6 Independent Coffee's You Should Be Drinking At Home On World Coffee Day And Beyond
Coffee is a wonderful thing - from that first cup of joe in the morning fuelling you for the busy day ahead or helping you get over the crazy night before, from an Iced version in the Summer to sipping lattes and catching up with all the goss with your pals on a weekend. Coffee. Is. Magical. It’s the perfect saviour and accomplice for every and any occasion - and with the current pandemic and change in day to day lives, schedules and rituals you may just be missing your local cuppa, so we tasked our best-coffee-loving-writer Adam to find the best at home brews that will make you forget all about your barista on the side just in time for World Coffee Day [October 1st].
I have a confession to make: up until very recently my knowledge of coffee stretched from Starbucks Blonde Roast, to whatever the coffee is that they serve you at Costa Coffee. So… to broaden my horizons, I decided to source some of the best British independent coffee makers and try them out for World Coffee Day. And, well, I've found a new love for the humble coffee bean. In no particular order, here are some of the best ones I have tried over the last few months and ones I highly suggest you pop in your mug.
Moneyrow Beans
MONEYROW BEANS
Moneyrow Beans started out in owner Vicky Weddell's garden shed in Moneyrow Green in the Berkshire village of Holyport. I tried the Huila single origin coffee where the beans originate from Huila, Colombia. What's super interesting about these is that the label on the packet actually tells you which farm, elevation and varieties of bean are inside the pack, educating the drinker on the supply chain and giving them as much information about their drink as possible. Plus the label is plastic free, which is always a win in my eyes. This quickly became my go-to coffee; you're immediately hit with a shot of caramel, followed by an almost fudge likeness, which is then rounded off with tropical fruits. It's incredibly smooth, and easy to drink, but also quite complex. All MRB coffees come in ground or whole-bean versions - and Vicky is also super friendly! I’d cheers her and all fellow MRB drinkers anytime. From £6.50 at Moneyrowbeans
Solo Cold Brew
SOLO COLD BREW COFFEE
When I set out on this quest, I never expected to come across something like this product. Essentially it's a big black box of pre-brewed coffee that you put in your fridge, ready for whenever you need a quick wake me up hit. And it does exactly that - it gives you a massive kick up the arse and you only need a shot of it to do so. If you want a bigger portion you can serve it either over ice or with cold milk. Each box has around 15 servings, or three litres in it and is a single origin Colombian coffee 100% Arabica, brewed for 16+ hours. The story of Solo is also pretty interesting - friends Alex Foss Sims and Theo Garcia founded it when they were both working as baristas in a leading-name cafe. The name comes from the Spanish “Café Solo”, directly translated as “just coffee” which is the name given to black coffee or espresso. This one is not for the feint-hearted, that's for sure. £19.95 from Solo Cold Brew
Blue Goose Coffee
BLUE GOOSE COFFEE
I've never been a lover of coffee capsules before and yes, I know millions of people love them and now I understand why. These changed my mind… and it was decaf!! I tried the Organic Swiss Water Decaf, 100% Arabica. The pods are also compostable and plastic free, which ticks a big box for me. This is another smooth coffee, perfect for that slow wake up in the morning. It kind of has that almost hot chocolate sensation to it, as it's quite comforting to drink. The Swiss water process of making this coffee (according to Blue Goose) removes 99.9% of the caffeine using pure water. Some do say that decaf coffee is not as good as non-decaf, but this coffee proves that to be utter rubbish. I would happily put this one up there against any of the other coffees I've mentioned here in my morning test. From £18 at Blue Goose Coffee
London Nootropics
LONDON NOOTROPICS
The world is awash with CBD-infused products these days, and a lot of them are gimmick-laden. But not London Nootropics' sterling little coffee pouches. I tried the adaptogenic coffee with Lion's Mane and Rhodiola and it's pretty special. To explain a little bit more: Lion's Mane is a mushroom, usually found in China, India, Japan and South Korea. It's known for its medical purposes and is often found in over-the-counter health supplements. Its flavour is a little seafood-like - which adds a unique Unami flavour to the coffee. Rhodiola is a herb, found in mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. It's also known as arctic or golden root, -basically - it relaxes you, and increases your body's resistance to stress which is something we all need these days. I would recommend trying this out in the evening, to relax you. Yes… coffee in the evening… it's the perfect way to round off a stressful work day, as are the other coffee's London Nootropics produce. From £15 at London Nootropics
GRIND: Shoreditch, London
GRIND: Shoreditch, London.
This one is simple and doesn't take much explaining. The Grind House Blend is utterly brilliant. It's subtle, yet full of flavour, and puts pretty much every national coffee chain to shame. You don't need much, if anything, added to this coffee to enjoy it - it's perfection in its simplest form. It also comes in a really nifty little tin, which you can reuse time and time again. Oh, and like most coffees these days, it's organic. But unlike most coffees these days, they are actually putting their money where their mouths are - they use this coffee every day across all of their coffee shops in London. If you wouldn't serve it to your customers, don't sell it online! It really is barista styled coffee, at home. They also sell a black blend, which is fruitier than the house blend, but equally as stunning. From £9 at GRIND
Lost Sheep Coffee
LOST SHEEP COFFEE
The Colombia El Tambo is another brand that uses the bean from the Huila region of Colombia. And if you like a simple, classic coffee - this is the one for you. It's a hand-roasted all-rounder, that excels in its simplicity and never fails on taste or quality or hides behind gimmicks and trends. The price point is a little high for my liking, but you'd be hard pressed finding something better if you like simple coffees with a touch of complexity. From £8.45 from Lost Sheep Coffee