choosing your coffee:

If you know what you're here for, by all means, jump right in!

But if you're a little unsure, here's a

to help you select the right coffee for you...

Roast Level

single origin vs blend

single origin coffees are those that come from the same region of a country. these could come from one farm or from multiple farms all located in the same area. generally, single origin coffees are chosen in order to highlight the desirable origin characteristics of the beans. typically, this means the coffee has its own uniqueness due to the weather, elevation, soil, and processing that shows up nicely in a cup if roasted correctly. coffees from some areas of the globe might have more acidity and some more sweetness.

blends on the other hand are made up of coffees from different countries and sometime even different regions and continents. blends are put together in order to balance out beans with strong origin characteristics with those grown in places that produce more approachable tasting notes. (think of pairing fruit with chocolate) generally this is done to create a coffee that is more crowd pleasing and that can work in a variety of situations and brew methods. (such as a holiday blend that is meant to appeal to the different tastes found in large gatherings)

the roast level of a coffee plays a critical role in how the origin characteristics of a coffee are either highlighted, balanced, or diminished.

in general, lighter roasts are meant to preserve more of what makes the coffee unique. this often means the roaster desires the fruitiness or floral notes of a coffee to shine and be more pronounced. it also means the coffee typically comes with more acidity.

darker roasts tend to take the fruitiness of a coffee and turn it into something a little richer and balanced with less acidity. (turning white grape tasting notes into raisin or apple into fruit leather as examples) darker roasts can also take the brown sugar sweetness in a bean and transform it into something more like caramel or toffee. and often times darker roasts include some level of chocolatey goodness. for those reasons, darker roasts also stand up better to cream and other flavorings that people like to add to coffee.