Even though Cincinnati has a strong history of beer brewing, it can be one of your best coffee destination cities. Cincinnati has a lot to offer, not only great foods and local breweries, but also a thriving coffee scene.
If we dig deeper to the city’s coffee roasting scene and culture, Cincinnati has more to offer to specialty coffee lovers. As one of the fastest growing cities in the western United States, it’s not surprisingly hard to discover different independent coffee shops and specialty roasters.
However, with over 60 coffee shops and artisan roasters to choose from, which of them are the best? In no distinct order, we’ve listed the only eleven coffee roasters sprawling the “Queen City” known as Cincinnati.
1. Coffee Break Roasting Co
Since 1956, Coffee Break Roasting is committed to serving the people of Cincinnati with their excellent craft. They’re a local, family-owned and operated coffee roaster that love teaching people about coffee.
Coffee Break ensure they source and roast the right beans while building relationships with coffee leaders who share their values and commitment. Being in more than 60 years of service, they’re honestly one of the best kept gems of Cincinnati’s hometown roasters.
They have a wide range of beans, which most of them are single origins. However, they offer a few selections of blends as well. They’re actually encouraging costumers to visit to their lab and develop their own signature blends.
2. Oakley Artisan Roasters
The coffee by Oakley Artisan Roasters has been a Cincinnati staple since 2016. Their beans are small batch roasted, and each batch they roast brings out the tasting notes unique to the origin.
They have a wide variety of coffees, ranging from espresso, single origins and blends to flavored coffee and decaf. They also offer wholesale beans perfect for new restaurant, cafe or office.
These beans offer a 100% feel-good experience to make you stay on top of their offerings. You can get their specialty artisan roasted coffee from different retailers and distributors, or website.
One of their finest is the Ethiopian Sidamo. This coffee is best when brewed with a Chemex. It has tasting notes of vanilla, berries and hints of floral combine in this delicious coffee.
3. Pneuma Coffee
Pneuma Coffee pride itself on their ethical and sustainable sourcing methods. Not only do they roast some of the best specialty beans but they also have great place in Cincinnati where good conversations and friendships is cultured.
You can buy any of their current coffee offerings online. They offer a wide range of single origin coffee beans and blends, with many in the light and medium roast category. Most of their espresso and decaf selections are in medium-dark to dark roasts.
Their Guatemala San Miguel coffee is something to try brewing at home. This coffee is specialty grade beans of the Arabica variety that leans toward the side of a light roast. It is very balanced, sweet and smooth with a slight nuttiness and chocolate tone.
4. Deeper Roots Coffee
Coming from the neighborhoods of Oakley and Downtown Cincinnati is the Deeper Roots Coffee. Not only do they have great shops that are welcoming, hospitable, and enjoyable but they also have their own roasting facility in West End of the city.
Deeper Roots Coffee is a roasting company roasting and serving specialty coffees in the city. Since 2012, they’ve shared and served their wonderful roasts to everyone they encountered.
Although they have a coffee bar located in the heart of Oakley Square, they should also have a bigger presence on the national coffee scene.
When it comes to their whole bean coffee, they have an amazing selection from Sumatra, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, and even Congo. There are also some great picks for decafs and blends.
This single origin coffee, SOLOK RADJO, from Sumatra is one of the favorites. It tastes like ripe raspberries paired with the sweet, brightness of lemon curd. It has a buttery mouthfeel of shortbread.
5. La Terza Coffee
La Terza Coffee is praised for providing the best cup in Cincinnati. They’re an artisan coffee roasterie with over 10 years of experience. Their coffee is honestly some of the best roasted in town.
La Terza ensure that they select only the best beans to be sold as specialty coffee. They do it ethically and sustainably while partnering with small, authentic farms and estates. They have a wonderful selection of origins and best-selling beans too. So, it seems difficult to say which one is the most prominent.
But their Espresso Monte Cristo is one of the coffees that you wouldn’t want to miss. This coffee is hand-roasted in Cincinnati, and has a full body with mild acidity. It tastes like dark chocolate, caramel, mulling spice and almond.
6. Seven Hills Coffee
Seven Hills Coffee is one of the best kept secrets in the coffee roasting scene of Cincinnati, Ohio. Seven Hills prides itself on their expertise and knowledge in the specialty coffee industry.
Since 1986, they have been expertly roasting fine single origin and Fair-Trade Certified coffee from some of the world’s top coffee regions and farmers.
They started as a small independent roaster but now they a wide variety of coffees. You can choose coffee from single origins, blends and organic fair trade to espresso , decaf and flavored.
They have a great Breakfast Blend which is mild and is perfectly suited for your everyday morning cup. It has soft fruity notes accompanied by a balanced mouthfeel.
7. The Kidd Coffee Company
For over two decades, Kidd Coffee Co. have satisfied businesses and the caffeine cravings of local Cincinnatians without fail. Since 1999, they’ve been serving Cincinnati hand crafted, locally roasted coffee with award-winning customer service.
They ship nationwide. You can purchase any of their handcrafted roasts online or at any of their retailers. However, you can also go and visit one of their downtown Cincinnati locations to try their most beloved coffee.
They have a massive selection of single brew pods, with over 50 flavors to choose from. Leaning towards the side of their single origins is the Organic Nicaraguan Coffee. A dark roast coffee that tastes like cocoa and nuts with a soft apricot finish.
8. Proud Hound Coffee
Since 1999, Proud Hound Coffee have produced their own excellent roasts. They roast coffee to connect you to the people who grew it. They’re genuinely one of the Cincinnati’s finest coffee roasters.
Just recently, they’ve opened the Proud Hound roastery café to serve their wide selection of both specialty drinks and pastries. They really should have more of a presence not only in Cincinnati but also in other Ohio state cites.
They have plethora of coffees from around the world. There are plentitudes of coffees from Nicaragua, Honduras, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Guatemala. But one of their more notable coffees is the Colombia Chinchina Caldas, their limited release Colombian coffee. It tastes like bubblegum, strawberry, and watermelon.
9. The Breakfast Club
Just outside Cincinnati is The Breakfast Club. They’re not only just a café but an in-house coffee roasting company too. Since 2000, they’ve roasted more than 50,000 pounds of coffee beans. Not only they roast fresh coffee but they also make fresh homemade pastries, sauces, etc.
Currently, The Breakfast Club offers a few selection (only six to exact) of coffee beans but they are quite remarkable. Three of them are from Guatemala, Kenya, and Papua New Guinea. They have their own version of breakfast blend and Swiss Water decaf as well.
Their Breakfast Blend is their classic blend of Guatemalan, Papua New Guinea, and Kenyan beans. This coffee is medium roast with a moderate acidity. It tastes like wine and chocolate.
10. Lookout Joe
since 1992, Mount Lookout Coffee Roasters (Lookout Joe) have opened its doors and served eastern Cincinnati without fail. It seems they’re not a big name, but the owners have even more experience compared to other roasting companies.
They’ve spent time serving drinks, repairing equipment, roasting coffee, and making deliveries, which made them earned a reputation for excellent coffee and a casual, artsy atmosphere. You can buy their beans unroasted, roasted, whole bean, ground, and even brewed.
Today, Lookout Joe have a wide selection of coffee beans that meet your caffeination needs. You can choose from single origin, flavored, decaffeinated, to blends. Their Sumatran Medium Roast is one of the best. This coffee is sweet with low acidity, and tastes like chocolate.
11. Awakenings Coffee Roasters
Awakenings is a favorite go-to coffeeshop in Cincinnati. With two café locations, which are both great places to meet friends, they’ve gained solid spot in the city.
Not to mention they offer excellent coffees with a variety of roasts to choose from at reasonable prices. Although they’re known as a local coffee shop and wine bar in Hyde Park Square, Cincinnati, Ohio, they, however, do roast and cup their own coffee beans.
Awakenings Coffee Roasters ensure they craft the finest coffee beans while committing to excellence and providing a first-rate experience for their customers. They have a great selection of bagged coffee beans. Their French Roast Costa Rican coffee costs about $13, while their House Blend cost $12. These coffee beans are locally-roasted right before delivery to guarantee freshness and quality.
Cincinnati is the third largest city in the state of Ohio, and also has the best specialty and artisan coffee roasters. You can be sure to find the perfect roast at any one of them. Explore their great foods, local breweries, and local coffee scene. Be sure to wonder around gorgeous area with fantastic views of the city.
Like this article? You might want to read: The Best Specialty Coffee Roasters In Rhode Island