Roast is the main or first characteristic to choose when selecting a coffee. The darker the roast the less true coffee flavor. In fact, our French roast, the darkest on the market, is so dark that the flavor is pronounced smoke with only slight hints of coffee. We understand that everyone has different taste; therefore, we offer 5 roast levels. Roast terminology differs throughout the American market. Therefore, please refer to the following roast classifications when ordering coffee.

Peak City Roast is our standard roast and our lightest roast. If you like lots of coffee flavor then this is the coffee for you. Our Peak City roast is characterized by chestnut brown beans without surface oil. Note, if you do not specify a roast then we automatically ship this roast. This is the coffee roast that true coffee connoisseurs prefer. Consider steaks. (No offense intended toward the vegetarians out there.) The majority of people like medium done steaks. However, true steak aficionados like their steaks on the rare side for the most flavor, and then there are those people who prefer well-done smoky flavor over the steak flavor and thus order well-done.

Vienna Roast is a medium roast coffee and is characterized by dark brown color with small spots of oil on the bean’s surface. If you are not sure of which roast to order or want something with a little more roast flavor than our peak city then this is your roast. Of course, we offer roast designated house blends. To try a good all-around Vienna roast just ask for our Vienna roast blend.

Italian Roast is a dark roast coffee and is characterized by dark brown color with rich amounts of oil on the bean’s surface. If you want an extremely strong roast flavor while retaining a good amount of coffee flavor then this is the roast for you. Two of our best selling Italian roast blends are the Velvet Hammer Blend and Velvet Espresso Blend.

Dark Italian Roast is our extra dark roast coffee and is characterized by a very dark brown, almost black color with large amounts of oil on the bean’s surface. Coffee flavor at this roast is 75% roast flavor and 25% coffee flavor. A good Dark Italian Roast is our Latte Blend, which makes a great drip, French style coffee or good espresso, Starbucks style espresso. Note: For small 6-8 oz. cup Italian/European style espresso, sweet and bright, order light roast espressos. For larger to-go cup, American style espresso drinks, chocolaty and rich, order dark roasts.

French Roast is our darkest roast coffee and probably the darkest coffee available in the world. It is characterized by black color with large amounts of oil on the bean’s surface. Coffee flavor at this roast is 95% roast flavor and 5% coffee flavor. Sort of like drinking a cup of smoke with a coffee finish. For the best flavor, you should brew this coffee in a big basket brewer, which produces a more flavorful extraction. See brewing tips for more info. We really only roast one coffee to a 100% French roast. That's our French Roast blend. Of course, some of our bar blends include French roast beans to create complex flavors of toned-down lights.

After roasting, we immediately package coffees in one-way valve bags, which allows coffee to degas without blowing apart the packaging. Did you know that fresh coffee packed in a can without a pressure release would blow the can apart within a week or two? That is why valve-packed coffees is so much better than canned or vacuumed-packed coffees, which have to sit for a week to degas and thus lose flavor.

We also utilize nitrogen flushing to replace oxygen and insure even longer freshness. Oxidation is what kills great coffees. You probably have bitten and noticed that if you do not eat it quickly the white part begins to turn brown. This is the oxidation effect. Like an apple, banana, etc, coffee spoils with prolonged exposure to oxygen and heat/light. Opened packages of ground coffee retain good flavor for approx. one week, and whole bean retains good flavor for approx. two weeks. It is best to store coffee at room temperature and out of direct sunlight with as little oxygen exposure as possible. We do not recommend storing coffee in the freezer due to condensation on the inside of any package and odors.