Why the roast date matters more than the best-before
Coffee peaks between day four and day twenty-one. Here is what happens after that.
Roasted this week, in Lahore
Single lots, roasted to order, with the date on the bag rather than a best-before eighteen months out.
Where it comes from
We buy the same lots from the same people every year. Here is who they are and what changed this harvest.
Huila, Colombia
Caturra and Castillo, picked ripe and washed on the farm the same afternoon.
Direct, via an exporter we visit each harvest
Kirinyaga, Kenya
SL28 and Ruiru 11 from a washing station shared by 480 smallholders. Fermented 36 hours, dried on beds.
Bought at auction — lot number is on the bag
Guji, Ethiopia
Heirloom varieties, dried on raised beds for eighteen days and turned by hand.
Through a Guji exporter, third harvest running
On the shelf
How we brew it
Start here, then change one thing at a time. Grind finer if it tastes thin, coarser if it tastes harsh.
Bloom with 50 g for 35 seconds, then pour in two even stages.
Inverted, stir once at 30 seconds, press slowly for the last 30.
If it runs fast and tastes sour, go finer before you change anything else.
Break the crust at four minutes, skim, then leave it alone.
How it tastes
Scored by the roaster, not by a panel — these are our own notes on this lot.
Where it comes from
What we paid
What the farmer got, what the exporter got, and what it cost to land in Lahore. Published per lot, because a fair price is a number, not a badge.
Figures are for this lot only and are converted at the rate on the day we paid.
Notes
Coffee peaks between day four and day twenty-one. Here is what happens after that.
Sand, salt, sugar: the three textures and the brewer each one is for.
The numbers behind every bag, lot by lot, and what changed from last year.
Questions
We roast on Tuesdays and Fridays and ship the same day, so most bags arrive two to four days after roasting — inside the window where coffee is at its best. The roast date is printed on every bag.
Whole bean if you own a grinder — ground coffee starts losing aroma within a day of grinding. If you do not, tell us your brewer at checkout and we grind for it: coarse for French press, medium for filter, fine for espresso.
Airtight, out of the light, at room temperature. Not the fridge, where it picks up moisture and smells. A bag opened and resealed is good for three weeks; frozen in portions, good for three months.
Yes, any time, from your account page. Changes made before midnight on Sunday take effect for that week's roast. There is no minimum term and nothing to phone.