Edinburgh has 15 independent coffee roasters in this directory, a well-established scene for a city its size, with Artisan Roast roasting here since 2007 and a steady run of names since.
The oldest name in the directory is Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Co, which has been trading since 1990, long before specialty coffee was a recognised category in the UK. It holds organic and Fairtrade certifications, a different proposition to the single-origin focused roasters that followed.
Machina Coffee arrived in 2002, offering both a cafe and subscriptions alongside decaf options. Then in 2007 came Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters, the name most closely identified with Edinburgh's specialty scene. With a cafe, subscriptions and decaf, Artisan Roast set the template that many later Edinburgh roasters followed.
A wave of roasters arrived in 2013 and 2014, thickening the scene considerably. mr_eion launched in 2013 with a cafe and subscriptions. The following year brought three more: Cult Coffee Roasters with a focus on single-origin coffees and decaf; Fortitude Coffee, which added single-origin alongside a cafe and subscriptions; and Gordon Street Coffee, a single-origin roaster with its own cafe.
2017 added two further names. Obadiah Coffee offers subscriptions and decaf, while Uplands Roast runs a cafe alongside its subscription offer.
The remaining roasters in the directory complete the picture of a mature, varied scene. Modern Standard Coffee covers single-origin, cafe, subscriptions and decaf. Williams and Johnson Coffee Co. is a single-origin roaster with a cafe and subscriptions. Forth Coffee Roasters focuses on subscriptions and decaf. Terra Coffee and The Source Coffee both carry single-origin ranges, with Terra also offering decaf. Otis & Carter Coffee rounds out the list.
If you want to visit a roaster in person, Edinburgh has good options. Machina Coffee, Artisan Roast, mr_eion, Fortitude Coffee, Gordon Street Coffee, Uplands Roast, Modern Standard Coffee and Williams and Johnson all have cafes attached or associated with their roasting operations.
For those buying to brew at home, subscriptions are widely available. Artisan Roast, Fortitude Coffee, Cult Coffee Roasters, Machina Coffee, Modern Standard Coffee, Williams and Johnson, Forth Coffee Roasters, Obadiah Coffee, Uplands Roast and mr_eion all offer subscription options. Decaf is well represented too, with Machina, Artisan Roast, Cult Coffee Roasters, Obadiah Coffee, Forth Coffee Roasters, Modern Standard Coffee and Terra Coffee all carrying it.
The full list is on the Edinburgh roasters directory page.
Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters is the name most associated with Edinburgh’s specialty scene, having been roasting here since 2007. Machina Coffee, Fortitude Coffee and Williams and Johnson Coffee Co. are also well established and widely stocked across Scotland.
Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Co. has been trading since 1990, making it the longest-running name in the directory. Machina Coffee followed in 2002, and Artisan Roast arrived in 2007, marking the point at which Edinburgh developed a recognisably specialty-focused roasting scene.
Several Edinburgh roasters run their own cafes: Machina Coffee, Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters, mr_eion, Fortitude Coffee, Gordon Street Coffee, Uplands Roast, Modern Standard Coffee and Williams and Johnson Coffee Co. all have cafe operations listed in the directory.
Machina Coffee, Artisan Roast Coffee Roasters, mr_eion, Cult Coffee Roasters, Fortitude Coffee, Obadiah Coffee, Uplands Roast, Forth Coffee Roasters, Modern Standard Coffee and Williams and Johnson Coffee Co. all offer subscriptions.
There are 15 independent coffee roasters listed on Roasterlist for Edinburgh, making it one of the densest roasting scenes relative to city size in the UK.