What are Crown Jewels at Royal Coffee?
Crown Jewel coffees at Royal Coffee are distinctive, super-specialty micro-lot green coffee sold in 22 lb boxes.
Why sell green coffee beans in micro-lots?
Crown Jewel coffee started as an idea to make high quality specialty green coffee offerings accessible to a wider audience. Whether you’re looking for unique coffees for competitions, microroasters looking to bolster their menu, or home roasters going in on a group bean-share, small box offerings make coffee more accessible.
How does a coffee become a Crown Jewel?
The selection process doesn’t always look the same for all coffees. But these days it’s fair to say that as much as 90% of the selections are made before the coffee leaves the exporter’s warehouse. While ad hoc Crown Jewel status can be achieved on arrival in Oakland if a coffee jumps out at us on the cupping table, in most cases we buy specifically with the intention of making an outstanding coffee into a Crown Jewel.
In terms of cup quality, we never put a coffee in a Crown Jewel box that we won’t fully stand behind. These coffees are meant to be standard bearers for excellence.
Does Crown Jewel coffee undergo analysis?
Yes! Just because the coffee is preselected before it ships doesn’t mean it doesn’t undergo analysis once it has arrived. In fact, not all coffees that we ordered for the program make the cut once we cup them again
Once it lands in Oakland, the QC team at Royal’s HQ gets the first look at the cupping table. This is standard practice for all arrival coffees. All coffees are tasted the day after they are devanned at our warehouse by the Oakland Coliseum.
Pending this first quality check, Mike Cummings in the sample room bags up a 200g preview for sample roasting to send over to the Crown, where our team of cuppers cups a second arrival approval.
The initial sample roast sets the stage for discussion among the team. We weigh our cup scores, check each other’s notes, and talk about the pros and cons about the coffee. It’s always exciting to see what everyone thinks because of our own unique palates!
From there, the team does a green analysis of the coffee, with water activity, density, and screen sorting, and a production roast preview. Once we have our production roast down, it’s time for a brewing analysis and a roast on the Bullet. Our tasting note word clouds come from a combination of brewed and cupped evaluations.
Are there regularly available Crown Jewel Coffees?
Yes, we have offered some of the same coffees multiple years in a row. This is based on the reputation, consistency, and excellence of the supplier. Excellence has as much to do with consistency as it does with flawless execution, and our returning producers are the absolute top tier.
How do online purchases ship?
Crown Jewel purchases (placed before 4pm PST) will ship the next business day via FedEx Ground. You can also arrange will call pick up our Oakland warehouse.
Alaskan and Hawaiian Customers: Please contact us at info@royalcoffee.com for ordering and to review shipping options.
Canadian customers: Please find our Canadian ordering and shipping information here.
International Customers: Please contact us at info@royalcoffee.com for ordering and to review shipping options. Minimum international orders start at just 10 bags or Crown Jewel/Royal Gem boxes.
See our ordering and shipping guide for more information.
Are Crown Jewels available year-round?
Crown Jewels availability varies due to their limited supply and the seasonal nature of coffee harvesting.
How do I know when new Crown Jewels are available?
For new Crown Jewel releases and buying guides, read our blog or subscribe to Royal Coffee’s newsletter. You can also browse all Crown Jewels on this page.