If you’re on the hunt for the finest coffee in New Zealand, look no further. We’ve gathered a list of the top brands that are making waves in the Kiwi coffee scene. Let’s dive in!

The Best Coffee Beans In New Zealand

Best overall coffee: Eighthirty

Best value for money: Underground Coffee Roasters

Best fairtrade organic coffee: People’s Coffee

Best supermarket coffee: Robert Harris

Best coffee subscription: Ozone Coffee

The 24 Best Coffee Brands In New Zealand

1. Underground Coffee Roasters

Underground has a variety of single-origin and blended coffees that are smooth, balanced, and complex, with a range of tasty flavours. They source their beans from organic and fair trade certified farms in Africa, Asia, and South America. I’m currently enjoying their Underground Blend. It’s a dark roast with notes of dark chocolate, nuts, and berries. Their coffee ranges from $12 to $18 per 250g bag, and they also offer discounts for bulk orders and subscriptions.

2. Embassy Coffee

Embassy offers single-origin and blended coffee from Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia, and other countries. Regardless of the blend you try, you’ll always wind up with a smooth, balanced, moderately sweet, and delicious brew. They roast their beans in small batches and you can have them delivered to you within 48 hours. One of the blends I’ve come to enjoy is the Beyond Blend. It has notes of blackberry, caramel, and citrus. A 250g bag retails at around $14. You can also get a discount for bulk orders and or when you sign up for their fully customizable subscription.

3. Coffee Supreme

Coffee Supreme offers rich, balanced, and satisfying blends from Africa, and Asia, to name a few. Their Single Origin coffees vary depending on the season and availability, but they usually have more distinctive and nuanced flavours. I enjoy Supreme Blend as an everyday coffee with its citrus and chocolate notes. Where single-origin coffee is concerned, I definitely vouch for the Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kochere–a fantastic blend of floral and fruity notes–with a citrus finish. A 250g bag costs around $16. And when you subscribe, you’ll qualify for a 15% discount on your first order.

4. Be Specialty

Be Specialty aims to produce coffees that taste great and reflect the unique characteristics of each sourcing region and lot. They also provide brewing guides on their website so you can learn how to make the best cup of coffee at home. The brand sources their beans from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and Guatemala. A 250g bag costs around $17.50. If you subscribe, you can choose from three plans, with each option including two 250g bags of coffee per month, selected by the roaster based on the season and availability.

5. Grey roasting co

Grey Roasting Co has various coffees with my favourite being Daily Blend, which offers a consistent and balanced espresso with notes of chocolate, caramel, and nuts. They source their coffee beans from Rwanda, El Salvador, and Mexico. Grey uses compostable packaging for their packaging and also supports local initiatives that promote waste reduction and recycling. A 250g bag retails at around $16. They also have a subscription service that delivers their signature espresso blend or single-origin coffee according to your preferred frequency.

6. Ozone Coffee

Ozone specializes in a range of single-origin and blended coffees from Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia. They roast their coffee to order and you can choose from whole beans, ground coffee, or Nespresso-compatible pods, all of which are delicious and have a distinctive taste. A 250g bag starts at around $14.50, and a box of 10 capsules costs around $9. You can also subscribe for approximately $18 a week for a 250g bag.

7. Atomic coffee

Atomic offers over 10 single-origin and blended coffees. Their coffee is designed to be balanced, smooth, and consistent, with flavours ranging from spicy and smooth to fruity and floral. My go-to espresso blend is Veloce, a dark chocolate-flavoured medium-dark roast with hints of caramel, while the Colombia La Pradera single origin never disappoints with its notes of red apple, brown sugar, and lime. A 250g bag starts at $14, while 10 pods at $9. Atomic Coffee also offers a subscription service starting from $8 per delivery.

8. Allpress

Also another specialty roaster, Allpress has been serving cafes and homes across the country since 1992. They source their beans from Fairtrade-certified cooperatives around Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. The brand offers whole beans, pre-ground coffee, and compostable capsules. Their blends are sweet, balanced, and complex. My favourite everyday blend is the Browns Mill Organic, with notes of smooth milk chocolate and citrus. A 250g bag of coffee retails at around $16.

9. Eighthirty

Eighthirty Coffee Roasters has been roasting coffee since 2009. They offer balanced, smooth, and versatile blends, while their single origins showcase the characteristics of each region– Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras–and farm. A versatile blend, which I found works with any brewing method, is their Organic Blend. It’s sweet and smooth, with honey, vanilla, and almond notes and low acidity. A 250g bag costs around $13.50. They also offer subscriptions at discounted rates.

10. Red Rabbit

Red Rabbit Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster and cafe that sources, roasts, and brews single-origin coffees from different regions. I’ve tried several of their coffee, but one that never disappoints is the Balboa, Colombia, a medium-dark roast with notes of almond, honey, and orange. The coffee starts at around $20 for a 250g bag and free shipping for all orders over $35.

They also offer subscriptions starting from $18 per 250g bag.

11. Havana Coffee Works

Havana sources ethically traded beans from Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, and craft exceptional blends roasted in-house. Depending on the blend you buy, you’ll pick up anything from light and fruity notes to dark and chocolatey flavours. My current go-to is the Super Deluxe. It’s rich and complex with hints of spice, citrus, and berries. A 250g bag of any blend costs $14, and you also get a discount for bulk orders or when you sign up for their subscription.

12. People’s Coffee

People’s Coffee is committed to roasting and serving organic and fair-trade coffee. They source their beans from small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras, Papua New Guinea, and many others. Most of the beans are roasted to a medium level for a perfectly balanced sweet, mildly acidic and full-bodied coffee. My personal favourite coffee is the Aty Zarkeiwin; a single origin from Papua New Guinea, with hints of spice, honey, and stone fruit. People’s Coffee only uses organic and fair trade beans and compostable packaging for their coffee bags, cups, and lids, and recycle or reuse their waste materials. They support various social and environmental causes–planting trees, providing clean water, empowering women– in New Zealand and abroad. A 250g bag costs about NZ$16.50 while a 1kg bag is around NZ$54.00. They also offer discounts for bulk orders and subscriptions.

13. Mojo

Mojo Coffee is a specialty roaster and cafe chain founded in 2003. They source fair trade and organic beans from Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, to name a few, which are then roasted in small batches. Mojo currently has three signature blends: Classic Mojo, Feelgood, and Organic. I enjoy the Feelgood blend. It’s a perfect anytime-of-the-day coffee, with notes of almond, grapefruit and a butterscotch biscuit finish; it’s also smooth and balanced, with medium acidity and sweetness. A 200g bag starts at around $13.

14. Nespresso

Nespresso coffee has a rich aroma ranging from smoky, spicy, chocolatey, flowery, fruity, and nutty, to caramelised. Some common flavours for the Original and Vertuoline are (in no particular order):

Ispirazione Italiana: Inspired by the Italian coffee culture, with intense and balanced cocoa and woody notes.
Barista Creations: Blends that pair well with milk.
Limited Editions: Seasonal coffees like the Nordic Black, a light roast with delicate fruity notes.
World Explorations: Inspired by the coffee cultures of different cities.

The capsules range from $0.70 to $1.20 per capsule for the OriginalLine, and from $1.10 to $1.50 per capsule for the Vertuo. You also get discounts and promotions for buying in bulk. Nespresso offers the Coffee Plus subscription where you get customised recurring orders free of charge.

15. Jed’s Coffee Co.

Jed’s sources high-quality green coffee beans from various regions and use a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans to create different strengths and flavours for their products. They offer whole beans, ground coffee, capsules, and instant coffee options. My favourite is Jed’s No.3; a balanced and rich medium roast with notes of nuts, cocoa, and spice. You can expect to pay around $13 per 200g bag, $9.99 for a pack of 10 bean bags, and $6.99 for a pack of 10 capsules. They also have a loyalty program where you can earn points for every purchase and redeem them for rewards.

16. L’Or

L’Or offers a range of premium coffee capsules compatible with Nespresso machines. The coffee is made from carefully selected and roasted coffee beans that deliver a rich and aromatic flavour time and time again. The brand has 12 different varieties of coffee capsules, each with a different intensity, aroma, and taste, but one underlying similarity is they are rich, and smooth with notes ranging from fruity and nutty, to floral and spicy. My favourite blend is the Onyx with notes of liquorice and black pepper. L’Or sources its coffee beans from South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. A pack of 10 capsules costs about $8.99, but you can find it cheaper at other retailers.

17. Moccona

Moccona is part of JACOBS DOUWE EGBERTS, a leader in buying sustainably certified coffee from various regions. The brand offers a range of instant, bean, capsules, and sachet products. The coffee is rich, smooth, and balanced with flavours ranging from floral to fruity. They source Fairtrade beans from Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. A 500g jar of instant coffee costs around $49, a 10-pack of capsules is approximately $8, and a 10-pack of sachets is about $6.

18. Hummingbird

Hummingbird sources high-quality beans from Honduras, Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru, and Indonesia. They use a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans to create different strengths, which are offered as whole beans, ground coffee, capsules, or instant coffee. A blend I’ve become fond of is the Oomph. It’s a full-bodied dark roast with notes of milk chocolate, nutty, and cherry. A 200g starts at $9.99. They also have a loyalty program where you can earn points for every purchase and redeem them for rewards.

19. Avalanche

Avalanche offers different blends and single origins from Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil, and many others. Most of their coffees are tasty, but I particularly like the Organic Fairtrade blend with notes of caramel, malt, and nuts. Avalanche uses organic and Fairtrade-certified beans. They also use compostable packaging for their capsules and drinking chocolate sachets. Their coffee ranges from $5.99 to $14.99 per 200g bag. And they also offer discounts for bulk orders and subscriptions.

20. L’affare

L’affare has been producing quality coffee since 1990 and their beans produce brews with a smooth and full-bodied mouthfeel, a pleasant acidity, and a lingering aftertaste. L’affare knows coffee, and I still enjoy a few of their blends. But my favourite is the Primo, a blend from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Papua New Guinea, with a rich and smooth flavour with notes of chocolate, caramel, and nuts. The brand uses organic and fair trade certified beans whenever possible, and they support various environmental and social initiatives in the countries where they source their beans. A 250g bag costs around $9.50. You can also sign up for their subscription service, which starts from $9.50 per 250g bag, plus shipping costs.

21. Kokako

Kokako is a certified organic and fair-trade roaster that sources its beans from various regions worldwide. They have two signature blends: Aotea and Mahana. Aotea is a medium-dark roast with notes of dark chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut, while Mahana is a light-medium roast with notes of citrus, stone fruit, and honey. The brand also offers a range of single-origin coffees, which they rotate regularly based on availability and seasonality. You can sign up for their subscription service, but the only perk is that you’ll never run ot of your favourite coffee. Other than that, the prices are the same as the regular prices for each coffee option. A 250g bag costs about $16.

22. Mackenzie Coffee Co

Mackenzie specializes in roasting and supplying beans and blends for the South Island market. They source their beans from South America, Africa, and Asia, and also craft their blends to suit the southern tastes. A few of my favourite blends are the Canterbury, with flavour notes of dark chocolate and black cherries and Mainland, a velvety chocolate flavour with smooth caramel, and brown sugar finish. Their blends range from $35 to $40 per kg, while their single origins range from $40 to $45 per kg. They also have a loyalty program that rewards you with points for every purchase.

23. ROAR

ROAR Coffee is a small-batch roaster based in Lumsden. Their house blend, Harem, is made of 100% fair-trade arabica beans from Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uganda. It’s quickly become a favourite of mine because it’s rich, nutty, and full-bodied with a sweet toffee and malty aroma, and pairs well with any type of milk. They offer their coffee in various forms–whole beans, ground beans, and capsules. You can expect to pay around $14 for a bag of coffee.

24. Robert Harris

Robert Harris is a craft roastery that offers unique blends. They select the highest-grade Fairtrade-certified Arabica beans from premium estates in the great coffee-growing regions of the world. The Pure Fair Trade blend, my personal favourite, is sourced from Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica, and has a vanilla and blackcurrant flavour. There are tons of other varieties worth enjoying and they are packaged whole, ground, in capsules, or as instant coffee. An awesome aspect of buying their coffee is they encourage you to reuse or recycle their packaging and containers by offering discounts for bringing reusable cups or returning used capsules. A 200g bag starts at $8.49. You can also join the Robert Harris Rewards Club to earn points and rewards for every purchase.