Improving Airline Coffee: British Airways & Union Hand-roasted

An espresso at the British Airways lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5, made with Union Hand-roasted coffee.Regular readers of my Brian’s Travel Spot posts will know that I have a poor opinion of airline coffee, and, as a result, I’ve taken to making my own coffee on long-haul flights over the last few years. However, to its credit, British Airways has also recognised this short-coming and has recently partnered with Union Hand-roasted to up its coffee game. Union is supplying coffee to the British Airways lounges and, in the first instance, to the First Class add Club World cabins on long-haul flights, although there are no immediate plans to roll it out to World Traveller cabins or to serve it on short-haul flights (I had originally thought that this would be the case, but I since learnt that I was wrong!).

As luck would have it, on Friday I flew with British Airways from Manchester to Tokyo, via Heathrow, not long after Union’s coffee was introduced, giving me the chance to experience it first-hand. Normally I would write this up as part of my longer Travel Spot covering the flight. However, these take me absolutely ages to write and, since there’s quite a bit of interest in this, I thought I would put it on its own, self-contained post, rather than burying it in a longer post.

You can see what I made of the coffee after the gallery.

  • A welcome sight on walking into the British Airways Lounge, where the coffee bar awaits...
  • ... now serving Union Hand-roasted coffee after British Airways recently upped its game.
  • Of course, I had to have a cup and, wanting to taste the coffee, I went for an espresso.
  • Here it comes. I have to say, it's looking good so far.
  • The coffee changes colour slightly as the extraction continues.
  • Almost done now.
  • My coffee, overlooking a British Airways flight at the gate.
  • But how does it taste? Well, for that, you'll have to carry on reading...
A welcome sight on walking into the British Airways Lounge, where the coffee bar awaits...1 ... now serving Union Hand-roasted coffee after British Airways recently upped its game.2 Of course, I had to have a cup and, wanting to taste the coffee, I went for an espresso.3 Here it comes. I have to say, it's looking good so far.4 The coffee changes colour slightly as the extraction continues.5 Almost done now.6 My coffee, overlooking a British Airways flight at the gate.7 But how does it taste? Well, for that, you'll have to carry on reading...8
Javascript Sliders by WOWSlider.com v4.6

I flew to Tokyo on Friday, 13th July, starting off with a short hop from Manchester to Heathrow, and then an 11-hour daytime flight to Tokyo. Since I was travelling in Club World for work, I was able to sample the coffee in both the lounge, during my layover at Heathrow, and on the flight to Tokyo. I did briefly pop into the lounge at Manchester, but due to trouble checking in (the systems were down) I was only there for a few minutes and didn’t get a chance to check out the coffee. However, I didn’t see any evidence of Union branding, so I wonder if it hasn’t been rolled out to Manchester yet (I’ve since learnt that the coffee is in all the UK lounges, but that there is only Union branding at Heathrow and Gatwick). Similarly, while I did have some coffee on the short hop down to Heathrow, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Union…

However, when I got to the North Lounge in Terminal 5 at Heathrow, there was no doubt. As you walk in, there’s a large coffee bar to your left which has several large “Union Hand-roasted Coffee” signs plastered above the coffee machines, and the distinctive Union “U” is on all the cups. I think it’s safe to say that Union Hand-roasted coffee has been rolled out to the Heathrow lounges.

The coffee is made with large bean-to-cup machines, serving the usual push-button espresso options. Since I really wanted to be able to taste the coffee in its purest form, I decided to have an espresso. I put the cup under the twin spouts, pressed the button and held my breath (well, actually, I didn’t: I took lots of photos). The coffee looked pretty good coming out, but the real question is how did it taste?

Well…

Pretty good, actually. It was a rich, full-bodied coffee and while it’s never going to convert light, bright, acidic espresso drinkers and was a little bitter for my tastes, it was perfectly drinkable and one I’d happily have again. It’s even more impressive when you consider it came from a large bean-to-cup machine: I’ve had a lot worse in supposedly good coffee shops.

So, that’s definitely a thumbs-up for Union and the lounge coffee. But what was it like in the air? You can find out after the gallery.

  • But what's it like when it's served in the air? Here's the coffee I had on my flight to Tokyo.
  • For comparison purposes, I made some coffee of my own in the galley.
  • Here it is, brewing in my Travel Press in front of the British Airways coffee makers.
  • And here it is at my seat, my new Wakecup at hand to try it out. With a biscuit, of course.
But what's it like when it's served in the air? Here's the coffee I had on my flight to Tokyo.1 For comparison purposes, I made some coffee of my own in the galley.2 Here it is, brewing in my Travel Press in front of the British Airways coffee makers.3 And here it is at my seat, my new Wakecup at hand to try it out. With a biscuit, of course.4
Javascript Sliders by WOWSlider.com v4.6

In-flight coffee brings with it a whole new set of challenges. The lower air-pressure in the cabin changes the way the coffee brews, plus the coffee comes in pre-ground bags and then goes through a bulk-dripper, none of which says great coffee to me, which probably goes a long way to explaining why I’ve never really enjoyed airline coffee. However, at the end of lunch, rather than making my own coffee, I duly ordered one from the cabin crew. The sacrifices I make you for, dear readers…

Having set the expectations suitably low, my post-lunch coffee was okay. I’m not going to claim that it was anything special, but it was perfectly drinkable, although it could have done with a little more body. I’m trying hard not to be too critical, but if I’m honest, I was a little disappointed. It’s certainly a lot better than the vast majority of airline coffee that I’ve had, but it didn’t leave me wanting another cup.

In order to have something to compare it to, I decided that I should make some coffee for myself, so later on I popped up to the galley with my Wakecup, Aergrind, Travel Press and some beans I’d recently received from Manchester’s Grindsmith which I’d been enjoying at home through my cafetiere. One of the perks of flying Club World is that the cabin crew are generally happy to let you hang out in the galley and, in my case, make some coffee. Tony, the member of the cabin crew on duty, was fascinated that I was making my own coffee and was particularly interested in my coffee-making equipment. We had a long chat while I made my coffee and it was a pleasure to talk with someone as well-informed as Tony.

Then it was crunch-time. How did my coffee stack up?

Well, it wasn’t the perfect cup of coffee, but it was pretty good. Sorry, Union (and British Airways), but in this sample of one, I still (marginally) make a better cup of coffee. In Union’s (and British Airways’) defence, I was using freshly ground coffee and making a single cup for myself, rather than trying to serve an entire cabin at the time.

See what I made of the coffee on the return flight from Tokyo. You can also read about my visit to the Union roastery where I chatted about the challenges of the British Airways contract.


To summarise, the introduction of Union Hand-roasted in the lounges is a definite success, while there’s still room for improvement when it comes to the in-flight coffee, although the environment is not working in anyone’s favour there. I’ll definitely be visiting the lounges for coffee again, although I’ll be keeping my coffee kit in my hand luggage for the foreseeable future when it comes to actually flying.

I don’t want to come across as too critical though. I started this piece by applauding British Airways for stepping up its coffee game, but equal praise needs to go to Union. Not ever roaster would be prepared to put its coffee in such a high-visibility location, where there’s relatively little control over how the coffee is made and plenty of potential for things to go wrong.

Both British Airways and Union need to be encouraged, not knocked, and other airlines need to follow their lead, although I believe that Virgin Atlantic has recently upped its coffee game too (that said, I’ve not flown with Virgin for ages).


December 2018: Improving Airline Coffee: British Airways & Union Hand-roasted has won the 2018 Best Saturday Supplement Award.


If you liked this post, please let me know by clicking the “Like” button. If you have a WordPress account and you don’t mind everyone knowing that you liked this post, you can use the “Like this” button right at the bottom instead. [bawlu_buttons]

Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using buttons below.

27 thoughts on “Improving Airline Coffee: British Airways & Union Hand-roasted

  1. This is not good news, indeed it is very bad news.

    It is not good news if care about coffee, if Union care about their reputation, if care about the planet.

    Global warming is killing coffee. The only people who will be able to afford coffee, the 1%, the very same people sitting in airport lounges pontificating on the delights of Union coffee being served by British Airways, now BA as not British owned.

    Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gases. Does Union really wish their name to be linked to a major climate polluter?

    We are seeing record high temperatures this summer. This is not the new norm, this is the beginning of relentless rise in global temperatures as climate change kicks in.

    How are Union to explain to the poor farmers when their crops fail due to rising temperatures that they were a willing party?

    Supply coffee to other than speciality coffee shops harms the reputation of Union. On the other hand, if profit is the driving motive, then maybe a good deal.

    Union supply coffee to Waitrose. On the shelf can be found coffee at least two months old. If lucky, only a month old.

    Union supply coffee to Gail’s Bakery. The coffee at Gail’s Farnham is undrinkable.

    Clifton supply coffee to Cosy Club. A corporate chain of fake 1930s bars, so fake a parody of fake. The coffee served in Cosy Club Guildford is undrinkable.

    Jamie Oliver has a coffee kiosk at Gatwick serving Italian corporate brand coffee, barely drinkable coffee. A tragedy. With many excellent coffee roasteries locally the coffee kiosk could be used to showcase excellent local coffee.

    If you care about reputational damage, take care where supply coffee.

  2. Pingback: Caffeine Magazine | Brian's Coffee Spot

  3. Pingback: Flying to Tokyo Haneda | Brian's Coffee Spot

  4. Pingback: Flying from Tokyo Haneda | Brian's Coffee Spot

  5. Pingback: Improving Airline Coffee, Part II | Brian's Coffee Spot

  6. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to Chicago (Again) | Brian's Coffee Spot

  7. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying First Class From Chicago | Brian's Coffee Spot

  8. Pingback: The Coffee Spot is Six! | Brian's Coffee Spot

  9. Pingback: 2018 Awards – Best Saturday Supplement | Brian's Coffee Spot

  10. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying First Class to Phoenix | Brian's Coffee Spot

  11. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Returning from Tokyo Haneda | Brian's Coffee Spot

  12. Pingback: La Colombe, Philadelphia Airport | Brian's Coffee Spot

  13. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying Finnair, Part I – Manchester to Helsinki | Brian's Coffee Spot

  14. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to Tokyo Haneda | Brian's Coffee Spot

  15. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying Finnair, Part II –Helsinki to Tokyo | Brian's Coffee Spot

  16. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Returning from Tokyo in Club World | Brian's Coffee Spot

  17. Pingback: 2019 Awards – Best Saturday Supplement | Brian's Coffee Spot

  18. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to San Jose | Brian's Coffee Spot

  19. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Return from Boston | Brian's Coffee Spot

  20. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Back to Boston in Economy | Brian's Coffee Spot

  21. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: On a Boeing 747 from Phoenix | Brian's Coffee Spot

  22. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to Iceland | Brian's Coffee Spot

  23. Pingback: Improving Airline Coffee, Part II | Brian's Coffee Spot

  24. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to Atlanta in Premium Economy | Brian's Coffee Spot

  25. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Back to Boston in Premium Economy | Brian's Coffee Spot

  26. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Flying to Dublin | Brian's Coffee Spot

  27. Pingback: Brian’s Travel Spot: Heathrow to Manchester | Brian's Coffee Spot

Please let me know what you think. Guidelines for comments are in the "Posts" drop-down menu.