Coffee Journal

A Simple Valentine’s Gift Guide ☕️

Whether Valentine’s Day is your thing or very much not your thing, we’ve put together a small list of thoughtful gifts we genuinely love.They’re simple, meaningful, and designed to be enjoyed slow...

Planting the Future: The 11 Million Trees Project

At Bell Lane, we know that coffee can be a force for good, especially for the communities and ecosystems that produce it. That’s why we're proud to back the 11 Million Trees Project in Timor-Leste,...

What's So Special About Specialty Coffee?

If you’ve heard the term specialty coffee before, but aren't exactly sure what it means, you’re in the right place. Here we'll take a look at specialty coffee's origins, what defines it, and what r...

How To Brew A Great V60 At Home (No Experience Needed)

So, you’ve decided to dive into the world of filter coffee. Great choice. Previously, we've looked at the differences between filter and espresso. In this post, we’re getting hands-on with one of t...

Why Giving A Voice To Coffee Farmers Matters

Coffee has always been about people, whether meeting for coffee or chatting over coffee. But for this special collaboration, we’re shining a light on the people behind coffee—the producers, farmers...

Understanding Washed Coffees (And Why We Love Them)

When it comes to discovering new coffees, processing method is one of the most powerful (and underrated) keys to flavour.  Among all the options, we keep coming back to washed coffees for their cla...

Espresso Vs. Filter: What's The Difference And Why Does It Matter?

If you’re just getting into coffee, you’ve probably heard people talk about filter and espresso. But what exactly sets them apart? And more importantly, which one is right for you? what is espresso...

4 Easy Iced Coffee Recipes To Cool Down With

When the heat is on, nothing beats an iced coffee. These four summer-ready recipes are easy to make (and delicious to drink). There's something for you whether you prefer espresso, filter, and even...

How Our Hessian Sacks Are Helping Bees

This May, we’re celebrating “Maybee” for the fourth year running—a small but important way Bell Lane Coffee is giving back to nature.  As part of the initiative, we'll be including native Irish wil...

meet the artist behind our labels

Meet Paul Flaherty—artist, in-house creative, and all-round coffee head. Paul is the creative force behind our new labels, blending a deep understanding of coffee with a distinctive visual approach...

taking it easy at dublin coffee festival 2025

As lead coffee roaster sponsor at Dublin Coffee Festival, we knew we had an important role to fill—and plenty of prep to do.  the venue Held in the historic RDS in Dublin across the weekend of Ap...

indonesia's blue batak and its 13th century roots

High above the southern edge of Lake Toba in North Sumatra—home to the largest volcanic crater lake in the world—you’ll find the ancestral lands of the Batak people, where coffee has been grown for...

Coffee In Colour: The Story Behind Our New Labels

This is a project we’ve been working on for a while.And while you can see the end result on our packaging, we wanted to take you behind-the-scenes to explain how this change happened—and the thinki...

how our roastery team made the move to a 4.5-day workweek

by Tess Martin, Warehouse & Logistics Manager at Bell Lane Coffee Roasters One of the biggest changes we made recently was moving from a 5-day to a 4.5-day workweek in our roastery. It’s a move...

behind the bar: corkbeg coffee

Like the winding road to Whitegate in East Cork, Gráinne Gormley’s journey to opening Corkbeg Coffee was full of twists and turns.  With a background in food and hospitality—including nine years ru...

5 tips for a smoother b corp journey (from someone who’s been there)

by Denise Bell, Co-Founder of Bell Lane Coffee Roasters In May 2024, Bell Lane officially became a Certified B Corp. As I reflect on the process, there are a few things I wish I’d known from the st...

behind the bar: crema coffee

Nestled in the heart of Meta’s Dublin offices, Crema Coffee is a cornerstone of the company’s coffee scene.  Owned and led by Anthony Ryan, his own lunchtime coffee trips during a previous role ...

gail's top 20 tips for aspiring baristas

With years of hands-on experience in coffee—training baristas, running workshops, home brewing, and everything in between—Gail Henshall has a wealth of barista tips and tricks up her sleeve. Beyond...

the changing face of the coffee market

Like many industries, the coffee industry is going through a period of change right now. Extreme weather is affecting supply, while global demand continues to rise. At the same time, economic shift...

Fighting Poverty and Migration In Mexico

Evalynn: Chapter Three of Our Journey

What may look like a simple co-branding project is, in fact, the culmination of years of collaboration, shared passion, and a commitment to excellence in specialty coffee. Welcome to chapter three ...

what's in my bag: a coffee salesman

by Stephen Bell, Co-Founder of Bell Lane Coffee Roasters     As a salesman on the road, your bag becomes more than just a carryall—it’s an extension of your day-to-day operations, a survival kit,...

brewstorm: winter 2024

brewstorm recap: celebrating coffee and community Coffee is much more than a drink – it’s an excuse to connect, converse, and get creative. That’s why we were excited to host our Brewstorm commu...

Sustainable Farming in Focus: Gail’s Visit to Brazil’s Coffee Producers

At Bell Lane Coffee, we believe that exceptional coffee begins with strong relationships at its source. In this blog, we take you through Gail's journey to Brazil, where she connected with passiona...

International Coffee Day - Taster Pack

Niko shares a brief overview of the Taster's Pack for International Coffee Day, featuring three exceptional coffees from Peru, Burundi, and Colombia. This collection offers a unique opportunity to ...

MayBee - Year Three

As we kick off the third year of our MayBee campaign, we're buzzing with excitement and gratitude for the incredible journey we've shared with our community. What started as a small idea has blosso...

Sonrisas "Smiles"

In the past, we have avoided talking about the important stuff – the good work we do behind the scenes. With our recent rebrand, we're committed to being open and honest, sharing our stories and em...

La Morena - Empowering Women Farmers

In Guatemala, the coffee industry is male-dominated and gender equality remains a challenge. Even though women operate 20% to 30% of Guatemalan coffee farms (and up to 70% of coffee production wo...

Choice

Choosing a new roaster is a big challenge for every roaster. It is likely that your decision will impact above all else the profile of every roast, workflow, and day to day operation in the roaster...

Ultimate Coffee Freshness - Dissolving the Myth

There is a current misconception that the fresher the coffee is, the better. Well, we're here to bust that myth wide open and explain what fresh-roasted coffee really means so you can enjoy your br...

MayBee - Year Two

Last year, we began our MayBee campaign as a small initiative with a potentially huge impact. Our plan was to distribute packages of coffee across the country, with an added element that could invo...

Bell Lane & Evalynn - Origin Trip to El Salvador 2023

Completing the coffee circle, producer, roaster & coffee partner. Goran, our account manager, along with Niall, owner of Evalynn Coffee shop, recently travelled to El Salvador to meet coffee p...

Showcasing Mullingar Town

Verona's Seasons Working with so many talented creatives in Bell Lane, the opportunity to showcase their work is our honour. Outside of the coffee professionals, Roasters, and amazing Baristas, ...

Evalynn

If you ever worked as a barista, there is no doubt you fantasised about having your own coffee shop. To design the look and feel and apply your very own philosophy is a dream that takes blood, swe...

#KeepGrinding - SCA Professional Course

  It was about time to get this done, and finally, I did it (or better say WE did it!) 😊 It took three days of intensive training with Alin who owns and runs Coffee Laboratory which offers co...

Gesha

Gesha became very popular after it was first presented on the WBC stage and that’s how all the “Gesha hype” started.  However, it is important to say that the variety originates from Ethiopia and ...

MayBee 🐝

Alone we can do little, together we can do much more… These are the words that came to mind when we were thinking about what we could do to both involve our community of coffee drinkers and do some...

London Coffee Festival

We caught up with Goran, our Sales Manager who attended the 2022 London Coffee Festival. Her Is what he had to say 😊 Overcrowded Dublin airport didn’t stop us in our goal to visit London Coffee Fes...

Roasters Notes - Colour

Recently I was asked by a fellow roaster how do I use colour tracker in the roastery and how important is it to have one to achieve consistency? ❌ If your curves are not perfectly aligned matching ...

Roasters Notes - Espresso Love

After sharing the taxi in Berlin 2018 we have been working with Nathalia @Ourcoffees.   This Red Catuai still continues to surprise me.  Doesn't roast like any other Brazil and it was quite challen...

Decaf: The Natural Way

Caffeine: it is not just in coffee but in tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and we all crave it for that essential morning eye opener or afternoon slump buster.  Alongside the comforting aroma of fres...

Why filter coffee?

Before automation in the coffee industry and the invention of the beloved espresso machine, filter coffee was the norm. The use of a filter has been a household essential since the early 17th Centu...

Saying Goodbye to the Bean & Wings

Bell Lane Coffee started in 2012, both Stephen & I were unemployed, and we had three children under the age of 5. We always shared a similar goal, to work for ourselves, it was ingrained in bot...

Bell Lane Farm Direct – Bernardo Echeverry

Ever since I started working within the coffee industry, Direct Trade was a term that always drew my attention as something every roaster should aspire to do. It was confusing at the time because t...