Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
Discover more about Kamiak Coffee Company
Roasting
All the time. We love roasting to perfect our craft. Coffee is roasted daily and depending on what is being ordered. Since each coffee is roasted to order, we roast by demand.
Every single coffee is carefully roasted to bring out its own unique characteristics. Believe it or not - how dark you roast a coffee actually can really change the experience.
We source the best coffee the world has to offer and will determine what type of roast brings out the best attributes in each coffee (it is part science, part art, and of course part obsession).
The majority of our coffee would be considered light to medium roasts. Lighter / medium roasts help highlight some of the unique characteristics of each coffee a bit more than what you might find in a darker roast. While we love a good dark roast too - in our opinion a medium roast provides you the best of both light and dark roasts.
Always. All of our coffee is roasted-to-order. Fresh roasted coffee matters to us more than anything. Therefore, it is against our company’s ethos to roast, then store your coffee for weeks or months on end (with the coffee aging and losing it’s awesomeness as time goes on). We even handwrite the roast date on each bag so you know the coffee is fresh and made by hand.
We love this question and there are countless answers. To give you a short answer: coffee is an obsession of ours and we only want to share the best with you.
For starters - all of our coffee is roasted fresh and daily. If you order during business hours - your coffee will most likely be roasted that day and shipped shortly after. When your coffee arrives to your doorstep - you know it was roasted in small batches, by hand, and made for you.
Before the roast - we only source the finest green coffee from around the world. This allow us to roast better coffee right from the start as well as support millions of families in coffee growing regions. We test hundreds of coffees (lucky us!) until we find just the right one that provides the perfect balance of flavor.
Fresh, high-quality, small batches, and handcrafted.
Brewing
You have to start with at least three things: great coffee (ours duh), the right brewing equipment, and curiosity to create the perfect cup (that last one might not be super necessary, but it’s more fun that way - a lot more fun). Fortunately - we have the great coffee thing already covered for you. With equipment, there isn’t one best way or method to brew coffee since everyone has their own unique style, which is what makes coffee so special. It all depends on what you enjoy most and that is all that matters. Not sure what you might enjoy? We all have to start somewhere and taking the leap on buying brewing equipment is an easy one. If you are curious about making an epic cup of coffee - check out our brew guide.
Great question and it depends on what type of brew method you are using. Make sure you always grind your coffee right before you brew. While we offer grind options at checkout on our site, we still recommend buying only whole bean and grinding coffee at home right before you make your cup. Believe it or not, grind size really matters. Why? Well if your grind is too coarse (large grounds) your cup might be underwhelming depending on your brew method. Conversely, if it is too fine (ultra small, think espresso grounds) then your coffee might be a pinch overpowering. Grind can really determine the quality of your coffee brew so always make sure to pay close attention to when you grind, how you grind, and the size of the grind. If you checkout our brew guide, we include grind suggestions depending on how you like your coffee.
Definitely. Over hundreds of years, humankind has created countless ways to enjoy coffee; each method providing its own unique way to experience and highlight certain aspects of the coffee. If you are a curious coffee aficionado or someone who just wants to have fun with coffee - try brewing the same coffee with a few different brewing devices and experience the different qualities of each brew. Not sure what type of brew methods are out there? Checkout our brew guide to get a glance at the most popular methods out there, what you need, step by step instructions, and what to expect with each method.
We do not add any unnatural flavors to our coffee nor do we ever plan to. Great coffee doesn’t need additives for the assist. Chocolate, lemon, blueberry, toffee, apple, and even lavender tasting notes can be found in coffee… along with hundreds of other unique flavors. Coffee is actually one of the most diverse and complex foods in the world. There’s up to 3 times more flavor compounds in coffee as there is in wine (seriously!) Time to start drinking.
To brew coffee well, you have to understand the quick basics. Here’s a few suggestions we have to brew an epic cup of coffee: Ratio - Water to coffee. For most pour over brew methods like Chemex (one of our favorites), use a ratio of 16 parts water to 1 part coffee (16:1). For example, to make two 16 ounce cups of coffee, you would use 896 grams of water to 56 grams of coffee (16 to 1 ratio). If you are trying to make a stronger cup - you can lower the amount of water you are using to make that ratio stronger like a 15:1. If you like a lighter cup - 17:1 is also a great option. Water temp - For most pour-over methods and brew methods, your water should be right between 201°F-205°F, or 30-45 seconds off boil. Use clean, fresh, and safe water to brew your coffee. Grind size - Since each brew method uses its own type of grind, there’s a general rule of thumb to follow. If your coffee tastes weak or a pinch too tart, consider grinding more fine coffee. If your coffee tastes too bitter or overwhelming, adjust your grind to a more coarse level. Equipment - Burr grinder, scale to measure ratios, timer, good water, and Kamiak Coffee. Methods - check out brew guide for an in-depth rundown and step-by-step instructions to master your coffee experience.
Company
Kamiak Coffee Company started as a crazy dream for two young entrepreneurs wanting to provide better coffee for the world. After years of wanting to launch their own business - they realized they could merge a mutual love of coffee with their entrepreneurial aspirations. Their core beliefs were built on only importing the world’s finest coffee, roasting in small-batches using only the most advanced equipment, and providing a coffee experience unlike any other.
To inspire each of us to drink differently. To drink differently includes more than just the coffee in your cup. We are here to inspire you to not just drink amazing coffee, but also learn more about what makes our coffee so special, the story behind our coffee, the relationships that are poured into each cup, and why specialty coffee matters. If we can share just a part of our obsession with you - well then we hope to also share a cup of Kamiak Coffee with you.
We are two crazy entrepreneurs with a passion to encourage others to drink better coffee, which is where the tagline ‘Drink Differently’ came from. The grand question, “How can we make an impact on the world?” was one we constantly asked ourselves as we began laying the groundwork for Kamiak Coffee Company. Grant and Kyle met in college with an ambition to live a fuller life through meaningful work and a mutual love of coffee. With experience in the coffee industry, they both set their sights on starting a small-batch, handcrafted coffee roasting company based out of northern Idaho. To learn more about the company and us - check out our Explore Company page.
Kamiak Coffee Company is based out of beautiful northern Idaho in the city of Moscow. After spending time going to college nearby, the Founders of Kamiak Coffee Company fell in love with the area and the surrounding adventures to be had. All orders are shipped out of Moscow, Idaho.
Our roasting facility is available for private tours, tasting sessions and classes upon availability or prior request only at this time. We love to show people the wonders of coffee and will feature a number of exclusive events through our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. Give us a like and follow today to be sure you never miss an event with the Kamiak Coffee team.
Our primary focus is servicing wholesale coffee for cafe's, restaurants, hotels, resorts, non-profits, hospitals, offices, and anyone who needs bulk quantities of fresh coffee. Included with our wholesale coffee program - we offer coffee consulting, equipment repair, social media tactics, and more. We also offer our coffee online for anyone to buy hoping to enjoy better coffee. We believe in being highly focused on one thing - and doing that one thing incredibly well. Because of this - we only offer wholesale and online retail versus having a cafe of our own as well. Soon - you'll see our coffee even in grocery stores!
Coffee
Everyone has their own preferences and personal favorites. Each of our coffee offerings include tasting notes on the front of the package as well as notes on the product pages in our online store so you can get an idea on what to expect in each coffee. These tasting notes should be viewed as a general idea to reference some of the unique flavors we discovered while cupping the coffee. What’s cupping? It’s a technical process where we carefully examine every aspect of a coffee from smell to aftertaste. There are hundreds of unique flavors in different coffees from blueberry to even molasses and we hope you get the chance to explore each one.
Keeping your coffee in the bag it came in or an airtight container is your best option. We put a lot of thought into our bags so your coffee stays fresh including zippers and degassing valves on each bag.
Cool and dry spaces without much light or heat will be a huge help in keeping your coffee fresh for as long as possible.
Some suggest storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer. While there might be debate with this, we believe that it can actually speed up the loss of flavor due to moisture. Freezing coffee can be done under special situations, but we suggest avoiding that with all coffee.
*Laying down some chemistry-coffee knowledge*: Coffee contains all sorts of natural compounds - including carbon dioxide. When a coffee bean is roasted, it naturally releases that carbon dioxide and if it is in a sealed bag that gas needs to be released to maintain freshness. Degassing valves on bags allow the natural carbon dioxide produced from a bean to release from the bag - without letting air in so you get the freshest coffee possible.
Coffee doesn’t expire, but it does lose it’s quality in taste overtime. Coffee should always be bought and drank fresh instead of hoarding bags of coffee.
Consider drinking coffee no later than 30 days after the original roast date so you get the most flavor out of your cup. Anything past 30 days for all coffee and you will start losing some of the characteristics that make it incredible. This is why it is important to know when your coffee was roasted.
Each of our bags include a handwritten roast date on the front so you know exactly when your coffee was roasted.
If you want to make sure your coffee is always fresh and you never run out - check out our subscription service.
Both!
But we really suggest you grind your coffee right before you plan to brew to maximize the awesome flavors in coffee. Once coffee is grinded, the aging process starts so we always grind about 5-10 minutes before brew.
We also understand that some might not own or have access to a grinder and we don’t want that to get in the way of enjoying amazing coffee.
Simply select if you would like your coffee to be whole bean or ground at check-out and we’ll take care of you. Different brew methods do require different grind types so be sure to check what best fits your preferred brew method prior and select that grind option at checkout.
This is coffee directly sourced from a specific country at a specific time of year, from a specific farm or growing lot. Single origin coffee is not blended with coffee from other regions of the world and is unique in flavor to how it’s grown, where it’s grown, at what altitude, how it is processed, etc. (plus a ton of other neat factors). The beauty of single origin coffee comes from the one-of-a-kind tasting experience possible when you have an amazing single origin. We offer a majority of our coffee as single origin because we believe the best coffee in the world can be found in this type of coffee. While blends can be fantastic and we love those too - there is something special about a single origin coffee. It takes a more balanced and a high quality coffee to produce an incredible single origin roast. Not only do you have a more unique tasting experience with a single origin, but you also have a deeper connection with who grew your coffee since you also can know the direct source.
Quick answer - in order to offer only the best, freshest coffee for you (and for us too because we also love to drink great coffee). We believe in offering seasonal coffee, which is why our offerings change every now and again. Like produce, certain areas of the world harvest and produce incredible coffee at certain times of the year. In order to provide you with the freshest and purest coffee, we choose to only buy recently harvested coffee that is ‘in season’ so you know you are getting the most out of your precious cup of Kamiak coffee.
We love that you love our coffee! We currently have our coffee for sale online on this website, as well as at all of our wholesale partnership locations. Our coffee will be available in select grocery stores as well in the near future.
Relationships are forged with great coffee. If you would like to feature our coffee in your wholesale environment (cafe, office, hospital, restaurant, hotel, etc) check out our wholesale program on our website, then fill out the interest form. We'll contact you back within 24 hours (or sooner). We can't wait to discover more about you and your company!
Shipping, Returns, Payments
USPS Priority mail for all online retail orders. Each order is packaged in padded envelopes. For more shipping information - check out our shipping information page.
$6 flat rate shipping on most online retail orders and free shipping on orders over $50 in the United States
Typically, USPS Priority mail takes 2-3 days to arrive once shipped and tracking information will be emailed. Please note carriers do observe national holidays, which can alter shipping timelines. Be sure to plan ahead during the holiday season during excessive shipping periods.
Check our policy page for more information. Our policy on customer service is simple: provide you an amazing experience. With roasted coffee, we can’t accept returns or refunds that has already been sold due to its perishability. With that in mind, we are here to make your experience as incredible as our coffee and always email us at orders@kamiakcoffeeco.com if you ever have any questions or concerns.
All major card providers are accepted such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express - including easy to use payment options like PayPal, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
Absolutely. We only partner with the safest payment processors and security options available for online stores. Shopify Payments, PayPal, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay have fantastic security measures in place to keep your information safe. If you are interested in more information on payment security - please review our payment processors security policies.
Since we roast to order and our production timeline is so quick it can be tough to adjust any orders once placed. Please email us immediately after you order and include in the subject line ORDER CHANGE with your order number. Email us at orders@kamiakcoffeeco.com and we will do whatever we can to help.