When you hear the name Onyx Coffee Lab, you're hearing about one of the most celebrated roasters in the world. Based in Rogers, Arkansas, Onyx has won Roaster of the Year multiple times, earned more Good Food Awards than most roasters dream of, and built a reputation for meticulous sourcing and roasting that borders on obsessive. Now, through Harbour Roast Coffee, their beans are available right here in Bermuda.
We're proud to partner with Onyx because their philosophy aligns perfectly with ours — quality without compromise, transparency in sourcing, and a belief that great coffee should be accessible to everyone willing to pay attention to what's in their cup.
The Onyx Story
Onyx Coffee Lab was founded by Mark and Andrea Allen in 2012 with a simple but ambitious vision: to roast the best coffee in the country. Not the most coffee. Not the cheapest. The best. Starting from a small roasting operation in Northwest Arkansas, they built a company that's now one of the most respected names in specialty coffee globally.
What set Onyx apart from the beginning was their transparency. Every coffee they sell comes with detailed information about where it was grown, who grew it, how it was processed, and what you should taste in the cup. They publish their green coffee buying prices so customers can see exactly how much farmers are paid. In an industry where "direct trade" is sometimes more marketing than substance, Onyx puts the numbers on the table.
What Makes Their Coffee Special
Walk into any specialty coffee conversation about top roasters and Onyx comes up almost immediately. There are a few reasons for that.
Sourcing relationships. Onyx doesn't just buy coffee from importers — they travel to origin countries, visit farms, taste hundreds of lots, and select only the ones that meet their standards. They work with producers in Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, and beyond, often returning to the same farms year after year. These long-term relationships lead to better coffee because the farmer knows exactly what the roaster is looking for.
Innovative processing. Onyx is known for working with experimental processing methods — natural, honey, anaerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration. These techniques develop unique flavour profiles you simply won't find in conventionally processed coffee. If you've ever tasted a coffee that reminded you of blueberries, tropical fruit, or dark chocolate and wondered how that was possible, the answer is often in the processing.
Precision roasting. With a team of experienced roasters and a data-driven approach, Onyx profiles each lot individually. They're not applying a one-size-fits-all roast curve — every coffee gets its own treatment to highlight its best qualities. The result is coffee that tastes exactly like it should, whether it's a bright, floral Ethiopian or a rich, syrupy Colombian.
The Awards Speak for Themselves
Onyx's trophy case is genuinely remarkable. They've been named Roast Magazine's Roaster of the Year, won numerous Good Food Awards and U.S. Brewer's Cup championships, and consistently place among the top roasters in national and international competitions. But what matters more than trophies is what they represent: an unrelenting commitment to improving every year, every harvest, every batch.
That competitive drive shows up in every bag. When you brew an Onyx coffee, you're tasting the work of people who genuinely believe that the next lot could be even better than the last one.
What to Expect in the Cup
Onyx's range spans the full spectrum. Their single-origin offerings tend toward the lighter end of the roast spectrum, highlighting the natural sweetness and complexity of each lot. Expect tasting notes that read like a fruit market — peach, strawberry, honeydew, blood orange, jasmine — with a clarity and cleanliness that's their signature. Right now that might mean the Peru Andrés Torre Ore, the Colombia Juan Jimenez Pink Bourbon, or the Colombia Edward Sandoval Chiroso.
For those who prefer something more familiar, Onyx also offers blends and slightly darker profiles that deliver rich chocolate, toasted almond, and brown sugar notes — perfect for espresso or milk-based drinks. Their Monarch blend is a perennial favourite, designed specifically for espresso with a sweet, balanced profile that pairs beautifully with steamed milk. Our current line-up also includes the balanced Onyx Geometry Blend and the bold, chocolatey Eclipse Dark Roast — both natural fits for espresso and milk drinks.
Whether you're an experienced specialty coffee drinker or someone who just wants a really, really good cup — Onyx delivers.
If you're not sure where to start, ask yourself one question: do you usually take your coffee black, or with milk? For black coffee drinkers, Onyx's single-origin offerings will open up a world of flavour. For milk-drink lovers, their espresso blends are built to shine through steamed milk without losing their sweetness and complexity. Either way, you're getting something exceptional.
How to Brew Onyx Coffee
For Onyx's lighter single origins, a pour-over method (V60, Chemex, or Kalita Wave) is ideal — it lets the nuanced flavour notes come through clearly. Use water at around 200°F, a medium-fine grind, and a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio. If you're new to pour-over, check out our brewing guide for step-by-step instructions.
For their espresso blends, pull a standard double at 18g in, 36g out, aiming for a 25–30 second extraction. The result should be sweet and syrupy with no bitterness. See our espresso guide if you're dialling in for the first time.
Why We Chose Onyx for Bermuda
At Harbour Roast, we're selective about the roasters we partner with. Our job is to curate — to find the best coffee in the world and make it available on this island. Onyx Coffee Lab was one of our first choices because their standards mirror ours: no shortcuts, no filler, no "good enough."
Bermuda has long deserved access to this level of specialty coffee. Whether you're brewing at home before work, running a café, or serving guests at a hotel, Onyx's consistency and quality make them a roaster you can rely on every time you open a bag.
Explore our current Onyx offerings and the rest of our curated selection at harbourroast.com. Fresh shipments arrive every two weeks, so there's always something new to try.
