Obadiah is a modern coffee roastery, rooted in Edinburgh since 2017. Its founding years were guided by a curiosity to explore the breadth of character in coffees, which led to a novel approach to coffee in Scotland. Its work is “clean and expressive”: every coffee holds a story shaped by landscape, climate and the hands that cultivate it, and Obadiah tries to honour that origin by roasting with a gentle touch.
The company builds lasting relationships with renowned and emerging producers and with green suppliers who specialise in particular origins. On the cupping table in its QC room it looks for flavour-led coffees with clarity, depth and layered complexity. Roasting parameters are adjusted lot by lot. Some coffees naturally suit filter or espresso, but each is roasted with versatility in mind and recommended for both. Obadiah asks customers to rest its coffee in the sealed bag for at least 21 days after roasting.
There is no café. The roastery sits in Abbeyhill, and the team is happy to serve anyone who wants to buy directly there on weekdays, by card only. The Solasta subscription takes its name from the Scots Gaelic word for bright and shining and sends two coffees a month, chosen by the roastery around a theme or a producer, always as whole bean; a volume version serves keen drinkers and workplaces. On the wholesale side, Obadiah works with cafés, bakeries and restaurants from Edinburgh to Gyeongju in South Korea, and is the primary roastery representing Slayer espresso machines in Scotland. In Edinburgh, Obadiah developed the exclusive house espresso for Söderberg, and The Milkman serves an exclusive Obadiah coffee on its espresso machine.
The range is almost entirely single lots, from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Ethiopia to Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil, Myanmar, China and Thailand, with a Colombian sugarcane decaf and occasional collaborative releases.
Partner cafés
- Söderberg Edinburgh
- The Milkman Edinburgh
Coffee on the shelf
- Gooseberry
- Sugar cane
- Blackberry
- Cacao
- Sweet dried fruits
- Molasses
- Dates
- Chocolate
- Orange blossom
- Blackberry liqueur
- Raspberry
- Jasmine
- Elderberry
- Raspberry
- Plum
- Fig
- Stone fruits
- Caramel
- Blueberry
- Honey
- Cherry
- Chocolate
- Red apple
- Mandarin
- Pineapple
- Marzipan
- Black tea
- Citrus
- Dates
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
- Red grape
- Guava
- Strawberry
- Citrus acidity
- Ripe fruits
- Cherry
- Blueberry
- Apricot
- Lemon
- Red berries
- Lime
- Red apple
- Vanilla
- Dark chocolate
- Sweet cherry
- Cherry
- Spices
- Tropical fruits
- Red fruits
- Peach
- Toffee
- Butterscotch
- Cherry
- Tropical fruits
- Apricot
- Fresh pineapple
- Cream
- Raisins
- Sweet biscuit
- Plum
- Honey
- Raisin
- Cacao
- Cherry
- Toffee
- Tropical fruits
- Milk chocolate
- Red apple
- Vanilla
- Raspberries
- Cream
- Forest fruits
- Dark chocolate
- Pear
- Figs
- Blood orange
- Toffee
- Vanilla
- Raspberry
- Pear
- Dark chocolate
- Citrus fruits
- Milk chocolate
- Red berries
- Purple grape
- Cherry
- Boozy
- Rhubarb
- Florals
- Melon
- Lychee
- Summer berries
- Cacao
- Cherry
- Dark chocolate
- Stewed fruits
- Cinnamon
- Blueberry
- Honey
- Blackcurrant
- Vanilla
- Pineapple
- Grenadine
- Pineapple
- Rum
- Peach
- White sugar
- Cherry
- Raspberry
- Lychee
- Orange blossom
- Berry
- Grape
- Melon
- Lemon curd
- Maple syrup
- Fig
- Layered
- Creamy
Photograph: Obadiah