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Why Our Coffee Tastes Good

Why all the hubbub? Coffee tastes like coffee, right? Well, back in the day that was true: coffee was merely a caffeine-delivery vehicle and people were stoic about the flavor. Even today, drink a cup of instant brew and you've tasted the watery lot. But we're convinced that coffee — just pure, brilliant coffee — can bring sensory pleasure on a par with fine wine or artisan chocolate. Not everybody wants a full-blown culinary experience first thing in the morning. That doesn't mean you have to settle for manufactured coffee product of unknown origins. Here's how we're turning out brew that turns people on.

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Cupping Room

Focus on Coffee

It's all we do and we obsess about it. That's right, we get inspiration and professional satisfaction by working with beans. Baristas, roasters, trainers, managers — we're chock full of coffee nuts. And our customers are fanatics. If we burn a roast or botch a drink we hear about it. It's a team effort and the goal is clear: get the coffee right. We're not developing a line of canned latte sodas or espresso bubble gum to hawk on convenience store shelves. We just do coffee, farm to cup.

Coffee Beans

Begin with Beans

Our coffee list is shaped in the quiet of the cupping room, where we try to achieve oneness with our senses by tasting samples from around the world. You can't really disguise inferior beans with a roasting trick or slick advertising. Quality coffee (the beverage) starts with quality coffee (the beans). Since all beans are not created equal, we're constantly tasting what we serve and sampling new harvests. We get enthused about sustainable, fairly traded, and organic brews; small lots from family farms; relationship coffee; and award-winners like Cup of Excellence that pay premium rates to farmers.

Roasting

Roast in Small Batches

Artisan roasting is gourmet cooking. A human, not a machine, runs the roast and treats one small portion at a time. We roast in 40-pound batches. That's just a handful by industry standards. Working in small batches is key to teasing out coffee's delicate aromatic compounds, because you can time the roast perfectly and heat the beans evenly. We've customized our air-roasters to deliver an even roast and exceptional flavor. Our Master Roaster, John Gant, is a true artisan whose signature style shapes all of our brews.

Barista

Practice Barista Craft

Baristas matter. It's a fundamental fact of coffee, yet so often overlooked: premium beans become a world-class drink in the hands of a skilled barista. In the chain from farmer to consumer, baristas make the final connection. Gimme! CEO Kevin Cuddeback started as a barista, and we know that our espresso bars depend totally on our barista corps. Every barista goes through intensive training before serving a single drink. Some develop a passion for the craft through self-study, competitions, and traveling to origin.

Learn Coffee

Learn and Teach

Coffee is an educational journey for us. It's a subject that just keeps on giving. There is so much to learn about farming, trading, roasting, cupping, and serving. What makes one cappuccino so uplifting while another falls flat? How can we help people make great coffee at home? How can we function more sustainably? We'll share our findings on all facets of coffee in the Learn Coffee section of this web site. Send us feedback if there's something specific you want to learn.