Though Northern Ireland is small, its specialty coffee scene is brewing up something special these days—quite literally. Once known more for its strong tea culture and even stronger spirits, this corner of the world, especially in its capital city of Belfast, is now overflowing with third-wave coffee spots. We are delighted to have brought together a set of coffee that reflects NI’s coffee game today-daring, delightful and distinct!

(Belfast, Northern Ireland)

One of Belfast’s earliest specialty coffee roasters, White Star was founded in March 2017 by Philip Chick. It opened in a disused 1884 school on Fountainville Ave that once served as a snooker hall and even an illegal gambling den! Philip began as a home barista before venturing into roasting. “I initially got into speciality coffee due to my frustration at the lack of consistency of coffee served in cafes in Belfast.” Phil continues to roast all White Star coffee today, his journey inspiring Belfast’s coffee scene, driven always by passion for quality and meticulous attention to detail “often much to the irritation of those who work with me!”.

White Star were in our very first box and now they’re back. This time we’ve chosen a real stunner-a superb natural Panama from their competition range, a coffee with a perfect balance of sweet dessert-like flavours and delicate fruit notes. It’s rare we get a coffee from Panama and even rarer one this good!

(Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Process Coffee, a Belfast roastery founded by Ben Hamilton, blends great specialty coffee with 80s nostalgia. Originally a webshop for international roasters, Process evolved into its own brand, featuring standout design inspired by classic VHS packaging. Ben, a passionate skateboarder, infuses his lifestyle into the brand’s unique, instantly iconic identity. While the playful aesthetic grabs attention, it’s the exceptional coffee that sets Process apart. With a perfect mix of creativity and quality, this roastery proves that great coffee and retro fun can go hand in hand.

One of the UK’s hippest & most original coffee roasters returns with a washed Colombia that really stands out from the crowd of washed Colombian coffees out there. It’s delicate and floral yet full of body and sweetness. A coffee that definitely puts a smile on your face.

This coffee is produced by small holder growers in Inza municipality, which is part of the Tierradentro region located on the western side of Cauca. This region is 80% inhabited by the indigenous tribe called Paeces. The average size of the farm is 0.5 to 1.5 hectares. This coffee was purchased through the team at Cofinet, who have worked alongside Occicafe and Globalcafe to develop a direct relationship with the farmers and have better control on the quality. Farmers own small parcels of land where they grow coffee at 1700 m.a.s.l and the crops are mainly Castillo and Caturra, which is what we have in this special coffee showcase. Process have had this on the offer list for a while now through multiple crops, and hope to continue to work this coffee for the foreseeable future.

(Belfast, Northern Ireland)

After becoming a bit of a hero in Northern Ireland coffee scene winning 2017 Irish Aeropress Champion & 2019 Irish Brewers Cup Champion 2019, Stephen Houston was encouraged by friends to start his own roastery. He faced a choice: stay comfortable or take a bold leap. He chose the latter. In 2021, he founded Lucid, built on transparency and clear storytelling. His vision was to bridge the gap between producer and consumer, reflecting growers' intentions through roasting and brewing. With his reputation as a top-notch roaster, Lucid quickly made a name for itself, reaching coffee lovers across the UK & Europe and won 2nd place UK Roasting Championships in 2023.

Delighted to be working again with Stephen the legend! This time he’s giving us a rare beauty from China. A natural from the Fuyan region with complex sweet fruit notes that really show how exciting and coffees from China are becoming!

Fuyan farm and washing station is managed by Mrs Na and Mr Li. Coffees from Fuyan have regularly attracted some of the highest Q scores in Yunnan which is testimony to the hard work, consistent quality control and strong relationships that Mr Li and Mrs Na have with the pickers (who are predominantly Lahu (an indigenous ethnic group from China and the surrounding region). The farm itself spans across 80 acres of mountain range at 1600 to 1700 MASL.

Ripe cherries are hand harvested and the cherries are sorted to remove over / under ripe cherry and foreign material. The cherry undergoes controlled fermentation for 24 hours after which the cherry is spread and dried on raised beds on the drying patio prior to hulling.

(Belfast, Northern Ireland)

In 2016, Root & Branch opened in a small Belfast backstreet as the city’s first specialty micro-roastery. With no model to follow, it aimed to connect community, culture, and coffee. As social spaces flourished, so did the business, expanding to two cafés and an Irish kitchen celebrating local, seasonal produce. During Covid, the roastery moved to East Belfast’s Portview Trade Centre, upgrading equipment and growing its wholesale partnerships across Ireland. Despite expansion, Root & Branch remains committed to ethical sourcing, innovation, and crafting exceptional specialty coffee that continues to inspire and delight.

This is our first time working with Root & Branch and we’re thrilled to include a very special 120 hour anaerobic natural Colombia. We really love this coffee not only for its unforgettable taste but it truly astonishes us how delicate it is for such an intense process.

Edwin Zambrano’s farm, Bella Vista, sits on the steep sided slopes of the mountains on the outskirts of Algeciras; in the famed Huila region of Colombia. The Huila region is one of the most well-known coffee growing areas of Colombia and is renowned for producing high scoring speciality coffee’s. Edwin’s Bella Vista is no different, with a SCA Cup Score of 87 - it’s testament to the region and Edwin’s dedication to his craft.

Edwin selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and processes them 1750m above sea level. His coffee cherries are sealed in plastic tanks fitted with a Degas valve and is left to ferment anaerobically in these tanks for 120 hours before being removed to be dried over lightly shaded raised beds (Marquesinas) for 20 days.