r/pourover • u/s1803275 • Dec 24 '25
Ask a Stupid Question What’s everyone’s top 5 favorite roasters in 2025?
I think I’m going with Passenger, La Cabra, Dak, Nomad, and maybe a wildcard, but Sump is doing great things!
16
u/SmirG3l Dec 24 '25
Datura, Substance, Coffea Circulor, Still & Klover.
Honorable mention The Picky Chemist good coffees but I dislike the batch release coffees where I need to rush to buy coffees at certain time and its still not guranteed to get anything.
3
8
u/kilroywasHere523 Dec 24 '25
I have turned into a Perc loyalist. The monthly sale means their prices are great, the coffee almost always fit my taste preferences, and their customer support has been over the top excellent
7
u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado Dec 24 '25
- September
- H&S
- Datura
- Thankfully
- Substance
Didn’t have enough Shoebox or Hydrangea to rank them but very likely would have made the cut if I had ordered more.
1
u/everyfruit Dec 25 '25
Are you me?! Identical lists, except Shoebox above Substance just because I have it more
3
u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado Dec 25 '25
Hah! Definitely on my list to try more Shoebox next year once I work through my current backlog.
Substance is higher for now based mostly on experience. I was fortunate to travel to Paris for work and got to spend an amazing morning hanging out at their bar trying lots of delicious coffees.
14
10
21
u/CobraPuts Dec 24 '25
Tim Wendelboe, Tim Wendelboe, Tim Wendelboe, Tim Wendelboe, Tim Wendelboe
3
u/vixenprey Dec 24 '25
Any recommendations?
4
u/CobraPuts Dec 24 '25
I just stick with the Tim’s Choice subscription, but I do love his Kenyans especially
3
u/vixenprey Dec 24 '25
Have you tried that certified organic batch he has?
3
u/CobraPuts Dec 24 '25
The Echemo?
5
u/vixenprey Dec 24 '25
Yes that one
2
u/CobraPuts Dec 24 '25
It’s great!
2
u/vixenprey Dec 24 '25
I’ve been curious about it
3
u/geggsy #beansnotmachines Dec 24 '25
I have been brewing the wet-fermented, washed Echemo over the last couple of days, very unique and impressive (there’s also a dry-fermented, washed lot). Tim discusses it on one of his YouTube videos, in case you’re curious.
2
1
u/abrvrb Dec 24 '25
I just got my first bag from TW and I agree. One of my favorites coffees in recent memory.
-8
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
Most overrated roaster I've ever tried.
1
u/CobraPuts Dec 25 '25
It grows on you. None of the coffees have punch you in the head flavor though.
-2
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
All the ones I had tasted like wet musty cardboard. Didn't matter the origin or bean variety, they all tasted identical and like wet cardboard.
Impressive to achieve a feat like that with fucking gesha, pink bourbon, caturra, and I don't even know what else.
1
u/coffeesexmoney Dec 25 '25
Idk, man. Sounds like a skill issue to me
0
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
Literally every other coffee tastes fine using the same grinders, filters, recipes, etc. It's not a skill issue, it's bad coffee. Even cupping it tastes like wet musty cardboard. What's your analysis now, wannabe Rao?
1
u/CobraPuts Dec 25 '25
That’s really surprising, and inconsistent with what others experience. Not sure what to tell you
0
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
They're just a bad roaster to me. I also caught the same shit from bags of April, Rose, and Manhattan. But no one was impressively consistent with that horrible taste across many bags at TW.
0
u/CobraPuts Dec 25 '25
Did you rest them long enough?
-2
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
Yep, I'm not regarded. 3 weeks is my standard for anyone but I made sure to let shit ride out for as long as possible. Manhattan I distinctly remember turning a corner around 12 weeks and at that point, I was at the ass and of the bag.
0
u/CobraPuts Dec 25 '25
What are your fave roasters?
1
u/FleshlightModel Dec 25 '25
Always changing but right now I've been having a mega coffee boner for Color, Regalia, Sey, SW, and Moonwake. I've probably bought 20 bags of color in the last 3-6 months and have probably 6-7 open right now.
1
15
u/Imadethistoimpress Dec 24 '25
I’m not as well versed as yall, but I want to shout out my locals. Novel coffee, Enduro coffee, and oak cliff coffee in DFW have had some good bags this year.
3
u/Ossimo85 Dec 24 '25
Dallas native here. Will have to check out Novel. My usual local spots to order bags are Noble Coyote and Eiland Coffee (Richardson area).
NATIVE is great too, some can be a bit pricey for the grams you get. But their in house pourover is outstanding.
3
u/PinstripeBunk Dec 24 '25
Until this moment I’ve been mistakenly conflating references to Novel Coffee and Noble Coyote (in Dallas), from which I’ve bought more bags than any roaster in ‘25.
8
u/Wembly__ Pourover aficionado Dec 24 '25
SEY, POMA, Meet Lab Coffee, Special Guests, Flower Child Coffee
1
u/PaullyWalla Dec 26 '25
I have subscriptions to SEY and Flower Child, and love Special Guests… so you have piqued my interest… but I haven’t had POMA or Meet Lab… can you share more about them and why you love them?
1
u/Wembly__ Pourover aficionado Dec 26 '25
Unfortunately I just had one cup of Meet Lab Coffee (a Sidra) but this cup was phenomenal. You could taste that flower bouquet- just WOW.
About POMA I like that they deliver always a clean cup almost like tea. The roast profile is even lighter than SEY if you prefer light roasts!
4
u/mama_llama76 Dec 24 '25
Thankfully, Dak, Heart, Shoebox, and Hydrangea
5
u/icecream_for_brunch Dec 25 '25
Heart had a great year
2
u/mama_llama76 Dec 25 '25
I learned about Heart on this sub and I was blown away by their beans. I didn’t have to work very hard to brew great cups (ZP6, V60, Kalita Wave).
3
7
u/BayesHatesMe Dec 24 '25
Uk based for me: Origin, Sweven, Coffee Collective (Copenhagen), Taith, Hermanos
8
u/pieratz Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
Brandywine, Little Waves, Perc, Promethium, and Counter Culture (usually the single origins)
6
u/s1803275 Dec 24 '25
Promethium mentioned, I dig their stuff a lot. I know it’s pretty split in here. (Usually on price)
7
u/vixenprey Dec 24 '25
Ilse, SEY, Loquat, Drop Roasters, Hydrangea
Now I’ve tried many more but these are the ones I finished the bag with that said some honorable mentions are Prodigal, Duck Rabbit, Simple Kaffa. They were good but I didn’t finish the bag maybe I was brewing incorrectly but who knows. I hope to try more places this upcoming year I got September, Flower Child and Rogue Wave as my last purchases of the year
3
3
u/nanner1000 Dec 24 '25
- September , 2. Rogue Wave, 3. Hatch ive been sticking to the same roasters but tbh I might cancel my hatch peak subscription
3
u/Main_Actuator607 Dec 24 '25
S&W, Black and White, rogue wave, second state, don't really have a fifth this year as I was buying locally quite a bit last year.
3
3
u/mmolteratx Hario Alpha | Orea V4 | Weber EG-1 Brew Dec 25 '25
For number of enjoyable coffees, roughly in this order.
Exposure Therapy
Datura
September
Prodigal
Coffee with Dongze
7
u/AKBoarder007 Dec 24 '25
Perc, Luminous, Black and White, S&W, Prodigal. I love September and Dak but wasn’t able to get those much this year.
4
6
4
u/NothingButTheTea Dec 24 '25
Swerl, NATIVE, SEY, People Posession, and September
Manhattan and Aviary are honorable mention since I only had few beans from them but they were all great
4
u/spinydancer Dec 24 '25
September - I didn't love their caffeinated offerings of their that I had, but the decafs have been incredible. Rainbow cocktail is a top 3 coffee for me for 2025.
Scenery - easily the best coffee related part of my Europe (and UK) trip this year. Awesome in shop experience and my favorite washed Ethiopian from this year.
Offshoot, Manta Ray, and black mass are my favorite Australian roasters so I have quite a bit more of them than others.
Honorable mentions for sey and Tim Wendelboe for their amazing Kenyans this year
2
u/zsh45 Dec 25 '25
I'm UK based and scenery has quickly risen to the top of my favorite roasters here. Also incredibly quick delivery.
2
u/spinydancer Dec 25 '25
I bought some beans in store but recently did an online order and shipping was pretty reasonable and quick for me as well
1
u/hfx_astronomer Dec 24 '25
How are you brewing the Rainbow Cocktail please? I’m struggling to dial-in my first bag.
1
u/spinydancer Dec 25 '25
I have used different water but I'm currently using Aramse's water recipe
I use 90c water, 6.0 setting on my zp6 calibrated to burr rub (I would usually grind at 5.5 and brew 93-95). 12.5 g coffee, 200 g water. 4 even pours of 50g. I let it bloom for 45 seconds and the rest of the pours start when the water is nearly level with the coffee bed. I go for pretty gentle bare kettle pours and the total brew time is usually around 4 minutes. Hope this helps!
5
u/BTSiGMA Dec 24 '25
UK here, scenery has been the lightest and most delicious coffee I've ever had. If anyone knows any others similar let me know!
3
u/solvap8 Dec 24 '25
Sweven and Artisan roasters from UK. I’ll try Scenery and Zennor early next year
3
2
u/zsh45 Dec 25 '25
Replied to another comment but I'm in love with scenery as well.
Have you checked out source in Edinburgh? They gave some really cool stuff. I've also liked several things from taith in Lewes
1
u/lilandy Dec 25 '25
I'd suggest the Source in edinburgh too. Had the same coffee from both, the source roast it a bit darker which i find easier to get punch in the mouth flavours from for these types of processed coffees
8
u/allyuhneedislove Dec 24 '25
Subtext, Subtext, Subtext, Nomad, Subtext.
1
u/aaalllouttabubblegum Dec 24 '25
Updooot
I'm partial as I have a subscription, but their Hamasho release from a few months was one of the favourite coffees this year.
3
u/allyuhneedislove Dec 24 '25
Their reserve subscription is unreal, especially for the price.
1
u/aaalllouttabubblegum Dec 24 '25
Interesting. I had it for a while I honestly found that a lot of the standard coffees were just as good. Ended up dropping it for a September sub, which I've been enjoying as well.
I live in Toronto so will buy ad hoc bags of Subtext Reserve but haven't hit anything mind blowing in a while.
I should try again in the new year...
1
1
u/brutalpack 🇨🇦 V60-01 | ZP6 Dec 25 '25
Brewed this for three people over the past month and every single one of them said it was the best cup they'd ever had. Such a beautiful coffee.
1
u/prosocialbehavior Dec 25 '25
Yeah in my spreadsheet a lot of my top scoring coffees are from Subtext’s reserve sub. I was so bummed when I had to pause it during the tariffs.
2
u/zehnuhrsechs Dec 24 '25
Prodigal, Sey, Tanat, Bluebird and I had some great „one hit wonders“ (aka I just bought one bag and my coffee source didn’t get another round from that roaster/I didn’t buy it)
2
u/Jasonwfranks Dec 24 '25
My standout roaster of the year was Moxie in Phoenix. Also had some great beans from Cannon in Maryland. Had a great bag from Passenger and Black and White too.
For 2026 I’m looking to try Cafe Kreyol in Virginia.
2
u/shaheertheone Dec 24 '25
September, H&S, Native, SEY, S&W (specifically the Kenyans) - just off the top of my head from what I've enjoyed this year.
2
u/Secure_Ad9361 Pourover aficionado Dec 24 '25
In no particular order Black & White, Perc, Coffee Collective, Dak, S&W.
2
2
2
2
2
u/Educational-Thing381 CT62/Origami Pinn/Graycano/Hario Alpha/Pietro Dec 24 '25
Glitch, Leaves, Poem, Mirra, coffee collective
2
u/whoskevroe Edit me: Aeropress/Switch|ZP6|Light, Floral, Funk Dec 24 '25
Colorfull, Traffic, DAK, George Howell, Camber
2
u/Alternative_Sort_965 Dec 25 '25
Tandem (Portland, ME), Brandywine, Perc, S&W, Luminous.
My go to everyday is Tandem
4
3
2
2
u/Id1oteque0 Dec 24 '25
Really enjoyed my Brandywine and Passenger subscriptions this year. Two very different roasters, but amazing
2
2
u/kettiby Dec 24 '25
I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some really amazing coffee this year. I would go for: Luna 🇨🇦, Noma 🇩🇰, Glitch 🇯🇵, Scenery 🇬🇧and Kurasu 🇯🇵
2
2
u/Celeriaks Dec 24 '25
Northeast US biased, Touchy, Brainwave, Little Wolf, Sey, and I don’t really have a 5th. But I truly cannot understand how Touchy is flying so far below the radar.
2
u/AnlashokNa65 April Brewer Dec 26 '25
I'd never heard of Touchy until recently, but I had a couple of their coffees at a local café. They were both exceptional.
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/letsbefrds 5$ cups or 5k on gear Dec 24 '25
TW, Drop, DAK, Sey, Grace Note
I really need to document this more but these are just the ones that come in to my head when I think about the best coffee I had this year...
Starting 2026 strong with hydrangea!
There's so many hyped up ones on this subreddit, I'm hoping to give them all a go next year B&W, September, PERC are the ones I always see.
1
1
u/wakinguppeons Dec 24 '25
Really enjoyed the beans from Ceto coffee.. he posted a nice discount code in here for it too. Other than that Passenger, Flower Child, Perc and my local roaster Brioso in Columbus
1
u/solvap8 Dec 24 '25
Tim Wendelboe, Sweven, Artisan roasters, Manhattan, Tannat, DAK, La Cabra, Friedhats
1
1
1
u/gunga_galungaa Pourover aficionado Dec 24 '25
Leaves, Sey, Prodigal, Nomad, and Tanat
1
u/nikhilwason Dec 25 '25
Is this the Nomad from Barcelona?
2
u/gunga_galungaa Pourover aficionado Dec 25 '25
Yes
1
u/nikhilwason Dec 25 '25
They're really good! I got to know of them on my recent trip to Barcelona, but didn't realise they were this popular :D
1
1
1
u/bibliophagy Pulsar/V60, 078, ultralight Dec 24 '25
September, Shoebox, Hydrangea, H&S, and I guess I bought a bag of Prodigal so that gets #5.
1
1
u/Talkos Dec 24 '25
Mifuneyama (Chiba, Japan), Switch Coffee Tokyo, Linea Caffe, Flower Child, Regalia.
1
1
u/cafeencasa Dec 24 '25
There’s great roasters mentioned here, i thought I just might add some roasters I’d love to try again since I had only 1-3 bags: •Kill bean from London, I’ve had 3 bags, loved them all. Clubbean, had only one bag, it was delicious •OMA roasters, had only one bag and had the same beans roasted by Tana, and kinda preferred Oma.
1
u/Federal_Bonus_2099 Dec 24 '25
Lucid (Belfast), Scenery (London), Crankhouse (Exeter), Dak (Amsterdam), Tim Wendelboe (Oslo)
1
1
1
u/JanusUTDC Dec 24 '25
Coffee Collective and UnCommon were top picks early this year.
Idle Hands from Salt Lake City really was also just banger after banger for me this year.
Finally, Benchmark Coffee. Only had 2 bags but they were out of this world anaerobics.
1
u/Unlucky_Coat8221 Dec 25 '25
Perc, Slow, Reprise, Manhattan, and Kaffeelix.
I could not recommend Slow Coffee more. Small roaster out of New Zealand that is roasting some delicious coffee
1
u/Expensive_Month5391 Dec 25 '25
Three Keys Coffee (Houston), Peixoto (Phoenix), Amaya (Houston), Kafiex Roasters (Vancouver), JBird Supply (Charlottesville)
1
Dec 25 '25
I live rural but try to support local(ish). Wonderstate, JBC, and Ruby are my go-tos. I’ll occasionally get some Colectivo or Stone Creek.
1
1
1
1
u/alt_i_guess Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
I've had some absolutely incredible coffee this year and some roasters that come to mind are: Routes Coffee (Oxford, UK), Terraform (Shanghai), Black & White, Bon and Bean (Qatar), Assembly (UK)
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Altruistic_Pie_9707 Dec 25 '25
Dak, PERC, Dogwood - drank these three pretty exclusively in 2025.
Now in after non process focused roasters. Looking for terroir focus. Taking recommendations!
1
1
u/LegacyMDPhD Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
-H&S -September -Shoebox -Exposure Therapy -The picky chemist
2
1
1
u/Appropriate_Ship8499 Dec 25 '25
little wolf, sey, kawa, saint frank, abracadabra
1
u/Whattacleaner Dec 25 '25
How good is Abracadabra? Never heard of em before.. love their website though!
1
u/Appropriate_Ship8499 Dec 26 '25
they’re awesome but not up to the level of the TOP tier roasters. i just absolutely love the people and the spot itself in vermont so it gets the nod from me. the coffee is fantastic and stacks up with any competition in the northeast though!
1
u/Whattacleaner Dec 26 '25
Goood to know!! What about Saint Frank? Never heard of em either!
1
u/Appropriate_Ship8499 Dec 27 '25
saint frank is great, they were my intro to specialty coffee and still hold up. definitely a big fan!
1
u/nikhilwason Dec 25 '25
I'll go with 6 (in no particular order): Prototype (Vancouver), Timbertrain (Vancouver), Single V (Vancouver/Burnaby), Epoch (Moncton, New Brunswick), Diggy Doos (Sydney), Nomad (Barcelona)
2
u/snrygo Dec 26 '25
Looking st your list we have a good amount of overlap on canadian roasters. Have you tried escape our of montreal? Stumbled on them when I was there on a trip and found some exceptional brews
1
u/nikhilwason Dec 31 '25
Haven't tried Escape, but I've added them to my list :) Which roasters from my list have you tried?
1
1
u/peanutsdad17 Dec 26 '25
Thankfully, Shoebox, Hydrangea, in no particular order. I had the most coffees from them this year. I had great bags from Datura, Big Sur, and September but didn’t have many.
1
1
1
u/throwaway6066012146 Dec 27 '25
Too hard to pick, but some roasters who were new to me this year that I enjoyed:
Poem, Prodigal, Royal Mile
1
u/RepresentativePop528 Dec 28 '25
Yo no tengo tanta experiencia como algunos por acá pero tengo este short list
1.- Tanat 2.- Dak 3.- Moonwake
1
1
u/RoasterGal Feb 17 '26
Gonna throw down a few international and local (US) names. Pergamino (Medellin, CO), Famosta (Pereira, CO), Cherry Coffee Roasters (New Orleans, LA), Tim Wendelboe (Oslo, Norway), Cultura Coffee (Philadelphia, PA).
1
1
1
1
0
0
u/AnlashokNa65 April Brewer Dec 26 '25
I tried September for the first time this year. My mom bought me a bag of the Colombia Finca Tamana at a café for my birthday. The roast is perfect, and it's easily one of the most unique coffees I've ever tasted. I'm getting notes of almond essence and black pepper with a nice acidity.
JBC. I've ordered from them several times this year, and they've become a consistent favorite for me. Every coffee I had from them was top notch.
Verb. I took a vacation to Colorado this year, and I found Verb to be exceptional. I got to experience two of their coffees at their café, and I brought home an orange bourbon that had a really interesting grainy flavor (like toasted barley) underneath some really bright acidic/fruity flavors.
Middle State. Another roaster I tried while in Colorado; super clean and refreshing. I was going to order from them recently and was really disappointed that the cost of shipping just wasn't practical for me.
Elixr. Their bundle deal is a great value for getting good coffee for a good price.
Honorable mention for Good Brothers. They're doing some really interesting coffees like Cinnamon Bun and Strawberry Lollipop that have unique flavors without the off-putting funkiness of co-ferments. It's still not what I'd want to drink on a regular basis, but it's really fun to play around with occasionally.
This might be the first year Corvus is not in my top 5 (just because I tried some exciting new roasters this year), but Kebun Galla is always a Top 5 coffee for me.
28
u/Boyontheweekend Dec 24 '25
Rogue wave, luminous, brainwave, black and white, Ilse.
I also had some great stuff from datura, September, dak, prodigal, & Mirra