Cedar coffee in London
3 speciality roasts from 1 London roaster feature cedar notes.
Cedar in speciality coffee presents as a dry, resinous woodiness that sits somewhere between raw timber and a sharpened pencil, occasionally carrying a faint aromatic spice alongside it. It is a clean rather than bitter quality, lending structure and depth to a cup rather than astringency. This note typically arises from certain phenolic and terpenoid compounds in the bean, and is most commonly associated with medium to medium-dark roast levels where woody characteristics are drawn forward without being carbonised away.
Cedar in coffee carries a quiet, resinous depth — dry and woody, with a faint aromatic sharpness that lingers on the finish. It appears in coffees from Papua New Guinea and Peru, where complex, earthy profiles tend to emerge from the particular soils and altitudes of each region. In London, this note is currently found across three roasts, all produced by Acorns, whose careful approach draws out cedar's subtle, almost meditative character.
Top rated cedar coffee roasts in London
Speciality roasts carrying cedar notes, ordered by community rating.
Roasters producing cedar coffee
London roasters with the most approved coffees carrying cedar notes.
Flavours that pair with cedar
Notes that most commonly appear alongside cedar in the same roasts.
Where cedar coffee comes from
Origin countries that most often produce cedar-forward coffees among London roasts.
How cedar notes develop
Cedar tends to appear most often in coffees from Central American origins, particularly those from Guatemala and Honduras, where volcanic soils and higher altitudes can encourage the development of resinous aromatic compounds. Naturally processed and pulped natural coffees from these regions often carry the note more prominently than washed lots, though some washed Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees can also express a lighter cedar quality as part of a more complex flavour profile. It is typically a secondary or supporting note rather than the dominant character of a cup.
What to look for
On a bag or cafe menu, cedar is sometimes listed alongside other woody or spiced descriptors such as sandalwood, clove, or tobacco, which can indicate a profile leaning in this direction. Looking for medium or medium-dark roasts with tasting notes that include any resinous or timber-adjacent language is a reasonable starting point. Filter methods such as a V60 or Chemex tend to highlight cedar clearly, as their cleaner extraction allows the drier, structural notes to express themselves without the additional body that espresso preparation can introduce.
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