Taylors Flying Start Ground: Roast Strength 5 Explained

Taylors Flying Start Ground Coffee: Reading a Roast 5 Breakfast Cup

One number on the front of a Taylors pack says more than a paragraph of tasting notes, and Flying Start's number is 5. That places it in the strong half of the range, deep enough for milk and a cooked breakfast, but short of the bitter end where the espresso blends sit.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Taylors Flying Start Ground Coffee: Reading a Roast 5 Breakfast Cup, in summary: At 5 on Taylors' 1 to 6 strength scale, Flying Start is a full-bodied breakfast roast with dark caramel beneath and little acidity. The 200g ground bag suits a cafetiere, filter machine or pour over as it comes.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

One number on the front of a Taylors pack says more than a paragraph of tasting notes, and Flying Start's number is 5. That places it in the strong half of the range, deep enough for milk and a cooked breakfast, but short of the bitter end where the espresso blends sit.

Where 5 sits on the 1 to 6 scale

Taylors grade each coffee on a roast strength scale from 1 to 6, printed on the front of the pack, so you can find your way around the range without buying every bag. Flying Start at 5 is toasted and deep without tipping into char, and its strength comes from roast and body rather than brightness. It is the opposite proposition to Brasilia, the gentle, nutty coffee in the same range.

Charles Taylor founded the business in 1886. The family firm still runs it from Harrogate and also owns Bettys, the Yorkshire tea rooms, under the Bettys and Taylors Group. Most people know the house through Yorkshire Tea, yet the coffee came first. In our view those printed numbers are the most helpful thing on the pack.

The caramel under the roast

What keeps Flying Start from being merely strong is a dark caramel sweetness underneath the toast. Many morning coffees are depth and bite and nothing else; this one holds something sweet in reserve, and that is what is still there when the mug is nearly empty. There is no brightness at all, so anyone after a lively, fruity cup should look elsewhere.

Its natural partners are breakfast foods. A mild coffee disappears next to bacon or toast and marmalade; this one can still be heard over all three. Later in the morning, reach for biscuits with caramel or dark chocolate, which echo the sweetness under the roast instead of fighting it.

Dose, water and grind

Because it is ground for most methods, the bag works in a cafetiere, a filter machine or a pour over without adjustment. At a standard 7g measure it gives about 28 cups; a cafetiere dosed at 15g for every 250ml gives about 13 mugs, and a milky drinker pushing the dose to 17g gets around 11.

Take the water a little below boiling, around 92 degrees, which is a boiled kettle left thirty to forty seconds. A deep roast punishes very hot water more than a light one does, since its bitter compounds are nearer the surface, and boiling water is the usual culprit when a dark roast turns harsh. Roll the bag down firmly after each scoop; opened ground coffee goes quiet within a few weeks.

The packs we stock

Taylors of Harrogate Flying Start Roast Ground Coffee, 200g (barcode 615357000148)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Taylors of Harrogate Flying Start Roast Ground Coffee, 200g names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Ingredient and nutrition information for this product, as published on the manufacturer's label. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to eat with it

Lotus Biscoff Snack Pack, 248g: a snack pack of Biscoff for the mid-morning mug, its sweetness lining up with the dark caramel under the roast.
Maryland Cookies Caramel & Chocolate Chip, 200g: caramel and chocolate chips that echo the sweetness underneath rather than fighting the roast.
McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate Biscuits, 433g: dark chocolate on a sturdy digestive holds its own against a strong, full-bodied cup.

Elsewhere in the Taylors of Harrogate range

The full range is on the Taylors of Harrogate coffee page.

FAQ

What does roast strength 5 mean on Taylors coffee? It is Flying Start's place on the 1 to 6 scale Taylors print on their packs: firmly strong, but short of the darkest, espresso-leaning end.

How many cups does a 200g bag of Flying Start make? About 28 at a 7g measure, or roughly 13 cafetiere mugs at 15g for each 250ml.

Can I use Flying Start ground coffee in a filter machine? Yes. The grind sits in the middle and suits a cafetiere, a filter machine or a pour over as it comes.

Is Flying Start a bitter coffee? Not the burnt kind. It is deep and strong with dark caramel sweetness; keep the water around 92 degrees so harshness does not creep in.

How is Flying Start different from Brasilia? Brasilia is the gentle, nutty coffee in the Taylors range; Flying Start is deeper, fuller and made for the first cup of the day.

Curator's note: Make this the coffee for cooked breakfast mornings. It is the one that still has something to say with bacon on the plate. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Taylors Flying Start Ground Coffee: Reading a Roast 5 Breakfast Cup

Field	Detail
Brand	Taylors of Harrogate
Packs we stock	200g
Category	Ground Coffee
Allergens (as published)	The published ingredient list for this product names none of the 14 major allergens.
Caffeine	caffeinated
Roast strength	Level 5 of 6 on the Taylors scale
Brew with	Cafetiere, filter or pour over
Best with	A cooked breakfast or toast and marmalade