Q. How should I store my coffee?

A. Oxidation is the killer of coffee. To prevent it, store your coffee in an airtight container (the valve bag it comes in works if rolled down after opening). Keep it in the refrigerator (not the freezer). Keep it whole bean as long as possible to reduce the surface area and therefore reduce oxidation.

Q. How long will my coffee remain fresh?

A. That depends on how you treat your coffee. Since we roast our coffees to order you can count on buying the freshest product available. So, if you follow the guidelines established under storing coffee, your coffee should last 4 to 6 weeks.

Q. How should I grind my coffee?

A. That depends on your brewing method. The longer the coffee is saturated with water, the coarser the grind needs to be. Here are some guidelines.

-French Press: Very coarse as the water stays in contact with the coffee for a long period. Grind to coarse flakes like bread crumbs and should feel like sand paper. Percolator coffee falls under this category.

-Auto Drip: A medium grind. Your fingers should come out clean when you run them through the coffee grinds. The coffee should feel like coarse sand.

-Espresso: Very fine as the water passes the grounds very quickly. The grounds should feel velvety to the touch and will stain your fingers.

Q. How should I brew my coffee?

A. Make sure that the coffee grind matches the brewer (see grinding coffee). Brew at temperatures between 185 and 200 degrees F. Decant the coffee to an airtight container as soon as possible after brewing to prevent oxidation of the coffee.

Q. How much coffee should I use?

A. Everyone’s taste is different. We recommend using one or two tablespoons of ground coffee for each six ounces of water. Adjust to your particular taste.

Q. Does ‘strong’ coffee have more caffeine?

A. You’ve heard the statement all the time. "I need a good strong dark roast for the caffeine"!! It is a fallacy!! Strong coffees (dark roasted) actually have less caffeine that a light roasted coffee. Darker roasts have less caffeine because they stay in the roaster longer and additional heat burns out more of the caffeine as well as the natural bean flavors. How about that shot of espresso? It too has less caffeine that a cup of brewed coffee. The reason is that water passes over the espresso grounds very quickly and one of the last things to be extracted is the caffeine. Hence less caffeine in espresso than a cup of brew coffee.

Q. How should I hold and Serve my coffee?

A. Once brewed, immediately decant your coffee in an airtight container. Once exposed to air, coffee will quickly oxidize and the aromatic flavors are lost. This also will help to keep your coffee at the serving temperature of 185 to 200 degrees F.

Q. Is Fresh Coffee better?

A. YES!! Immediately after roasting coffee begins to change in flavor. For the first 6 to 8 hours after roasting coffee will "gas off" with carbon dioxide. During this process, coffee tastes green or grassy. After that, coffee is at it’s peak for flavor but then begins to break down as it is exposed to oxygen. After about 10 days of oxidation, coffee has lost fully half of it’s flavor. Proper storing of your coffee reduces this process, but it will never taste as good as the first few days after roasting.