7 Best Specialty Coffee Roasters in Paris
Paris is well-known for its heavily romanticized coffee shops, a staple of many romantic films. The specialty coffee roasters in Paris are not romanticized without reason, as the roasteries and coffee shops there offer so much choice when it comes to coffee.
The best specialty coffee roasters in Paris are Café Verlet, Substance Café, La Caféothèque, Coutume, KB Coffee Roasters, Hexagone Café, and Lomi. They offer coffee from around the world and will appeal to everyone’s taste.
This list outlines all my favorite coffee roasters in Paris.
The list is in no particular order, and it’s advisable to visit all these places for a true Parisian coffee experience.
1. Café Verlet
Verlet is an important part of coffee history, not just in Paris but in all of France.
The company opened in 1880 and sold tea, coffee, spices, and candied fruit.
At the same time, Verlet also opened a roastery that sold fresh, home-roasted coffee at the shop’s doorstep.
They roasted beans from Africa, the West Indies, and America and still keep this tradition today.
The longevity of Verlet is a testament to the high quality of their coffee and dedication to supplying the highest-quality coffee to their loyal patrons.
They constantly seek out plantations with the best coffee that one can find.
They source their vintages from typical locations like Colombia and Panama, but they also enjoy exploring more unusual sources such as Thailand and Laos.
You can also visit their coffee shop, which offers exquisite food apart from the coffee.
Tourists know it as an amazing place to have a petit-dejeuner (breakfast) and are never disappointed.
The staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is more than welcoming, so it’s impossible not to have a good time there.
Verlet also offers a very broad selection of teas per its tradition.
Therefore, if you prefer a drink made from fine leaves as your source of caffeine, you will find plenty of options for your palate.
Even if you prefer coffee to tea, you’ll probably still enjoy their high-quality teas.
Considering the long-standing tradition of Verlet and the wide range of coffee it offers, the prices are more than reasonable.
You can get different blends and single-origin coffees, and you can get them in different grinds to suit all your needs.
Sadly, there is no subscription service, but if you’re only visiting Paris as a tourist, it’s not necessary.
You should immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the coffee shop and enjoy your time there.
2. Substance Cafe
Substance Cafe is one of the premier locations in Paris for the highest-quality coffee money can buy.
It is not a large establishment, but it attracts many coffee lovers and focuses on exceptional service and optimizing your experience.
The owner, Joachim Morceau, is a coffee fanatic.
He is so dedicated to coffee and his craft that he refuses to serve coffee with sugar and in takeaway cups.
You can feel the passion as soon as you enter and see Joachim doing everything before the patrons, even latte art.
The selection of drinks in the coffee shop is rather typical.
You can find typical stuff like macchiatos and espressos, but the quality will be much higher than what you can find at most cafes.
The choice of roasted coffee is deliberately limited.
Currently, you can choose from six coffees, but the team updates the list every Monday after roasting sessions.
The coffee comes from various locations in South America and Africa, and it’s all single-origin coffee for now.
You can order online or pick it up at the coffee shop. The prices are steep but justified by the quality of the coffee.
There is no subscription service; as we’ll see, that will become a theme in these Parisian roasteries.
Apart from the coffee, you can also find filters and other equipment you need for brewing coffee at home.
The range is not super wide, but it will help you with your home coffee brewing.
The primary focus of the company is providing top-notch coffee instead of equipment.
Overall, this is a must-visit place for every coffee lover.
Even though it’s not a cheap place, it is well worth a visit.
3. La Caféothèque
Gloria Montenegro opened this coffee shop and roastery in 2005. It can boast that it’s the first specialty coffee roastery in Paris and France.
Despite its long years in the coffee scene of France, it is still a very popular place and a staple for coffee lovers.
The coffee shop has greatly expanded over the years.
It includes multiple rooms now, as well as a special room for roasting coffee and its School of Coffeeology.
The school’s goal is to train coffee sommeliers.
The coffee shop roasts coffee from all around the world.
From Thailand to Guyana, you can find almost anything your heart desires.
You can even get a quick preview from one of the drawers full of coffee beans.
The coffee drinks you can get at the coffee shop are top-notch and bound to stay in your memory after you come home from Paris.
The staff prepares them with love and shows a great deal of coffee knowledge and passion.
The coffee shop prohibits laptops to encourage people to socialize and focus on their coffee.
You can use your phone, but it’s best to avoid that and instead enjoy the unique Parisian atmosphere and the amazing coffee.
The prices are more than reasonable, so you won’t blow your travel budget if you want to bring some fine Parisian coffee home.
No subscription service exists, which is common among French roasters.
If you’re staying in Paris for a longer time, you’ll have to walk and get your coffee personally.
4. Coutume
Coutume is a lovely little roastery and coffee shop that serves amazing coffee and high-quality brunch.
The coffee shop offers a cozy atmosphere and quick, friendly service.
The staff speaks English, so you won’t experience a language barrier you might see in other coffee shops.
Tom Clark and Antoine Nétien opened the cafe in 2011 with the desire to roast and brew high-quality coffee prepared with top-notch equipment.
They’ve been rather successful in their line of work, and now their charming staff can fix you all sorts of delicious coffee drinks.
You can get all the standard types of coffee, like espresso or cappuccino, but you can also get what’s called a “flight.”
A flight is a single-origin coffee prepared in three ways: espresso, cappuccino, and filter.
This allows you to get a deep and detailed taste of it and experience it in different ways.
You can also find desserts and savory pastries.
It’s well-known as a great place to have breakfast or brunch, so you can be sure you won’t go hungry.
Visitors have loved their pancakes, croissants, and Eggs Benedict.
There is also a broad range of coffees you can pick. They come from Ethiopia and several South American countries.
There’s a lot to choose from, so it will be hard not to find a coffee you like.
The prices are not super low, but they often have discounts on one-kilo coffee bags, so you can get a good amount of coffee for not a lot of money.
You can order online or buy coffee directly at the shop.
There is no subscription service, as is customary with Parisian roasters.
5. KB Coffee Roasters
The coffee shop was opened in 2010 under the name Kooka Boora.
Since opening, it’s had a rebranding, changed its name, and focused on roasting specialty coffee.
They focus on constantly refining their roasting process and looking for new coffees.
The staff looks endlessly for new sources of inspiration and spends a lot of time talking about their roasts and finding new ways to improve them.
For them, roasting coffee has become a way of life, and they live life with passion and dedication.
On their website, the owners claim that their business is a selfish pleasure.
They have to get excited about what they’re doing and enjoy the process.
However, they’ve seemingly managed to attract and satisfy many customers despite their alleged selfishness.
The coffee shop has a sprawling terrace where you can sit back and enjoy the atmosphere while sipping high-quality espresso and cappuccino.
The staff is super friendly, and no one can complain about the service.
Besides coffee, there are many tea options, and you can have a nice breakfast.
You can also get non-dairy milk, such as almond or oat, which is not very common in French coffee shops.
The choice of coffee beans is very wide, and you can find many different coffees from Africa and South America.
The prices are not low, but they’re also not particularly steep, so buying some coffee here won’t set you back much.
You can also find filters, grinders, and other gear you might need for brewing coffee at home. Also, you can easily fulfill all your coffee needs there. You can order online or pick it up at the coffee shop.
6. Hexagone Café
This coffee shop got its name after France’s nickname (the country is often referred to as a hexagon because of its shape).
The place focuses primarily on brewing high-quality coffee and creating an atmosphere where people can focus on each other and their coffee.
For that reason, there is no wi-fi in the coffee shop, and laptops are strictly forbidden.
Therefore, if you want a coffee shop where you can work, you’ll have to go elsewhere.
This is relatively common in Paris, so don’t count on cafes as places where you can sit behind a laptop and work.
You can get high-quality coffee drinks, which the staff will prepare with care and passion.
There are also different teas if you’re not big on coffee.
If you’re also not a tea lover and are visiting with someone else, you can get hot chocolate, orange juice, and ginger ale, so you won’t go thirsty.
The choice of coffee beans is not amazing, but the beans are high-quality, and you won’t be disappointed with them.
There are espresso beans and filter coffee beans, so you can choose whichever you prefer.
You can order online, and the prices are affordable.
7. Lomi
The coffee shop and roastery date back to 2010, making it relatively old.
It was started by Aleaume Paturle and Paul Arnephy with the goal of serving their local community high-quality coffee.
Tourists do not frequently visit this neighborhood, so Lomi is a great place to visit if you want to get immersed in the local culture.
This is another place that offers no wi-fi, so you’ll have to socialize and focus on the coffee experience.
Their coffee is still sourced from around the world, and their J’a Deux Amours espresso blend is particularly popular.
However, their coffee choice is pretty broad, so you won’t be disappointed even if you’re not an espresso lover.
Their prices are reasonable, and they also offer a few organic coffees, so you can get an eco-friendly coffee experience.
You can order online, and you can also pick up your coffee at the shop, of course.
