Great Mornings in Maine: Maine’s Coffee Roasters

Many of us cannot imagine starting the day without a cup of coffee. A good cup of coffee. And where but Maine can you begin your morning with a breathtaking view, fresh air and some of the best coffee to be found? Mainers like their coffee like their food – fresh and local. Across the state, coffee shops roast their own beans and are dedicated to serving up the best lattes, cold brews, and good ol’ cuppa joes you can ask for, and most restaurants and cafes are proud to serve locally roasted beans as well.

Nowhere in the state is coffee roasting and brewing taken more seriously than it is in Portland. Grab a cup and stroll through the quiet streets of the Old Port early in the morning. Coffee by Design seeks out only the finest beans, hand-roasts them in small batches to make some of the best coffee in the country. Portland has three different locations so you’re sure to be near one. Arabica Coffee and Tandem Coffee Roasters locations are all run by roasters with years of expertise. Bard Coffee in the Old Port has quickly become another favorite by offering a total coffee experience. Speckled Ax Wood Roasted Coffee takes it a step further, only using local hardwood gathered from Maine’s forests to roast its coffee manually. They have several coffee shops throughout Portland. Rwanda Bean coffee is hand-picked in Rwanda and roasted in Portland.

North of Portland in Yarmouth, Maine Roasters Coffee is famous for their dark blend, the Rocky Coast Roast. Or head south to Carpe Diem Roastery in North Berwick for rare roasts and reasonable prices.

Want to enjoy your coffee by the sea? Rock City Roasters is served up in downtown Rockland’s Rock City Café and is the spot to grab some fresh roasted beans or breakfast and lunch. The Crooked Porch Coffee in Bar Harbor gets raves for their blends of micro-roasted and organic beans.

You’ll also find great coffee on the rugged coast of DownEast Maine. The perfectly named Bold Coast Coffee in Machias roasts responsibly-sourced beans in small batches that are cooled by the fresh North Atlantic breezes. In downtown Deer Island village, 44 North Coffee was founded in 2010 on the principle that fresh and ethically sourced coffee sips best. They custom roast organic Arabica coffee beans at the Deer Isle shop and also have a seasonal location in Stonington. In Bar Harbor, you can find zero-emission, eco-friendly coffee roasted at Acadia Perk.

But you won’t just find fresh coffee along the coast. Carrabassett Coffee Roasters, located close to Sugarloaf in Kingfield, produces signature coffee blends for restaurants, stores and hotels around the state. They roast the highest quality beans in 20-pound batches and serve what they call “the finest single source coffees available.”

Even if you’re not able to hit any of these spots, restaurants, hotels, inns and local coffee shops across the state serve up these local roasts with pride. With more roasters opening every year, it’s easy to find a great cup up coffee in Maine—but hard to choose which one is the best.