Question 1

Who are you?

Accepted Answer

We are Yakima valley locals Adam Wilson and Joshua Hicks.

Joshua's great great grandfather, David Guilland, owned the Guilland Hotel—the first building moved on logs to what is now downtown Yakima.  Basalt Roasters is named for the basalt rock hearth in the family cabin on Chinook Pass, built by his great great aunt and still owned and used by the family today.  Joshua's love for good coffee and frustration with having to ship it in from out of town was the genesis of the company.

Adam is a more recent transplant to the valley, and partnered with the Hickses in early 2018, shortly after Basalt Roasters was founded. With a professional background in the coffee supply chain and formal training in coffee economics, Adam leads Basalt as Roaster and Manager.

Question 2

What is coffee?

Accepted Answer

Coffee is a flowering plant in the genus coffea, and the word "coffee" refers to any of the products of those trees.

Native to Africa and commercially grown around the tropics, coffee trees produce a fruit botanically very similar to the cherries for which our valley is famous. Although we call them "beans," they are actually the pit or stone of the coffee fruit.

The coffee farms with whom Basalt Roasters partners exclusively grow coffea arabica (Arabica coffee), and we source the premier offerings from each farm.

Question 3

What does "sourced sustainably" mean?

Accepted Answer

Sustainability is a complex topic, and we don't pretend to be experts on every facet of that gem.

For us, "sourced sustainably" is our promise to you that we have done our level best to ensure that no one in the supply chain is being taken advantage of, and the ecosystems related to coffee are being cared for.

Basalt's Roaster and Manager, Adam Wilson, holds a Masters of Science in Agricultural Economics from Auburn University specializing in coffee sustainability, has worked for green coffee importers, and has strong personal relationships with many of the farms on which Basalt Roasters coffee is grown.

We leverage those industry connections to ensure that each supply chain is optimized, that everyone involved is being adequately compensated for the value they add and the risks they bear, and that the ecosystems on which we all depend are being cared for.

Question 4

Why does some coffee taste so awful?

Accepted Answer

In short, because the people involved care more about the caffeine than the flavor.  This can manifest in many ways, some of the most common are:
1. It's stale. This is by far the most common reason for bad coffee, and is almost exclusively the fault of storing coffee after it's been ground instead of storing it as whole beans. If you're reading this, you've probably already heard us say that you need a grinder.  We mean it! 
2. The brewing equipment is dirty. Coffee residue goes rancid very quickly when exposed to the air, and any residual coffee left on the equipment will impart aweful flavors and aromas to the cup. 
3. Something went wrong at the farm (put another way, you're tasting very cheap coffee).  If the coffee cherries are picked before they are ripe, improperly processed, or stored in bad conditions, those bad beans will give the finished cup chemically, dirty, or moldy flavors.
4. It's too dark. Don't get us wrong, it's perfectly possible to make great dark-roast coffee (our dear friends at Mama Mocha's in Alabama are one of the best examples you'll find anywhere).  But when it's taken too far, the roasting process will convert all the lovely sugars and other compounds into carbonic acid, leaving your coffee with the distinct flavor of charcoal.

Unfortunately, these problems aren't mutually exclusive and often coexist.

Question 5

What makes good coffee good?

Accepted Answer

Love. Seriously.

In our time in coffee, we have never seen good results that didn't start with a passion for flavor and for the people and plants involved in creating them. Good coffee requires everything to go well: tree genetics, soil chemistry, weather, farm processing methods, storage and logistics from the farm to the roaster, roasting technique, packaging, grinding, and brewing.  And considering that most consumers expect coffee to be cheap (when was the last time you paid $5 for a cup of coffee? How about for beer or wine?), the motivation to do coffee well rarely comes from economic incentive.

Question 6

Do I need a grinder?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We recommend quality burr grinders, but any grinder is better than buying (or storing) pre-ground coffee.

Sadly, ground coffee stales within minutes due to the increased surface area (and thus the increased oxygen exposure) compared to whole beans. Always grind immediately before brewing, not the night before or when you purchase your coffee.

If you'd like some advice choosing the right grinder, the Handground or the Baratza Encore grinders are great starting points.  If you're curious about higher-quality grinders, hit us up at info@basaltroasters.com; we'd love to help you match your grinder(s) to your preferred brewing method(s).

If you're on a tight budget, pick up a blade grinder at the grocery store.  They don't cost much, and they're WAY better than buying pre-ground coffee.

Question 7

How do I make better coffee at home?

Accepted Answer

Use fresh coffee, get a grinder, filter your water, keep your stuff clean, and have fun!

Seriously, there's no "right" way to make coffee, despite what you'll hear from the many companies trying to sell you the latest-and-greatest brewing device. If you want to make stellar coffee for not much money, all you need is a french press, a scale, and a grinder (any grinder will do here).

Unless you're brewing under pressure (think espresso and aeropress), use your scale to weigh out 1 part coffee for every 17 parts water (that's 20g of coffee for every 340g of water, which will fill up a typical coffee mug). Follow the directions on your brewing device of choice, and enjoy!

If you want to go deeper, we heartily recommend How to Make the Best Coffee at Home by James Hoffman.

Question 8

How should I store my coffee?  In the cupboard? In the freezer?

Accepted Answer

Most importanly: store coffee as whole beans, not as grinds.  Ground coffee stales rapidly, and there is really no way to store grinds effectively at home.

Store coffee away from air, moisture, and light. Once you open your Basalt Roasters bag, it's best to store it in a vacuum-sealed container, but any air-tight container will do. If it's a clear container, keep it in the cupboard to minimize light exposure.

If the bag is sealed and unopened, it's OK to store it in the freezer (in fact, coffee will stay fresh for quite awhile if properly frozen).  However, you must make sure that the bag and beans inside have warmed to room temperature before breaking the seal. Otherwise, condensation will form on the beans which rapidly deteriorates the flavor. Never put it back in the freezer, and never store coffee in the fridge.

Basalt roasters faq