The Royal Blog

The Rise of Specialty Coffee The Origin of Specialty Coffee  The phrase “specialty coffee” is usually attributed to the progressive and outspoken coffee importer Erna Knutsen, in a 1973 interview published in the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. Her evolution in the coffee industry is intricately tied to the inception of our understanding of what […]

Espresso Takes Over – A Brief History Espresso has long been the cornerstone of the coffee industry. But how did it begin?   In the late 1800’s the world saw a swarm of innovations around brewing coffee. With the creation of steam power, the first espresso machine was introduced at the 1906 World’s Fair called the […]

By Meri Jane  “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 drink recipe series, for you to […]

Revisiting the Caffeine and Roast Level Debate  This time, with Science!  A few years ago I weighed in on the Royal blog on caffeine in coffee, and its relationship to roast degree. I’m pleased to say that some very smart folks at Berry College and Drexel University have published a paper in Scientific Reports recently […]

Crown Jewel Year in Review 2024 has been a complicated year by many metrics, but in spite of challenges from logistics to market swings and more, we are thrilled and grateful for the continued success of our Crown Jewel program. These little boxes of coffee have seen an explosion in potential this year, and we […]

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 Winter of 2025 and is seeking artists who approach issues related to environmental sustainability, intersectionality, the City of Oakland, and of course, coffee. Contact […]

With daylight savings time upon us, and early evenings the harbingers of brisk fall mornings, we’ve begun to look to the southern hemisphere for incoming coffees in the coming weeks and months. Here’s what’s on our radar in the near-to-medium term: Colombia Alquemista Coferments Release schedule: 12/13 Galaxy Hop Cofermented Gesha 12/20: Lychee Coferment and […]

Royal Coffee x Grounds for Health Since 2006, Royal Coffee has proudly supported Grounds for Health, an extraordinary nonprofit that has partnered with coffee cooperatives and local health organizations to create sustainable cervical cancer prevention programs in Latin America and Africa. We’re thrilled to introduce our limited-edition hoodie, with all proceeds going to support this […]

A Roaster’s Guide to Coffee Seasons   The idea that a particular crop, in our case coffee, is available and fresh for a portion of the year – is now long-ingrained in specialty coffee conversations.  Like all other fruit, coffee berries have a finite shelf life. Unlike many other drupes, we covet the seeds rather […]

Dear Royal Coffee Customer, As the busy holiday season approaches, we want to help you prepare for successful shipments. During the holiday season, carriers always experience higher than normal volume, and driver and dock staffing shortages tend to accumulate. We have seen recent delays due to weather, and we anticipate weather and staffing issues to […]