Why We Don't Roast Your Coffee to Order
We get this question a lot: “When was my coffee roasted?” And even more often: “Is it fresh?” The short answer: Yes — absolutely. The longer answer is worth digging into, especially if you’re passionate about coffee (like we are).
What Does “Fresh” Really Mean?
When most people think of fresh coffee, they picture beans roasted that same day — maybe even still warm from the roaster. But here’s the twist: coffee that’s too fresh can actually taste flat, sour, or inconsistent in the cup.
That’s because coffee undergoes incredible chemical change during the roasting process, and needs time to rest and degas after. During this period, carbon dioxide escapes from the beans — and if you brew too soon, that CO₂ can interfere with extraction and mute the flavors we’ve worked so hard to develop. It’s a bit like letting wine breathe or letting bread rise: timing matters.
Our Sweet Spot
At Smoking Gun Coffee Roasters, we’ve found that our coffees hit their flavour peak between 2–4 weeks after roasting. That’s when things really open up: sweetness, clarity, and complexity all come together for a balanced and expressive cup. And thanks to our oxygen-blocking, valved packaging, those flavours stay vibrant for weeks — even up to 6–8+ weeks, depending on the coffee.
In fact, in our own café, we don’t serve most coffees until they’ve rested at least 10–14 days. That’s how strongly we believe in this approach.
Why We Don’t Roast to Order
Instead of roasting every bag to order (which can lead to inconsistent development and lots of wasted coffee), we follow a curated roast and fulfillment schedule that prioritizes quality, consistency, and timing. Our goal is that when your coffee ships, it’s not only fresh — it’s ready. And that means more “wow” moments in your cup!
Every single bag of coffee we put into the world has a roast date on the bag so you can decide for yourself how long you want to age your coffee. But, we implore you try and wait until it hits the 14 day mark. You just might be surprised and delighted!
A Note on Café vs. Online Orders
Sometimes customers notice a difference between coffee picked up in-store vs. shipped online. That’s usually due to fulfillment scheduling, full inventory cycling, delivery timing and proximity — our cafe is just a few steps from our roastery and receives new stock more frequently. But rest assured: we cup coffees from all channels regularly to ensure they meet the same high standards, no matter how they get to you.
The Bottom Line
We don’t roast to order — because we’re roasting for flavour, not hype.
And that means giving each coffee the time it needs to shine, so you get the very best experience at home, every time.
Wanna chat more about coffee? Reach out to us any time at hello@smokingguncoffee.com.