FAQ
What are your freshness standards?
We love drinking freshly roasted coffee and we want the same for our customers. We never ship coffee that is more than one week off roast.
When will my coffee ship?
We strive to process and ship orders within two business days. Shipments may be delayed during sales events and holidays. Once your order is picked up by our shipping carrier partners, you’ll receive an email with tracking information.
When will I receive my order?
We ship from our roastery in Bellingham, WA via UPS, FedEx Express, and USPS, depending on your shipping address. We select shipping services that will get you your fresh coffee between 2-5 business days.
Please note that we ship orders as they are placed, and do not take requests to delay shipping.
Help, my order hasn’t arrived.
If you recently placed an order and it hasn’t arrived, you can reach out with your order number at hello@tonyscoffee.com. Sometimes inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances delay delivery.
I need to change my shipping address.
If your order has not shipped yet, we can easily change your shipping address for you. Once it has shipped, you will need to contact the carrier via the tracking information you received.
I’d like to gift a subscription to the coffee lover in my life.
We have you covered. Our Prepaid Subscription comes in 3, 6, and 12 month options. You’ll receive our 10% subscription discount and the cost of shipping is included.
I have a coffee question, how can I get in touch with someone at Tony’s?
You can email hello@tonyscoffee.com with any coffee questions you have, day or night. You can also call 360-733-6319 and if we don’t answer leave a message.
What is your Return Policy?
We’re committed to helping you find a coffee that you’ll love. Please don’t hesitate to email hello@tonyscoffee.com and our team of coffee experts will work with you to find the coffee that matches your tastes. We’re not able to accept returns unless your order is incorrect.
Do you have any promo codes available?
Sign-up for our email newsletter to receive a discount on your first purchase and to be notified of future discounts. Subscribe at tonyscoffee.com/newsletter.
Do you offer tours of the Tony’s Coffee Roastery?
Not at this time, but it is something we plan to offer in the future.
Can I buy coffee directly from the Tony’s Coffee Roastery?
You sure can. You can visit tonyscoffee.com to place an online order and select LOCAL PICKUP. Local pick up is available at the roastery at 2033 Division St Bellingham, WA 98226 Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm.
COFFEE BREWING, FARMING, AND MORE
Do you have recipes or recommendations for different brew methods?
- Grind your coffee a touch finer.
- If you’re using a French press, Aeropress, or other full immersion brewer, extend your brew time. A good brew time to aim for is 4 minutes, however, you can experiment with a longer brew time if your coffee is tasting weak.
- Increase the amount of coffee in your brew recipe.
- Try a darker roast.
If your coffee is tasting too strong or bitter, you have a few options:
- Grind your coffee a touch coarser.
- If you’re using a French press, Aeropress or other full immersion brewer, shorten your brew time. A good brew time to aim for is 4 minutes, however, you can shorten that if your coffee is tasting too strong or bitter.
- Decrease the amount of coffee in your brew recipe.
- Try a lighter roast.
Which of your coffee has the most caffeine?
All of our regular (non-decaffeinated) coffees have roughly the same caffeine level. Arabica beans generally yield between 60 – 80 milligrams of caffeine per 8oz of brewed coffee.
How much caffeine is there in your decaf coffees?
We work with Swiss Water Process, based in Vancouver, BC. They do extensive testing and their decaffeinated coffee is 99.9% caffeine free.
What’s the best way to keep my coffee fresh?
We suggest storing your coffee in a dry, dark place.
How long is my coffee good for after opening the bag?
We recommend you enjoy your coffee within two weeks of opening the bag, and within one month of roasting, if possible.
Should I store my coffee in the freezer?
If you’re planning to brew your coffee within a month, we don’t recommend storing it in the freezer. However, if you find yourself with an abundance of coffee, storing it in the freezer may be your best bet. Just make sure to store it in an airtight bag and flush all of the air out. Try not to repeatedly freeze/thaw the coffee, as that will degrade the flavor.
What does espresso grind mean? Can you use espresso coffee beans to brew drip coffee?
Espresso grind is finer than drip grind. You can use beans that are roasted for espresso in your drip machine or through any other brewing method — it will still be delicious!
Are there any benefits of cold brewing vs hot? Is the acidity lower? Is the coffee stronger?
Despite popularly held beliefs, using cold water to brew your coffee does not result in lower acidity.
Where do you source your coffee?
We source coffee from every major growing region around the world, including Latin America, Africa and Asia. Some of the major countries we source from include Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia. Given the right conditions, arabica coffee can prosper anywhere between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Specialty coffee is grown at high elevations, between 4,000-6,000 feet above sea level.
What is specialty coffee? What is a single origin coffee?
Green coffee goes through a ten part grading system, which was established by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Specialty coffee is defined as any coffee that receives a score over 82 points. In order to achieve this score, the coffee must be free of defects and handpicked at peak ripeness. Single origin coffee refers to a coffee that is not a blend, or in other words, a coffee that is sourced from a single farm or growing region.
Can I compost my leftover coffee grounds?
You sure can! They’re pretty acidic, so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Blueberries and other acidic-soil loving plants will thank you.
Are your single serve cups recyclable and/or compostable?
The box, plastic cup and tin lid are all recyclable. But first, you must remove the coffee grounds and inner paper filter, which can both be composted.
Why are some coffees oily?
As coffee ages, it releases oils. Dark roasts (such as our French Royale, Classic French, and Back 40 Blend) are always going to have oil on the surface of the beans. The darker the roast, the more oil you will find on the surface of the beans.
What is the difference between “direct trade” and “fair trade”?
“Direct trade” is a term that some coffee roasters use to describe their practice of working directly with coffee farmers. It can mean different things to different coffee roasters. In any event, all coffee roasters rely on a chain of exporters and importers to manage the logistics and transportation from coffee farms to roasteries.
The fair trade system guarantees farmers a base price, regardless of the state of the global coffee market (also known as the Commodity, or C-market). In order to ensure fairness and transparency, this price is set and enforced by an independent, third party organization known as Fair Trade USA, who conducts quarterly audits.
On top of the Fair Trade base price, we pay coffee farmers a premium for quality, as well as a social premium, which goes into a community development fund. The farmer cooperative democratically decides how they want to use these funds. Some examples of projects include starting a nursery to grow more resilient, drought-resistant coffee varieties, or building local childcare facilities or health clinics.
When we started buying fair trade certified coffees in 2002, we were one of the country’s first roasters to support the fair trade system. Since that time, we have purchased well over six million pounds of fair trade certified coffee and paid out over one million dollars in social premiums to small scale coffee farmers around the world.