For milk drinks, begin with chocolate, caramel or deeper roast flavours. For straight espresso, decide whether you want balance, traditional intensity or brighter seasonal character.
Roast words are not universal standards. Use the roaster’s intended brew method and current tasting notes alongside the label.
Week beginning 1 September 2026 · photographed during our editor’s trialRoastery test drive · original editor feature
Two Chimps Coffee Baba-Laba-Ding-Dong
A medium-dark single origin that became smoother, rounder and more chocolate-led after extra rest.
ChocolateCaramelMedium-darkGood with a dash of milk
This roast sat a little darker than my normal preference, but giving the fresh bag time to rest proved worthwhile. By early September it had become smoother and more rounded, with chocolate sweetness that worked particularly well in the morning with a dash of milk.
Bag received 20 August · brewed from 1 September · original Home Coffee Index photography
Roastery test-drive archive
Every editor-brewed feature stays on the page.
A new test drive never removes the previous roaster. Each original feature keeps its photograph, tasting notes and permanent article link here.
These are not taste-test winners. They are clearly differentiated routes based on the roasters’ own descriptions, with current Ground Coffee Society and Press bags photographed by Home Coffee Index rather than borrowed from a stock library.
01 · Square Mile Coffee Roasters
Red Brick
Seasonal espresso blend
A changing speciality-espresso route rather than a fixed flavour promise.
