Looking for a mail order source of freshly roasted coffee.
I have tried not going down this rabbit hole, but here I go...
Lookin' for a freshly roasted medium roast coffee with lots of flavor but no bitterness. The best I have found locally is Red Rooster Old Crow Cuppa Joe, but it's not quite bold enough and a bit too sweet. I have tried to stay away from mail order coffee, but I have decided to take the plunge. There are a ton of roasters that claim to roast to order, but looking for suggestions from peeps I trust.
Found a local coffee roaster this past fall - Josephine’s Roasters, out of Franklin, TN. Outstanding coffee - in all roasts. I’m Typically a dark roast guy, but like a medium roast now and then too.
Their medium roast “Ambition” is what I’d recommend. Bold enough that you know it’s real coffee, but not bitter. I’d honestly drink it happily every day, and always keep some on hand.
I typically pick it up at local farmers markets, but they also deliver. I’ve used delivery once when I couldn’t get out. Easy ordering. Sealed bags. Great coffee. And the owner/roaster is a nice guy too!
I try to buy from local roasters as I get get them within two days from the roast date in my area I use George Howell and Atomic. Coffee. The roast date should be on the coffee bag.
Assuming you want whole bean and have a good grinder at home; I buy local Seattle area coffee and assume you have some local options. Seattle has a rich coffee tradition and history and some great roasters, and I don't include Starbucks close to the same class. They will ship and most of them ship free if the order is over a designated dollar amount. Even though they are local, I order online and have them ship. Extra 12 oz. bags I put in a gallon freezer bag and put them in my freezer until needed.
I drink espresso and my experience is with whole bean espresso roasts. All the roasters I use have excellent drip roasts as well.
Currently I am using Caffe Lusso - Gran Miscela Carmo (GMC). Lionshare is another blend I really enjoy.
Delicious Coffees for Home & Wholesale: Olympia Coffee is a small, quality-focused roaster from the Pacific Northwest. We sustainably source directly from farmers, roast, and brew delicious coffees seasonally! Rated best coffee in Washington by Food & Wine
I have a long list of recommended local roasters I want to sample. It is good to love coffee in Seattle.
I have always ordered smaller 12 once to one pound bags but after getting a couple 5 pound bags, I tested freezing coffee beans in quart mason jars and vacuum sealing them a few months ago. It worked so well last time, which was my first attempt. I ordered another 5 pounds this time, not 10. Caffe Lusso - Gran Miscela Carmo (GMC). I noticed little if any negatives as I went through the 10 pounds of coffee. The beans will taste fresh roasted for many months with this method.
Grill/Smoke/Roast = SnS Grills Kettle + SnS Deluxe Insert & Drip n' Griddle
Grill/Smoke/Roast = Hasty-Bake Gourmet Dual Finish with HB rotisserie and Grill Grates
Smoke = Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5"
Pizza = Blackstone Propane Pizza Oven (Stacy's, but she let's me use it sometimes)
Indoor Cooking = LG Studio 30" gas range
Camp Cooking = Coleman 2 burner white gas stove
Thermometer = FireBoard FBX2 with 2 ambient and 6 meat probes
Thermapen Mk IV = Light blue
Thermapen Mk IV = Black
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Auber 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 1 fan)
PID Controller = Fireboard Drive + Fireboard 20 CFM Fan (FB gen 2 fan)
Knives
Wusthof Classic Ikon set: 9" carving knive, 2X 8" Chef's Knife, 7" Santoku and three utility knives
Kamikoto Kuro set: 7" Santoku, 6.5" Nakiri, 5" Utility
Amazing Ribs Brazilian Steak knife set
Favorite wine = whatever is currently in the wine rack
Favorite beer = Sam Adams Boston Lager or Shiner Bock
Favorite whisky = Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 16 year old single malt
Best Cookbooks - Meathead's "The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", Chris Lilly's "Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book", Aaron Franklin's "Franklin BBQ", Raichlen’s “Brisket Chronicles”
Current MCBS - Momofuku
Current fanboy cookbook - "Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant"
This Costa Rican lot is a roaster's favorite here and it's not hard to see why. A medium roast, this single origin is sweet and balanced with a creamy body and notes of honey, milk chocolate and pear.
This medium-roasted Breakfast Blend is our go to for well-balanced flavor, body and aroma. This is the coffee that started it all, and the one we perfected before filling out the rest of our roast lineup. A crowd-pleaser with premium quality.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I strongly recommend Sweet Maria’s. Their main business is green coffee, but every two weeks they offer two different roasted coffees. Right now they are sold out of the current roasts; check back in a few days.
My suggestion is this one. Used them for decades. Free shipping at $65, flat $6.50 rate for smaller.
10 oz, 1lb and 5lb bags available in whole bean and different grinds available depending on how you brew your coffee
They also own Roastmasters.com which sells roasting equipment and green beans. Located in New Haven CT.
Coffee tip: I love fresh ground beans. I have in recent years gravitated towards medium roast coffees from dark roasts. I think that, over time, dark roasts have gotten darker with more bitterness and acid than needed. If you are wondering about dark roasts, try some medium roasts and see how it goes.
Last edited by briano52; February 3, 2026, 08:11 PM.
RecTeq RT-700 Pellet pooper
Weber Genesis 1000 LX gasser w/Grill Grates
Smokehouse Little Chief II Electric smoker
Thermapen ONE
MK4 Thermapen
ThermoPop
IR Gun
2 Channel Smoke Alarm
Green Mountain Grills Wood Fired Pizza Oven(use it on the RT-700)
Outdoors person(Hunting deer & waterfowl, backpacking)
This guy is local to me and is a great guy personally. Not sure about shipping as I just drive to his house to pick up my order. Go to his site and ask him(Mike Mascow) ANYTHING and he will talk your ear off about coffee and become your friend. Tell him Rick sent you.
Smokin-It 3D
Weber Kettle with an SNS
Masterbuilt kettle that I call the $30 wonder grill
Bullet by Bull Grills gasser
Anova WiFi sous vide machine
Thermoworks Thermapen and Chef Alarm
This is local to me but they do ship as well. And they roast weekly, so would be pretty fresh to order. They have a nice selection for a local roaster, at least from the few shops I’ve frequented over the years.
Grinding Gears Coffee: Craft-roasted, ethically sourced coffee with a mission. Explore our bold, smooth, and flavorful blends while supporting meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities. Great coffee, greater impact!
I’ve also had coffee from WholeLatteLove, where I purchased my espresso machine. They sent a free bag of CremaWave Espresso beans with my purchase. Was a nice bag of beans!
Last edited by barelfly; February 3, 2026, 06:44 PM.
We get our coffee locally from What's Brewing here in San Antonio. Our favorites are the Guatemala Acatenango Finca Calimax, Costa Rica "Las Trojas", Vienna Roast, French Roast and Italian Roast.
They roast all their coffee varieties and their website says they ship anywhere for $8.50.
Local San Antonio coffee roasters located off 281 and West Rhapsody. We have a large variety of coffee, pinball, and pastries! Perfect for study breaks or some family time! Swing by for your cup of coffee today!
Years ago, I watched "Dangerous Grounds" tv show with La Colombe co-founder Todd Carmichael as he traveled the world searching for the best coffee beans for his company.
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