Reduce your carbon footprint, go Unplugged, and enjoy roasted-to-order coffee at its fullest flavor and aroma!

A Coffee Revival is Taking Place!

A Coffee Revival is Taking Place After the discovery of coffee and its industrialized distribution around the world, coffee shops delivered higher coffee education over the last fifteen years. A new wave of love for coffee is sweeping the country and this time it borders on an obsession. Now it's all about origin, about the farmers who grow and process the beans and the particular flavors they nurture. Roasters travel to remote areas in Africa and South America to find distinct flavors, and they reward farmers with premiums for excellence. Finding the perfect roast has become a wonderful ritual for coffee drinkers. As we have seen with wine and beer before - the trend in roasting today leans towards micro roasting companies, (That's us!) and coffee tasting events. Meticulously grown, roasted, and prepared coffees make many a coffee drinker feel like they are drinking coffee for the first time in their lives. If they have evolved their coffee obsession from garden- variety, store-bought coffee they truly are!. Needless to say, there is no going back after experiencing an expertly prepared masterpiece. This is where things come full circle for Isla Java and the products we carry. We love using the Bodum French press to test the quality of our coffees -- experiencing the consistently high quality of the purest coffee brewing process day after day. There's a fast growing trend towards unplugged coffee making these days. These include pour-over manual drip coffee making, and French press coffee making. At Isla Java we have the gear to get you "unplugged" such as the Bodum French press, carafes, airpots, and cone filters for manual pour-over brewing. close

Pictorial Guide to Roast Styles

A Pictorial Guide to Roast Styles Not all coffee is dark roasted, in fact, each coffee has its own best roast style, some light, some medium, some dark and others in-between. The terms acidity and body refer to flavor characteristics. Acidity can be considered a pleasant tartness, whereas body describes the sense of richness, heaviness, or thickness that brewed coffee imparts. Hint: burnt is not a roast style :( The guide below will summarize different roast styles and the characteristics of each. Light Roast These coffees possess bright acidity with pronounced flavor and aroma characteristics. Light roasted coffees are an excellent choice for breakfast or morning coffees. Light-medium Roast Acidity will still be bright but less overpowering, the aroma and flavor characteristics still pronounced, and body begins to develop. These are also good breakfast coffees if a softer acidity is preferable over a light-roasted coffee. Medium Roast A balance between acidity or brightness and body or fullness. A fine coffee throughout the day. Medium-dark Roast A departure from brightness and acidity, these coffees are fuller-bodied with a robust flavor and aroma while the brightness begins to become muted. These coffees tend to appeal to those who want a fuller-flavored coffee without the smoky, carbony tones of a dark roast. Dark Roast These coffees are our darkest roast, characterized by a full body, muted brightness and acidity and a robust, smoky overtone. This roast style is popular in the Pacific Northwest. close

Buy 2 Pounds or More and Save on Shipping

Guess What? Unlike many places who sell mail order and over the Internet, we don't view shipping as a source of revenue. We know that most of our customers are geographically distant and that shipping is a necessary evil to get a quality product (like our coffee!) to your door. There are a few of you (and you know who you are) who can pick up their order from our roastery or receive local delivery and avoid shipping costs altogether. We can't do this for everyone because we don't have a retail store. But for the rest of our wonderful customers, we have a secret to share with you - we charge actual UPS shipping rates from our roastery to your destination. Now here's the real secret: when you buy anything that requires shipping, starting rates begin with 1 pound of weight - in a sense, the cost of entry, the cover charge so to speak. But, 2 pounds doesn't cost twice as much. In fact there is a substantial shipping price break for 2 or more pounds. The additional shipping costs are nominally incremental at that point and average out over the weight of the order. So if you think you'll go through a pound of coffee in a week or two, you may be better served buying 2 or 4 pounds at a time. Buying this way can save up to 75% over the cost of 4 pounds shipped individually. Buy in bulk -- save on shipping! Our high-barrier foil valve bags are ziplocked and heat- sealed to lock in freshness. Not forever, mind you, but our coffee, unopened, will retain its freshness for up to 45 days if storage directions on the package are followed. close

Pour-Over Manual Drip Brewing Method

Electric automatic coffeemakers! If ever there was a convenience item these are it. They come in every conceivable size, shape, color, countertop-footprint, and with every conceivable bell and whistle imaginable. You pour water into them every day and they work like soldiers, that is until they get hardening of the arteries (lime scale buildup), and until their owners wonder why the incredible taste of coffeehouse coffee just isn't the same at home. Lime scale is a result of the minerals in tap water being heated to 180 °F. People try all means to get rid of the stuff including pouring vinegar through their beloved coffee makers. Hmmm...did I say 180 °F? Yeah, the physics of residential appliances is such that it is not possible to get water any hotter, unless you're boiling on a stove, but then that isn't what an automatic coffeemaker does. Enter the pour-over manual drip method of coffeemaking. It's so simple and convenient that you'll wonder why you never explored it. We did just that about 8 years ago and we've never had a need for an automatic coffeemaker ever since. This method requires a carafe, and a filter cone (both of which we carry in the Merchandise section of our store), and a kettle to boil water in - a tea kettle is most often the vessel but it can be done in a pot as well. As with an automatic coffeemaker this method requires a drip grind. Simply place the filter cone on top of the carafe (2 liter capacity), extending into the neck opening, add a paper filter (like the #6 filters we carry), and add about 8 level scoops of your favorite coffee. Heat the water to boiling and just as it starts to boil remove it from the heat and let it set for about 30-60 seconds. Letting it sit will drop the temperature from boiling to the right temperature range for extraction. Slowly pour all the water in the kettle over the grounds (hence the name "pour-over" - creative isn't it?), and let the coffee drip through. After the water has dripped through (about 4-5 minutes), enjoy some of the best coffee you've been missing. Best thing about this method? No lime scale, a smaller footprint on your counter, and your friends and relatives who drink your coffee will think you found a new calling :) By the way, a great product to use about once a month to keep your carafe or airpot in tip-top shape is the Clearly Coffee liquid or or powder cleaner to remove residue and buildup from brewing. close

French Press Brewing Method

I've heard people tell me that they bought a French press and their experience was far less than they'd expected. I've heard this from several people now and I set out to determine why. Since the French press brewing method is so popular this didn't make any sense. The confusion often lies in the instructions which come with a French press and it has to do with volume (not the too- loud kind :). French presses of the size we sell are often marketed as "8-cup" models. The difference lies in what is commonly referred to as a "cup" in Europe, and what we call a cup, here in the 'States. In Europe, a "cup" is typically 4 ounces, and this is called a "Tasse". In the US, a "cup" is 8 ounces. The ideal ratio of coffee grounds to water is 2 rounded tablespoons to 8 ounces of water or about 4 rounded scoops for a full press. Remove the cap/plunger assembly and measure out the coffee into the glass beaker as above (the Bodum Chambord French presses we carry come with a standard coffee measure - these are very nice presses by the way!). Heat approximately 32 oz. of water (about 1 liter) to boiling, remove from heat, and let set 30-60 seconds. Pour the off-boil water into the beaker slowly until the level of grounds/water is about an inch or so below the top. Stir thoroughly with a plastic spoon until the grounds are well-mixed in the hot water. Now replace the cap/plunger with the plunger in the up position, just resting on top of the grounds & water mix. Let set about 4 minutes to allow the aromatics and flavors of the coffee to extract and slowly press the plunger down, forcing the grounds to the bottom. Do this slowly so that grounds don't sneak past the mesh filter screen of the plunger assembly. If pressing becomes difficult, stop, temporarly reverse the plunger and then continue pressing until the plunger bottoms out. Now pour the press coffee into two mugs and enjoy! We recommend using all the coffee in the press right away to avoid overextracting, resulting in bitter coffee. A great product to use about once a month to keep your French press in tip-top shape is the Clearly Coffee liquid or powder cleaner to remove residue and buildup from brewing. close

Coffee Trivia: Facts & Figures

Coffee is the second largest market in the world, second only to oil. Almost 50% of all adults in the US drink coffee on a daily basis, another 25% occasionally. Today, the world's heaviest coffee drinkers live in Scandinavia. Coffee has been around at least 1500 years; it's been commercially grown for 500 years. Throughout time coffee has been considered a food, a wine, a medicine, and an aphrodisiac. Coffee stimulates the mind: The Turks called their cafes "school of the wise". In 17th century England, coffee houses were referred to as "penny universities". close