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Tibebu Roba, Ethiopia

Buy this coffee

[H2] About Us

We source and roast coffee from single farms, estates and cooperatives. When we taste a coffee that we like, we want to know where it comes from and who grows, picks and processes it. We travel extensively throughout the year, visiting the producers and cooperatives with whom we currently work and looking for interesting cultivars of coffee and new farms from which to buy. During these visits we talk with farmers, learning more about the coffee they grow and process and the challenges that they face. We then look to establish a relationship with the grower and exporter of that coffee. We believe that where such a relationship exists, quality, quantity and price requirements can be discussed in an open and equal way. We see this as sustainable, fair and equal trade.

[H2] New on the Counter

[IMG: Terra de São Francisco]

[H2] Terra de São Francisco
Brazil
Clovis Mello
Dried fruit, molasses, low acidity, full body, dark roast
From £4.80
Farm info

[IMG: Huabal]

[H2] Huabal
Peru
Familia Coronel Villanueva
Lychee, guava, juicy acidity, medium body, medium roast
From £3.80
Farm info

[IMG: Tibebu Roba]

[H2] Tibebu Roba
Ethiopia
Tibebu Roba
Papaya, pineapple, funky acidity, syrupy body, medium roast
From £4.40
Farm info

[IMG: Finca Galeras]

[H2] Finca Galeras
Colombia
Roberto Melo
Plums, muscovado sugar, medium to bright acidity, juicy body, medium roast
From £3.70
Farm info

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[H2] Latest News

[H3] A new coffee from Peru
May 2026

We have just had a new coffee arrive on the counter which we are very excited about. For a few years now we have been looking for a coffee with a straightforward flavour profile, which is also traceable and sustainably traded. It hasn’t been the easiest coffee to find, but …
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[H3] A Visit to Assukkar
April 2026

We have been buying organic whole-cane sugar from Assukkar for twenty years now and it is always a delight to see the fields and factory where this incredible product is produced. This is a hot and humid part of Costa Rica. It is beautifully lush with an extraordinary range of …
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[H2] Our Shops

[H3] Covent Garden

27 Monmouth StreetCovent GardenLondonWC2H 9EUMonday to Saturday8am to 7pmClosed Sunday

[H3] Bermondsey

3 & 4 Dockley RoadBermondseyLondonSE16 3AF
Monday to Friday 8am to 3pmSaturday 8am to 4pmClosed Sunday

[H3] The Borough

2 Park StreetThe BoroughLondonSE1 9AB
Monday to Saturday7.30am to 6pmClosed Sunday

[H2] Contact

If you’re interested in becoming a wholesale customer, please get in touch with us either by phone on 020 7232 3010, email us at [email protected], or fill in the form below.

[H2] Enquiries

[H2] Mail Order

We also offer a Mail Order service, which may be particularly suitable for larger organisations and individuals requiring bespoke regular deliveries. Please contact us at 020 7232 3010 or [email protected].

[H2] About Us

Fast forward 45 years and we still retail coffee from Covent Garden, and now we also buy nearly all of our coffee directly and have a bean counter that sees about 60 coffees in a year. We also have a much larger roasting site with Loring roasters, an online shop, a busy shop in Borough Market and a team of about 90 people including teams for retail, green coffee, online, wholesale, roasting, packing, accounts, training and maintenance.

[H2] Vacancies

Our sister company, Spa Terminus, is currently recruiting an Estates Manager and an Accountant. If you would like to be part of the property management team specialising in tenants supplying quality food and drinks, please visit the Careers – Spa Terminus to learn more.

[H2] Coffee Retailer & Barista

We are currently looking for a handful of talented and cheerful people to join us in our Covent Garden, Borough Market and Bermondsey shops. Some experience in coffee is preferred but we’re happy to consider candidates with a keen enthusiasm to learn about working professionally with coffee and customers.
Position Responsibilities:
As a retailer barista, your day would be filled with coffee and customers. The job divides generally into three parts:
Sell coffee: We have 16 ever changing coffees on our retail counter all year round. Offering samples and tasting with customers is an integral part of the job. We are looking for people who will proactively seek to learn about coffee.
Make coffee: learn to make espresso and filter-based drinks to perfection each and every time. We work with La Marzocco machines and our own pour-over filter cones based on the Melitta style.
Be nice to people and look after the space! The usual shop and café duties: tills, clearing & dishes, stock management, etc.
Required Skills and Qualities:
– Previous experience in coffee, hospitality or a kitchen is preferred but not essential.
– A genuine interest in learning about coffee and looking after people, in equal measure.
– Enjoy drinking coffee yourself!
– Ability to provide exemplary customer focused service.
– Experience working well within a busy team.
– Self-motivated and keen to learn.
– Fluent English language skills, particularly speaking and listening.
Position details:
– Starting rate of £15 per hour.
– Staff cuppings and on-going training, including staff meetings with producers.
– 250g of coffee free each week plus an excellent discount on any extra coffee and merchandise.
– A generous pension contribution.
– Cycle to work scheme (available for e-bikes as well).
– 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year.
– Contracts and guaranteed hours.
– Both full time (5 days per week) or part time (3 or 4 days per week) positions are available, although we are currently prioritising candidates who are available for 4 or 5 shifts a week. Unfortunately, we cannot offer positions for fewer than 3 days per week.
– We work every Saturday; availability is essential.
– We work on a rota and everyone does their share of opening shifts (starting as early as 6.45am) and closing shifts (finishing at 8pm). Shifts change from week to week and full flexibility is required.
To apply:
Please send a covering letter and a CV to [email protected] with the job title in the subject line. We will only consider those applications that include both a tailored covering letter and a current CV. We aim to reply to everyone who applies, but there may be occasions when we are only able to reply to short-listed candidates.
Working fairly is at the very heart of what we do. We are committed to building a truly diverse and inclusive team. We look to continuously improve our recruitment and want to hear from anyone who is dedicated to working in service and coffee. We hope this makes you feel welcome to apply with us.

[H2] Sourcing

[H4] How do you buy your coffee?
We source and roast coffee from single farms, estates and cooperatives. When we taste a coffee that we like, we want to know where it comes from and who grows, picks and processes it. We travel extensively throughout the year, visiting the producers and cooperatives with whom we currently work and looking for interesting varietals of coffee and new farms from which to buy. During these visits we talk to farmers and cooperative members, learning more about the coffee they grow and process and the challenges that they face. We then look to establish a relationship with the grower and exporter of that coffee. We believe that where such a relationship exists, quality, quantity and price requirements can be discussed in an open and equal way. We see this as sustainable, fair and equal trade.
[H4] Is your coffee Organic?
We buy some organic coffee — it is identified with Organic Certification GB-ORG-04.
[H4] Is your coffee Fairtrade?
No. See above for how we go about buying our coffee.
[H4] Is your coffee Bird Friendly / Shade Grown?
Some of it is, but we don’t use these certifications. See above for how we go about buying our coffee.
[H4] Is your coffee Bulletproof?
No. Bulletproof is not a certification. Please contact us for a recommendation for a coffee that fulfils the BP requirements.

[H2] Coffee

[H4] Why do your coffees always change?
Coffee is a seasonal product with one or in some countries two crops a year. We buy small lots from many farms in each country — so when one coffee runs out, we go right on to the next one we have bought. In some places the farms are very small, just one or two acres, and these coffees change more frequently. Please find information about all our current coffees and view past coffees for tasting notes and headlines of coffees we have been roasting recently.
[H4] Why don’t you have the same coffee I ordered last time?
We are sorry we have run out of the coffee you enjoyed last time! We can help with a recommendation if you’d like — just let us know what you had and what you liked about it and we can point you in the right direction.
[H4] When was your coffee roasted?
We roast Monday to Friday each week; the coffee you receive will usually have been roasted a few days before despatch.
[H4] Can you grind the coffee?
Yes, there are the usual grind options available as standard options, listed in order of coarsest to finest:
– Cafetière.
– Filter and Aeropress Slow. This is suitable for our filter papers and cones, filter machines or a longer style Aeropress.
– Stovetop / Aeropress Fast / Espresso. This is suitable for any of these espresso style methods.
If you need something that isn’t listed, or would like to talk about the method you use to ensure we grind it as you’d like, please contact us.
[H4] What is the difference between Aeropress Slow and Aeropress Fast?
Aeropress is an incredibly versatile brewer. There are many different ways to make a great coffee with it. If you balance the variables correctly you can use all sorts of grind sizes. However, when we pre-grind coffee for Aeropress we aim at the two most common brewing styles. ‘Slow’ refers a filter style brew which creates a longer drink — this is a medium grind. ‘Fast’ refers to an espresso style brew that is a short drink and has a faster brew time — this is a fine grind.
[H4] Can I get the coffee ground differently from the options you have?
Yes, we’d be happy to grind it differently for you, but you’ll need to contact us directly. Please note that it is always difficult to get the perfect grind for espresso but we’ll do our best.
[H4] How should I store the coffee?
We recommend keeping it in the bag that it comes in, and then for the best flavour inside a container in a cool, dark space.
[H4] How long does the coffee keep for?
We recommend using the coffee as soon as you can to get the most flavour from it, especially if it is ground. If your coffee has been bought online or from one of our wholesale customers you will see a best before date on the pack. The best before date will be two months from the date the coffee was despatched from our roastery.
[H4] How much coffee should I use for my brew method?
As much as you need to enjoy your coffee. There is a lot of information available online on how best to make coffee in a variety of different brew methods. We recommend you try for yourself and come up with an amount that you enjoy. In our shops we use 22g for a filter coffee and between 19 and 21g for espresso.
[H4] Which is your most popular coffee?
All of them! Each coffee has a distinct flavour profile, see the tasting notes for each coffee to get an idea of what they are like.
[H4] Is your coffee Arabica?
Yes. We buy from a lot of farms and they often have different varietals, but all of these varietals are Arabica.
[H4] How is your decaf coffee decaffeinated?
We buy our coffee from the farm and then send it to Mexico to be decaffeinated using the Mountain Water Process. Please see Descamex for more information about the decaffeinated process.
[H4] I am buying coffee as a gift, which grind should I choose?
We recommend you find out what kind of brew method the lucky person uses and get the coffee ground for that brew method. There is no omni-grind that can be used for all methods. Or you could really make their day and get them a filter cone and papers and have their coffee ground for filter.
[H4] Can coffee be composted?
Yes, and the snails and slugs do not like it. But take care; it doesn’t work with every soil type so take advice from your local gardening guru.
[H4] Do you wholesale your coffee?
Yes, if you are interested in using our coffee in your café or shop, please contact us.
[H4] Do you sell green coffee?
Yes, a very little bit on the odd occasion, but not really. If you are interested in a particular coffee please contact us and we will make a recommendation.
[H4] Is there a strength guide to your coffees?
No. Strength is determined by how much coffee and water you use. If you enjoy a particular roast profile please contact us for a recommendation. However, the best way of figuring out what the coffee will taste like is to read the tasting notes on each coffee entry.

[H2] General

[H4] Do you do any classes for the public?
We don’t offer any courses but we can recommend the London School of Coffee for barista, espresso machine maintenance and roasting classes.
[H4] Do you offer roastery tours for the public?
No. Visits to our offices and roastery are by appointment only.
[H4] Do you have an ethical policy?
Our ethical policy is best covered by the What We Do section.
[H4] How do I contact any team or department not listed on your website?
Please email [email protected] and we will forward to the appropriate person.

[H2] Coffee Pods

[H4] Will your pods work in my machine?
Our pods are compatible with machines that use Nespresso® Original capsules — they will not work with Vertuo, Dolce Gusto®, or other types of pod machines.
[H4] What are your pods made of?
Aluminium. We chose this material because it has a good recyclability stream and the coffee tastes good.
[H4] Why not compostable pods?
Not a lot of us have good access to composting facilities. Most compostable items need to be processed in specific conditions to ensure that they break down properly. While they will still likely break down in landfill, this can take a long time, and will release methane in the process. In contrast, aluminium is widely recycled. Research shows us that around 75% of all aluminium that has ever been in circulation is still being recycled and reused.
[H4] How do I recycle the pods?
The pods can be recycled in several ways:
Option 1 — To add to your home recycling, firstly, empty the pod of ground coffee. You can split or peel the pod open and scoop out the coffee into your food waste. Rinse the emptied pod and add to your aluminium (can) recycling. It’s a good idea to stack empty pods and scrunch them into a ball to help the machinery sorters at the recycling facility.
Option 2 — Use the Podback drop-off service. Acquire a Podback bag for aluminium pods. The bags are available through us or through Podback. Once it is filled, create a label and drop off at a Yodel drop off shop.
Option 3 — Some councils offer kerbside collection of Podback bags. Check the Podback page to see whether this is an available option in your postcode. The kerbside collection uses a different bag which can be acquired from Podback.
Option 4 — Some councils offer Podback recycling points at their waste disposal and recycling centres. More information on podback.org/faqs#kerbside
[H4] What is Podback?
Podback is a free-to-user service which recycles aluminium and plastic pods in UK facilities. The coffee is removed and sent to anaerobic digesters which make biogas and compost, while the aluminium is recycled into products which are used in manufacturing across a range of industries. Pods are widely used and offer a lot of convenience, but they are difficult to manage in the current waste industry. Podback was set up by those in the coffee capsule industry to tackle this issue. Podback members now account for around 80% of the UK’s capsule industry. We joined Podback in November 2024.
Please see their website for more information about how they work and other recycling options in your area.
[H4] Is there anything else I should know about your pods?
You may find our pods run slower than some other brands. To get the flavour we wanted from these coffees, we aimed for a longer extraction time.