Coffee is the 21st Century’s last acceptable addiction. It keeps us awake, lulls us to sleep, sweetens the daily grind and makes that moment when the cup touches the lips – morning, noon or night – last just a little bit longer. It’s true: artisan coffee is no longer a trend, it’s a way of life. Whether they prefer to sip it slowly or swallow it in one neat shot, serious coffee drinkers are always on a mission to find the best freshly roasted cup in their city. The only condition is that the coffee must be roasted right there and brewed to dark perfection using the best beans from around the world. To help you get your fix, we’ve gathered a list of artisan coffee shops that take their sourcing, roasting and brewing seriously.

Johannesburg

4th Avenue Coffee Roasters
The imported in-house roasted coffee is popular with the locals. There is a secret blend known as the ‘legendary pink’, which is made with coffees from South America and Africa.

Bean There
The coffee roasted here is single-origin, fair trade coffee from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi.

Doubleshot Coffee and Tea
Specialising in limited, seasonal micro lots of coffee and tea, Doubleshot roasts coffee and blends tea in-store at its headquarters in the rejuvenated Braamfontien district.

Father Coffee
Blonde wooden walls, counters and furnishings make this a tranquil escape. They serve home-roasted coffee beans and brews, which you can also take home.

The Foundry
Tying in with their philosophy of producing and hand-making their food, like pastas and craft beer, The Foundry also roasts a South American and African dark roast blend.

Ikhofi Roastery and Coffee House
Ikhofi specialises in regional Ethiopian coffee beans and their own special blends. They also sell their beans at the Market on Main on Sundays.

Motherland Coffee in Rosebank
The Motherland Original Blend is a sublime combination of Rwandan and Ethiopian single-origin Arabia coffees with citrus and mandarin notes.

The Perfect Cup
The Perfect Cup roasts and blends top quality Arabica beans from seven different countries daily.

The Whippet
The Whippet roasts beans from Malawi, and all baristas are trained by coffee expert and trainer of the South African Barista Championship judges, Matt Carter.

Pretoria

Aroma Gourmet Coffee Roastery
Aroma roasts some the best Arabica beans from around the world on site.

The Thomas Family Farmstead Café
With roasts of beans from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia and other African and South American states, this café, formerly called Bean There Coffee Roastery, is one of the few coffee specialists in Pretoria.

Tribeca Lounge
Tribeca has become a cultural landmark in South Africa’s administrative capital, serving its own brew of coffee.

Durban

The Bean Green Coffee Roastery
Beans from Ethiopia are roasted on the property in blends including Blessed Bean, Midnight Mood and Goodness Gracious, although the house blend, Bluff, Bru!, remains justifiably popular.

Beaver Creek Coffee Estate
Single origin coffee is grown, harvested and roasted on the estate from Arabica beans. Beaver Creek also imports beans from the world’s top coffee producing areas, which are roasted and packed on site.

Colombo Tea and Coffee
At the store glass jars are filled with a variety of single origin beans from all over the coffee-planting world.

The Factory Café
This café, music venue and art gallery inside Colombo coffee roastery serves freshly roasted coffes and sells some blends for you to take home, too.

Terbodore
Coffee beans are imported from 13 countries and then roasted, blended and flavoured on site.

Cape Town

Bean There
Bean There is the exclusive roaster of fair trade coffee in South Africa. The personally sourced beans are roasted in the coffee shop, so you can see the whole process.

Deluxe Coffeeworks in Church Street and Roodehek Street
The blends of coffee are unique and sourced from all over the globe. All coffees are certified green organic. Beans to take home can be freshly ground to your specifications.

Espresso Lab
The coffees roasted in small batches are from various botanical varieties, processes and topographical areas, affording the curious coffee drinker the opportunity to sample a wide variety of coffees and discover their differences.

Haas Coffee Collective
Together with Strictly Coffee, they roast their own coffee.

Motherland Coffee
The Motherland Original Blend is a sublime combination of Rwandan and Ethiopian single-origin Arabia beans with citrus and mandarin notes.

Origin Coffee Roasting
These artisan roasters with a particular passion for African beans specialise in an extensive range of individually selected coffees from all over the world.

Rosetta Roastery  
Rosetta Roastery sources single origin and estate coffees from South and Central America, Africa and Asia, micro-roasting each one to best present its unique personality.

Tribe
This iconic café has bamboo recycled set pieces and coffee is roasted on the premises.

Truth in Somerset Road and Buitenkant Street
Beans are ethically sourced and roasted in house before being blended in small batches. Truth Espresso Bar in Buitenkant Street is also home to the only Slayer Espresso Machine in South Africa.

Winelands

Beans About Coffee
Owner Thomas Jamneck takes you through the coffee roasting process and offers you tastings of a variety of single-origin coffees from all over the world.

Bean in Love
Bean in Love roasts small batches of beans daily, using beans sourced from all around the world.

The Coffee Roasting Company
This shop stocks beans imported from the world’s premium coffee plantations and coffee is ground and roasted on site.

Hazz Coffee Roastery and Espresso Bar
This boutique roastery and espresso bar serves a blend of South American and African origin coffees.

By Kelly Pluke

Have we forgotten your favourite coffee roastery? Let us know on info@email.co.za.