Blog — Roasting
What's in a Roast? Understanding Our Coffee Roast Profiles

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...
- Tags: Blog, education, guide, Olympia Coffee, Roasting, Specialty Coffee
The Road to the U.S. Barista Championship: USBC 2023 Qualifiers in Denver

Third and Fifth place finish in the US Coffee Championships
Recently, three of our team had the immense honor of representing Olympia Coffee Roasting and the Pacific Northwest overall at the United States Coffee Championships in Long Beach, California. Co-owner Sam Schroeder, Retail Trainer Brady MacDonald, and Downtown Coffee Bar Manager Alex Choppin qualified for this prestigious event by competing at the regional level in October. There, Alex placed Second in Brewer's Cup, Brady placed Second in Barista Championship, and Sam was crowned Northwest Barista Champion. At the U.S. Coffee Championships Sam, Brady, and Alex all had strong showings in the semi-finals round of each competition. Brady's routine focused on ingredients from the Puget...
- Tags: barista championship, big western barista competition, brewer's cup, Colombia, Ethiopia, kalita, Locations, manual brewing, Northwest Regional Brewer's Cup, pour over, pour over brewing, Roasting, superior quailty coffee, united states barista competition, us coffee championship, us coffee champs, usbc
Micro Roaster of The Year: A Video
Olympia Coffee Roasters - Roaster of the Year 2013 from Voortex Productions on Vimeo. We are proud to share with you a video about our company. We strive to be a company that provides excellence in everything we do. Thanks to our retail, and wholesale customers, that allow us to do what we love.
- Tags: Blog, coffee industry, Cupping, Direct T, Direct Trade, Green Building, Latte Art, Locations, Micro Lot, Micro Roaster, Micro Roaster of the Year 2013, pour over brewing, Reclaimed Wood, Roast Magazine, Roaster of the Year, Roasting, superior quailty coffee, sustainable practices, video, wholesale
A Rare Opportunity: Olympia Coffee Roasting Seeks a Production Coffee Roaster
Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. Seeks a Production Coffee Roaster Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. is seeking a talented individual to fill one of our company’s key positions: production roaster. About our company: Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. is a small company focused on sourcing, roasting, and brewing exceptional coffees. We are based in Olympia, Washington, the heart of the Pacific Northwest, and have recently been named the prestigious 2013 Micro Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine. In the coming years, we will continue to build on that honor, growing our retail and wholesale presence throughout the Northwest and nationally....