Two coffees, one roaster

Neil was absolutely right.

When I spoke with Unorthodox co-founder Neil, he said he would send me samples from completely different ends of the flavour scale. He was not exaggerating. These were so different that, in a blind tasting, I would never have placed them together.

That contrast made the tasting particularly useful. Wee Stoater offered the sort of rounded, dependable cup I could drink every morning. Yellowcake moved decisively towards fruit, brightness and a jammy sweetness—still approachable, but much further from my usual chocolate-and-nut starting point.

Wee Stoater: the comfortable everyday cup.

Wee Stoater is Unorthodox’s long-running Brazilian coffee, produced by Danilo Barbosa and his family at Fazenda Paraíso in Minas Gerais. The roaster identifies it as a naturally processed Yellow Catuai and points towards chocolate, hazelnut and caramel.

I made it as espresso and then with milk, which is how I usually drink my morning coffee. Straight, it was mellow and rounded, with gentle nuttiness, chocolate in the background and a soft caramel-like sweetness. Nothing was sharp or distracting. It was simply balanced, comfortable and immediately enjoyable.

Milk softened it further without burying the coffee. The chocolate and nut notes became richer, producing exactly the sort of dependable flat white or latte I would happily make first thing in the morning or return to in the afternoon. Wee Stoater is not trying to shock you. Its strength is how effortlessly drinkable it is. My score: 8.5/10.

Yellowcake: bright, jammy and genuinely different.

Yellowcake is a washed Kenyan coffee from Karithathi Farmers in Kabingara, on Mount Kenya. Unorthodox lists SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11 varieties grown at 1,800–2,000 metres, with particularly bold flavour directions: blueberry, fig jam and wine gums.

As espresso, it was immediately brighter and more expressive than Wee Stoater. There was lively fruit and a jammy sweetness that pushed it well beyond the familiar chocolate-led profile I normally reach for. It was certainly different, but not difficult: the acidity brought energy rather than harshness.

With milk, everything settled down. The brightness softened, the sweetness became rounder and the jammy character remained without fighting the drink. Fruity coffees can sometimes disappear into milk or become awkward, but Yellowcake held together nicely in a flat white or latte-style drink. It felt more like a treat than an everyday cup—the bag to open when you want your coffee to surprise you. My score: 9/10.

A roastery shaped by travel.

Unorthodox Roasters grew from a ten-and-a-half-month journey through coffee-producing regions of South and Central America in 2015. The experience eventually led its founders home to Scotland, where the roastery was established in 2016. Travel still runs through the business, alongside design, community and the simple pleasure of helping more people brew interesting coffee.

That willingness to explore comes through clearly in these two bags. Wee Stoater offers comfort and familiarity; Yellowcake moves towards something brighter and more unusual. The difference between them is enormous, yet both remain approachable and enjoyable.

This was one of the most revealing sample selections I have received. It did not simply offer two variations on one house style—it demonstrated how broad speciality coffee can be. Overall recommendation: 9/10.