A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Custard cream in speciality coffee presents as a soft, creamy sweetness with a biscuity, vanilla-like undertone and a gentle starchy warmth in the finish. It is a rounded, comforting note rather than a sharp or bright one, sitting somewhere between dairy richness and subtle caramelised cereal. This character tends to emerge from naturally occurring sugars and amino acids interacting during roasting, and is often associated with medium roast profiles where Maillard reactions develop without tipping into darker, more bitter compounds.
Custard cream notes are typically found in coffees from Central America, particularly those from Honduras and Guatemala, where the combination of mineral-rich soils and careful processing often yields that biscuity, vanilla-edged sweetness. Washed and honey-processed coffees from these regions tend to express this quality most reliably, as the cleaner fermentation allows the bean's inherent sweetness to come forward without fruity fermentation notes competing for attention. Some naturally processed Ethiopian and Brazilian coffees can also carry this character, particularly when the roast is handled to preserve sweetness rather than emphasise acidity.
When scanning a bag or menu, look for tasting notes that include vanilla, biscuit, caramel, or cream alongside references to a medium roast or a balanced, low-acidity profile. Custard cream notes tend to show well through filter brew methods such as pour over or batch brew, where clarity and sweetness are brought into focus without the intensity that espresso can impose. Milk-based espresso drinks can also highlight this note pleasantly, as the dairy complements and amplifies the underlying creaminess already present in the cup.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying custard cream notes.