Best Coffee Roasters in Cincinnati

These are the roasters who keep the Queen City coffee scene running with fresh beans and great roast profiles.

What’s great about all these roasters is, one, you have so many options for great locally roasted beans in Cincy, but two, they all prioritize fair trade relationships and are transparent about who and where they buy their beans from, often paying tribute to the farmers through their roasts too.

Deeper Roots

True to their name, Deeper Roots are all about nurturing connections with the farmers that grow their beans. They’re frequently visiting farms around South America and Africa, and enjoy a direct trade relationship with farmers in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala. Deep roots, indeed.

The Big Picture blend is a staff favorite and more accessible price-wise than most of Deep Roots’ single origins, combining beans from Papua New Guinea and Colombia. As it’s a “house staple,” purchases of this coffee will help give back to the communities who sourced the beans.

Some of their single origin offerings are really interesting though, with the Gatta Honey from Ethiopia literally “honey processed” which is a state between washed and natural bean, and giving a natural sweetness to the bean.

Pneuma

A common thread with Cincinnati coffee roasters is their commitment to lasting and transparent relationships with coffee farmers. Pneuma are no exception to this: their direct trade relationship with Arcenio Villatoro’s farm in the town of Cuilco, Guatemala speaks to their willingness to support coffee growers.

Their Amaz Peru is a coffee that comes from one of these special relationships. Amaz Women’s Organic Coffee sources beans from women-owned farms in Amazonas and Cajamarca, Peru. The supplier gives back to local causes by means of an educational center that supports children in these rural coffee-growing areas. The medium light roast itself has distinct raisin and pecan flavors, which is absolutely something a little different when it comes to coffee notes!

Pneuma will regularly feature owners of coffee farms proudly displaying the finished product on their social media, and we love the shout out to the men and women who supply those greens!

Coffee Emporium

A little bit on Fiona: she’s a hippo who was born at the Cincinnati Zoo back in 2017. At only 29lbs and 6 weeks premature, she weighed just 29lbs and was unable to even nurse from her mother. With help from the zookeepers, Fiona became the smallest ever hippo to survive. What an incredible way to honor Fiona through a coffee dedicated to her, with a vibrant rich chocolate and nutty blend. 20% of profits from this coffee go to the Cincinnati Zoo.

The Coffee Emporium has been a staple in the Queen City coffee scene for decades. They’re another roaster who prioritizes who and where they buy their coffee from, and the homepage of their website pays tribute to farmers from Brazil to Ethiopia.

Ohio coffee is no stranger to direct trade relationships, and our Ohio coffee subscription gives you the opportunity to sample ethically sourced beans from all over the state!

Viva Coffee Roasters

Viva brings specialty Honduran coffee to Cincinnati with a purpose: its founder Gerardo is from Honduras originally and sees coffee as a natural bridge between his homeland and the vibrant streets of Cincinnati.

They’ve done some kooky but oh so brilliant collabs with a local distillery to bring you intriguing roasts like the Barril Tres, a medium roast barrel-aged coffee (no, I hadn’t heard of that before!)

Viva has taken the people’s choice award at the Cincy Coffee Festival in 2024 and 2025, and was recently also voted best coffee shop in the city!

La Terza

La Terza is big on being a “third space” where people can come and gather, enjoy some good company, and of course, drink darn good coffee.

The Espresso Monte Cristo blend is described by La Terza as their most popular coffee, with syrup and dark caramel flavors that lend themselves to a nice cappuccino or iced latte. They have a number of single origin roasts “on tap” too, featuring beans always grown ethically thanks to longstanding relationships with coffee bean farmers globally.

Seven Hills

Officially the oldest roaster in town, Seven Hills have been roasting great beans for over 40 years. Their dark chocolate flavored organic espresso blend has frequently been one of their most popular and dependable at-home coffees and it’s certified fair trade.

It’s great to see so many ethically minded roasters in Cincinnati. You’re guaranteed to have a royal time drinking coffee with beans sourced from any of these guys!