I've recently moved to Ann Arbor and am wondering if anyone has recommendations of roasters in the area worth trying. So far I've liked Hyperion, Stovetop, currently about to try a naturally washed Ethiopian from Vertex. Just wondering what others recommend.

IMO the best coffee I've had in town is at Literati. It looks like they were roasting their own beans but aren't doing so currently due to the pandemic situation. So all I can say is, follow up on that when they reopen.

We recently tried Black Diesel Coffee and were of the opinion that they were definitely trying. Maybe see what their house blend is and try that.

Other possibly decent coffee drinks I've had in the area came from Lab Cafe, Mighty Good Coffee, and the Ugly Mug in Ypsilanti.

Roos Roast was one of the early coffee roasters in the area but we found all their beans to be too acidic for our tastes.

Oh also. Best coffee overall in the mitten, we think, is Rowster in Grand Rapids. Admittedly mostly because they do a house-made almond milk that makes the most delicious cappuccino.

Our favorite coffee used to come from Henrietta Haus in Hamtramck, however she stopped roasting in an attempt to open a cafe. Recently she has made some overtures about finally opening but it hasn't happened yet. If that comes to pass we'll try her beans as espresso (we used to use them for French Press) just as soon as we can get them.

I also recently moved to Ann Arbor. I have been inside most the cafes I can find but I haven't thoroughly tasted all the roasters yet.

Mighty Good Coffee has stood out thus far. The batch of Rwanda I last got was really excellent and it cupped favorably against several coffees I've had imported from my favorite roasters around the globe. They seem to roast in the City range for their light bags. I recommend going to their HQ in downtown on Wednesday to pickup your bag if you have any questions because the people there are friendly and knowledgeable.

If you're into dark roasts, RoosRoast makes SO's that will shine in espresso imo but the handful of coffees I've had from them were too dark for drip. Your tastes may differ. There is at least one barista at the Rosewood RoosRoast (maybe the manager) who pulls out-of-this-world espresso, sweet, fruity, excellent. But I only got that once out of 6 visits. The others were horribly overextracted burnt tasting coffee.

I am tasting Vertex next and have the sampler kit on order. I have been to their shop and I think this is the best place in Ann Arbor to get a coffee in-person. I love their good vibes and good baristas. The coffee was also very good when I went.

Unfortunately, a lot of places have the typical under-trained college baristas who serves you dirt in a cup. I've had far too many undrinkable coffees in this town but that is all part of the experience to finding a shop you like imo. Hopefully this improves as social distancing lightens up in the future.

MadCap in Grand Rapids is the roaster that got me into coffee!

Roosroast is on the darker side of what I prefer for taste. I'll check out mighty good coffee at some point, thanks for the recommendation.

Lucky you! We recently moved from Ann Arbor and really miss it. I second the vote for mighty good, they are directly responsible for me developing an interest in specialty coffee. I can remember the cup, it was a V60 and beans from yirgacheffe.

I'll add a shout out for Hyperion in Ypsi, I recently finished a bag of gesha beans that was amazing.

Enjoy the area, it's a great place to live.

-Brandon

It might be out of the way but Chazzano in Ferndale has been my go to coffee house for years. Their Ecuador single origin coffee makes some of the smoothest espresso I've ever had.

Back when they were still located on Haggerty Road in Commerce Township, just a bit south of Oakley Park Road, I used to buy all my coffee at Gourmet Coffee Company. Years ago they relocated to Wixom, off Beck Road, just north of I-96. A bit too far a haul to be going there all the time. They're now Java Masters Gourmet Coffee.

Now that I'm trying my hand at espresso, and creating an enjoyable espresso is much more demanding than the Aeropress, looks like I'll be making the haul.

They always have a variety of estate coffees, and often some of their own blends. They use Java Master air roasters. You can pick your coffee and they'll roast it while you wait. They also ship.

Just called over there yesterday. Sadly, all the people I knew and with whom I used to discuss coffee have either moved on, retired, or passed away