Best Cleveland Coffee Roasters
As well as great beans that are roasted diligently with the attention to detail and work ethic you come to expect from anyone in Cleveland, star power and slick branding are the themes of 11 of the best Cleveland coffee roasters, which you can check out here.
Lekko
FOLLOW ‘EM: @lekkocoffee
TRY: Colombia Alto Bonito (single origin)
Lekko sources ethically and has a good rotation of beans at any given moment. Their single origin Colombia Alto Bonito from the “Coffee 5 Project” is a Sidra bean that undergoes a 24 hour honey oxidation (the beans dry with their sticky, fruity layer still intact) then a 120 hour anaerobic fermentation. The result is a singly impressive coffee bean.
Lekko offers a “roaster’s choice” subscription where they’ll send you their two best coffees of the moment, monthly.
A big part of the Cleveland community, in their two physical coffee shop locations in Ohio City and the Warehouse District, Lekko frequently puts on events like live music, and hosts the Cleveland Run Club.
Heartwood
FOLLOW ‘EM: @heartwoodcoffee
FAMOUS ROAST: Old River (single origin espresso)
Creating one of the more visually different coffee bags in the Cleveland scene, Heartwood have a real dedication to where their coffee is sourced from. This dedication is reflected in their social posts highlighting the coffee farmers that provide the beans for their delightful roasts, from regions ranging from Colombia to Ethiopia.
Old River is their traditional single origin roast, a dark roast that’s not over-roasted and ideal for espresso and flavorings. They regularly rotate seasonal blends too.
27 Club Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @27clubcoffee
FAMOUS ROAST: Diablo
The most popular roaster by way of being founded by a certain famous rock star, MGK, 27 Club lives up to the hype and consistently ranks as one of the best roasters in CLE.
They’re constantly partnering with big names to release new roasts, like their brilliantly named Wiz Khalifa collab “Lost Americano”, a medium roast from the Andes. The Diablo blend is their most commercially renowned roast, a medium blend that’s versatile and works well however you take your coffee.
One of the ‘disruptors’ of the local coffee scene, 27 Club has proven the folks of Cleveland like their coffee a little alternative, and some of the back stories about their roasts are really fun to read, adding a certain amount of character to the coffee.
We’re always looking to add roasters to our Ohio coffee subscription, and 27 Club is one we’ll be ‘gunning’ for in the near future!
Six Shooter Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @sixshootercoffee
TRY: Collinwood Espresso Roast
Keeping with the theme of ‘shooting’ (see what I did there?), Six Shooter Coffee barrels in next on the list of great Cleveland roasters.
Folks rave about their patented Collinwood espresso, which blends Brazilian Mogiana Mexican Dona Douglas beans for an espresso-excellent medium roast with some cherry and toffee notes atop the traditional chocolatey ones. Their branding is simply groovy, too. Want to know where their name came from? Lyndon B Johnson apparently served coffee on his Texas ranch that could “float a revolver.” Yep!
Rising Star
FOUNDED: 2012
FOLLOW ‘EM: @risingstarcoffee
Rising Star might have one of the widest ranges of blends and single roasts in Cleveland. Like others on this list, they’re employee-owned, and have a downtown location as well as several others on the West side.
Top tip: try their single origin Koke espresso. It’s a real “star” roast.
Ready Set! Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @readyset_coffee
TRY: Battr espresso blend
In a neverending race to get to the pinnacle of Cleveland coffee roasting, Ready Set! are doing their darndest in name alone. But seriously, they have a great story about starting up roasting beans in their garage, and still keep their small-batch roast ideology going to this day. This is a similar origin story to that of Thunderkiss, who we featured in our guide to the best Columbus coffee roasters.
The Battr is a recently released, truly medium espresso blend that was designed to work with sweet treats and affogatos. In terms of collabs, their “Metro Perk” roast is sold exclusively by the Cleveland Metroparks, and that’s pretty darn cool.
Ready Set are thriving in their Gordon Square location on Detroit which is among the most highly rated coffee shops in town on Google. They still throw it back to their roots though, with brilliantly named roasts such as the “Garage Blend Deep Track.”
Red Cedar Coffee
FOLLOW ‘EM: @redcedarcoffee
FAMOUS FOR: Flavored seasonal roasts
Locals can squabble about whether Berea classifies as Cleveland, but Red Cedar Coffee, from Berea, have been doing their thing for a while and as someone who’s had a few brews from there, I can attest they roast great, fresh beans.
Keep an eye out for seasonal roasts; their branding gives me wintery vibes and it only makes sense they come out with several holiday style roasts each year featuring off the track flavors like peppermint and white chocolate. Their bourbon barrel pecan is a limited-time roast and deserves a mention, because any coffee aged in a bourbon barrel is pretty cool.
Zeal
FOLLOW ‘EM: @zeal_coffeeco
With a true zeal for crafting great coffee, these guys roast their own beans and also have a mobile coffee cart that is particularly popular for events. With deep ties to South America, brilliantly named roasts like “Dedicacion” and more make Zeal a standout in the Cleveland scene.
Phoenix
FOLLOW ‘EM: @phoenixcoffeeco
They’re one of the most recognizable roasters in CLE, with several physical coffee shops around town and slick branding (look at that Phoenix go!)
Different roasts from Phoenix include the brilliantly named Firebird and Blackbird. Also keep an eye out for events put on by Phoenix such as the ‘Gay Latte Art Throwdown Fundraiser!’
Propaganda
FOLLOW ‘EM: @propagandacoffeeshop
Propaganda is a vegan and gluten-free coffee shop nestled in a particularly cool part of the cool Lakewood neighborhood, sitting next to a gothic witchy store. The coffee beans they roast are practically magic, too 😉
Head here for a cold brew that is as strong, yet smooth, as you’ll taste in Cleveland. The interior decor deserves a mention too, with a fireplace for cozy winter afternoons and comfy seating around that area.
Caffeine
FOLLOW ‘EM: @caffeine_lakewood
Just down the road from Propaganda is another independent Lakewood roaster. No marks for the name, but Caffeine brew their own beans and serve great coffee in a modern, chic cafe in the heart of Lakewood.
Be sure to check out our guide to the best Columbus coffee roasters for even more great Ohio roasters!
