Frequently Asked Questions

While each of our coffee offerings have individualized profiles intended to bring out the best they can offer, our roast profiles fall into two general categories. Our Blends are roasted on the lighter side of medium, and our Single Origins are light roasted. In both cases, the intent is to balance the sugar and acid extraction for the given water contact time.

Our Espresso Blend is intended to be brewed as espresso, while our Drip Blend and Single Origins are roasted with the expectation that they will be brewed using a method that has a longer water contact time.

In the case of the Espresso Blend this is about 30 seconds and in the case of the Drip Blend and Single Origins usually 2-4 minutes. The medium profile on the Drip Blend means more sugar and less acid at the expense of some bitterness and makes it a good everyday coffee, especially for those coffee drinkers who prefer a darker cup of drip. The lighter profile on the Single Origins serves to better feature the interesting floral, spice, fruity, & nutty flavors that are the reason we select them. Our Single Origins can be brewed as espresso, but the lighter profile will result in a higher acid and lower sugar extraction and may taste too bright.

We purchase coffee on a relationship driven model known now as Direct Trade.

Our green buyer frequently visits our producers, mills, beneficios and logistics partners to ensure quality and equity on all levels. The prices we pay for all our coffees are well above those set by various Fair Trade certification organizations. Being on the ground with our trade partners allows us total certainty of the methods used from seed to cup. Often, these farms are small and have limited production capability and their coffees are contracted for purchase well in advance of harvest. In some cases Organic certification simply isn’t an option because of local ecology. In all cases the coffees we buy are high altitude, well above typical pest predation lines.

Because of the transparency of our relationships, adding a Certification or having a third party evaluation to determine ethical quality is unnecessary and often expensive to a small volume producer, so we simply don’t place the final value of a coffee on a certificate.

This does not mean that all our coffees are uncertified, however. Some of our producers still carry certifications like UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, Cafe Practices, etc. Many also support causes on a local level. Some of our producers have had certifications and allowed them to lapse due to cost or lack of demand. Basically, we buy Direct to be involved in the quality and equitable future of sustainable farms.

We choose not to mention the certifications because, certified or not, we go to great lengths to ensure all our offerings are equally good for those who produce them and those who enjoy them.

We do not. Sweet Maria's is a good option for this sort of thing.

We do generate a fair amount of empty burlap coffee bags. To keep it easy for us and fair for our customers, they're available free to take outside the wholesale shipping and receiving door at our Phinney Ridge location during business hours. If you don't find any there, check back later as we make more as we roast.

We do for qualified wholesale accounts who meet volume requirements. Please inquire here.

All our coffee ships whole bean unless otherwise specified. We strongly recommend that you buy whole bean coffee and grind it yourself no more than 5 minutes before you brew it. This will greatly improve your coffee experience.