When the @pourovergod messaged me to write a guest blog for him, quite frankly I was ecstatic. If you don’t have an idea what I’m talking about, Andy has built an impressive community of 400,000 followers on Instagram. He is the curator of @portafilter.ae, @humansofcoffee, @coffeeshopgoals, @manmakecoffee & @foodfluffer.

Yes, Andy is fond of coffee and he founded portafilter, an online magazine about the coffee, culture and people of the Middle East. The post is now live and you can read it here.

Since Andy has done a post on specialty coffee shops in Dubai, I think a curated list on roasteries is a must. I visit these roasteries often and I also find myself ordering their coffee regularly, to brew at home of course.

I have a mantra when I buy coffee that I follow very strictly i.e. Try before buy. One out of every three coffee bags I buy end up not as exciting as I thought it would be.

This is why coffee has to ignite that spark on the taste buds. Brewing at home has become an important part of my morning routine, and good coffee ensures a good start to the day.

TL;DR: Check the guide below if this post is too long.

Disclaimer: This is by no means an exhaustive list. This is not my top five either. I just cannot find it in my heart to rate these roasters and their coffee. All are equal in my opinion, and they have their own unique way of presenting the coffee to the customer.

So, here goes:

The Espresso Lab Roastery

The Espresso Lab needs no introduction, it is a Dubai born artisan cafe and roastery founded by the Emirati entrepreneur - Ibrahim Al Mallouhi. This is The House of Champions - Ibrahim and his team have won the majority of UAE Barista and Brewers Championships since 2015.

Some of my most memorable coffee experiences were at the roastery and it’s my favorite place to be. My first visit here was with Lameen aka From Coffee With Love. One of the best Geisha I have had here was the Panama Perci from Ninety Plus Coffee with notes of Pomegranates, Apricot, Dark Chocolate and Green Apple.

What was most striking was the aroma of Jackfruits. It instantly took me back to my childhood days to a scene where my parents were cutting Jackfruit in India. The whole house would have this pleasant smell for days.

The Espresso Lab Roastery is located in Al Quoz, you can find it here.

Grandmother Coffee Roastery

Grandmother‘s new roastery is voluminous, spacious and features a beautiful well-designed barista bar. This is by far one of the top ones for me.

The hanging clay pots above the bar give it a 3D wave like effect. Seats are set up by the bar designed for customers to interact with the baristas as they prepare your drink.

I like this concept and it works in my favor as it gives me a chance to note down their top secret recipes. Trust me when I tell you this, be prepared to spend hours here and talk about nothing but coffee.

The roastery is headed by Freddie and he has been in the coffee business for the past decade. He still talks about coffee as his new-found passion and this is as refreshing as their coffee menu. I have a more detailed post about the roastery here.

Their Carbonic Macerated Ethiopia from Project Origin is my all-time favorite. But recently Kim, junior roaster, who also competed in the UAE National Barista Championship 2021 made me try the Colombia Geisha Maximus.

What’s so special about this coffee? Let’s just say that this coffee hits the Panama Geisha out of the park. It is one of those super-premium beans undergoing a complex double anaerobic fermentation process with notes of jasmine, plums and pineapple.

Grandmother Coffee Roastery is located in Al Quoz, you can find it here.

Cypher Roastery

Cypher opened its doors in 2016. Fun fact: the closer you get to this roastery, the smell of the coffee gets stronger. Even inside the car. I might have issues with my AC filter but I’m not complaining.

I still remember my first visit a year ago and again accompanying me was Lameen. He is my coffee buddy after all. The space is massive and straightforward, a very long barista bar capable of handling pesky walk-in customers like us.

We were approached by Milo Sekulovic, Q grader and roaster, who showed us around the facility - the roastery, storage, packing and distribution station.

There was a massive Probat roaster which made quite an impression. Probably taking a power nap before it starts roaring and roasting large amounts of coffee again. A tour is not complete without tasting some coffee.

Milo brewed a Cortado using beans from Uganda Chanzo. The main course was the V60, the beans he used was Diego Samuel from Colombia. This is from their Nobility line, which meant the cup score is over 90. Lameen has documented our visit in detail on his blog.

Cypher Roastery is located in Al Quoz, you can find it here.

RoR Coffee Roastery

Ever since RoR Coffee Roastery started its inception at Daily Dose Lounge, their roaster at the time - Dragan has always been kind enough to involve me in occasional cupping sessions.

The most memorable coffee I have had here was the Maragogype varietal from the farm - Panama Hartmann. The size of the beans are massive and also referred to as Elephant beans.

The new operation in Al Quoz is much bigger. You are greeted by a very clean barista bar surrounded by coffee accessories courtesy coffeedesk.ae.

Sherryl, head roaster, was the 2021 UAE Cup Taster Champion. What this means is that the coffee roasted here is top-notch. Their Colombia Paraiso Lychee is a must try!

Did you know that RoR is the acronym for Rate of Rise. This is the rate at which the coffee temperature changes within the roasting machine. Apt name for a roastery. This was my second post on the blog, a very interesting visit. You can read it here.

RoR Coffee Roastery is located in Al Quoz, you can find it here.

Roast Story

Roast Story is a new roastery that popped up out of nowhere earlier this year. To tell you the truth, I spotted a ROEST on their Instagram feed and that was one of the main reasons for visiting this place.

This has become one of my favorite places to get work done. High ceilings, natural light and great ambience. Order their Brazilian flat white to start off, and a Colombian Castillo on V60 to taste some of that honey sweet fruity goodness.

Their filter brew menu is vast. A selection of Ninety Plus Coffee is also available if you want to treat your taste buds. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Read more about my visit here.

Roast Story is located in Khawaneej, you can find it here.

Some special mentions.

Specialty Batch Coffee Roasters

My very first cup of specialty coffee was from Specialty Batch Coffee Roasters. The cafe from where I had is not important in this post, but the coffee definitely left a lasting impression.

Founded by Ryan Godinho in 2013, he is a man that plays many roles in this coffee business. He is the head roaster, green coffee buyer, barista trainer, and also handles quality control. See what I mean.

Their current roastery is also in Al Quoz and you can only buy beans from here for now. They are opening doors to their new space at Port Rashid soon, and it’s going to be huge.

The most recent coffee I have had from here is the El Salvador Finca Sandoca. This orange bourbon is as juicy as green apple and as sweet as peaches. Read about it here.

Three Coffee Roastery

If you haven’t tasted Three Coffee yet, you need to drop everything you are doing and order some right away. I would recommend going to My Speciality Coffee and The Grey. Both are in Jumeirah.

Three Coffee does does things differently, and their beans are literal fruit bombs. They have a variety of unique anaerobic processed coffee and work with producers experimenting on new fermentation processes.

Spice Up from El Salvador is a perfect example with beautiful notes of lavender, cola and spices. To put the notes into perspective, think of candied cardamom. Space Cup is where I tasted it for the first time. You can read it more about it here.

Now with the holiday season fast approaching, grab the Advent Coffee Calendar which has 23 drip bags and a coffee bag. This is a different coffee everyday for a different aroma, taste and sensory experience.

Mattina Coffee

Mattina Coffee is a roastery based in Dubai - UAE, sourcing specialty coffee from different origins, roasting and supplying to the local market. They also provide training and have a strong team of coffee professionals, Q Graders, roasters and cuppers certified by the SCA.

I had no idea Mattina’s focus was also on the premium specialty coffee until I attended a coffee tasting event with Hacienda La Esmeralda in October. I couldn’t pass on this as I got a chance to interact with Daniel Peterson and also taste the Panama Noria San José Natural Geisha.

What that meant was a chance to experience a one-in-a-lifetime 90+ scoring coffee. The coffee was beautiful with juicy notes of plums and cherries, and intense aromatics of Jasmine while sipping the brew. This might have been one of the best Geisha I have had in a long time.

Mattina Coffee is located in Dubai Investment Park, you can find it here.

These are the best of the best, with focus on roasteries only in Dubai. Do you have any of your favorites that you would add to this list? Comment below and let me know.