15 Of The Best Coffee Roasters In America

Coffee is just one of those things that makes your day a little brighter and a little easier to take on. As the cost of everything seems to be rising — coffee included — many of us still make room in our budget for this magical beverage. But the market is flooded with roasters, making it difficult for consumers to find the best of the best. Big chains offer up cheap brews using commodity-grade, low-quality beans and roast them to a darker level, masking imperfections. While there's nothing wrong with this, if you're truly looking for the best, you're better off focusing on specialty (or third wave) coffee roasters.

Specialty roasters are a step up from chains in that they go out of their way to source the highest quality beans and roast them gently to preserve terroir and unique flavors. They also deal directly with farmers, paying them a premium for their harvests. These roasters prioritize transparency at all levels, from sourcing beans to roast dates. Then, at the cafe level, baristas pull the best shots of espresso using single origin beans with complex flavor notes.

For our list, we chose specialty roasters with at least 10 years of experience, who have eponymous cafes in their hometowns, as well as wide-ranging coffee menus and favorable online reviews. We'll also highlight noteworthy aspects that make these roasters truly stand out.

Founded in 2009 in Portland, Oregon, Heart has been around for long enough to be considered a stalwart specialty roaster. The project was launched by Wille Yli-Luoma, who relocated from Finland to the Pacific Northwest to launch a career as a professional snowboarder. A hard left turn and career change led Wille and his partner Rebekah to turn their passion project into what is now a full-time roastery with two cafes.

Heart is known for its clean, minimalist packaging and for sourcing exclusively washed coffees, as opposed to naturals or infused coffees. This approach makes the company purists, actively curating coffees that show pure expression of the terroir, rather than processing methods. At the time of publishing, Heart offers single origin coffees from Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Honduras, as well as a seasonal blend. Its coffees are "omni roasts," which means Heart only uses one roast profile, allowing the coffees to be extracted for espresso or filter methods. This allows customers to explore different brewing methods without being restricted to a single style. Heart has wholesale partners around the country, so you may see its bags on the shelves of your local specialty cafe if you're lucky.

Sey started in the industry in 2013, opening a shop in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. In this industrial zone, the founders led a renaissance, pushing the boundaries of New York's then-lackluster coffee scene. Sey is known for its meticulous sourcing and Scandinavian style, super light roasts. Like Heart, it offers omni roasts and exclusively washed coffee, to let all of its roasting expertise shine in the cup. You can expect to see fruity Pink Bourbon varietals grown in Colombia on Sey's menu quite often, in addition to other origins like Burundi and Ethiopia, depending on seasonal availability.

If you journey to its Brooklyn location, the roastery and café exude cozy vibes. Natural light beams down from skylights, lush plants hang from the ceiling, and glass walls provide views of the engine of Sey: a shiny, stainless steel Loring roaster. The café serves as a showcase for its coffee program, where attentive, tattooed baristas guide customers through the rotating bean selections. Sey's coffees are sold in boxes with pull-out info cards, making for the perfect gift.

Established in 1995 in Durham, North Carolina, Counter Culture has maintained a strong presence in the specialty coffee scene for three decades now, making it one of the oldest roasters on our list. It has grown immensely over the years, and is currently available at hundreds of retail locations in almost every state.  

What sets it apart is how many people it can please at once. Counter Culture does organic coffee, light roasts, medium roasts, dark roasts, single origins, blends, super fruity and floral, as well as chocolatey and caramel crowd-pleasers. At the time of publishing, there are 14 different options on its site, uniquely offering "Even Keel Half-Caff," which as the name would suggest, is a 50% decaf 50% regular coffee blend. This is a nice option for the late afternoon for the days when you just need a bit more fuel but don't want to overdo the caffeine.

Counter Culture's Tasting at Ten events take place in cities like Durham, Boston, New York, and Dallas, inviting coffee lovers of all walks to explore its menu each Friday at 10 a.m. These events cater to everyone from curious newcomers to hardcore coffee geeks, offering a fun, hands-on way to taste through the varying menu.

In 2013, after leaving Ceremony Coffee in Annapolis, Andy Sprenger headed back to his native Colorado to start Sweet Bloom in Lakewood. Specialty coffee was in full swing and he was making big waves in the industry. Andy earned respect by winning the US Brewers Cup Championship twice, placing as runner-up at the World Brewers Cup, and winning the U.S. AeroPress Championship. This undeniable success was the result of countless hours roasting, brewing, refining, and starting over to perfect both the roasted beans and the final brew. Of course, he had some help with everything. His wife Laurel initially helped with bookkeeping and designed the trademark aesthetic and artwork for Sweet Bloom's coffee bags, often adorned with hand-drawn coffee tree leaves and exotic botanicals.

Given Sweet Bloom's bonafides, it should come as no surprise that its Reed Street roastery and café in Lakewood boasts impressive online ratings, making it a worthwhile destination. Customers can enjoy classics like single-origin espresso shots, cold brew, pour-overs, and more.

At 30 years old, Intelligentsia is tied in age with a couple of other roasters on this list and is set to celebrate a significant milestone this year. Founded in Chicago in 1995, Intelligentsia entered a market where specialty coffee was barely part of the conversation, and only a handful of roasters sourced transparently or offered single-origin roasts. Its green coffee buyer Geoff Watts, who joined in 1997, became somewhat of a legend, pioneering direct trade in Central and South America in the mid-2000s. Fast forward years later, Intelligentsia now sits comfortably as a foundational roaster in the American specialty scene, with 11 cafe locations. It has recently expanded to a thirsty crowd overseas, with three locations in Korea.

Intelligentsia's coffee menu spans comforting dark roasts, seasonal blends, organic and instant coffee, and fruit-forward light roasts. What sets it apart in today's market is its two distinct roast profiles: one for filter brewing and the other for espresso. Intelligentsia maintains a commitment to transparency by providing farm information, processing methods, tasting notes, and recommended brew recipes for each coffee on its site.

Founded in 2008 in Grand Rapids, Madcap Coffee is a Midwest heavy hitter. With 17 years in the game, it has become synonymous with specialty coffee in the Midwest, alongside Illinois neighbors at Intelligentsia. Currently, Madcap's brick-and-mortar locations are limited to Michigan — it has two locations in Grand Rapids, one in Leland, and one in Detroit. While non-Michigan residents can only hope for future expansion, Madcap offers online shipping, allowing easy access to some of the Midwest's finest beans.

As of this writing, Madcap offers eight single origin options, eight blends, and cascara online. Cascara, for those unfamiliar, is the outer skin of the coffee fruit — or cherry — that is dried to then be brewed like a tea. This unique offering allows coffee enthusiasts to experience the essence of the coffee fruit, which contains caffeine and features refreshing, complex tasting notes such as hibiscus, cinnamon, and peach.

Founded in 1995 just north of San Francisco by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell, Equator Coffees is another roastery is celebrating 30 years of operation. It now operate eleven locations, primarily in the Bay Area, with a few in and around Los Angeles. 

Equator is big on organic coffees, with an active program called "Regenerative Organic Certified" (ROC) that has grown from one producer partner in 2022 to three in 2023. Its regenerative farming partnerships are based in Nicaragua (Sacaclí and Las Hermanas) and Peru (Chirinos). At the time of publishing, it offers a whopping 19 different single origin coffees online, with both filter and espresso roast profiles, in addition to five different degrees of roast development from light to dark.

In 2023, Equator expanded beyond its usual washed and natural process coffees by introducing co-fermented coffees sourced from producer partners at Finca Santa Monica in Colombia. Equator currently sells eight different decaf coffee variations, which is quite something — most roasters typically carry one, if two, decaf bags online.

Onyx Coffee Lab might sound like a fancy and daunting name, but we assure you this roaster makes tasty coffees that are approachable. For years now, Onyx has been capturing the imagination of coffee drinkers of all stripes. It began in 2012 in Rogers, Arkansas, and has grown substantially over the years.

What sets it apart from the status quo is that for the last 10 years, its team of baristas have been dominating SCA-sanctioned coffee competitions, notably placing in the top 10 consistently in the U.S. Cup Tasters Championship, U.S. Brewers Cup, U.S. Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, and World Barista Championships. Onyx also won a Good Food Award for its Terroir chocolate bar line. The company certainly made a name for itself both at home and abroad.

Onyx currently has four cafe locations in Northwest Arkansas. Hopefully, fans will see Onyx expand to new states soon. With such a strong reputation, you might spot its beans at your local third-wave café as a featured guest roaster — if you're lucky.

Founded in 2014 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Passenger has been chugging along for over a decade now. This small and unassuming town is proudly home to a progressive specialty roaster known for its exceptional quality control and consistency.

Passenger does some unique things, like offering reserve lots from as far back as 2022. This is possible because it freezes its green coffee to preserve freshness— a rare practice among even the very best roasters. It also sells over a dozen high-quality loose teas as a counterpoint to its robust coffee menu.

It has two locations in the town of Lancaster, with remarkably positive online reviews. Though Passenger may be one of the lesser known roasters on this list, it is definitely worth exploring. And if you happen to be in Lancaster or passing through, then a visit is a must, or at the very least, grab a bag of beans online.

Perhaps the most recognizable name on this list, Blue Bottle is considered a pioneer of the early 2000s third wave coffee movement. It was founded in 2002 in Oakland by James Freeman, and the company now has almost 100 locations across the United States and Asia, with flagship cafes featured in San Francisco, New York City, and Tokyo.

Surely you've seen Blue Bottle's iconic cold brew cans at your local corner store in the drinks section, and perhaps you've enjoyed a few on a bleary-eyed morning. The real treat, however, is its cafes, known for thoughtful, Japanese-inspired design, which influences both its products and cafe aesthetics. Blue Bottle does both espresso and filter roasts, with single origin and blends on offer, roasted dark or light, in addition to four craft instant coffees and a New Orleans-style instant coffee. What sets this roaster apart is the fact that it sells proprietary craft matcha (both in-store and online), sourced from Uji, Japan.

The Sightglass story began in 2009 in San Francisco, where a booming coffee scene inspired new ventures across the city. Starting as a small coffee pop-up, Sightglass now boasts three established cafes in San Francisco and one in Los Angeles, standing the test of time. The name refers to the glass viewing window on a traditional steel drum roaster, which allows the roaster to carefully monitor the transformation of raw green coffee as it slowly browns. It may sound nerdy, but it's this very focus on the small details that has contributed to Sightglass' success.

The company offers a well-rounded menu with nine single origin options at the time of publication, including organic and regenerative farmed coffees. It sources seasonally and currently offer three Mexican coffees, a country that has often been overlooked by third wave roasters, which sets the roaster apart. It also offers blends, espresso-only roasts, instant coffee, and decaf options — something for everyone.

With a roasting history dating back to 1974, George Howell is the oldest roaster on our list and arguably one of the most influential. Founded by Mr. Howell himself in 2004 in Acton, Massachusetts, his name commands respect among all generations of baristas, roasters, and green buyers. Simply put, he is to the coffee industry what Steve Jobs was to tech: An innovator, pioneer, and an elder statesman obsessed with creating the best product possible.

George's first foray into coffee was with "The Coffee Connection," in Cambridge's Harvard Square. From 1975 to 1994, he ran the company, roasting high-quality coffees in a progressive style that was uncommon at the time. He sold the company to Starbucks before founding the Cup of Excellence program in 1999, an international estate coffee competition and auction that pushed farmers toward specialty standards and away from low quality, commodity coffees. Five years later he began his eponymous roasting venture, which expanded to five locations in and around the Boston area. Coffee geeks will love to hear that George Howell freezes its green coffee prior to roasting, to preserve freshness.

Founded in 2007 in the surf town of Santa Cruz, this California roaster has been riding the wave of progressive West Coast roasts for years now. Founders Ryan O'Donovan and Colby Barr began the project modestly, surely without imagining 12 locations in California, from L.A. to San Francisco to Palo Alto, and now four spaces and a roastery in Japan. Yet, after all this growth, the company remains independently owned and continues to meticulously roast coffees the same way it did 18 years ago when it started.

It currently has 17 coffees of whole bean offerings on its site at time of this writing, along with 11 instant coffees and three flash brew nitro coffee cans. Verve also offers a very robust coffee subscription service. What makes it stand out is that instead of shipping roasted coffee halfway around the world to its Japanese cafes, Verve opted to open a roastery there. The Kamakura roastery has a 25-kilo Probat drum roaster to do the heavy lifting, providing tasty beans for its local Japanese operations.

While Intelligentsia may have dominated the Chicago specialty scene for quite some time, Metric has been around long enough now to become a favorite among Windy City coffee lovers. Founded in 2013, it has a West Town flagship cafe, roastery, training and headquarters. 

With 12 years of experience, Metric sticks with what works. On the menu, its offers washed, natural, and honey-processed coffees in addition to must-have decaf. In this way, its coffees are clean and expressive, rather than process-forward and overly funky/fermented. The company claims to be driven by "radical transparency" and visits its producer partners at origin, paying them a fair price for their beans. At the roastery, Metric makes use of a vintage Probat UG15 and a Probat P25, traditional steel drum roasters known for their reliability and quality. All of this adds up to consistent, quality-focused coffees that will keep you coming back.

Stumptown is probably on your radar if you've been drinking specialty coffee over the years, as it might almost seem omnipresent. From grocery store aisles to cozy cafe nooks, the company started small and later sold to Peet's Coffee & Tea in 2015. Yet, it still does things the same and offer a myriad of coffees to keep even the most jaded coffee geek interested.

The company was founded by Duane Sorenson in Portland, Oregon, in 1999, and was influential to many plaid-adorned independent cafe owners in the early 2000s. In 2004, Stumptown joined cohorts George Howell, Geoff Watts of Intelligentsia, and others for a Best of Panama auction which unearthed the best coffee in the world at the time — a geisha varietal of bean that tasted like "fresh-squeezed orange juice, bergamot, nutmeg and Champagne," according to Sorenson. In the interim years, it became known for its single origin beans, which it continued to offer, in addition to cold brew, blends, decaf, and French roast for those who prefer smoky, bold flavors.

In Portland, Stumptown currently has five locations, including one at the airport, offering a leveled-up coffee experience to surpass Dunkin' or whatever else might be available in Terminal C. It also has a modest presence in Los Angeles with one location there. For our East Coast readers, Stumptown can be found in New York, with three locations in the city. And the roaster also has a location in Kyoto at the Ace Hotel, rounding out a swanky hospitality experience for visitors.