BUY COFFEE BEANS IN GEORGE TOWN, PENANG
Roasted up the road. Poured at our bar. Small enough to fit in your bag.
Yes, we sell coffee beans to take home. You can buy them over the counter at The Alley, 5 Stewart Lane, George Town, open daily 10am to 6pm.
The beans are roasted in Penang by Nine Lives Coffee Roasters, our sister roastery, and they are the same coffees we pour at the bar. Every bag is vacuum-sealed with a one-way valve and resealable, so it travels. Prices start at RM55 for 250g of the house blend and run to RM60–75 for 150g of the higher-tier single origins. Every retail bag comes with a complimentary latte or Americano, drink in or take away.
What you're buying
Nine Lives Coffee Roasters roasts everything on our shelf. Same roastery, same family, ten minutes from this counter. The blends stay put because people rely on them. The single origins rotate with the season, which means what's here in March is not what's here in September, and that's the point rather than a shortcoming.We only stock beans we pour ourselves. If it isn't good enough for the bar it doesn't go on the shelf, which keeps the list short and saves you the trouble of guessing.
On the shelves right now
Updated September 2026. Single origins rotate with the season, so this list changes a few times a year.
UNDERDOG BLEND
RM60
KENYA GITITU AA
RM 60
NICARAGUA
LOS SUYATEZ RM70
COSTA RICA
LA CATARATA RM55
origin : Peru + Ethiopia
varietal : Caturra, Pache, Bourbon + Heirloom
process : Washed + Natural
altitude : 1700 masl + 1900 masl
tasting notes : molasses, plum, milk chocolate
origin : Kenya
varietal : SL28/34
process : Washed
altitude : 1700 masl
tasting notes : Blackberry, Prune, Roselle Tea
origin : Nicaragua
varietal : Parainema
process : Anaerobic Washed
altitude : 1700 masl
tasting notes : apple, guava, coconut candy
origin: Chirripo
varietal: Catuai
process: Black Honey Special Ferment
altitude: 1600 masl
producer: Urena Rojas Family
tasting notes : plum, panela, bunga jejarum
Are these Malaysian beans?
Mostly not, but the honest answer is more interesting than a straight no.
Malaysia does grow coffee. Most of it is Liberica, a species that accounts for less than one percent of the world's coffee and thrives in lowland tropical heat where arabica simply won't. Johor and Sarawak are the centres of it. It's a big, strange, sweet coffee with a liquorice edge and a finish that hangs around long after the cup is down. Nine Lives Coffee Roasters works it into a blend every now and then, so there are stretches where there is genuinely Malaysian-grown coffee on our shelf. Ask, and we'll tell you whether this is one of them.
The rest of the time, what we sell is green coffee bought from farms in Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Honduras and elsewhere, shipped to Penang, and roasted here by Nine Lives Coffee Roasters. That's how specialty coffee works nearly everywhere in the world. Growing happens in a narrow belt near the equator. Roasting happens close to the people drinking it, because roasted coffee has a short good life and green coffee doesn't. So a bag from us is Penang-roasted, and sometimes Malaysian-grown. We'd rather say that plainly here than have you work it out at home.
And if what you're really after is traditional Malaysian kopi, the dark sugar-roasted stuff you drink with condensed milk, that's a different drink and a good one. Ask and we'll point you to it properly.
Taking it home
The bag. Vacuum-sealed, one-way valve, resealable once you open it. It's built to survive a suitcase and a long-haul flight, not just the walk back to your hotel.
Whole bean or ground. Whole bean keeps best and is worth it if you own a grinder. If you don't, just tell us at the counter how you brew. V60, French press, moka pot, espresso machine or drip and we'll grind it to suit before you leave. It costs nothing and it's the difference between a good cup and a disappointing one.
How long it keeps. Rest the beans five to ten days after the roast date on the bag, then drink within four to six weeks. Sealed and unopened it holds longer, but coffee is not wine and waiting does it no favours.
Flying with it. Roasted coffee travels fine in checked or cabin luggage. Some countries ask you to declare food on arrival, Australia and New Zealand in particular, so tick the box on the form if it's there. Sealed commercial packaging with a label on it makes that conversation short.
Can't carry it, or already flew home?
This happens more than you'd think. Someone gets back to Melbourne or Singapore, makes a coffee, and it isn't the same. Nine Lives Coffee Roasters sells the same beans through their own online shop and ships them out from the roastery, including internationally. Shipping is calculated at their checkout based on where you are. It's a separate shop and a separate order, so anything to do with your parcel goes to them rather than to us.
Buy from Nine Lives Coffee Roasters →
*Worth knowing: the free latte only applies to bags bought over the counter here. That one you have to come and collect in person.
Where to find us
The Alley, 5 Stewart Lane, 10200 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. Two minutes on foot from the Goddess of Mercy Temple. Look for the Kedai Gaharu sign, which has been over the door since 2013 and confuses people to this day. Open daily, 10am to 6pm. Closed the first Wednesday of every month.
Retail bags are behind the counter. Just ask.
FAQ
Where can I buy coffee beans in George Town, Penang?
At The Alley, 5 Stewart Lane, open daily 10am to 6pm. We sell retail bags roasted in Penang by Nine Lives Coffee Roasters. Every bag comes with a free latte or Americano.
Can I buy coffee beans to take home from Penang?
Yes. Our bags are vacuum-sealed with a one-way valve and resealable, so they hold up in a suitcase. Roasted coffee is fine in checked or cabin luggage.
Does The Alley sell coffee beans?
Yes, over the counter. Seasonal single origins and house blends from Nine Lives Coffee Roasters, the same coffees we pour at the bar.
How much do coffee beans cost at The Alley?
From RM55 for a 250g bag of the house blend, and RM60–75 for a 150g bag of the higher-tier single origins. Prices vary by lot.
Can you ship coffee beans to me instead?
Nine Lives Coffee Roasters ships the same beans from their own online shop, including internationally, with shipping calculated at their checkout. It's a separate shop and a separate order.
Can I get the beans ground?
Yes, at no charge. Tell us how you brew at home and we'll grind to suit. Whole bean keeps fresher if you have a grinder.
Do I get anything with a bag of beans?
Yes. Every retail bag bought in-cafe comes with a complimentary latte or Americano.
Can I take coffee beans on a plane?
Yes. Roasted coffee is permitted in checked and cabin luggage. Some countries require you to declare food on arrival, including Australia and New Zealand, so declare it if the form asks.
Are the coffee beans grown in Malaysia?
Mostly not. They're roasted in Penang by Nine Lives Coffee Roasters, but grown on farms in Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Honduras and elsewhere. Malaysia does grow coffee, mostly Liberica in Johor and Sarawak, and Nine Lives works it into a blend now and then. Ask us whether there's any on the shelf when you visit.
Does Malaysia grow its own coffee?
Yes, mostly Liberica, a species that makes up less than one percent of the world's coffee and grows mainly in Johor and Sarawak. It's big-bodied and sweet with a liquorice edge. Nine Lives Coffee Roasters puts it into a blend from time to time, so there's occasionally Malaysian-grown coffee on our shelf.
What's a good coffee souvenir from Penang?
A bag of Penang-roasted specialty beans, whole bean, sealed. It keeps for weeks, it's light, and it's the one souvenir that isn't a fridge magnet. If you'd rather bring back something traditional, Malaysian kopi and white coffee are widely sold in George Town.
How long do the beans stay fresh?
Rest them five to ten days after the roast date, then drink within four to six weeks. Whole bean keeps longest.