Best Espresso Coffee Beans UK 2024
I have been pulling espresso shots for the best part of 10 years and used countless different espresso beans in both coffee shops and at home.
There are so many coffee roasters to choose from today, each offering up at least one form of coffee that is designed for espresso.
Taste and preference obviously come into play when we’re talking about any form of coffee but we’ll talk you through the basics of espresso coffee beans and help you make an informed decision.
Although to pull a shot of espresso correctly, there is a great level of skill.
It all goes out the window if your espresso beans aren’t up to scratch.
I have been lucky enough to taste hundreds of different UK espresso coffee beans over the last few years which are sent to us to review.
What Are Espresso Beans?
Let’s take it back to the beginning.
Any form of coffee whether it ends up as espresso, filter, instant, cold brew or any other method starts life as a coffee cherry that grows on coffee trees.
The cherry is either red or yellow with two (sometimes one called a peaberry coffee beans) seeds inside, these are what we refer to as coffee beans.
Coffee farms are typically within 20 degrees of the equator, however depending on the type of coffee bean grown can grow a little further afield.
There are two main types of coffee bean: Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica is the most widely grown coffee type making up 75% of the overall production. Although Arabica coffee is typically harder to grow than Robusta the end product is of higher quality and therefore producers are compensated moreso.
When the coffee cherries are harvested they are processed in various ways, you may have seen coffee bags labeled washed, natural or honey. This refers to the process in which the coffee starts as a cherry and ends up as a dry green coffee bean.
The green coffee is then exported to coffee roasters all over the world.
Coffee roasters then determine how they would like the coffee to taste and apply heat via a coffee roaster (think large revolving oven) that transforms the beans from a dense plant-like seed into a light delicious tasting roasted coffee bean.
Beans are then ground into various coarseness and brewed to make espresso based drinks, filter coffee and cold brew or ground, brewed and freeze dried into instant coffee.
Now, I have missed a lot out there and maybe glossed over a few processes that are a lot more technical than I gave them credit for, but that is the basics of how we end up with espresso beans.
Espresso beans are designed for use in… you guessed it an espresso machine.
That said you can use espresso beans for any brew method and vice versa. The overall taste however may not be as the roaster intended.
Espresso is a short, strong shot that can be sipped as a shot or form the foundation of an espresso based coffee such as a Flat White, Cappuccino or Americano.
The Espresso beans that are used to make the different forms of coffee can vary.
You may have seen coffee shops with numerous coffee grinders, there is always one used for the ‘house blend’ which is used for most milk based coffees.
There would normally be a ‘decaf coffee beans’ and occasionally a ‘guest’ or ‘single origin’ these are espresso beans that are typically used for making espresso coffee to be consumed as a shot as mixing with milk will drown the complex flavour notes.
The most common and popular type of espresso beans is a blend.
This is because the most desired profile of espresso has a rich velvety body with depth and dark chocolatey flavours.
Taken as a shot but more commonly (at least in UK coffee shops) as a milky coffee, this profile will cut through the steamed milk and create a delicious rich coffee.
Blends are most commonly used for espresso as certain coffee beans are big on body and others showcase more acidity or sweetness.
When the beans are combined in a particular ratio you will achieve a balanced coffee with body and other rich flavour notes such as chocolate.
During the second wave of coffee and the rise of the espresso based milky coffees, espresso blends were extremely dark looking roasts that appeared oily.
Many of the blends would have used robusta coffee as a base while adding Arabica for more subtle flavours.
While robusta is still used today in many commercial coffee chains you will be hard pushed to find any specialty coffee roaster in the UK using it in their espresso blends.
Instead, roasters will opt for a full bodied Arabica bean that will make up a large percentage of the blend. They typically tend to be either a Brazilian, Colombian or an Indonesian coffee.
Top 9 Coffee Beans For Espresso
Why trust me?
I'm Tom, and I've been working in the coffee industry for over 10 years. My journey began as a barista in Australia, followed by working on coffee farms in South America, and eventually roasting coffee in the UK.
Today, I review and write about specialty coffee. I am also the founder of Batch Coffee Club, which showcases the very best coffee from around the world.
Find below my top 9 espresso beans UK.
Batch Coffee is all about showcasing some of the best coffee in the world.
From the talented coffee roasters through to pioneering coffee growers.
After speaking to some of our amazing coffee subscription customers we found that some people wanted a consistently great espresso blend delivered fresh every few weeks.
That is why our team of industry professionals created the Batch seasonal espresso blend.
Our espresso blend consists of three origins.
Colombia
Nicaragua
Ethiopia
The medium roast ensures that the espresso is smooth and balanced.
It can be enjoyed as an espresso but equally has the body and depth to cut through milk based espresso drinks such as flat whites or lattes.
The blend of the three coffees has been expertly crafted resulting in a smooth milk chocolate taste profile with notes of dates and an undertone of blackberries.
Kurt Stewart is the man behind Volcano coffee works which was founded in 2010.
Kurt grew up in coffee-mad New Zealand and created Volcano to bring the great tatsing coffee he had grown up with to the UK, while supporting the livelihoods of the communities who grow and produce it.
Volcano started life as a coffee cart that graced the streets of West Norwood but has now grown to a team of 30 passionate coffee people that operate out of their state of the art coffee roastery in Brixton.
The first batch of the day is always roasted by Kurt who is still the beating heart of the coffee business.
Volcano consistently produce some of the best coffee available in the UK at such a high volume.
Their coffee menu is comparatively small to other specialty coffee roasters but they showcase a number of espresso blends which is perfect for those who opt for espresso coffee.
Checkout their seasonal blends.
Do you fancy a bit of Volcano in you life? Visit Volcano’s Online Store.
Tom Sobey founded Origin coffee over 15 years ago in Cornwall, where they roast their coffee. .
Having grown up working closely with his father's coffee business, Tom has always been involved in the industry.
After a trip to Australia in the early 2000s, where he experienced the reigning coffee culture, Tom established Origin coffee.
Today, Origin coffee has become a full team of industry professionals, offering a world-class coffee program, six coffee shops, and a constantly expanding product range.
They are among the pioneers of the third wave speciality coffee movement in the UK and continue to be at the forefront of the industry.
Origin coffee sources its coffee directly from farms, following the true practice of speciality coffee that rewards the growers rather than middlemen.
Through their direct trade approach, they are able to support their farm and mill partners directly, providing customers with complete traceability of their coffee.
The company attempts to visit the farms in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Brazil every year, building strong relationships with workers and their families, and providing them with support.
What distinguishes some coffee roasters for the speaker is the stories they tell through their coffee, and Origin coffee does just that.
The quality of their coffee is matched by the stories behind it, and it's easy to see why they are leading the way into the fourth wave of speciality coffee.
Read the full Origin Coffee Review.
If Carnival Coffee sound like the ground coffee for you Visit Origin’s Online Shop Here.
Balance Coffee the colourful new roastery based in London.
Founder James has worked in the coffee industry for 8 years and wanted to create a coffee brand with a mission to inspire people to drink better quality coffee at home.
The coffee that they roast is focused on selling to people who are looking at becoming more of a home barista and create that coffee shop experience in their own home.
With really clean and slick branding their eye-catching watercolour design is a clue about the style of coffee that they offer.
They are not afraid to showcase an unusual origin and may provide that unique bag of speciality coffee you are looking for.
Balance offer a few different espresso options and an espresso taster pack that lets you try all of their blends at once.
If you’re in the mood for some Balance Check Out Their Online Store.
Assembly are the quality and customer focused coffee roaster based in Brixton, London.
They are one of the few coffee roasters in the UK that are pushing the boundaries of each aspect of their business.
The Assembly roastery is housed in a 19th century fire station in the heart of London.
The Loring roaster alongside a state of the art coffee sensory lab and a couple of event spaces to hold cuppings is a testament to how serious these guys take specialty coffee.
Launched in 2015 during the annual London coffee festival, Assembly are now showcasing their coffee on a global scale.
Their espresso blends are priced slightly higher than others but the quality and craft behind each bag is guaranteed.
Up for some guaranteed top draw espresso? Check Out Assembly’s Online Store.
Rounton Coffee Roasters are based in North Yorkshire.
Their mission is simple. They aim to source coffees that guarantee a fair cut for everyone at origin, and they make sure that their hard work comes through in the taste of the coffees that they roast.
Their story began 8 years ago in Sumatra, where they met a wonderful group of farmers in a region that they continue to support today.
It was this meeting that brought to their attention the plight of many smallholder farmers around the world.
They decided that if they could do something for them, they should, and so on their return to the UK, Rounton Coffee Roasters was born.
Checkout our review of Rounton Coffee Roasters.
Legend has it that thousands of years ago...
An Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats behaving in a peculiar manner.
According to his tales they were overcome by a sudden state of frenzy, appearing to jump, dance and fall haphazardly.
These excitable, clumsy goats were later found feasting on the red berries of an unfamiliar tree; a coffee tree.
Clumsy Goat focus on quality beans – their obsession with premium flavours has taken them on an adventure to source some of the finest beans mother earth has to offer.
They believe everyone involved in the creation of Clumsy Goat is of equal importance.
That’s why they’re proud to say that all their beans are sourced ethically and sustainably. This helps them to support the industry, the farmers and of course… their goats!
Clumsy Goat showcase a couple of blends, one of which the Italian blend may entice those that opt for darker flavours.
They also have a number of single origins that work well as an espresso .
There is also a mutability function that allows you at the touch of a button to eliminate any key tones or feedback sounds that can usually be heard, which is great for early risers.
If the Clumsy Goat is up your street then Visit Clumsy Goat’s Online Shop.
Caravan Coffee Roasters are the laid back pioneering coffee roasters based in London.
Their culture and values are exactly the type of coffee brand we look to work with at Batch.
Although they have now become one of the biggest coffee roasters in the UK on the back of their passion for sourcing and roasting high-quality coffee their personality and character have remained.
This may be one of the factors why Caravan has grown from strength to strength.
After chatting to Fletcher at Caravan coffee roasters for 30 seconds I could already tell that I was going to love working with them.
They always have 2 blends on and on top of that have two single origins roasted for espresso.
Do you like the sound of that? Visit Caravan’s Online Store Now
Atkinsons Coffee is a coffee roaster located in Lancaster, UK
The family run business does far more than just roast coffee and their knowledge, respect and passion has helped them evolve from a local into a national institution.
Atkinsons reflect seasonality in their coffee menu and try to purvey a large list of coffee from around the world just as the business has been doing for 180 years.
Their vast knowledge of green coffee coupled with their ever-growing experience roasting various types of coffee makes these guys hard to beat.
They showcase a number of good coffee beans for espresso.
Three blends, prototype, stereotype and archetype are a great contrast if you are looking to experiment with a couple of different espresso beans.
If you’re an Atkinson’s sort of person then Check Out Their Online Store.
Do You Need A Special Type Of Coffee Beans For Espresso?
No, you can use any coffee beans to make espresso.
However there are certain origins, roast profiles and blends that work better as an espresso.
For example if you were to make a flat white coffee from a light roast washed Kenyan single origin, it may taste sour and almost like the milk has gone off.
This is because the coffee is acidic and would have been better prepared as a pour over.
Whereas if you use a blend of Brazilian, Indonesian and Peruvain coffee that has been roasted somewhere between medium and dark you’ll end up with a rich full bodied espresso that will carry the milk for a cup of flat white and taste delicious.
Best Coffee Beans For Espresso UK?
With an ever growing list of independent coffee roasters in the UK it’s hard to put your finger on which espresso beans are the best in the UK.
This alongside the fact that blends are constantly changing and evolving as seasonal coffee is imported throughout the year.
Take a look at our list above for some of our favourite espresso coffee blends that have been roasted by some of the top roasters in the UK.
Is Espresso Stronger Than Coffee?
Strength is a funny word in specialty coffee.
Many people would liken strong tastes in beverages to strength in a particular substance for example the stronger tasting alcoholic beverages tend to have a higher volume of alcohol.
Coffee is a little different as stronger tasting coffee doesn’t have more caffeine than lighter tasting coffee.
However when calculating how much caffeine is in an espresso shot or a black filter coffee there should be very similar amounts.
As long as the variables are the same and each method uses the same dose of coffee then the espresso is just a more concentrated serving of caffeine.
Does Espresso Have More Caffeine than Regular Coffee?
An espresso shot does have a higher concentration of caffeine per ounce, but because the serving size is much smaller, a standard cup of coffee typically contains more total caffeine
What Is The Best Roast For Espresso Beans?
Coffee is roasted for espresso to give the shot body and depth.
Darker roasted coffee tends to have deeper flavour notes such as chocolatey, roasty notes which are sought after when extracting espresso.
How To Grind Coffee Beans For Espresso?
Coffee beans have to be ground fine for use in an espresso machine.
Espresso machines use hot water and pressure to extract soluble compounds from coffee grounds to create a shot of espresso.
The pressure enables coffee beans to be ground fine for espresso machines as the water can push through the tamped basket of coffee grounds.
To decide on how fine the coffee needs to be you will need to dial in your espresso machine first. Here you need to weigh the dose of your shot (it should be around 20g) and then record the time that it takes for you to extract a 40g shot of espresso. If the time is much less than 30 seconds make the grind size finer. If it takes much longer make the grind coarser.
Check out our Espresso Guide for a more in-depth method. If you are in the market for a machine check out our article on the Best Sage Coffee Makers UK.
What is the difference in roasting between espresso beans and coffee beans?
Espresso beans are often roasted to a darker level compared to beans meant for other brewing methods. This is not a rule, but a common practice, as the darker roast can create a bold, rich flavor suitable for the concentrated nature of espresso
Best Decaf Coffee Beans For Espresso?
Decaf coffee can sometimes taste flat or really bitter. This has to do with the process that the caffeine is extracted from the raw coffee bean or the profile in which the coffee is roasted.
In the specialty coffee world decaf coffee has recently become a little more in the spotlight and roasters are now focusing a little more effort in producing a high quality decaf.
The roasters that are mentioned above all have at least one decaf coffee that will be roasted for use in an espresso or bean to cup machines.
Is Eating Espresso Beans The Same As Drinking Coffee?
Espresso beans off the same level of caffeine as a cup of coffee but in a more concentrated form.
Because regular coffee is filtered and diluted with water, you only get a portion of the caffeine and other substances found in the whole bean.
What’s more, eating espresso beans — rather than drinking the beverage — may lead to more rapid absorption of caffeine through the lining of your mouth. (Health Line)
Is It Best To Buy Ground Espresso Or Espresso Beans?
Beans are always better and the least time between grinding and extracting your coffee the better also.
Having said that, you may not have a coffee grinder, (check out our article on The Best Manual Coffee Grinders for some inspo) so ground espresso may be your only option. Try to purchase your coffee as frequently as possible and use coffee that has been roasted and ground recently.
You may have to tweak variables such as dose, water pressure and tamp as your grind variable will be fixed. Read our guide on The Best Espresso Tampers.
What Is The Best Blend For Espresso?
Espresso coffee is most commonly a blend of various origins or regions of an origin. This is because espresso coffee needs body and balance that is quite easily achieved through blending a couple of different coffees.
If you are looking for an espresso blend to make a milk based espresso drink like a latte or a cappuccino then opt for an espresso blend that has darker flavour notes such as chocolate or caramel with depth in body.
If on the other hand you don’t intend to pour milk over your espresso and usually drink your coffee black, whether it’s a long black or espresso then you can also opt for espresso blends that showcase more subtle flavours such as florals, citrus or fruity notes.
Can You Freeze Espresso Beans?
There are many conflicting arguments about whether you can freeze coffee beans.
If you have a deep freezer and you are able to vacuum pack your coffee first then freezing your espresso beans may be ok.
If not, then I wouldn’t recommend freezing your coffee beans. As the coffee defrosts the balance of moisture and the complex flavour compounds are lost and you will end up with flat tasting espresso.
Read a more in depth guide on freezing coffee by
How Do You Store Espresso Beans?
Espresso beans should be kept in an airtight container in between use. Many home espresso machines have bean hoppers with silicone lids.
These are great but they are not completely airtight. You should empoty a moderate amount of espresso beans into the hopper each time and try to keep the rest in a container.
Check out our post on the Best Airtight Coffee Containers.
Or read a moore indepth article on storing coffee beans by the National Coffee Association.
