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Think of the last coffee description you heard or read. Did the words "dark," "light," or "medium" come up? Or maybe you noticed terms such as "French," "Italian," or "espresso?" All these words can be used to describe a coffee roast: the particular way in which a coffee was transformed by heat from green seeds to the dark-brown beans you find at the store or your neighborhood café. But what, exactly, do roast levels mean? And how important are they to picking the perfect coffee for you? Beyond country of origin or even flavor descriptors, roast levels are the primary...

Last week, our CEO and head of green coffee sourcing traveled to Colombia to connect with our producers at origin. Colombia is the world's third-largest producer of coffee, and each year we procure more coffee from Colombia than from any other country. Driving home the importance of maintaining healthy relationships with our producers—some of whom have become dear friends over many years of close partnership. Read the trip report from Oliver Stormshak, and look forward to another year of incredible coffees from Colombia! Embarking on a trip to the heartland of coffee production is an incredible opportunity for any coffee...

Over the next few months, we'll be taking some time here and there to highlight coffee themes we find intriguing, informative, and inspiring—and, y'know, just straight-up fun. So, to start off: welcome to Origin Week, where we're focusing in on some of the countries and regions of origin that produce the coffees we love so much. Beginning, appropriately, with where coffee started: East Africa. Nestled among the picturesque landscapes and fertile soils of countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Burundi, the coffee of East Africa has earned a distinguished reputation for distinctive flavors and unparalleled quality. The region's centuries-old coffee industry...

Wheels up to Denver: this weekend, March 3–5, we're headed out to the qualifiers of the 2023 U.S. Coffee Championships. And by "we," we mean the talented, passionate members of our team who have spent these past weeks in preparation mode for their respective events. Including Reyna Callejo, our Training and Innovation Director, who intends to woo the judges of this year's U.S. Barista Championships.

What is it that makes specialty coffee so, well, magical? For us at Olympia Coffee, it’s the people. The farmers and importers, roasters and production experts, baristas and cafe regulars — and so many others that support and shape us. It’s because of these people, living in diverse, vibrant communities across the globe, that we’ve grown our company around a core mission to work toward a coffee industry that’s equitable, ethical, and sustainable from seed to cup. So that everyone whose hands and hearts go into making this delicious, carefully crafted coffee can enjoy a better quality of life. That’s...