Portrait Coffee

Recorded answer text · Google AI Overviews · 11 October 2026

Top Black-owned coffee brands in the U.S. offer specialty roasts, ethical sourcing, and strong community or social impact missions.

### Standout Black-Owned Coffee Brands

- BLK & Bold - Location / Reach: Nationally distributed in over 11,000 retail locations (co-owned with Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders). - Known For: Rise & GRND Medium Roast Ground Coffee (toffee and lemon notes, priced around $13.99 - $22.65), K-Cup pods, and ready-to-drink options. - Mission: Donates 5% of gross profits to nonprofit organizations supporting youth programming. - Cxffeeblack (Coffee Black) - Location / Reach: Memphis, Tennessee. - Known For: Reclaiming coffee's African roots by building direct trade and supply chains from Ethiopia to Memphis. - Mission: Winner of Global Notable Roaster of the Year and the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity awards, focusing on equity and producer royalties via the Repch Chain tech project. - Portrait Coffee - Location / Reach: Atlanta, Georgia. - Known For: High-scoring single origins like Ethiopia Guji Natural. - Mission: Rewriting the narrative of specialty coffee in the South with community-focused storytelling and ethical sourcing. - Boon Boona Coffee - Location / Reach: Renton, Washington. - Known For: Celebrating East African coffee ceremonies and fast, fresh roasts. - Mission: Directly sourcing quality beans from farmers in Ethiopia and Rwanda. - Three Keys Coffee - Location / Reach: Houston, Texas. - Known For: Specialty whole beans and pour-over packs inspired by jazz culture and musical art. - Deadstock Coffee - Location / Reach: Portland, Oregon. - Known For: Sneaker-culture-themed coffee shop and roastery founded by a former Nike designer, offering unique espresso and drip blends. - Chicago French Press - Location / Reach: Chicago, Illinois. - Known For: Black woman-owned brand using eco-friendly electric roasters with approachable pricing and flavored-coffee varieties. - Red Bay Coffee - Location / Reach: San Francisco and Oakland, California. - Known For: The King's Prize espresso blend and art-forward specialty roasts. - Mission: Dedicated to inclusivity, fine art, and fair employment in the specialty coffee industry.

For a broader directory of regional roasters and concept cafes, you can explore the curated list on Bold and Gritty.Are you looking for a specific roast level (light, medium, dark), whole bean vs. ground, or a brand that ships free within a certain budget?

Recorded answer text · ChatGPT · 8 November 2026

For pour-over coffee in the US, I'd prioritize specialty roasters selling freshly roasted, whole-bean, light or light-medium coffee\.

My recommendation is to start with Ethiopian, Kenyan, or Colombian single-origin beans. They tend to produce excellent clarity, sweetness, floral aromas, and fruit notes.

## Best coffees to buy in the US

(Best approachable light roast)

1\. Heirloom Coffee Roasters - Day Lark

## \$24.99

12 oz · Light roast

Crisp golden apple, cane sugar and honey. A good everyday pour-over option.

Buy from Heirloom

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2\. Indaba Coffee - Guatemala Vides 58

## \$49

Single origin · Washed process

A great option for clean, balanced sweetness and nuanced flavors.

Buy from Indaba

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3\. Indaba Coffee - Rwanda Sholi

## \$122

Washed Bourbon · Specialty coffee

Juicy stone-fruit character, sweetness and a clean finish. An interesting premium coffee to explore.

Buy from Indaba

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4\. Small Hours - Coltrane

## \$19.88

10 oz · Medium roast

Orange, nectarine and dark chocolate. Excellent if you prefer sweetness and balance rather than sharp acidity.

Buy from Small Hours

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5\. Portrait Coffee - Founders

## \$44

Colombian single origin · Smooth and sweet

Milk chocolate, lemon and soft fruit. A balanced choice for daily brewing.

Buy from Portrait Coffee

Prices are those returned by shopping listings and may vary by size and availability.

## My recommendation by flavor

| Your preferred taste | What to buy | |--------|--------| | Floral, jasmine, bergamot | Ethiopian Yirgacheffe | | Bright, fruity, blackcurrant | Kenyan | | Sweet, balanced, caramel | Colombian | | Clean, delicate, tea-like | Washed Rwandan | | Chocolate, nuts, low acidity | Brazilian |

## How to brew

For a starting point with a V60\:

- Coffee: 15 g - Water: 250 g - Temperature: 94-96°C (201-205°F) - Grind: Medium-fine - Bloom: 40-45 seconds - Total brew time: 2:45-3:30

## Let me narrow it down

What kind of pour-over coffee do you enjoy?

1\. Flavor preference

Fruity, floral, tea-like

Sweet, clean, balanced

Chocolate, nutty, caramel

Complex, experimental, funky

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2\. Budget per 12 oz bag

Under \$20

\$20-30

\$30-45

\$45+ (premium specialty)

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3\. Roast preference

Light

Light-medium

Medium

No preference

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4\. Pour-over brewer

Hario V60

Chemex

Kalita Wave

Other / not sure

[Find my top 10 coffees]

I can then narrow this down to the best specialty coffee roasters in America, rather than just popular supermarket brands.

Recorded answer text · Perplexity · 8 November 2026

Here are some of the best Black-owned coffee brands in the U.S., spanning specialty roasters, accessible grocery brands, and mission-driven companies:

- BLK & Bold - Des Moines, Iowa: A widely available brand with approachable blends, cold brew, and tea. It donates 5% of profits to organizations supporting youth and has B Corp certification. - Red Bay Coffee - Oakland, California: An acclaimed specialty roaster known for distinctive coffees and a commitment to diversity in the coffee industry. - Kahawa 1893 - San Francisco, California: Founded by third-generation Kenyan coffee farmer Margaret Nyamumbo; it focuses on African coffees and supports women coffee farmers. - Portrait Coffee - Atlanta, Georgia: A specialty roaster built around highlighting the people and stories behind coffee production, with subscriptions and individual bags. - Black Acres Roastery - Baltimore, Maryland: An artisan small-batch roaster offering coffees from around the world. - Sip & Sonder - Inglewood, California: A Black woman-owned roaster and café company offering specialty coffee and cafés in the Los Angeles area. - Chicago French Press - Chicago, Illinois: A Black woman-owned brand with flavored and traditional coffees, including popular maple-pecan offerings. - Reveille Trading Company - Atlanta, Georgia: A Black- and veteran-owned company emphasizing direct relationships with producers and coffees from multiple regions. - Cxffee Black - Memphis, Tennessee: A culture-forward brand combining specialty coffee with apparel and broader community-focused creative work. - Dope Coffee - U.S.-based e-commerce brand: A Black-, woman-, and veteran-owned company offering smooth blends inspired by Black culture.

Best starting picks:

- Best overall accessibility: BLK & Bold - Best specialty coffee: Red Bay Coffee - Best African coffees: Kahawa 1893 - Best Atlanta option: Portrait Coffee - Best flavored coffee: Chicago French Press - Best social-impact purchase: BLK & Bold or Reveille Trading Company

Ownership and availability can change, so confirm current details on each brand's website before buying. NBC News says the brands in its roundup were verified as at least 51% Black-owned.