The roasters writing the coffee scene in Cape Town: who they are, where they source from and where to drink it.
The roasters writing the coffee scene in Cape Town. who they are, where they source from, and where to drink the result.
Truth Coffee, co-founded by Andrzej Janik and David Donde, roasts on Colossus, a vintage 1940s Probat, in a steampunk Victorian warehouse in the City Bowl.
BeansBrazil
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipThe takeaway deli opens just before 06:00 on weekdays for coffee and pastries, an hour before the steampunk cafe itself.
Deluxe Coffeeworks roasts out of a Paarden Eiland base in Cape Town, a working roastery that supplies cafes and pours at its own Buitenkant and Kloof bars.
BeansColombia, Tanzania, Guatemala
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Aeropress
TipThe warehouse counter sells whole beans ground to order; ask which single origin came off the roaster that morning.
Origin Coffee Roasting has hand-roasted speciality coffee in a working De Waterkant warehouse since late 2005, pouring single origins on Hudson Street.
BeansEthiopia, Kenya, Colombia
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Chemex
TipThe brew bar runs Chemex and Aeropress alongside espresso, a good stop to taste a single origin two ways.
Rosetta Roastery roasts every single origin lot beside its Claremont cafe in Cape Town, sourcing specialty grade beans from Ethiopia, Colombia and Rwanda.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Rwanda
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipThe roastery sits next door to the Claremont cafe; it is a production space, but visitors may say hello to the roasters and catch a batch mid-roast.
Tribe Coffee Roasters runs its roastery from Capricorn Business Park in Muizenberg, Cape Town, supplying Colombian and Ethiopian lots to cafes citywide.
BeansColombia, Ethiopia
TipThis Muizenberg address is the working roastery, not a walk-in cafe, order online or find Tribe beans on a Cape Town menu instead.
Espresso Lab Microroasters roasts small boutique batches at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, a Cape Town fixture known for precise Ethiopian single origins.
BeansEthiopia
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipCome on a Saturday morning and pair a cup with the Neighbourgoods Market that fills the Old Biscuit Mill next door.
Cedar Coffee Roasters, founded in 2021 by barista champions Winston Thomas and Leigh Wentzel, roasts on Albert Road in Woodstock and now runs a cafe there.
BeansEthiopia, Rwanda, Guatemala, Colombia
TipCedar opened a full-time cafe at Side Street Studios in early 2026, and there is a Cedar Hatch at Lemkus in the CBD for a quicker cup.
Flatmountain Coffee Roasters roasts on site on Sir Lowry Road, pouring floral Ethiopian and Malawian lots at its Woodstock, Cape Town coffee bar.
BeansEthiopia, Malawi
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipThe tasting notes read like a wine list, ask the bar to run a single origin as both espresso and filter side by side.
Bootlegger Coffee Company roasts at its Ndabeni depot near Maitland, Cape Town, the country's largest artisan roastery, founded by three friends in 2012.
BeansColombia, Guatemala
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipBook the roastery tour if you want to see the Giesen drums running, the depot's own cafe is open to walk-ins too.
Coffee Guy Roasters roasts near Imhoff Farm on the road to Kommetjie in Cape Town, a business that grew from a mobile coffee trailer into a roastery.
TipThere is no cafe on site, buy bags direct from the roastery or look for the House Blend on menus near Kommetjie.
Hout Bay Coffee roasts small batches in a tiny shop beside a seasonal stream in Hout Bay, run by anthropologist and documentary filmmaker Paul Myburgh.
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipSeating is limited to a few tables, buy a bag of beans to go if the counter is busy on a weekend.
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