The Royal Blog
Coffee News
Education + Resources
Crown Jewels
The Crown
What is Specialty Coffee, Anyway?
In most industries, words like “specialty,” “premium,” “top grade” or “gourmet” are often regarded as marketing buzz, while also vaguely designating a degree of quality above what might be commonly available on the bottom shelf of grocery aisle – the existence of “specialty” infers the existence...
Sustainable Green Coffee Shipping: Efficient Logistics Strategies
Learn how to optimize your coffee shipping with key ordering tips, cost-saving strategies, and freight best practices. Avoid extra fees, manage delivery delays, and streamline logistics for a smoother coffee supply chain.
Landmark Pricing Change: Fair Trade and FLO International
John Cossette, Vice President of Green Coffee Purchasing at Royal weighs in on the pricing change and shares his take on our best Fairtrade Organic offerings. Since 1995, Royal Coffee has been an active participant and importer of Fairtrade and Organic coffee. Starting with a few tentative...
A Succinct Guide to Ethiopian Coffee Grades
Author's Note: When I first joined Royal, I had a vague idea of the difference between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 Ethiopian washed coffee, but didn’t really understand the complexity of the country’s grading system. Over the past few years, cupping through hundreds of coffee from various grades, I...
Year to Date C Market Recap
As of this writing, the price of the most actively traded NY coffee futures contract (SEP23) sits at 155.80. This is a 24 percent drop from the 6-month high of 205.25. It is worth looking back over the past half year to see how we ended up at this level and also to better understand where prices...
Green Coffee Report: Tanzania’s Edelweiss and Gaia (Finagro) Farms
Celebrating long-term relationships and innovation with the Vohora Family in Arusha and Ngorongoro. Two days is an unfair timeline for a visit with Neel and Kavita Vohora, the brother-sister team behind some of Tanzania’s best coffee. I’m not quite sure how exactly we squeezed all that we did...
2023 Green Coffee Report – Burundi and JNP Coffee
Celebrating Women-led Projects in the Heart of Africa: Chris shares his recent trip to Bujumbura and upcountry Burundi. Disembarking at the airport in Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital city on the shore of Lake Tanganyika is a chaotic and usually sweaty affair, little changed from the last time I...
Green Coffee Report – Rwanda’s Coocamu Cooperative 2023
Celebrating Coastal Coffee from Lake Kivu: Chris shares his recent trip to the Coocamu Coop. It’s difficult not to be transported to some kind of other world when visiting Coocamu (pronounced with an emphasis on the 2nd syllable, “coo-CA-mu”). There is a road to the station, but the preferred way...
The Princess — Assume Nothing!
by Colin Cahill "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...
Full-Pallet Promotion Picks
Editor’s Note: You can view all of Chris’ pallet picks on one page here. If I were running a coffee roasting business and saw Royal’s full pallet promotion, I’d be thrilled. I’d probably then visit Royal’s website only to be completely overwhelmed with the choices. Fortunately for everyone, I’m...
A Take on the Fairtrade Price Increase
News has been making the rounds this week of Fairtrade International’s increase to prices paid for coffee, the first such announcement in more than a decade. New pricing takes effect for contracts beginning on August 1, 2023, (it does not impact contracts drawn prior to that date.) For washed...
Rate of Rise – Where Do You Stand?
It’s been said that those who stand for nothing will fall into a constant state of decline. As an outspoken critic of “my way or the highway” approaches to education and one-size-fits-all solutions to roasting and quality control concerns in specialty coffee, it may not surprise you to learn that...
Burundi Coffees in Focus
Despite being geographically minuscule, Burundi commands an outsized presence in specialty coffee sourcing. Its hills provide exceptional climate and elevation for growing, and its most conscientious producers are cultivating, processing, and exporting coffee that rivals the best and brightest...
What to Do After the Q
The Crown is hosting the Q Arabica Combo. Becoming a Q Arabica Grader is one of the highest honors in the coffee industry. Serious study and practice are required to hone your sensory skills to the level needed to pass the battery of tests in the Q Arabica curriculum. No doubt finishing the course...
50 lb Royal Gem Q&A + FAQs
Recently, Royal Coffee's Director of Business Development, Richard Sandlin, caught up with Sprudge to discuss our newest line of boxed green coffees, the 50 lb Royal Gem. Here is the Q&A and FAQ for the new product line. Can you tell me a little bit about the conceit behind Royal Gems? We...