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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

George Howell Coffee

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United States
Acton, MA
George Howell Coffee

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Specialty coffee roaster since 1975, located in Acton Massachusetts with cafes in Downtown Crossing, Boston Public Market, Back Bay, and Newtonville, MA.

10/09/2026

Your morning espresso is only as good as the method behind it. ☕

Pulling a great shot at home comes down to a few fundamentals: the right dose, an even tamp, and knowing when to stop. Get those right, and everything else falls into place.

A few things worth knowing before you brew: Start with 18g of coffee and a fine grind. An even surface in the basket matters more than most people realize. When you Tamp, do so with consistent pressure, not brute force. And stop your shot 1 gram before your target yield; it will drip to the final volume.

Bitter shots pulling slowly? You're likely over-extracting; try a coarser grind. Sour shots pulling too fast? Go finer and slow it down.

Espresso rewards curiosity. These are starting points; your water, grinder, and machine will all have something to say, too.

Find our full espresso brew guide and more at the link in bio.

10/08/2026

"You'll never find it. That's the point."

Thank you to Alexa Gagosz and the Boston Globe for this beautiful piece on George and the pursuit that has defined his life's work.

George Howell has spent more than five decades chasing the perfect cup of coffee. He founded The Coffee Connection in Harvard Square in 1975, helped establish the Cup of Excellence, and has been pushing the industry toward transparency, freshness, and traceability long before any of those words were common in coffee. At 81, he is still tasting a new coffee every morning and recording his notes.

Link in bio to read the full story. ☕

📷 Michele McDonald & David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

10/05/2026

Not all coffee ages gracefully. In fact, most don't.

Even the most extraordinary microlots, coffees that scored at the top of their class, sourced from producers we've spent years building relationships with, begin to fade within months of harvest. The brightness dulls. The complexity flattens. What was once remarkable loses its palatability.

We began freezing our unroasted green coffee at just below -10°F, the same temperature used for ice cream, and what we found changed everything. Coffees that would have lost their spark by spring were still tasting exactly as they did at harvest, months and even years later. By 2005, we were freezing our entire inventory.

In 2017, at the yearly Specialty Coffee Association of America Symposium, we successfully presented tastings of three of our coffees that were over three years old. That was the turning point.

Freezing preserves coffee, exactly as it was meant to be tasted, exactly as the producer intended. This is how we source seasonally and share exceptional coffees year-round.

09/30/2026

What does it take to make the perfect cup of coffee? It starts with knowing what to look for.

A huge thank you to Kwani • TV Host and Hannah Donnelly for celebrating the day with us. Jenny Howell and Kevin Aidan Brady joined The Hub Today at NBC10 Boston for a live tasting on National Coffee Day, walking through flavor notes, brewing methods, and the small details that make a meaningful difference in what ends up in your cup.

Whether you're new to specialty coffee or deep into your morning ritual, understanding quality changes everything.

Watch the full segment at the link in bio. ☕

09/29/2026

Calling all coffee lovers! ☕

The pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee is lifelong, and we're grateful to celebrate over 50 years of that journey with you.

Today only, enjoy $1 Drip Coffee (small hot, iced, or cold brew) at all four of our locations. Brewing at home? Buy one bag, get the second 25% off; available in stores and online.

📍 Newbury Street, Downtown Crossing, Boston Public Market, Newtonville

Only on Tuesday, 9/29.

09/21/2026

What does quality actually taste like? That was the question at the heart of Coffee 101 last Saturday at Back Bay, back for the first time in six years.

George and Jenny led the room through four guided tastings, each one built around a single principle: that understanding coffee is a skill, and like any skill, it begins with learning what to pay attention to.

Coffee speaks in five tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salt, and umami. Acidity is a liveliness, and when balanced against sweetness, it's what makes a coffee sing. Bitterness provides structure. Salt softens the sour. Umami lingers in the finish, long after the cup is empty.

From there, the tastings went to work. Frozen vs. stale vs. aged: freshness is a science, and George Howell Coffee has spent decades perfecting it. Ripe vs. unripe: quality begins at origin, in the hands of the farmers who harvest each cherry at precisely the right moment. Washed, natural, and anaerobic: process is flavor, and tasting them side by side makes that undeniable.

The day closed with a flight through six origins from around the world, coffees that exist because of long-term partnerships with producers who share the same standard for quality that drives everything we do.

The more you understand, the more you taste. Follow along here and visit georgehowellcoffee.com to stay informed on upcoming educational events and tastings at our locations.

09/18/2026

Look who is in the fall edition of edibleboston! Read about George’s 50+ year career and his unwavering dedication to specialty coffee, written by Lesley O’Connell.

Thank you edible for celebrating our milestone🤎

Grab a copy at our cafes, your local farmer’s market, or online through the link in our bio.

📸: Michael Piazza

09/01/2026

Shop our summer sale today through Monday! Get 50% off select merch items online and at our cafes, while supplies last☀️

08/29/2026

While out West, George stopped by to visit longtime friend Helen Russell, co-founder of Equator Coffees.

George and Helen have each spent decades helping push coffee forward by championing quality, building lasting relationships with producers, and showing just how much care can go into a single cup.

Nothing like catching up with an old friend over coffee!

08/20/2026

Back for the first time in over 6 years☕️☕️☕️

On Saturday, September 19th in Boston, Join George and Jenny Howell for an immersive seminar and guided tasting exploring coffee’s long journey from seed to cup.

Through a series of tastings and a presentation, George and Jenny will break down the fundamentals of coffee quality and give you the opportunity to experience the differences for yourself.

Along the way, they will share stories and lessons from decades spent working with producers, sourcing extraordinary coffees, and pushing the public toward a greater understanding of quality.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore specialty coffee or already know your favorite origins and varieties, Coffee 101 is designed to give you a new framework for tasting, understanding, and appreciating what’s in your cup.

The event is 10am-4pm. It will be held at 400 Newbury St in the space adjacent our Back Bay cafe.

Link in bio for tickets🎟️

Address

312 School Street
Acton, MA
01720

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+19786359033

Website

http://www.georgehowellcoffee.com/

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