All coffee is good coffee -
But some coffee is the best of the best, and that's what I find, roast, and ship to you.

I hope to open your eyes to the sheer variety of distinctive and delicious coffee that exists out there. There are dozens of coffee-producing countries, each with their own culture, land, and character - although distinct tastes and sensory qualities do not respect national boundaries. It's all about the soil, the microclimates and weather, the altitude, the cultivars grown and post-harvest processing methods. Most brands will send you "single origin" coffees with no further detail besides a country name on the label and without diving much deeper into the specifics of where specifically the coffee came from - was it from a single farm or was it was a blend of coffees from hundreds of farmers in a region? And what is it about that specific place the coffee was grown, or the coffee farming/milling practices that farmers follow there, or the weather that year, or the genetic coffee variety that the farmers there have access to and grows well in their climate, etc... that makes the resulting coffee special? I think those details are interesting to many of us (although difficult to condense into a simple and easy to read coffee bag label), and they provide extra context that helps us be more mindful as we sip our favorite drink, seeking out the taste of that coffee specifically compared to all the other coffee out there.

My approach is to get as specific as possible with the details about the coffee that I send to you, but in a concise and straightforward, approachable, and relaxed way. To highlight the distinct character of each coffee that I ship to you every month, and for your maximum enjoyment, I roast on the light-to-medium end of the roasting spectrum. Usually minor (but not always) adjustments are made to the technique and desired roast level to account for differences in each raw coffee bean's chemistry, size, density, and desired flavor highlights. I focus heavily on preserving sweetness and bold, distinct flavors while trying to minimize generic "roastiness", bitterness, sourness, or burnt flavors. Roasting too dark can kill sweet and nuanced flavors, but there are certain varieties of coffee and certain geographic regions that produce coffees that are delicious when roasted dark so you will still see those as offerings now and again. And if you prefer a dark espresso roast, I've got coffees that will work perfectly and will roast to your specification. 

My raw coffee sourcing strategy is to seek out coffees that meet a high bar for environmental sustainability and ethical working conditions, and to work only with importing partners who have demonstrated that same commitment. These coffees rightfully cost more for me to buy than the industry average, and I'm committed to paying higher prices for the increases in supply chain transparency, worker safety and compensation, and environmental stewardship that higher prices have the potential to facilitate. All of us getting used to paying slightly higher prices for quality coffee is a good and sustainable thing for the industry, and I will do my part to keep my prices reasonable by improving my own processes and sourcing strategy over time. I will be 100% transparent breaking down costs I paid for raw coffee, materials and packaging, shipping, labor, etc. 

To be clear I'm not condoning overcharging, like charging $8.50 for a holiday latte - that has and always will be ridiculous and the higher costs each year are going towards shareholders and profit margins, not folks in producing countries or anyone doing physical labor. I do think it would be healthy for the industry if we all got used to half-pound bags of coffee at the grocery store that cost closer to $20 on average than $10, and closer to $30 on average at a specialty roaster or cafe. In my opinion, coffee should be valued on the whole as highly as wine, which routinely costs $20+ for less total beverage compared to a half pound bag of coffee). In fact, it is more difficult and energy-intensive to store, transport, and manage inventory for coffee because it is fresh produce, unlike wine which has a many-years-long shelf life! There are a remarkable number of resource and labor-intensive steps that go into getting coffee off of a tree and into your mug, not to mention large distances that the coffee must travel and the shrinking availability of suitable farmland due to the effects of climate change. It requires expertise at all levels of production - it is a very difficult thing to grow well, harvest, ferment, dry, mill/process, ship, roast, and brew. But it is magical to enjoy, and is economically impactful to many parts of the world, so if we're going to enjoy it we have a duty to ensure that people and the environment in producing countries aren't exploited.