Coffee, the most consumed beverage in the world, has long struggled with popularity in tea addicted Pakistan. However, with millennials and Gen Z growing up, a new dawn is upon us and specialty coffee culture has finally found its way to Pakistan.

But first, what is ‘specialty coffee’? To put it simply, it's a dedication to quality through the entirety of any given bean’s value chain. Where the coffee bean is sourced from, how it is stored, how it is roasted, how it is brewed — all these aspects must work in harmony for any type of coffee to be categorised as top grade or specialty. A good cupping score brings credibility to any roaster’s work.

As people develop deep interest in consuming — or perhaps experiencing — coffee, the market is ready to provide them with the best options. New and emerging local roasteries are now creating specialty coffee beans with tastes and blends previously unknown to Pakistani tastebuds.

Roasting coffee is as much an art as it is a science. Master roasters, who are specialised craftsmen, transform a regular green seed into a distinctly tasting coffee bean, reflective of their own individual style and vision. No two roasters produce the same taste, and that’s the beauty of the world of specialty coffee. The varying tastes cast a spell on its subject that can only be satisfied by more flavour, more coffee experience.

Here’s our list for some of the best specialty coffee roasters in Pakistan today.

Raaz Life

Raaz Life is an e-commerce setup producing some of the best specialty coffee in Pakistan. Working with a vision of coffee that focuses on aroma and flavours, they’ve entered into partnerships with leading restaurants and cafes around the country.

Raaz Life categorises its coffee with respect to their origin, bringing in exotic coffee beans from around the world. They offer single origin coffee, made out of beans imported from a single location, and blended coffee, where coffee from different sources is mixed together. They offer a variety of blends ranging from whole grain to medium fine.

Nomad Coffee Studio

A sentence on their website’s about section reads, “The pursuit of exceptional coffee is a lifelong journey of discovery and delight.” That falls in line with Nomad's vision, which is to make coffee a memorable experience for its drinker.

Nomad Coffee Studio's flavours range from Indonesia Sumatra (sweet cedar, red pepper and coffee cherry) to Ethiopia Guji (rose, toffee, hazelnut and berry) and it has multiple grind type options. With both single origin and blended coffee available, they also sell equipment for coffee fanatics.

Redberry

Redberry Roasters are coffee fanatics to the core. With a focus on quality and attention to detail, they strive for perfection with every bean. Their vision is simple: to introduce true specialty coffee to Pakistan.

With a diverse collection of beans and coffee equipment, what makes them truly interesting, is their subscription model. You can subscribe for weekly, bi-weekly or monthly supplies, and order the coffee that’s right for you.

Third Culture Coffee

Selling freshly roasted out of Lahore, Third Culture Coffee is up to something really interesting. The most fun thing about them is their pop-up concept, which is new in this still developing space. They’ve been partnering with restaurants in Lahore and supplying their customers top quality desserts and steamy coffee!

If you’re going to give them a shot, try their Huehuetenango in a latte!

Coffee Revolution

Coffee Revolution focuses on just single-origin specialty coffee beans, and hand roasts them on order to the liking of their customers. They have coffee beans originating from some of the world’s favourite locations, ranging from Brazil to Tanzania and Vietnam.

They might not have much of a social media presence, but if you’re in Lahore, you’re in luck! They deliver free all over the city.

So, what are you going to try next?