Most people buying coffee online do one of two things: they either stick to the same bag they always buy, or they get overwhelmed by choice and just pick whatever looks familiar. If you have ever landed on Farrer's website and stared at the Westmorland blend coffee, the No. 1 Blend, and the Italian Blend side by side without knowing which to choose, you are not alone. These three blends represent two centuries of roasting knowledge compressed into three very different cups. This guide cuts through the noise and tells you exactly which blend suits your palate, your brewing kit, and your daily ritual.
Table of Contents
- Quick Takeaways
- What Makes Farrer's Blends Different from Generic Supermarket Coffee
- The Westmorland Blend: For Drinkers Who Want Balance Above All
- The No. 1 Blend: Farrer's Most Versatile Everyday Espresso
- The Italian Blend: Bold, Dark, and Built for Milk-Based Drinks
- Side-by-Side Comparison of All Three Blends
- Matching Each Blend to Your Brewing Method
- Ordering Fresh: Why Roast Date Matters More Than the Bag
- Frequently Asked Questions
- References
Quick Takeaways
| Key Insight | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Westmorland suits filter and pour-over drinkers | Its lighter roast profile and balanced acidity shine brightest without milk, making it the go-to for those who drink black coffee daily. |
| No. 1 Blend is the best all-rounder for espresso machines | Designed with both home enthusiasts and trade customers in mind, it works reliably across different grind settings and water temperatures. |
| Italian Blend is built for milk-based drinks | The darker roast cuts through steamed milk cleanly, which is why many of Farrer's cafe and restaurant clients choose it for their latte and flat white menus. |
| Roast freshness matters more than the blend name | Farrer's next-day dispatch on orders over £35 means you receive coffee within days of roasting, not months. This is a genuine advantage over supermarket stock. |
| Grind size is the variable most home brewers get wrong | Switching between these three blends without adjusting your grinder will produce inconsistent results regardless of which blend you choose. |
| The Lake District water profile influenced these recipes | Farrer's roasters developed these blends against soft Lake District water. If your local water is hard, a small dial-back on extraction temperature improves clarity. |
| A premium coffee subscription fixes the freshness problem permanently | Receiving a regular dispatch of freshly roasted coffee removes the single biggest quality variable for home brewers: stale beans. |
What Makes Farrer's Blends Different from Generic Supermarket Coffee
Farrer's has been roasting coffee in the Lake District for over 200 years. That is not a marketing headline. It means the people crafting these blends have accumulated generational knowledge about sourcing, roasting curves, and how blends behave across different brewing methods. That institutional knowledge is the practical difference between a Farrer's blend and a branded supermarket bag.
Supermarket coffee is roasted weeks or months before it reaches a shelf. Farrer's hand-packs and dispatches within days of roasting. Carbon dioxide, which gives fresh coffee its bloom and body, dissipates rapidly after roasting. By the time a supermarket bag reaches your kitchen, much of that aromatic potential is gone. Farrer's freshness model changes the equation entirely.
A common mistake among home brewers is treating all medium-roast blends as interchangeable. They are not. The Westmorland blend coffee, the No. 1 Blend, and the Italian Blend each have distinct origin compositions, roast levels, and intended brew profiles. Choosing the wrong one for your method is the fastest route to a disappointing cup, even if you are using excellent equipment.
The Westmorland Blend: For Drinkers Who Want Balance Above All
The Westmorland blend coffee is Farrer's regional signature. Named after the historic county that encompasses much of the Lake District, it is roasted to a medium level that preserves the nuance of the component beans rather than driving towards a uniform dark roast character.
Flavour Profile
In practice, the Westmorland delivers a clean cup with a noticeably smooth mouthfeel. Expect gentle sweetness, a mild fruit note in the finish, and low bitterness. It is approachable without being bland, which is a harder balance to achieve than most roasters admit.
This blend rewards careful brewing. Those who rush it or use water that is too hot will flatten the sweeter notes. The optimal water temperature sits between 90 and 93 degrees Celsius for most brew methods.
Who the Westmorland Suits
If you drink black filter coffee in the morning and want something that does not assault you with bitterness, the Westmorland is your blend. It also performs well in a cafetiere or AeroPress. Espresso drinkers who prefer a lighter, more nuanced shot rather than a heavy, intense extraction will find it satisfying, though it is less forgiving on espresso machines than the No. 1 Blend.
The Westmorland is also an excellent choice for those moving away from supermarket coffee for the first time. Its approachability makes the transition to specialty coffee feel natural rather than overwhelming.
Pro tip: If you are brewing the Westmorland as espresso and getting sour notes, your grind is too coarse or your extraction time is too short. Aim for a 25 to 30 second pull and adjust from there rather than switching blends.
The No. 1 Blend: Farrer's Most Versatile Everyday Espresso
The No. 1 Blend is Farrer's workhorse. It is the blend that cafes order by the case and home espresso enthusiasts return to month after month. Versatility is its defining characteristic. It has been calibrated to perform consistently across a wide range of espresso machines, grind settings, and water conditions.
Flavour Profile
The No. 1 Blend sits at a medium to medium-dark roast. The cup is full-bodied with a chocolate and caramel character, reliable crema, and a long, warm finish. It has enough intensity to hold its own through steamed milk without losing its identity, and enough sweetness to drink black without needing sugar.
The data consistently shows that blend consistency matters more to espresso drinkers than any other brew group. The No. 1 Blend delivers cup-to-cup consistency that single-origin coffees simply cannot match by nature.
Who the No. 1 Suits
This is the right choice for households with an espresso machine that make both black espresso and milk-based drinks. It is also the blend Farrer's trade customers in the hospitality sector rely on most heavily, because it works for the full range of drinks on a cafe menu without requiring constant grinder recalibration.
If you are a best espresso blend UK searcher who wants a reliable daily driver without spending time fine-tuning variables, this is where to start. It has fewer failure modes than either the Westmorland or the Italian Blend when used on home espresso equipment.
"The goal of a great house blend is not to be the most exciting coffee in the world. It is to be the most reliably excellent coffee in the world, every morning, without exception." - James Hoffmann, coffee writer and World Barista Champion
The Italian Blend: Bold, Dark, and Built for Milk-Based Drinks
The Italian blend coffee is the darkest roast in this trio and makes no apologies for it. It is crafted for drinkers who want a robust, intense espresso base, particularly for cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites where the coffee needs to punch through several ounces of steamed milk.
Flavour Profile
Dark chocolate bitterness is the dominant note, followed by a smoky, roasted depth that lingers. Acidity is low. Sweetness is understated. If the Westmorland is a conversation, the Italian Blend is a statement.
Drunk black, it is polarising. Espresso purists who prefer bright, acidic shots will not enjoy it. But for the significant portion of UK coffee drinkers who want their morning flat white to taste like a proper cafe drink rather than a pale facsimile, it delivers exactly what is needed.
Who the Italian Blend Suits
This blend is the right pick for cafes, restaurants, and hospitality businesses that serve predominantly milk-based drinks. It is also ideal for home drinkers who own a bean-to-cup machine and primarily make lattes. The darker roast is more forgiving of inconsistent grind settings, which is a practical advantage for machines with integrated grinders that cannot be fine-tuned as precisely as standalone grinders.
Pro tip: If you are using the Italian Blend in a stovetop moka pot, reduce your heat to medium-low after the coffee starts flowing. High heat exaggerates the bitterness of dark roasts and produces an astringent finish that is not the blend's fault.
Side-by-Side Comparison of All Three Blends
Choosing between these three blends comes down to three factors: how you brew, how you take your coffee, and how much intensity you want in the cup. The table below makes the decision straightforward.
| Attribute | Westmorland Blend | No. 1 Blend | Italian Blend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roast Level | Medium | Medium to Medium-Dark | Dark |
| Primary Flavour Notes | Smooth, gentle fruit, low bitterness | Chocolate, caramel, full-bodied | Dark chocolate, smoky, intense |
| Best Brew Method | Filter, pour-over, AeroPress, cafetiere | Espresso, all methods | Espresso, moka pot, bean-to-cup |
| Works With Milk? | Yes, though it can be subtle | Yes, excellent with milk | Yes, designed for milk drinks |
| Drinks Black? | Ideal for black coffee | Very good black | Polarising black, better with milk |
| Best For | Home enthusiasts, filter drinkers, beginners transitioning to specialty coffee | Home espresso machines, cafes needing a reliable house blend | Hospitality businesses, milk-drink-focused cafes, bean-to-cup users |
| Acidity Level | Low to Medium | Low to Medium | Very Low |
Matching Each Blend to Your Brewing Method
The single most practical decision you can make when choosing a Farrer's blend is matching it to how you actually brew at home, not how you aspire to brew. A beautiful pour-over setup calling for the Italian Blend is a mismatch that will produce flat, thin-tasting coffee regardless of how carefully you measure.
Espresso Machines
All three blends work in espresso machines, but the No. 1 Blend is the most forgiving. The Italian Blend produces the most consistent crema and is best suited to semi-automatic machines where the user controls shot timing. The Westmorland on espresso requires precise grind calibration to avoid sourness, making it better suited to experienced home baristas.
Filter and Pour-Over
The Westmorland blend coffee is the clear winner for filter brewing. Its medium roast and nuanced flavour profile open up beautifully with slower extraction methods. The No. 1 Blend also performs well here. The Italian Blend can taste flat and one-dimensional through filter brewing because the lighter water contact does not extract its full body the way pressurised espresso does.
Cafetiere and AeroPress
Both the Westmorland and the No. 1 Blend are excellent in a cafetiere. The immersion method brings out their sweetness and body without over-extracting bitterness. The AeroPress rewards the Westmorland especially, as the controlled pressure and short brew time preserve the blend's cleaner notes. Farrer's also stocks brewing equipment, so if you are building a home setup alongside your blend choice, sourcing both from the same roaster ensures consistency.
Ordering Fresh: Why Roast Date Matters More Than the Bag
Statista data on the UK coffee market shows that specialty and artisan coffee has grown significantly as a category, with consumers increasingly prioritising freshness and provenance over brand recognition alone. Farrer's sits precisely at that intersection: heritage provenance plus genuine freshness through fast dispatch.
A premium coffee subscription through Farrer's solves the most common problem home brewers face, which is running out of fresh coffee and defaulting to a supermarket bag for a week or two. Those two weeks of stale coffee reset your palate and make it harder to appreciate the freshly roasted bag when it arrives.
Farrer's next-day dispatch on orders over £35 means that for most UK addresses, the coffee leaves the Lake District roastery and arrives at your door within 48 hours of roasting. Compared to competitors whose beans may sit in a warehouse for weeks before shipping, this is a material quality difference, not a marketing claim.
For Lake District coffee blends delivered with this level of freshness, the subscription model is the most economically sensible choice for anyone drinking more than 250g of coffee per week. It locks in freshness, removes the friction of reordering, and ensures you are always brewing at peak flavour.
Trade customers, cafes, and restaurants should note that Farrer's trade supply programme is built around the same freshness model. Unlike competitors such as Lavazza whose trade supply chain involves extended shelf-life products by design, Farrer's trade dispatch prioritises roast recency. For a hospitality business where coffee quality is a direct reflection of brand reputation, that distinction matters every single day of service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Westmorland blend coffee suitable for beginners?
Yes, it is one of the most approachable blends Farrer's produces. Its balanced flavour profile and low bitterness make it ideal for drinkers transitioning from instant coffee or supermarket ground coffee to freshly roasted specialty coffee. Start with it as a filter or cafetiere brew for the easiest entry point.
Which Farrer's blend is best for a flat white?
The Italian Blend is built for this. Its dark roast and intense character cut through steamed milk cleanly, producing the strong coffee base that defines a proper flat white. The No. 1 Blend is an excellent second choice if you want a slightly less intense result. The Westmorland blend can get lost in milk-based drinks.
Can I use these blends in a bean-to-cup machine?
All three work in bean-to-cup machines, but the Italian Blend is the most practical choice for this equipment type. Bean-to-cup grinders are typically less adjustable than standalone burr grinders, and darker roasts are more forgiving of grind inconsistency. The Italian Blend also holds up through the automated extraction process better than lighter roasts.
What is the difference between the No. 1 Blend and a standard supermarket espresso blend?
The primary differences are freshness, sourcing transparency, and roast consistency. Supermarket espresso blends are often roasted months before sale, use commodity-grade beans, and prioritise shelf stability over cup quality. The No. 1 Blend is dispatched within days of roasting, uses quality-selected origins, and has been refined over generations of roasting expertise. The cup difference is immediately apparent to anyone who brews both side by side.
How do I decide between Farrer's blends and a single-origin coffee?
Blends offer consistency and repeatability. Single-origin coffees offer a specific, distinct character that changes with each harvest. If you are building a daily coffee routine where you want the same reliable cup every morning, choose a blend. If you enjoy exploring flavour variation and tasting the character of a specific region, single-origin is a rewarding addition, not a replacement. Most serious home coffee drinkers use blends as their daily driver and single-origins for weekend brewing.
Is Farrer's coffee available on a subscription basis for trade customers?
Yes. Farrer's serves both home enthusiasts and trade customers including cafes and restaurants, and their supply model supports regular scheduled orders. For hospitality businesses that go through significant coffee volume, establishing a regular supply relationship with Farrer's ensures freshness at scale, which is the primary challenge for trade buyers sourcing specialty coffee online in the UK.
Does water hardness affect which Farrer's blend I should choose?
It does, in practice. Farrer's blends were developed against the soft water of the Lake District. If you are in a hard water area such as London or the South East, the mineral content can emphasise bitterness in darker roasts. Hard water drinkers often find the Westmorland or No. 1 Blend more pleasant than the Italian Blend when brewed black. Using a simple filter jug or filtered water for brewing reduces this variable significantly.
Have you tried one of these Farrer's blends at home or in your cafe? Share which one surprised you most and which brewing method you used. Your experience helps other readers make the right choice for their setup.
References
- Statista: UK coffee market size, specialty segment growth, and consumer preference data
- Forbes: Reporting on artisan food and beverage trends and the growth of premium coffee consumption in the UK
- Food Standards Scotland: Guidance on food labelling, provenance claims, and what roast date transparency means for consumers
- International Coffee Organization: Global coffee production data, origin profiles, and quality grading standards used by specialty roasters
- ScienceDirect: Peer-reviewed research on coffee freshness, CO2 degassing rates post-roast, and the impact of storage time on cup quality
