Missoula Coffee Roaster

June 8, 2017|Russell Volz|Beans And Roasting

You’d think a Missoula Coffee Roaster, would not follow the big industrial coffee companies in Seattle and Portland, allowing them to define what coffee should taste like. Missoula coffee drinkers aren’t sheeple. Seattle’s burnt and bitter coffee isn’t good enough for Missoula.

Another Coffee Roaster?

But do we really need another Coffee Roaster? Well, if we’re talking burnt and bitter industrial coffee, like the other Missoula Coffee Roasters, then I’d agree; we don’t need another one.

Let’s face it, coffee means different things to different people. To people in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco; coffee is all about seeing and being seen. That’s why they hang out in hip, progressive, inclusive, safe-zone coffee shops. Apparently, burnt and bitter industrial coffee works for them. It’s the “jolt” that they need to face another day of six-lane traffic, a boring job, and a $400,000 mortgage.

We live in the Inland Northwest because we want a different lifestyle than our big-city cousins. Coffee isn’t a stimulant for us. We have enough stimulation in our lives. To us coffee is a time-out, a break from reality, a chance to catch our breath, an opportunity to get centered. You know, that “Ahhh…” moment, where for a moment, life stands still and the whole world shrinks to you and that cup of heavenly coffee.

We at Lake City Coffee are betting the farm that you’re looking for real old fashioned coffee. I’m not talking about espresso blend, double shot, white chocolate mocha, with whipped cream, sprinkles, and skim milk. Nope. In the land where men are men and women are too; we’ll just take it black thank you.

Here’s a tip for you. You can make way better coffee at home, with less hassle, than “any” coffee shop or drive thru. All you have to do is get your hands on some super fresh whole bean coffee, some clean water, and in 60 seconds, you’re in la-la land; sipping your super smooth coffee without a care in the world. Our Washington cousins can keep their weed. We’ll just take our mellowing hits from really good coffee.

Whole Bean Coffee

Now I’m not talking about coffee that will float a horseshoe. That’s Hollywood. Nor am I talking about coffee as black as the ace of spades. If you like your coffee burnt, then save yourself some money and buy a bag of Kingsford charcoal. You probably won’t be able to tell the difference between it and Starbucks. No kidding.

Here’s what begs the question. What is “good” coffee? Well, that depends on what you like, right? For our home brew customers, good coffee is first and foremost “smooth” with zero bitterness and zero acid. Minus the burnt and bitter taste of industrial west coast coffee, you can actually taste what coffee’s supposed to taste like; which is naturally sweet, with hints of chocolate, nut, or spice.

So, how do you get smooth coffee? First of all, you can’t find smooth fresh whole bean coffee it in any Missoula grocery store or at any coffee shop. Why? Because all coffee starts to go stale and bitter in about 4 weeks and no amount of space-age packaging or storage can change that fact. Period! Yet, a vast majority of all coffee in America has been sitting in warehouses and on store shelves for months if not years. That’s why it’s so bitter. And to cover up the bitter taste, industrial coffee companies, all of them, burn the snot out of their coffee.

The solution is to buy coffee that’s been roasted within hours, not months, hence why we roast and ship via FedEx on Monday and you have your fresh roasted coffee on your table by Tuesday. There is a huge difference in taste between old bitter and burnt industrial coffee and our super fresh whole bean coffee is nothing short of amazing. Good luck finding that at any other local Missoula Coffee Roaster. With coffee this fresh, you’ll be wondering, “What the hell have I been drinking all these years?”

Online Sales Only

Let me make one thing clear. At Lake City Coffee, we don’t want to be the next Starbucks. Hell, we don’t even want to be the best coffee roaster for Missoula. All we’re looking for is to just be your personal coffee roaster. When you buy it, then we roast it. Therefore, we carry zero inventory. If we roast 100 pounds of coffee, that’s because we’ve sold 100 pounds of coffee.

Great coffee starts with great beans, that’s why we source the best coffee beans that money can buy, that being Costa Rican Tarrazu. What? Hold the phone. Costa Rica? Why Costa Rica? In a word “smooth”. You want bold, in-your-face, slap your cheek red, ball busting coffee, then go buy burnt and bitter industrial coffee from Ethiopia, Columbia, or Vietnam. But if you want real “smooth” tasting coffee, then nothing beats the best that Costa Rica has to offer.

Here’s another hot tip. How you brew your coffee has more to do with taste than where your coffee was grown. If you take AAA grade coffee from a dozen different companies, roast each identically and then brew them identically, few people would be able to tell the difference.

BUT! If you take a single source AAA grade coffee and percolate it, or drip it, or press it, or whatever, the difference in taste is astounding. For more details about brewing check out this blog post: How To Make The Best Gourmet Coffee.

Super Fresh Coffee

Lastly. No, we’re not from Missoula, but we do work and play here. Even if you lived in Coeur d’Alene (our home town), you’d be buying your coffee from our website and have it delivered to your doorstep in 24 hours after roasting. Living in Missoula, makes no difference. You’ll still order your coffee from our whole bean coffee shopping page. We will then roast and ship it on Monday, and you’ll have it delivered to your doorstep within 24 hours. Heck, your order might even still be warm. So, in one sense, we are the best Missoula Coffee Roaster.