In the five years since developing a serious coffee habit, I have also acquired an unhealthy addiction to coffee-making gadgetry.
My kitchen overflows with grinders, gooseneck kettles, Aeropresses and other paraphernalia dedicated to making the perfect brew.
But despite all the toys, I know that the most important part of any cup of coffee remains the roasted beans.
Unfortunately, this is the one part I can’t do myself.
Luckily, these days, there are plenty of places to buy quality roasts. And because some of them are in our own backyard, we’ve put together a list of Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire’s best coffee roasters.
Long Walk Coffee
Address: 74 High St, Banchory AB31 5SS
Colin Redman may already be the owner of the fantastic Birdhouse Cafe in Banchory, but that hasn’t stopped him from thinking bigger.
So, when he went for a long walk with a friend during lockdown, the pair hatched a plan for a new business.
That project – the aptly-named Long Walk Coffee – launched last year and now roasts once a week in Aberdeen.
Colin rests each roast for two weeks prior to sale, and the extra time really lets the beans settle.
I picked up a 250g bag of a Colombian Long Walk roast (£8) and was delighted with the jammy flavours and mellow brew.
Highly recommended.
MorningDog Coffee
Address: 9, Huntly Cottages, Huntly Pl, Aboyne AB34 5HD
In February 2019, Alan Watson bought a big red coffee roaster from Spain and set it up in his Aboyne garden shed.
Thus MorningDog Coffee – named after Alan’s dog Pepe – was born.
MorningDog sells a range of small-batch single-origin coffee beans starting from about £8.50 per 250g bag.
Available online or from local farmer’s markets attended by Alan, MorningDog Coffee is about a speciality as it gets in Aberdeenshire roasting.
MacBeans
Address: 2 Little Belmont St, Aberdeen AB10 1JG
Long Walk and MorningDog may be relatively new, but coffee roasting in Aberdeenshire goes back some years.
And if you are looking for the best coffee roasters in Aberdeenshire, then you might want somewhere with experience.
MacBeans has been at it for more than 30 years and could be considered the granddaddy of the region’s modern coffee scene.
Housed on the corner of Back Wynd and Little Belmont St, the Aberdeen business has a wide range of quality roasts.
Owner Ian Cukrowski also offers a fine selection of teas.
Caber Coffee
Address: 614 Holburn St, Aberdeen AB10 7JQ
Caber is another stalwart of the Aberdeen roaster industry, and a key supplier of coffee and coffee equipment across the north and north-east.
The business also runs a barista school, so if you are looking to get into the trade it is a good place to start.
Roaring Stag Coffee Roasters
Address: Ballater Business Park, Craigview Rd, Ballater AB35 5PN
Beautiful river walks, soaring mountain scenery – Ballater has it all.
It also boasts a top-class coffee roaster in Roaring Stag, a husband-and-wife operation that makes a great selection of speciality roasts with solid local names such as Braveheart Roast and Cairngorm.
Prices start from about £7 per 250g bag, and they also do teas.
Figment Coffee
Address: 70 Countesswells Rd, Aberdeen AB15 7YJ
Figment operates out of a bright and airy coffee shop in Countesswells that serves as an excellent spot for lunch.
The coffee is great too, and I can personally vouch for the company’s decaffeinated blend.
But there is a wide selection of full-strength coffee on offer, including a roast of beans from Yunnan in southern China. The Gui Ben roast is on sale for £12 per 250g bag.
