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Searching for Balance in Coffee Roasting
Reflecting on the last six months of roasting styles at The Crown. For as long as we’ve been serving coffee, The Crown’s menu has featured a revolving door of fresh and seasonal coffees served across a number of brewing styles. By far, our most consistent outturns (aside from cold brew in the...
The Classic: Vanilla Latte — Assume Nothing!
by Carolyn McBride "Assume Nothing!" A mantra for The Crown as we worked towards opening our doors in March of 2019, the phrase became a Menu section, encouraging our visitors to drop their preconceptions and be open to new and delicious experiences. And now it's the title of a recipe series, for...
Hiring: Tasting Room Manager for The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room
Passionate about specialty coffee & service? This is for you! Tasting Room Manager Core Responsibilities The Tasting Room Manager’s primary responsibility is to ensure the smooth and successful operation of the Tasting Room’s retail functions. This includes supervising staff and managing...
The Worst-Kept Secret in Seasonality: Colombia
This time of the year is typically lean in high-quality washed milds for most roasters, which is why we're letting you in on the worst-kept secret in seasonal coffee menus: Colombia. We have been directing buyers to our roster of distinctive washed lineup of coffees from southern Huila and Cauca...
Ecuador Coffee Picks: Juan Peña Presents
This year Royal is partnering with CafExporto to bring some of the best coffees from Ecuador. It’s headed up by Juan Peña, a well-regarded producer from Loja in Ecuador who has won three consecutive Sprudgies for “Notable Producer”.
Bolivia’s Producer-Led Quality Coffee Resurgence
Editor’s note: This article first ran in Daily Coffee News on January 24, 2022, and is republished here with permission. One day last November I was working at The Crown in Oakland when I received a call from Felix Chambi Garcia, who oversees quality control and exports for Bolivia-based...
Exploring Scent with Le Nez du Café
Sandra Loofbourow explores the science, history, and purpose behind the Le Nez du Café aroma kit.
Meet Doris Garrido: Production Roaster and QC Assistant at The Crown
Doris Garrido, now entering her fourth year with The Crown, comes from a class of barista hires who joined us to open our doors to the public in January of 2019, and who have each grown into new and exciting roles. A graduate of the 1951 Coffee Company’s training program, Doris also brought with...
Early Closure and Updates
Dear Royal Coffee Customer, Our office will be closed at 12 pm on February 4th while we make improvements to the backend of our website. Please make a note and get your orders in early! You may notice some changes to the way the warehouse names are displayed on product pages and documents, as...
Thank you, Royal Coffee Customers
Editor's note: In December 2021, Royal Coffee donated the proceeds from the sale of CJO1444 , generously matched by Oatly, to Grounds for Health. In the note below, Kyle Engleman, Director of Philanthropy, issues a heartfelt thanks on behalf of Grounds for Health. Interested in getting involved?...
Shipping Woes, Continued.
As we head into 2022, many of 2021’s shipping challenges persist: Suppliers in many, if not most origins, must contend with both a shortage of shipping containers and a lack of space on container ships. This has led to delays getting coffees on the water and (often significant) increases in...
Bolivian Specialty Coffee Auction 2021
Taza Presidencial 2021 When: This Friday, the auction for the 7th annual Taza Presidencial in Bolivia is taking place. It’s a virtual auction that opens Wednesday, Dec 8th with pre-bidding before wrapping up Friday morning with 10-minute bidding windows for each coffee. History: Taza...
Specialty Coffee in Bolivia: The Growth of an Industry
Editor’s note: This article was first published in Roast Magazine’s Sep/Oct 2021 issue, and is reprinted here with permission. Author's note: I remember the first time I talked to Felix Chambi of Cooperativa San Juan. It was a fall afternoon late in 2019; we had been texting back and forth and he...
2021 Green Coffee Staff Picks for Fall & Winter
Editor's note: A version of this article first ran on the blog in December of 2018. This year, our Sales Associate, Spencer Ford, updated the list and will be updating it throughout the season. Even in the strangest of years in recent memory, there’s at least a little comfort to the impending...
The C Market and Our Prices
About a month ago, I discussed some factors that led to the C market's rise. Now that the C market has gone above the highs of the drought-driven market of 2014-15, I want to address our pricing specifically. While prices have increased due to freight and higher internal prices for cherry and...