Kiss the Hippo
Founded 2018. Cultivar-level sourcing transparency. Richmond, Fitzrovia, and City cafes.
- Location
- Richmond · Fitzrovia · City of London
- Founded
- 2018
- Roast style
- Light, origin-forward
- Sourcing
- Direct importer relationships, full traceability to cultivar level
- Subscription
- Yes
- Int'l shipping
- Yes
- @kissthehippo ()
- Coffees on Cuppd
- — (launching soon)
- Community rating
- — (launching soon)
About Kiss the Hippo
Kiss the Hippo is a London specialty coffee roaster known for exceptional sourcing transparency — every product page publishes cultivar detail, altitude, harvest window, and cooperative data. With cafes in Richmond, Fitzrovia, and the City, they are one of London's most data-rich roasters, targeting the coffee drinker who wants to understand exactly what they are drinking and why.
Founded in 2018, Kiss the Hippo built their identity around the idea that transparency isn't a marketing claim — it's structural. Their product pages list more traceability data than almost any other London roaster: not just origin country and process, but cultivar names (SL28, SL34, Batian, Pink Bourbon), specific cooperatives or farms, altitude ranges, and harvest window. The result is a catalogue that works as an education as much as a shop.
Their current range is light-roast and filter-forward, with particular strength in Kenyan and Ethiopian lots. The Richmond flagship is the clearest expression of their approach: a calm, focused space where the coffee takes priority over the interior.
Roaster profile
Kiss the Hippo source through direct importer relationships that prioritise traceability at every stage. Rather than listing "Kenya" on a bag, they publish the cooperative (e.g., Githembe), the grade (AA), the varietal breakdown (SL28, SL34, Batian), the altitude range, and the harvest year. This is the same level of detail that barista competition protocols require — applied to every commercial release.
Their roast approach sits firmly in the light-to-very-light range. Filter brewing is the priority. They make no attempt to bridge to the dark-roast market, which is a commercial constraint but also a quality commitment: the coffee is roasted to showcase origin character, not to produce a generic espresso base.
For Cuppd users, Kiss the Hippo are a good roaster to track if you are building knowledge of Kenyan and East African origins. Their cultivar data is the most useful single resource for understanding why two coffees from the same region taste different — one is SL28, one is Batian, and that difference is in the cup.
Coffees on Cuppd
Coffee pages for this roaster are coming soon. Get notified when they launch.
Cafes and locations
Richmond (Flagship)
13 Brewery Lane, Richmond TW9 1HH
Espresso and filter
Fitzrovia
85 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7LT
Espresso and filter
City
4 Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LL
Espresso focus
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