FAQs

It mostly comes down to how long the beans stay in the roaster. Light roasts spend less time there, so you taste more of where the coffee actually came from - brighter, sometimes fruitier. Dark roasts spend longer, so the roast itself takes over more of the flavor - heavier, deeper, more chocolate and toast. Medium sits in between.

Somewhere dark, dry, and sealed - a cabinet works fine. Skip the fridge or freezer; the moisture and temperature swings do more harm than good.

It's best within a couple weeks of opening and best within a month or so of the roast date on the bag. After that it's not "bad," it just fades - less aroma, flatter flavor. Coffee doesn't really go bad the way milk does, it just gets less interesting to drink.

Whatever matches how you're brewing it - coarse for a French press or cold brew, medium for drip machines, fine for espresso.

If you're not sure, tell us how you brew when you order and we'll grind it for you. If you grab whole bean, grind it yourself right before you brew, which always tastes best.

Genuinely good. Ours is naturally decaffeinated using the sugarcane process, then washed for a clean cup - nobody's settling for less flavor just because it's after 6pm.

Single-origin means the beans come from one specific farm or region, so you're tasting that place, specifically - its climate, elevation, and character.

A blend combines coffees from different origins to build a specific flavor on purpose, usually a rounder, more consistent everyday cup.

Neither is better, just different - it’s always fun to try something new.

No. The gear can be part of the fun if that's your thing, but it's not a requirement for enjoying a good cup.

Your call. Whole bean stays fresher longer and lets you grind right before brewing, if you've got a grinder. Ground is one less step if you don't. Either way, you're getting great coffee.

It's how the coffee gets from a fruit on a tree to a green bean ready to roast, and it shapes a lot of what ends up in your cup. Washed process rinses the fruit off before drying, which tends to make for a cleaner, brighter cup. Natural process dries the coffee inside the fruit, which tends to add more berry, wine, or fruit-forward notes. Honey process splits the difference.

For decaf, you'll also see EA and Swiss Water on the bag - those are decaffeination methods, not flavor processes. EA uses a natural sugarcane derivative to gently draw the caffeine out while leaving the coffee's own sweetness behind. Swiss Water does the same job using just water and carbon filters, no solvents at all.

You don't need to remember any of this to enjoy your coffee, but here if you're curious.