, I'm going to share my discoveries. I'll tell you about the Leeds coffee roasters that really know their stuff and give you coffee that tastes amazing and keeps you going.
I've done the hard work of sipping and sampling so that you can enjoy your next coffee without any nasty surprises. So, stick with me, and I'll show you where to order the best coffee beans if you’re in Leeds.
Criteria For Picking Each Roaster
Contrary to what you might think, there is a way to spot the best coffee roasters in Leeds's dizzying array of options. A decade of solid coffee industry experience makes the job much easier for me!
So before spilling the beans on the best Leeds coffee roasters, let me share the recipe for my secret sauce. How did I judge who was worth your coffee? It wasn't a random choice or a game of luck.
Instead, I used a specific set of factors to evaluate each roaster, ensuring I give you the absolute cream of the coffee crop.
P.s. not all of the roasters on my list are located inside Leeds, but they deliver nationwide!
And let's get to the nitty-gritty of what these factors are:
| Factor | Description | How I Gauged It |
|---|---|---|
| Taste | Is the coffee rich and enjoyable, with a balanced flavour profile and a pleasing aftertaste? | I savoured each roaster's coffee, assessing its taste and after-effect. |
| Consistency | Can the roaster consistently deliver the same excellent quality coffee? | I ordered coffee beans multiple times over different days to test for consistency. |
| Variety | Does the roaster offer diverse coffee types, roasts, and brewing styles? | I looked at their menu and range of offerings, from bean types to roast levels and brewing options. |
| Ethics | Does the roaster ensure their coffee is ethically sourced, benefitting both the environment and the coffee growers? | I researched each roaster's sourcing policies and ethical stance. |
Customer Experience |
What's the overall buying experience like? | I bought coffee from them, interacted with the staff, and evaluated the shopping experience (primarily online). |
| Freshness | How fresh are the beans? Fresh beans make for a better cup of coffee. | I researched each roaster’s roasting schedules and judged how they kept the beans fresh. |
| Quality of Beans | Are they using high-quality beans? (Arabica is generally considered higher quality than Robusta). | I checked what kind of beans each roaster uses and preferred those using Arabica. |
| Customer Reviews | What do other coffee drinkers think of them? | I read reviews from other customers online on various platforms and looked out for any recurrent issues. |
Using the above criteria, these brands stood out because each delivered on their promise of delivery FRESH coffee to your doorstep.
Limited Time Offer: If you order from Balance Coffee now, you will received a £5 discount to relish in a coffee roasted to enhance flavours, your vitality and productivity 100%. Act now!
| Product | Benefits | where to buy |
|---|---|---|
Balance Coffee |
|
Shop & Save £5 |
North Star Coffee |
|
Shop Now |
Maude Coffee |
|
Shop Now |
And now that we’re talking about fresh coffee beans and Leeds coffee roasters UK, you’d be happy to know that I have done similar guides on:
Which Is The Best Coffee Roasters in Leeds, UK?
The crown for the best coffee roaster in Leeds for 2023 goes to Balance Coffee. Our Espresso Taster Pack and Lion's Mane Mushroom Coffee stood out in terms of taste, premium quality, and ethics.
I own Balance Coffee, but our commitment to providing speciality-grade, top-notch, clean healthy coffee measured up against all the criteria, is why we sit at the top (more on that below).
The 5 Best Coffee Roasters In Leeds UK
Having shared how I judged each roaster, let's dive into the results of my experiment for finding the best coffee roasters in Leeds. From more than ten cups tasted and countless beans ground, I've narrowed it down to the top five that genuinely stood out.
These Leeds coffee roasters nailed their beans' taste, freshness, and quality and excelled in providing a fantastic customer experience while maintaining ethical sourcing practices.
Below are the crème de la crème of independent coffee roasters in Leeds, which promise a coffee experience you won't forget.
1. Balance Coffee Roastery (Best Overall)
I will cut to the chase; I own Balance Coffee, but that’s not why it ended up on top of the best coffee roasters Leeds 2024 list. I tried Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee and the Espresso Taster Pack like a regular customer for this post.
Then I gauged their performance against other coffee bean roasters in Leeds using my grading criteria.
And guess what? Balance Coffee made it to the top, fair and square!
Balance Coffee’s speciality-grade and healthy coffee is 100% premium Arabica, free of the nasties like mould, mycotoxins and pesticides that do more harm than good.
You can access your daily dose of well-being by drinking coffee made from freshly roasted beans from Balance. The Espresso Taster Pack is one of my favourite.
I even recommended it to our readers when I wrote about the best coffee roasters Edinburgh.
Well, our freshly roasted coffee beans contain the power of 1000+ antioxidants and Vitamin B3. It can be frustrating to pop vitamin pills daily but imagine getting your vitamin and antioxidant requirement through a delicious cup of coffee!
And it doesn’t just end there. Each delicious coffee blend and flavour at my store is specifically made to help you combat problems like stress, fatigue, low brain power, and much more.
For example, our Lion’s Mane Mushroom coffee is formulated to boost your brain power and achieve 5X the usual focus. Yes, you can bid farewell to those scary supplements in your cabinet and brew yourself a cup of coffee daily!
And no, our Mushroom coffee does NOT taste like mushrooms. Far from it! It’s made from premium fruiting bodies and is medium-roasted with tasting notes of chocolate and nuts.
Sounds exciting, no? Well, it is. I’ve seen countless Balance Coffee customers turn things around for themselves by committing to our incredible, mouthwatering and made-for-your-health coffee.
Let’s see why our customers keep coming back, shall we?
And before we move on, you should know that Balance Coffee has also won awards from BBC Good Food and Independent.
Here’s what they had to say about our coffee:
Simply put, The Independent recommends Balance Coffee to everyone who cares about their health. Also, our coffee comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee (because we’re 100% sure about our premium quality!), so you have nothing to lose.
All these factors have made Balance Coffee one of the best online coffee roasters in Leeds.
So start achieving your dreams fuelled by the power of our Lion's Mane Coffee or the Espresso Taster Pack to support your daily brain function and well-being.
Give it a shot!
Try out Balance Coffee’s award-winning and highly-rated coffee here.
2. North Star Coffee Roasters
Here’s a fun fact: North Star Coffee was the first Leeds coffee roastery to open its doors to people in 2013. And guess what?
It quickly became one of the best speciality coffee roasters in Leeds! So what’s so special about them, you ask?
North Star was founded in Kenya while the founders studied fair trade for small coffee farmers.
Since its launch, this brand has been a relentless force in redefining UK's speciality coffee scene and is one of the best independent coffee roasters in Leeds.
They don’t just sell freshly roasted, premium coffee beans; they educate their customers about its origins and honour the folks behind it, beautifully embodying what fourth-wave coffee shops are all about.
And if you know me a little, you’d know that the brand’s story took me aback. So I tried their coffee out.
I visited their online store and ordered their natural Burundi, Maruri coffee beans based on a friend’s recommendation. The freshly roasted beans arrived timely, and I set about doing what I do best; brewing a cup of espresso.
By the way, if you’re an espresso lover like me, I have a complete guide on the best coffee beans for espresso. Try out one of the beans from my recommendations, and your espresso will never be dull again.
So the Maruri was a great choice; the beans were medium-roasted to perfection and the tasting notes of earl grey and grapefruit were like the cherry on top.
The customer reviews, commitment to speciality coffee, sustainability, and a fantastic online experience made North Star one of the top Leeds coffee roasters.
Find out more about North Star Coffee Roasters here.
3. Maude Coffee Roasters
I’ll be honest; I discovered Maude during my research phase for this blog post. I’d never heard of them before and was honestly sceptical about trying them out.
But hey, how would I have discovered the best independent coffee roasters in Leeds without taking a chance, right?
Okay, and now back to what you’ve been waiting for. Did Maude match up to my expectations? Well, it did much more!
The team at Maude is passionate about roasting top-notch and speciality-grade, small-batch coffee.
They also care about where they source their coffee beans from and the global impact of their brand. But that’s not what makes one of the top coffee roasters in Leeds.
It was their coffee beans' delicious taste and premium quality for me! When I ordered the beans, they arrived freshly roasted and packed an aroma that was hard to miss.
I ordered their Foundation Blend (Colombia) whole coffee beans. It’s one of their most popular coffee beans and blended Colombian Castillo and Caturra varietals from Nariño's volcanic slopes.
The online store is easy to navigate and has an enjoyable variety of coffee beans.
Maude only ships their beans twice a week, but once they arrived, I could tell they were roasted to perfection and sealed to lock in the freshness.
It had tasting notes of milk chocolate and hazelnut, and I brewed them using Moka Pot. I loved the delicious coffee; it is one of the best coffee roasters in Leeds, without a shadow of a doubt.
Find out more about Maude Coffee Roasters.
4. Laynes Espresso
Midway through my experiment for Leeds's best coffee roasters, I got bored sitting at home and looking for beans on my computer screen. So I decided to go around and try one of the roasters in person.
That’s when I discovered Laynes Espresso; my friend Jared from Leeds told me they serve the best coffee and a delicious brunch. And that sounded like the perfect treat for me!
So I stopped by New Station Street in Leeds and got myself a cosy corner in Laynes. I ordered their classic brunch with a flat white.
Their flat white was enough to awaken my senses, and I could now sense why Jared said that Laynes is one of the best coffee companies in Leeds.
The coffee was mouthwatering and of top quality, and I am sure it was also brewed from freshly roasted beans.
When I got home, I did some more digging and saw that they also have a beautiful online store. You can also order their espresso blends online, which arrive freshly roasted.
However, the only downside to Laynes is its limited coffee menu.
But their unwavering commitment to quality has made them one of the best coffee roasters in Leeds.
Find out more about Laynes Espresso here.
5. Dark Woods Coffee
And the last one on my list of the best coffee roasters in Leeds is Dark Woods Coffee! Some of Leeds's coffee companies have exciting names, which have piqued my interest.
So what makes Dark Woods Coffee a must-try for you all? Dark Woods Coffee is one of the few Leeds coffee roasters that only use premium and speciality-grade coffee that is entirely traceable to skilled farmers worldwide.
I ordered the coffee beans online and had a fantastic time! After intense internal deliberation, I bought their Crow Tree blend.
Although the blend was unique, its price was affordable similar to other coffee roasters' Leeds prices.
But that’s not what made Dark Woods Coffee one of the best coffee roasters in Leeds!
It was the mouthwatering taste and sublime quality of their coffee beans. It tasted like dark chocolate with hints of red berries. Yum, no?
Ordering their beans online was also a breeze; they have lovely customer reviews, and the entire experience was a treat.
This is why I recommend Dark Woods Coffee to anyone looking for the best coffee roasters in Leeds.
Find out more about Dark Woods Coffee
Now, please do recommend our best coffee roasters Cambridge guide if you have family in cambridge. Your encouragement help us to keep running this blog.
People Also Ask Questions (FAQs)
Do you still have questions about the best coffee roasters in Leeds? Well, we have answers! Dive in below.
What is the Best Coffee in Leeds?
The best coffee beans you can order in Leeds are from Balance Coffee. These speciality-grade coffee beans are 100% Arabica, free of the nasties like mould, mycotoxins and pesticides. Moreover, Balance’s Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee and Espresso Taster Pack have many health benefits.
Where to Buy Coffee Beans in Leeds?
You can order coffee beans online in Leeds from Balance Coffee, North Star Coffee Roasters, Maude Coffee Roasters, Laynes Espresso and Dark Woods Coffee. All these places have premium quality coffee beans that make delicious and enjoyable cups of coffee.
How Much Does a Bag of Coffee Cost in Leeds?
The cost of a coffee bag in Leeds varies with many factors like the quantity, brand and quality of beans. However, an average estimate for a pack of coffee beans in Leeds is around £10.
Conclusion
I experimented with coffee roasters in Leeds to save you from the perils of poorly picked coffee beans, a mistake that once ruined my entire day. From the balanced brews of Balance Coffee to the aromatic roasts of other top-notch coffee roasters, my list of the best coffee roasters in Leeds has something for everyone.
These roasters serve an exceptional cup of joe and focus on the finer details: ethical sourcing, high-quality beans, and a customer experience worth raving about.
And while you explore the coffee scene in Leeds or browse online for the best beans, this guide is your ticket to a world-class coffee experience.
No more stumbling upon a random coffee store and hoping for the best. Now, you've got the inside scoop on where to find the tastiest, cleanest, and most ethically-sourced coffee in town!
So go ahead, delve into the world of fine brews, and make your coffee moments count. After all, isn't every good day fuelled by a great cup of coffee?
