The Royal Blog

Coffee News

Education + Resources

Crown Jewels

The Crown

Now Hiring – Quality Control Assistant 
Now Hiring: Quality Control Assistant  Royal Coffee | Emeryville, CA | Full-Time, On-Site  About the role  Royal Coffee has been importing specialty green coffee since 1978. We're independent, family-owned, and have three distinct teams in Emeryville, Oakland, and...
What Does ‘Direct Trade’ Actually Mean? A Specialty Coffee Reality Check 
By Isabella Vitaliano and Chris Kornman  Article Summary Direct Trade originally popularized by specialty roasters in the late 1990s to improve transparency and relationships with producers, the term suggests direct communication and pricing agreements between...
Coffee Shipping Timelines Explained: Intend Ship Date, ETA & Real Transit Averages

Understand the difference between Intend Ship Date, ETA, and Expected Delivery, plus real transit averages by lane to help you plan your green coffee purchasing with confidence.

IEEPA Tariff Refunds: Where Royal Coffee Stands

CBP’s new CAPE refund portal is live, and Royal Coffee has filed its Phase 1 claims. No refunds have been issued to date, and timing at the customer level remains unconfirmed. Here’s where things stand.

April 2024 Crown Jewel Update 

April 2024 Crown Jewel Update 

 Good news is on the horizon, coffee buyers!  There are Crown Jewels set to launch all through the month of April, favorites from the Andes topping our list of incoming coffees. While 2023’s austere purchasing led to small quantities of arrivals in the first quarter of this year, I’ve been...

Tabula Rasa – Assume Nothing

Tabula Rasa – Assume Nothing

by Tim Tran "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 you to...

International Women’s Month 2024

International Women’s Month 2024

We’re fortunate to have team made up of incredible humans at Royal Coffee. In honor of National Women’s Month, we are featuring some of them here, and sharing a little bit about what they do here and some life advice.Berit Carlson Accounting, On and off since 1989Favorite Coffee: Yemen Mocha A...

Green Coffee Field Report: Rwanda’s Dukunde Kawa Cooperative

Green Coffee Field Report: Rwanda’s Dukunde Kawa Cooperative

Kigali, April 2023 Ernest Nshimyimana picks me up from the hotel in Kigali just an hour after I arrive. I’ve already driven three and a half hours this morning, starting on the shore of Lake Kivu in Rwanda’s western province. Now we’re heading north, and the SUV is extra in the way the kids mean...

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 22, 2024

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 22, 2024

by Isabella Vitaliano Welcome to our Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series on Thursdays where we highlight recent arrivals. We select several coffees to cup at The Crown and provide more in-depth tasting notes, coffee background, and usage recommendations 31999 Nicaragua FT-FLO/USA Organic Alto De...

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 8, 2024

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 8, 2024

by Isabella Vitaliano Welcome to our Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series on Thursdays where we highlight recent arrivals. We select several coffees to cup at The Crown and provide more in-depth tasting notes, coffee background, and usage recommendations 31860 Peru FT-FLO/USA Organic Amazonas...

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 1, 2024

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: Feb 1, 2024

by Isabella Vitaliano Welcome to our Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series on Thursdays where we highlight recent arrivals. We select several coffees to cup at The Crown and provide more in-depth tasting notes, coffee background, and usage recommendations. 31507 Peru FT-FLO/USA Organic Cafe De...

The Crown Gallery Artist Interviews: Alexis M. Brayton

The Crown Gallery Artist Interviews: Alexis M. Brayton

The Crown seeks to give exposure to local and international artists through The Crown Gallery, and hosts new artists every four months. The Crown Gallery is currently accepting submissions for the Spring of 2024 and is seeking artists who approach issues related to environmental sustainability,...

Au Lait of Apricity – Assume Nothing

Au Lait of Apricity – Assume Nothing

by MJ Smith "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 you to...

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: January 2024

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: January 2024

by Isabella Vitaliano Welcome to our Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series on Thursdays where we highlight recent arrivals. We select several coffees to cup at The Crown and provide more in-depth tasting notes, coffee background, and usage recommendations. 31870 PERU FT-FLO/USA ORGANIC ANDINOS...

The 2023 Crown Jewel Year In Review

The 2023 Crown Jewel Year In Review

We'd like to give our sincere thanks to our Crown Jewel customers. With your support, we're able to continue to explore the boundaries of specialty coffee and highlight innovative producers around the globe. Here's a look back at the year in Crown Jewels: We released 33 Crown Jewels from 16...

Honey, We Spiced the Miel – Assume Nothing

Honey, We Spiced the Miel – Assume Nothing

by Taylor Brandon "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...

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: December 2023

Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series: December 2023

by Isabella Vitaliano Welcome to our Specialty Green Coffee Cupping Series on Thursdays where we highlight recent arrivals. We select several coffees to cup at The Crown and provide more in-depth tasting notes, coffee background, and usage recommendations. 28911 Costa Rica El Poeta SHB EP Café de...