FAQs

Well, that’s easy!

1. It’s all 100% Certified Fair Trade coffee (because we like people!).
2. It’s all 100% Certified Organic coffee (because we dislike unnecessary chemicals!).
3. It’s all roasted on site!

Let’s recap: We roast it ourselves! And even though we have the ability to roast up to 100 lbs. of delicious coffee an hour, we choose to roast only what we need, when we need it. That means we don’t have a surplus of coffee sitting around rotting in our shop. You’re welcome!!! So that’s why it would be hard to find a fresher cup anywhere!

Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Fair Trade is much more than a fair price!

Fair Trade principles include:

Fair price: Democratically organized farmer groups receive a guaranteed minimum floor price and an additional premium for certified organic products.

Fair labor conditions: Workers on Fair Trade farms enjoy freedom of association, safe working conditions, and living wages. Forced child labor is strictly prohibited. Direct trade: With Fair Trade, importers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace.

Democratic and transparent organizations: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers decide democratically how to invest Fair Trade revenues. Community development: Fair Trade farmers and farm workers invest Fair Trade premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, quality improvement trainings, and organic certification.

Environmental sustainability: Harmful agrochemicals and GMOs are strictly prohibited in favor of environmentally sustainable farming methods that protect farmers’ health and preserve valuable ecosystems for future generations.

Organic coffee is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic coffee is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.  Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where it is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards.  Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

Different methods of coffee preparation require your coffee to be ground to a different size granule. If the coffee is ground incorrectly, the coffee will be either very strong and thick or very weak and thin.

Here’s rundown on the different grinds required for different coffee preparation methods:

French Press Grind:
A French Press is a cylindrical glass coffee pot that steeps ground coffee in hot water and then filters it with a metal filter plunger that presses the grounds to the bottom of the pot, trapping the grounds under the filter so the coffee is served from the top. Because it’s a longer brewing process that requires a slower extraction, the grind needs to be very coarse.

Automatic Drip Grind: This grind is for the standard coffee pot found in most kitchens and offices. These coffee brewers automatically heat the water and filter it through the coffee. It’s a medium grind (and definitely the most widely used).

Espresso Grind: Espresso machines (whether they use a pump or piston actions) use a special espresso grind. Coffee to be used in an espresso machine must be ground finely for proper extraction.

Turkish Coffee Grind: This grind is the finest grind setting that most coffee grinders will perform Coffee that is ground on this setting is extra-fine and almost a powder. It needs to be as fine as possible because Turkish coffee is served with the grounds in it. (Traditionally, Turkish Coffee is made with an equal ratio of coffee and sugar in a special pot called an ibriq, boiled and removed from the heat 3 times to achieve a thick beverage with a distinctive taste.)

The enemies of fresh coffee are oxygen, light and moisture. Therefore, a dark, airtight container is the best place for coffee beans or grounds. Because of the moisture, we don’t recommend storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer unless it’s sealed or in an airtight container. Also, coffee stored in the refrigerator or freezer can absorb odors from your food. So, unless you want your coffee to taste like last night's meatloaf, make sure you’re using an airtight container.

The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) recommends 2 tablespoons (10 grams) of coffee for every 6 oz. cup of coffee that you’re going to produce. Some coffee makers measure their “cup” lines in 6 oz. cups, while others use 8 oz. cups. So, the best thing to do is to measure the water as you’re putting it in for the first time (just to see what line you should actually be filling it up to in the future). If you find that coffee brewed using these proportions is too strong for your taste, then add hot water to your cup of brewed coffee. This will weaken the coffee without making it bitter. We DON’T recommend using less coffee or more water when brewing because that will just cause the coffee to become over-extracted (basically, the coffee gets all the goodness squeezed out of it…then all the bitterness too…ruining anything good in the pot!)

The elements involved in creating a great quality cup of coffee are as follows:

The Water Coffee is 98% water, so clean water that isn’t too hard is the best start.

The Coffee (Freshness and Grind) Most coffees “peak” within 2-5 days from when they are roasted, so that’s when you want to get that goodness in you. It’s pretty much downhill from there. Coffee doesn’t really age like fine wine. ;) As far as grind, obviously it’s important to have the appropriate grind for the brewing device you’re using (See “How should I have my coffee ground?”), but the coffee will be the freshest if you grind it right before you brew it. So only grind as much as you need to brew at a time.

The Proportions See “How much coffee should I use when brewing my coffee?”

The darker a coffee is roasted, the less caffeine remains in the coffee beans. This means that the lighter coffee roasts have much more caffeine than the darker. This is why a “Breakfast Blend” coffee is generally a lighter roast…to give us that kick of caffeine that we so desperately need in the morning.

Yes you can! We’d be honored. Please visit our wholesale page for more information.

Maybe! Please contact us with the details.

Good question! We’re not sure how we continue to attract such talented, artistic, witty, well-mannered, charming, humorous, downright attractive employees…but we’re glad we do!

We were wondering when you were gonna work up the nerve to ask! You can stop in and pick up an application or click here to download our application form. Once you’ve filled it out, simply give it to any of our wonderful baristas! You’ll hear from us if we’re interested in having you on our team. (AKA: Don’t call us. We’ll call you.)

Send us an email with a picture or two of your work and we’ll try to get you on our schedule. Artists hang their art for one month (starting on the First Friday of the month).