Empirical

Know why it tastes like this.

Empirical (adjective): based on observation and testing, not on theory or assumption.

Roasting is a craft. A roast can look right on paper and still taste wrong. So we treat it like an experiment and go by what we find in the cup. We roast, taste, write down what happened and adjust, as many times as it takes. Some coffees take six batches before they taste like themselves. A few have taken more.

Most people choose coffee by its tasting notes. We think it helps to know what gives them. The variety and the place it grew set the character. How it is processed after harvest shapes it. The roast brings it out. The same coffee can taste very different a few degrees, or a few seconds, apart.

So every bag shows where the coffee comes from, the variety, the taste notes and the day we roasted it.

We keep the list short and change it slowly. A new coffee joins only when it earns its place.

We roast in small batches. Each coffee page has a baseline recipe, so your first cup starts well and no beans are wasted.

Most mornings are just for something good before the day gets moving, at home or at a desk. However you brew, a pour-over, an espresso machine or a fully automatic machine, the coffee is supposed to be doing the work, not you. If you're curious about coffee, you're welcome here.

Follow along on Instagram @empiricalroaster