Confused? Here are answers to some of the most common questions new customers have asked us. Still confused? Contact us and we’ll do our best to help.
- Who are you guys?
- Local coffee. Cool. I’ll come grab a cup. Where’s your cafe?
- No cafe and no brewed coffee. Alright. So what do you do exactly?
- Sounds great. Where can I order a bag?
- Order online. Got it. And you’ll just ship me my beans?
- OK. I just got my first bag of beans. What’s the best way to brew them?
- Can I use my beans to brew espresso?
- How dark do you roast?
- Can I add cream and sugar to my coffee?
- How long will my beans stay fresh?
- What’s the best way to store my beans?
- Should I “rest” my beans before brewing them?
- When were my beans roasted?
- Can you grind my beans before I get them?
- How often do you roast?
- Do you support Fair Trade?
- Who are you guys?
We are a family-run artisan coffee roastery based in San Francisco’s historic Richmond District.
- Local coffee. Cool. I’ll come grab a cup. Where’s your cafe?
Right. Well…thing is…we don’t have one. Nor do well sell brewed coffee. Keep reading!
- No cafe and no brewed coffee. Alright. So what do you do exactly?
In short, we roast coffee. More specifically, we roast speciality-grade coffees from around the world in small batches and on demand, and deliver or ship them within one day of roasting. These practices minimize waste and ensure that our customers receive ultra-fresh, full-flavored coffees time after time.
- Sounds great. Where can I order a bag?
Right here, on our site. Check out our shop. We rotate coffees regularly, based on global harvest schedules, so there’s always something new to try.
- Order online. Got it. And you’ll just ship me my beans?
Kind of sort of. Orders placed within the 94121 and 94118 zip codes of San Francisco are eligible for free local delivery, but all other orders must be picked up. You can contact us for more details.
- OK. I just got my first bag of beans. What’s the best way to brew them?
Good question. There are many (many) different ways to brew roasted coffee, all with their own advantages and disadvantages.
We’re particularly fond of V60 and AeroPress brewing. But don’t let that stop you exploring other methods. If you need help dialing in a particular method, check out these great recipes, or just send us a note and we’ll dig for some pointers.
- Can I use my beans to brew espresso?
Absolutely. Our typical degree of roast (more on that below) should suit espresso brewing nicely, as long as you serve the brew straight (i.e., no milk). Milk-based drinks are another story, and generally require slightly darker and less acidic beans than what we normally turn out. That said, please feel free to experiment. There are no hard and fast rules here.
- How dark do you roast?
Our typical profiles produce what we would call light-to-medium roasts (for the cognoscenti among you, think City+ to Full City). We are not ultra light roasters, nor do we generally roast very dark. In the cup, this translates to an emphasis on more delicate and subtle origin characteristics (such as fruits, florals and winey or juicy acids) at the expense of “louder”, pungent, bittersweet notes typically found in darker roasts.
Are we universally opposed to dark roasting? Not at all. Yes, our general preference is for the medium/light side of things. But we do occasionally pine for the pungent. If pungent is what you crave, check out our dark roast blend. We developed it with that specific note in mind.
- Can I add cream and sugar to my coffee?
We generally don’t recommend it. While milk and sugar can serve as pleasant compliments to sharper, more bitter notes found in darker roasts, both tend to mask the delicate fruity/floral characteristics that we typically seek to emphasize in our profiles. The net effect is a flat, vapid cup coffee (boooooo).
If cream (or milk) and sugar is really your thing – and no disrespect, honest – check out our dark roast blend. We drink it black, but it’s hefty enough to stand up to an additive or two.
- How long will my beans stay fresh?
Most experts agree that coffee beans are at their freshest within 10 days of roasting and 10 minutes of grinding. A lot will depend on how you decide to store your beans though. Read on.
- What’s the best way to store my beans?
The two greatest enemies of freshly roasted coffee are oxygen and light, and our high-barrier, “omnidegradable” bags (more on those below) do a terrific job of keeping out both when sealed. That being said, once those bags are opened, oxygen will creep in and the staling process will accelerate. If you’re really looking to maximize the shelf life of your beans, we highly recommend investing in a few Airscape Containers, which not only keep out light but expel oxygen each time they are re-sealed.
- Should I “rest” my beans before brewing them?
Opinions vary here. We generally find it beneficial to rest beans for 24-48 hours (depending on the coffee) post-roast before brewing them. You can, of course, brew them sooner. In our experience, however, both flavor and body tend to take a day or two to fully develop. For what it’s worth…
- When were my beans roasted?
We stamp roast dates on the bottom of every bag of coffee we send out. Just flip one over and have a gander.
- Can you grind my beans before I get them?
We can…but we won’t. Why’s that (you ask with furrowed brow)? Simple. We’re committed to delivering you the highest-quality product possible and pre-grinding prevents us from doing that by all but guaranteeing your coffee will be stale before you even get it.
We STRONGLY recommend that you grind your beans just prior to brewing them. Doing so will greatly enhance results in the cup. If you don’t own a coffee grinder and don’t feel like plunking for a high-end, electric, conical burr model (we love this one but also hear good things this about this more affordable one), consider purchasing a hand-cranked, conical mill (like this one) or an electric blade grinder (like this one). Though experts conventionally shun them, blade grinders are actually quite well suited to drip brewing methods that use paper filters (like V60 and Areopress).
- How often do you roast?
With the exception of major holidays, we roast to fulfill orders every week, Monday through Saturday. Orders placed by 1:00pm PST are normally ready for local delivery or shipment by 1:00PM PST the following day excluding Sundays.
- Do you support Fair Trade?
Yes and no. Here’s the deal:
We purchase the bulk of our green coffee from Sweet Maria’s in Oakland, CA. While Sweet Maria’s is a supporter of Fair Trade, they’ve also taken steps to address its shortcomings by establishing their own Direct Trade program with growers. They call this program Farm Gate.
Farm Gate prices are guaranteed to be at least 50% higher than Fair Trade minimums, and are often more than 100% higher. Farm Gate practices also support smaller farms, ensure that the employees of those farms are fairly compensated for their hard work, and promote quality by paying premiums for better coffee. Unless otherwise noted, all of the coffees that we sell are part of Sweet Maria’s Farm Gate program.