Guide · Beans and ground coffee
Union coffee beans: Revelation, house roasts and where to buy
Union Hand-Roasted's main blends and single-country coffees from its own site, with supermarket vs direct prices checked 3 Oct 2026 and which roast suits which brewer.
Union coffee beans come from Union Hand-Roasted, an east London roaster sold at Sainsbury’s and through its own site, unionroasted.com. Its best-known coffee is Revelation, which Union calls its signature espresso. House Roast is its everyday cafetière and filter blend, and Foundation is its darkest roast. Beyond the blends, Union sells a rotating set of single-country coffees. If you shop at Sainsbury’s, the 700g bags of Revelation and House Roast are the cheapest way to buy per kilo. If you want a specific grind or a fresh roast, buy direct.
We haven’t tested this in person. This page uses Union’s own descriptions and prices from Sainsbury’s and Union’s site, checked 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.
Union coffee beans: the main blends
Revelation. Union calls it its most popular espresso coffee: dark roasted, with hints of chocolate and treacle and a rich caramel finish. Coffee from: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Burundi. Union lists espresso and filter as its best methods. At Sainsbury’s, the 200g bag of beans is £7.50, and the 700g bag is £20.00, both checked 3 Oct 2026. Direct from Union, 200g is £7.95 and 1kg is £32.95, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: cafetière drinkers who like a gentle cup. House Roast is the softer choice.
House Roast. Union says it has been one of its best-loved blends since 1995, with chocolate and caramel notes and some citrus. It’s a medium roast. Coffee from: Honduras, Peru, Colombia and Ethiopia. Union lists the cafetière and filter as its best methods. At Sainsbury’s, the 700g bag of beans is £17.50, checked 3 Oct 2026, and a 200g cafetière grind is £6.95, checked 3 Oct 2026. Direct, it’s £7.95 for 200g and £32.95 for 1kg, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone after a dark, punchy espresso. Union doesn’t list espresso as a best method for it.
Foundation. Union calls it “our darkest, Italian style roast”, an arabica blend echoing the dark roasts of southern Italy and Sicily, with cocoa and dark chocolate as espresso. We didn’t find it at Sainsbury’s. Direct, it’s £7.95 for 200g and £32.95 for 1kg, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: filter and cafetière drinkers. Union lists espresso as its only best method.
Union’s single-country coffees
Union also sells coffees from one country, and some are at Sainsbury’s:
- Gajah Mountain, Sumatra: a dark roast with an earthy, malty dark chocolate profile, says Union. The 200g bag of beans is £7.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026, and £8.45 direct, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Bobolink, Brazil: a light roast with milk chocolate and roasted almond notes, says Union. Sainsbury’s sells a 200g cafetière grind at £7.50, checked 3 Oct 2026. Direct, it’s £8.45 for 200g, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Timana, Colombia: a medium roast that Union says is balanced, with lingering citrus notes. Sainsbury’s sells it ground at £7.50 for 200g, checked 3 Oct 2026. Direct, it’s £8.45 for 200g, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Union’s direct range also includes microlot coffees at higher prices, from £12.35 for 200g on unionroasted.com, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants the same coffee every time. Single-country lines can change.
Decaf and Half Caff
Union’s own Decaf blend is a dark roast from Honduras and Peru, and Union says it uses only water and carbon dioxide to remove the caffeine. It’s £8.45 for 200g direct, checked 3 Oct 2026. Sainsbury’s sells Union Rich Decaf ground at £7.50 for 200g, checked 3 Oct 2026. Union’s Half Caff mixes regular and decaffeinated beans. It’s £7.50 for 200g ground at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. For more decaf picks, see our best decaf coffee guide.
Supermarket vs buying direct
Sainsbury’s is cheaper per kilo for the two big blends. Revelation’s 700g bag works out at about £28.57 a kilo, and House Roast’s at £25.00 a kilo, all checked 3 Oct 2026. Both beat Union’s direct 1kg price of £32.95, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Union direct gives you more choice. Each 200g coffee comes as wholebean, or ground for cafetière, filter or espresso. Union says it roasts online orders fresh, and its site said delivery was free on orders over £30 and on all 1kg bags, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: shoppers who just want the lowest price. Direct is dearer per kilo.
Which Union coffee for your brewer
- Espresso or bean-to-cup: Revelation, or Foundation for a darker shot. Our guide on how to make espresso at home covers the basics.
- Cafetière: House Roast, ideally the cafetière grind. See our best ground coffee for a cafetière guide.
- Moka pot: Revelation beans, ground a little coarser than espresso. See our best coffee for a moka pot guide.
More options are in our coffee beans hub.
Downsides
- Not every blend is in supermarkets. We didn’t find Foundation at Sainsbury’s.
- Some shops weren’t checked. Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado blocked our checks on 3 Oct 2026, and we didn’t find Union at Morrisons.
FAQ
What is Union Revelation? Union’s signature espresso blend, dark roasted with chocolate, treacle and caramel notes, says Union.
Is Union coffee cheaper at Sainsbury’s? Per kilo, yes, for Revelation and House Roast in 700g bags, on 3 Oct 2026.
Can you buy Union coffee ground? Yes. Union sells 200g bags ground for cafetière, filter or espresso on its site, and Sainsbury’s sells some ground packs.