General FAQs
The coffee I wanted sold out - will you be getting it back in?
First of all - we're stoked that you found something you loved or were excited about trying out.
We take great care to select exceptional coffees, and we're constantly searching for new and exciting lots to share with you.
Our coffees run the gamut on flavour profiles, but they all have something in common. All of the coffees we select are single origin, highly traceable lots. And the farmers we work with take great care and pride in producing amazing coffee.
Due to our focus on terroir, varietal and tasting the true origins of what's in our cups, reordering more of the same coffee once we sell out, is rarely an option for us.
Even in cases where we do work with the same farmer for multiple years, no two harvests are ever the same.
Having said all that, we're sure we can help you find something equally exciting to brew and enjoy. Shoot us an email and let us know what coffee you were looking at, and we'll be more than happy to help you find another coffee that you'll love.
How do you source your coffees?
First and foremost, we're a team of coffee geeks who always strive to find fun, exciting and interesting coffees that we love drinking. Coffees that make your day just a little bit brighter.
To do that, we work with a small number of carefully selected, specialty import companies to source the highest quality, most interesting coffees from our favourite origins around the world.
We choose those importing partners carefully. Always prioritizing our core values: quality coffee, short supply chains and driving ongoing positive change through everything we do.
How light/dark do you roast?
All of our coffees are roasted light to light-medium, depending on the coffee.
How long is your coffee good for?
Short answer:
4-30 days after roast is ideal.
Long answer:
Our coffees are usually light roasts, and as such, they often shine best when left to "rest" for 4 or 5 days after being roasted.
This resting time gives light roasts like ours a chance to open up more, and it'll be easier to extract more of the flavours you're excited to get into.
If you receive a bag that's only 1 or 2 days off roast, you can absolutely go ahead and brew it up right away. It'll still be great. Just know that it'll probably continue to intensify a little bit over the coming couple of days as it "gasses off" and those extractions come a little easier.
From there, anything up to 4 weeks after roast is what we would call the sweet spot for our coffees.
Having said that though, we regularly enjoy these coffees even up to 3 months after roast and find them still bright and clean.
Why don't you have designated espresso coffee?
We prepare our roasts a little differently to some other roasters.
Rather than setting out specifically to make a coffee for espresso (or filter, or any other method), we analyse the characteristics of each new bean we're considering for our line up, and we try to develop a roast profile that helps that coffees unique characteristics shine through no matter what the brew method.
So even though we don't have specific espresso coffees, you can absolutely feel free to enjoy any of our coffees as espresso, filter, immersion or whatever brew method takes your fancy.
Why don't you do blends?
Blends are where average coffees go to hide.
Not always, of course. There are some great roasters out there who are doing good things with blends. But they're few and far between, and sadly most blends exist as a place to hide lower quality coffees by covering up their shortcomings with other beans that in tern have different shortcomings.
Anyway...without turning this answer into a rant...
We're all about exceptional coffees that shine.
We want to take interesting coffees from dedicated farmers and producers and roast them true to their origin, varietal and careful processing.
Would blends be easier? Absolutely.
But we love coffees with character.
I don't see a roast level on my bag of Kea Coffee. Why is that?
All of our coffees are roasted to either light or medium-light.
When we're deciding the exact level to roast each coffee to, we look to the characteristics of that particular bean: it's origin, varietal and processing method. We roast each coffee to a degree that best brings out its unique characteristics and profile.
We don't put specific roast levels on our bags because we prefer instead to think and talk about coffees in terms of the flavour notes that describe how it tastes. This gives us way more room to be descriptive and accurate Vs the traditional "light", "medium" or "dark".
If you're unsure which of our coffees would suit you best, shoot us an email and we'd be happy to help you find something you'll love.
Ordering FAQs
How soon will I receive my coffee?
We roast all of our coffee fresh to order. So whenever you place an order, your coffee will be added to the plan for the next scheduled roast day.
Our current roast days are every Wednesday and Sunday.
So if you order on a Monday, for example, your coffee will be roasted fresh on Wednesday and shipped the next day.
What should I do if there's a mistake with my order?
We're a small company, and we try very hard to make sure that we get things right. But we're human too. If we dropped the ball, let us know, and we'll make it right. Email us at orders@keacoffee.com.
Do you ship to the US?
You bet!
In fact, you can check out in USD too!
Shipping is free across the lower 48 for all orders over $50USD (3 bags). For smaller orders, shipping prices are calculated on checkout - these are passed straight on from our curriers at our discounted bulk shipping rates.
I'm almost out of coffee and need a refill fast. What are my options?
Nightmare!
Shoot us a message and we'll see what we can do to help you out.
Brewing FAQs
Why does my coffee taste bitter?
While light roasts like ours are less prone to those bitter, astringent flavours, all coffee can still turn out bitter if not brewed carefully.
Too much bitterness in coffee is usually a result of over extraction.
In a nutshell - the ground coffee was in contact with the water for too long and some of the more bitter tasting compounds started to work their way into your cup.
Some amount of bitterness is a good thing - it helps to balance the cup and can enhance other more desirable aspects of the brew. But if you're noticing bitterness, you've probably pushed your extraction too far.
Some things you could try:
- Grind coarser.
- Use less agitation (if possible, and depending on your brew method).
- Lower your water temperature.
- Increase the amount of coffee you're using, but keep your water input the same.
Why does my coffee taste sour?
Sourness in coffee can sometimes indicate an under extracted brew.
Things you could try:
- Grind finer.
- Use hotter water.
- Use less coffee (keeping water input the same)
- Use more agitation (if possible and dependant on your brew method.
Other potential reasons your coffee tastes sour:
- If you have a particularly light roasted, acidity focused coffee and you're not used to these types of coffees, sometimes it's easy to confuse that acidity for sourness. Take a sip and think about where on your pallet you feel it. Acidity in coffee is sour, but it should be a sour that's pleasant and works with the rest of the brew, helping other characteristics like sweetness to stand out.
What's the best way to brew coffee from Kea Coffee Roasters?
Our coffee is roasted to help it's inherent origin characteristics to shine through and be the focus point of your brew, no matter what brew method you like to use to prepare it.
Our coffees can be enjoyed as a pourover (V60 and Kalita Wave are our current go-to's but any pourover dripper will work), immersion (Aeropress, FrenchPress etc), filter or batch brewers or espresso.
Can I brew your coffees for espresso?
Most definitely!
Some of our lighter roasts make excellent vibrant espresso options, if you're into that kinda thing.
Or if you prefer your espresso a bit more tame / traditional, some of our single origin Central American lots pull fantastic espresso shots - look for flavour notes of chocolate, caramels and other gooey comforting goodness, or lots where we talk about a heavier body. As always, shoot us a message if you're at all unsure!