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The 5 Best Irish Coffee Brands (Plus Buying Tips)

Rebecca Hanlon
Last Updated: February 28th, 2023

The Irish Coffee Council released research revealing that most coffee drinkers in Irish love cappuccinos. But, what brands do they use to make those cappuccinos?

Well, as it happens, there are quite a few great Irish coffee brands out there.

And, if you’ve been wanting to try one, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve curated the best Irish coffee brands out there and their pros and cons.

Grab your notebook and pen and let’s take a look at the best Irish coffee brands on the market today.

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Brief Irish Coffee History

brief irish coffee history

First, let’s talk about the history of coffee in Ireland.

While Ireland isn’t necessarily known for being a country that grows coffee, it is known for a drink called the Irish coffee. This drink contains hot coffee, whiskey, brown sugar, and whipped cream.

The birth of Irish coffee dates back to 1940. Joe Sheridan, a famous chef in Foynes Port, first created it.

The story started when Pan Am’s flight to New York had to turn back to Foynes because of bad weather. Joe Sheridan arrived at the airport and was told to prepare hot food and beverages for the stranded passengers.

The chef created a concoction that could make the passengers feel warm and comfortable. When an American passenger asked what coffee it was, he said it was an Irish coffee.

Today, the recipe has stuck, and it continues to be a popular drink both in Ireland and outside it!

How To Make A Good-Tasting Irish Coffee

good tasting irish coffee

If it’s your first time trying Irish Coffee, there are a couple of things you’ll need to do to make a great-tasting brew.

Here are a few quick tips to help you create the best Irish coffee.

  1. Irish coffee has four main elements, which is why it’s crucial that you take each one seriously. Ensure that your ingredients are high quality because they can alter your drink’s taste.
  2. Having the right ratio of each ingredient is key. Having too much of any one ingredient can lead to a drink that’s imbalanced.
  3. The cream should have a thick and fluffy consistency. If it’s too thin, it won’t float on top. Whip your cream for at least 45 seconds to get the right consistency.
  4. If you want to tweak the recipe, go ahead. But, make sure to maintain the original taste of the Irish coffee. Changing it too much can result in a bad-tasting drink.
  5. And with a good layer of thickened cream and sugar, your coffee should have the perfect sweetness to balance out the bitterness.

With those tips in mind, you should be able to make a great Irish coffee!

Finding The Best Beans in Irish Coffee

best beans in irish coffee

To experience the best Irish coffee, you want to have the perfect coffee blend. It has to have intense and robust flavors. For the best taste, go with darker roast coffee beans with low acidity.

Most Irish coffee drinkers prefer African and Indonesian coffee beans or Latin American blends. These beans can blend well with the whiskey and cream. But, they still keep their distinct bold flavors.

Because Indonesian coffees have a smokey and earthy aroma, they can interact well and balance out the whiskey’s dominant flavors.

African coffees, especially the Kenyan options, have a unique sweetness that prevents your Irish coffee from tasting sour.

If you’re choosing Latin-American blends, choose Mexican or Guatemalan beans.

Top 5 Best Irish Coffee Brands

With all these tips about making Irish coffee in mind, let’s start looking at a few coffee brands to look into.

Here are a couple of the best Irish coffee brands on the market.

1. Badger and Dodo

Badger and Dodo
Image: Badger and Dodo

Pros

  • Single-origin coffee, so beans have consistent bold flavors
  • Meticulous roasting process, so you get boldness and richness in every bean
  • 100% premium Arabica beans, so you get a perfectly balanced taste

Cons

  • It’s a premium bean, so it’s pricier than other options.

Badger and Dodo is a relatively new Irish coffee brand starting last 2008. Since then, this brand has sourced and roasted specialty coffee beans. Badger and Dodo is the first Irish artisan coffee roaster in Ireland.

This coffee brand is also a family business in Fermoy. It’s a boutique coffee roaster that directly imports its beans from Colombia and Brazil. Also, Badger and Dodo take pride in small-batch roasting.

This makes the brand more in control of the heat during the roasting process, which helps them get the most flavor out of the beans.

Check out Badger and Dodo.

2. Cloud Picker Coffee

cloud_picker_coffee
Image: Cloud Picker Coffee

Pros

  • Wide range of blends, so you can find one you like
  • Uses premium quality beans, so you get good-quality coffee
  • Comes in sustainable packaging, so it’s environmentally-friendly

Cons

  • It can be expensive because it uses premium coffee beans.

Cloud Picker Coffee is a famous Irish roaster coffee brand in Dublin. This famous Irish coffee brand takes pride in locally acquiring coffee beans. Also, the roasting and extraction processes are meticulous, guaranteeing you get the best flavors in your coffee.

Cloud Picker Coffee offers various coffee blends and flavors, so you can definitely find one to match your taste. This brand also ensures it uses premium coffee beans sealed in versatile and airtight packaging.

If you’re looking for the best-sellers, try the Henry Blend. It perfectly balances the coffee’s strong and bitter flavor with sweet undertones. The Henry Blend also offers the right amount of acidity, ideal for coffee drinkers who are sensitive to acid.

Cloud Picker Coffee is also famous for its compostable and sustainable packaging.

Check out Cloud Picker Coffee.

3. Imbibe Coffee

imbibe coffee
Image: Imbibe

Pros

  • Sustainable packaging, so this brand is eco-friendly
  • Intense coffee flavors, so you get the caffeine boost you need to power your day
  • Smooth and velvety texture, so you have a good coffee drinking experience
  • Single-origin coffee, so you get balanced flavors

Cons

  • It’s expensive because the beans are of premium quality
  • The strong and bitter flavors can be too much for beginner coffee drinkers

If you prefer organic and single-origin coffee, try Imbibe Coffee. This coffee brand is also based in Dublin City. Its owner, Gary Grant, specializes in making unique-tasting coffee blends you won’t find elsewhere.

Imbibe Coffee is also a supplier of the most famous restaurants in Ireland. These restaurants include Mayfield Deli, Gaillot and Gray, Wall and Keogh, and Liston’s.

All Imbibe coffee products come in sustainable and airtight packaging. This ensures your ground coffee or beans remain fresh.

Also, Imbibe Coffee is known for producing strong and intense coffee flavors, giving you that caffeine kick you need.

Check out Imbibe Coffee.

4. Bell Lane

bell lane
Image: Bell Lane

Pros

  • Readily available, so it’s easy to source their beans
  • All blends have balanced flavors, so it’s easy to find one you desire
  • Small-batch roasting, guaranteeing fresh coffee beans

Cons

  • Can lack caffeine, so it’s not suitable for professional drinkers
  • Also expensive because it’s a premium bean

Bell Lane makes the cut for producing premium specialty coffees. Since 2012, this brand has continued to deliver some of the best-tasting coffee beans in the world. Bell Lane is based in Mullingar, Westmeath.

Bell Lane has won several awards, especially in specialty coffee categories.

Also, it roasts coffee beans in small batches. This ensures popper heat control in every aspect of the process. And it guarantees fresh coffee beans too!

The best-selling blends from Bell Lane include the Black Tie Espresso. You will love its sweet and bitter flavor with the dark chocolate finish. It also has a buttery mouthfeel, so it’s smooth to drink.

If you’re looking for a single-origin roast, the Uganda Kisinga is your best bet. It also comes with tropical and fruity undertones, masking the coffee’s intense flavors.

Check out Bell Lane.

5. 3Fe

3fe
Image: 3Fe

Pros

  • Harvests fresh coffee beans, so you get rich and bold flavors
  • It comes in various blends, so you have a wide range of options

Cons

  • It’s a premium bean, so it can also be expensive.

Finally, try 3Fe for some top-quality coffee brewing at home. The best thing about 3Fe is that all coffee beans undergo roasting right before they’re posted on the website. This ensures you get a fresh batch of coffee beans.

Customers also love the elegant packaging of 3Fe. It’s something pretty to pull out when you’re entertaining!

Check out 3Fe.

Get The Best Irish Coffee Brand

Each of these five Irish coffee brands has its own unique taste and flavor.

If you’re a beginner and don’t like bitter coffee, try blends from Bell Lane. This brand gives you a wide range of options with fruity or chocolaty hints.

But if you like it bitter, try Imbibe Coffee. This brand offers intense coffee flavors, giving you the energy and caffeine boost you need.

Choose from our suggested brands, and make your own Irish coffee at home. Enjoy!

Further Reading

About The Author

Rebecca Hanlon

Rebecca has been a blogger for over 5 years, before that enjoying a number of jobs to fund her passion for travel. She's taught English as a foreign language, a part-time Barista, a waitress, and a tour guide.

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