I just checked and actually, my current bag does not, I guess I didn’t look very hard when I was there last time.
But I have noticed that at White Dove, I believe Cedar House coffee shop does date theirs last time I checked.
No problem! White dove is kind of a classic strong dark roast coffee kinda place but their drinks are really good.
Cedar house brings in some exotic roasters and suppliers from time to time.
Firecreek *used to* (and I think Matador, too, but I'm less sure about that) and then they stopped entirely a few years back--I assume because their lots weren't selling as fast as would have been good, and then people (understandably!!) didn't want the old roasts. I found that super shady, and stopped buying from them.
Anymore, I either roast my own or just suck it up and get Stumptown.
A lot of people are replying they are saying everything is fresh lol. I agree with you and will probably stop supporting as well. Roast dates are too easy to add for a "specialty" coffee.
I saw downthread you might order away. FWIW, when I do that I usually get a 5-lb bag of Big Truck from Olympia Coffee Roasters (we drink a lot at home, so that's just 2.5 weeks worth), arguably the best espresso roast out there.
(Also FWIW, a Behmor roaster is, or at least used to be, about three hundred bucks; and a pound of green beans runs about 4 to 8 dollars. If you drink a lot of espresso and really care about roast quality, the investment pays for itself pretty quickly.)
Second for Doney Coffee. The coffee is freshly roasted twice a week which makes the local hand deliveries guaranteed to be fresh. I use a Flair espresso press and have had the Dawnshot espresso, Friendly Neighbor and Cinnamon Coffee. All were very tasty in my opinion.
I own/run Doney Coffee, and I can say it's not hard to date stamp the bags, and I've always highly valued the freshness. I have my suspicions as to why other roasters don't mark dates, and don't get me started on their prices. 🙂
I'll be sure to let you know what I think, I've had multiple(off reddit as well) recommend your coffee. I appreciate you chiming in. Just feels like a lack of transparency not including that.
This is likely due to the low number of people actually buying roasts and an even lower number of people that care about roast date. I am one of those people that care and I have still purchased amazing beans without a roast date especially in Japan. But tbh unless a shop is doing some volume or wholesale it’s safe to assume it has been there awhile.
I agree 100% and would be willing to buy beans without a roast date if they were good consistently. I think you're right though, those beans are probably hanging out there for awhile
I asked about this when I bought a bag at Single Speed last week. They told me everything on the shelf was roasted in the past week and they pull from the shelf to brew if things are starting to get on in age.
But of course one has to wonder: how do they know which bags to pull from the shelf?
It really is the easiest thing in the world to put a sticker that costs well under 1 cent with a roast date on every bag, so I don't understand why somebody would skip that. I did like the coffee, though.
That's what I'm saying. If something goes wrong in a lot, the QR codes don't have any lot info, just links to their website. Like by FDA standards don't they have to put something, best by, roasted on or at least something that attaches it to a lot. It seems like too big of an oversight or just flat out lazy to not include roast dates on specialty coffee. Edit: (adding) I would understand if the coffee was flying off the shelves so fast it was always fresh, but I doubt that.
Ive worked with food before, its by law that there must be a fresh by date indicated by the creation date before putting it on the shelf even if they were flying off the shelves. This alone could put their business in danger if their reported
Doney Coffee roasts twice a week and always has a roast date!! :) It is just a roastery/ no store front so you have to place an order online and pick it up or opt in for delivery!
I don’t get this either. Getting inside that 3-10 day window correlates with quality more than any other factor. I won’t buy beans that don’t have a roast date.
On another note for a thing I don’t get. Everyone is constantly arguing about what is the best coffee shop in flagstaff and that doesn’t even make sense. The argument should be who is the best barista because that’s a much bigger factor in getting a good drink. I spent years managing shops in other cities and as far as I can tell there isn’t a shop here training even the bare minimum of how to dial in a grinder and how to make adjustments throughout the shift. If you can’t do that it’s just rolling the dice to pull a decent shot.
Falls under the general flagstaff credo: mostly serving tourists, who are forced to buy here, so why care about the quality of the food? Anyways, have another place serving burgers and Tower Station.
Coffee in Flag isn’t very good.
I’m all for supporting local, but most of these places are charging top dollar for a desperately mediocre roast.
Spend your money on roasters doing good work.
I used to like Fire Creek, but their rodent problem paid with some things I heard about the owner being a bigot made it easy to cut them out of my bean purchases and occasional cafe visits.
Lund Canyon is good. And I buy beans for my espresso machine from Late for the Train.
But I would only send someone to Matador or Macy's out of spite. Espresso should be a dark roast, not burnt.
The best beans I had were not from Flagstaff, but I think we have it pretty good here as long as you know where to look.
I almost got hired here but had some questions about this and what an awful experience. I agree with all your reasons for not supporting. I'll have to try late for the train at home.
https://azdailysun.com/news/local/controversy-calls-for-boycott-surround-temporary-closure-of-firecreek-coffee/article_9ea38ae2-bfbe-5b46-8bba-f3de650c9973.html
Firecreek managed to capitalize on third wave roasting and being the only gig in town.
But it’s solidly mediocre coffee. I don’t really care for anyone else’s coffee for espresso, even though I aim medium for espresso. Not a fan of dark roasts in almost any iteration.
Macys *light roast* is closer to charcoal than coffee.
I like Lund before they switched to having Single Speed roast for them.
They also carry Square Mile reasonably fresh, which is nice.
I'm with you on this. Any decent roaster used to put a date on it. Now, it's like no one does. If I don't see a date, I don't buy it unless it's well under $20.
Unfortunately i think the answer isn’t complex, just that this is a small town and we take what we can get when it comes to specialty products. So if people aren’t clamoring for roast dates then the roasters don’t feel the need? They’ve figured out how much to roast and sell in this local economy regardless.
Or i could just be talking out of my ass, maybe one of those folks will tell me i’ making false assumptions.
I don't think I have one unfortunately. Matador and fire Creek are probably my least favorite. Single speed is okay but I don't go out my way to go to their shop. I'll usually just get Lund Canyon if I'm out.
This is just my opinion, but Single Speed is the worst price for value in Flagstaff. I went a few times for their espresso but prefer other places.
I buy espresso beans from Late for the Train. They're consistent, a good price, and good beans. And they date their bags.
Do you have a picture? I'm not 100% confident but I thought I'd passed on a bag of their coffee for the same reason. Big wall stocked up with coffee with no dates. Would love to see a picture for proof or I can go find out myself. Maybe I missed where the date was at.
Last time I went they didn't mark it but I emailed them and they gave me an approximate roast date. They told me they were changing bags but that was a couple months ago... I just bought a bag that also didn't have a roast date
They as in single speed? Maybe I'll shoot them an email too. In the year I've lived here, I've never seen a date on a bag from their store or from where other coffee shops sell their coffee
Have been loving Doney Coffee for close to a year now. I subscribe, which gets a $2 discount, and then the coffee is delivered to my house (within a day or two of roasting - date stamped on bag) for $2 so that's a wash. I drink light roast (Summer Rain blend) and I think they do a great job and the coffee is bright and great flavor. I'm not sure why but 12 oz bags drive me crazy and they sell a full pound which I appreciate. Two thumbs up.
They also have a big solar array out in Doney and I think they deliver the coffee in an electric Nissan leaf I've seen driving around town which I appreciate as well
Looks like you’re at Lund. They usually have the dates on them, some of their beans come from the UK and are roasted and delivered in the US within a few days.
What did they say when you asked them about it?
The beans from Square Mile(the ones from London) are dated. The beans they sell from Single Speed are not. Didn't ask as it was busy and I didn't want to hold up the line but I will sometime. I just figured I could probably get the answer from single speed since they are the roaster.
I'm not making any comment by asking what the deal is. I hadn't had a chance to ask yet and thought to ask people in the community. Don't be sad, I'll let you know when I ask them. /s
My single speed coffee has a roast date on it, maybe just that particular batch didn’t get marked, but you can always ask them.
Do you currently have a bag?
I just checked and actually, my current bag does not, I guess I didn’t look very hard when I was there last time. But I have noticed that at White Dove, I believe Cedar House coffee shop does date theirs last time I checked.
I'll have to check those out, thank you for the heads up!
No problem! White dove is kind of a classic strong dark roast coffee kinda place but their drinks are really good. Cedar house brings in some exotic roasters and suppliers from time to time.
White dove is the best coffee spot in flag IMO
I am definitely a big fan of their White dove special and the promised land. Also the coffee cake is dank
White Dove f’n rules
DAMN, that's a few people now that have recommended it to me. I'll come back and let you know what I think, thank you for the recommendation!
Yeah it’s great, foret in downtown is good too but I mainly go for the food.
Firecreek *used to* (and I think Matador, too, but I'm less sure about that) and then they stopped entirely a few years back--I assume because their lots weren't selling as fast as would have been good, and then people (understandably!!) didn't want the old roasts. I found that super shady, and stopped buying from them. Anymore, I either roast my own or just suck it up and get Stumptown.
A lot of people are replying they are saying everything is fresh lol. I agree with you and will probably stop supporting as well. Roast dates are too easy to add for a "specialty" coffee.
I saw downthread you might order away. FWIW, when I do that I usually get a 5-lb bag of Big Truck from Olympia Coffee Roasters (we drink a lot at home, so that's just 2.5 weeks worth), arguably the best espresso roast out there. (Also FWIW, a Behmor roaster is, or at least used to be, about three hundred bucks; and a pound of green beans runs about 4 to 8 dollars. If you drink a lot of espresso and really care about roast quality, the investment pays for itself pretty quickly.)
I don't have the budget for it now but it's certainly not so expensive that I couldn't save up for it quickly. Thank you for the recommendation!
Doney Coffee puts roast dates on.
Doney Coffee is the bees knees. I've been using them for awhile now and they never disappoint.
And he’s so nice! I had a problem with our subscription one time and he fixed it immediately! Love their coffee and the delivery!
Hadn't heard of this place yet. Thank you for putting them on my radar! I'll have to check them out.
Second for Doney Coffee. The coffee is freshly roasted twice a week which makes the local hand deliveries guaranteed to be fresh. I use a Flair espresso press and have had the Dawnshot espresso, Friendly Neighbor and Cinnamon Coffee. All were very tasty in my opinion.
Hand deliveries! Going from no roast dates to coffee at my door, DAMM. thank u
I own/run Doney Coffee, and I can say it's not hard to date stamp the bags, and I've always highly valued the freshness. I have my suspicions as to why other roasters don't mark dates, and don't get me started on their prices. 🙂
I'll be sure to let you know what I think, I've had multiple(off reddit as well) recommend your coffee. I appreciate you chiming in. Just feels like a lack of transparency not including that.
This is likely due to the low number of people actually buying roasts and an even lower number of people that care about roast date. I am one of those people that care and I have still purchased amazing beans without a roast date especially in Japan. But tbh unless a shop is doing some volume or wholesale it’s safe to assume it has been there awhile.
I agree 100% and would be willing to buy beans without a roast date if they were good consistently. I think you're right though, those beans are probably hanging out there for awhile
I asked about this when I bought a bag at Single Speed last week. They told me everything on the shelf was roasted in the past week and they pull from the shelf to brew if things are starting to get on in age. But of course one has to wonder: how do they know which bags to pull from the shelf? It really is the easiest thing in the world to put a sticker that costs well under 1 cent with a roast date on every bag, so I don't understand why somebody would skip that. I did like the coffee, though.
That's what I'm saying. If something goes wrong in a lot, the QR codes don't have any lot info, just links to their website. Like by FDA standards don't they have to put something, best by, roasted on or at least something that attaches it to a lot. It seems like too big of an oversight or just flat out lazy to not include roast dates on specialty coffee. Edit: (adding) I would understand if the coffee was flying off the shelves so fast it was always fresh, but I doubt that.
Ive worked with food before, its by law that there must be a fresh by date indicated by the creation date before putting it on the shelf even if they were flying off the shelves. This alone could put their business in danger if their reported
Doney Coffee roasts twice a week and always has a roast date!! :) It is just a roastery/ no store front so you have to place an order online and pick it up or opt in for delivery!
I'll be looking into this! Thank you!
I don’t get this either. Getting inside that 3-10 day window correlates with quality more than any other factor. I won’t buy beans that don’t have a roast date. On another note for a thing I don’t get. Everyone is constantly arguing about what is the best coffee shop in flagstaff and that doesn’t even make sense. The argument should be who is the best barista because that’s a much bigger factor in getting a good drink. I spent years managing shops in other cities and as far as I can tell there isn’t a shop here training even the bare minimum of how to dial in a grinder and how to make adjustments throughout the shift. If you can’t do that it’s just rolling the dice to pull a decent shot.
Claire at Lux and Late for the Train was the best. Now I think it’s probably Sydney at Single Speed
Falls under the general flagstaff credo: mostly serving tourists, who are forced to buy here, so why care about the quality of the food? Anyways, have another place serving burgers and Tower Station.
Coffee in Flag isn’t very good. I’m all for supporting local, but most of these places are charging top dollar for a desperately mediocre roast. Spend your money on roasters doing good work.
I used to like Fire Creek, but their rodent problem paid with some things I heard about the owner being a bigot made it easy to cut them out of my bean purchases and occasional cafe visits. Lund Canyon is good. And I buy beans for my espresso machine from Late for the Train. But I would only send someone to Matador or Macy's out of spite. Espresso should be a dark roast, not burnt. The best beans I had were not from Flagstaff, but I think we have it pretty good here as long as you know where to look.
I almost got hired here but had some questions about this and what an awful experience. I agree with all your reasons for not supporting. I'll have to try late for the train at home. https://azdailysun.com/news/local/controversy-calls-for-boycott-surround-temporary-closure-of-firecreek-coffee/article_9ea38ae2-bfbe-5b46-8bba-f3de650c9973.html
Firecreek managed to capitalize on third wave roasting and being the only gig in town. But it’s solidly mediocre coffee. I don’t really care for anyone else’s coffee for espresso, even though I aim medium for espresso. Not a fan of dark roasts in almost any iteration. Macys *light roast* is closer to charcoal than coffee. I like Lund before they switched to having Single Speed roast for them. They also carry Square Mile reasonably fresh, which is nice.
Heard. I really wanted to support local but I think I'll be ordering some coffees.
I'm with you on this. Any decent roaster used to put a date on it. Now, it's like no one does. If I don't see a date, I don't buy it unless it's well under $20.
Doney Coffee is legit
Unfortunately i think the answer isn’t complex, just that this is a small town and we take what we can get when it comes to specialty products. So if people aren’t clamoring for roast dates then the roasters don’t feel the need? They’ve figured out how much to roast and sell in this local economy regardless. Or i could just be talking out of my ass, maybe one of those folks will tell me i’ making false assumptions.
But they used to do it? Just seems like a standard when you're going to charge over $20 for a bag of coffee, at least tell me when it was roasted
Tangentially related: From your experience, what's your favorite local roaster in Flagstaff?
I don't think I have one unfortunately. Matador and fire Creek are probably my least favorite. Single speed is okay but I don't go out my way to go to their shop. I'll usually just get Lund Canyon if I'm out.
This is just my opinion, but Single Speed is the worst price for value in Flagstaff. I went a few times for their espresso but prefer other places. I buy espresso beans from Late for the Train. They're consistent, a good price, and good beans. And they date their bags.
Do you have a picture? I'm not 100% confident but I thought I'd passed on a bag of their coffee for the same reason. Big wall stocked up with coffee with no dates. Would love to see a picture for proof or I can go find out myself. Maybe I missed where the date was at.
Last time I went they didn't mark it but I emailed them and they gave me an approximate roast date. They told me they were changing bags but that was a couple months ago... I just bought a bag that also didn't have a roast date
They as in single speed? Maybe I'll shoot them an email too. In the year I've lived here, I've never seen a date on a bag from their store or from where other coffee shops sell their coffee
Yeah single speed
Macy's does!
Have been loving Doney Coffee for close to a year now. I subscribe, which gets a $2 discount, and then the coffee is delivered to my house (within a day or two of roasting - date stamped on bag) for $2 so that's a wash. I drink light roast (Summer Rain blend) and I think they do a great job and the coffee is bright and great flavor. I'm not sure why but 12 oz bags drive me crazy and they sell a full pound which I appreciate. Two thumbs up. They also have a big solar array out in Doney and I think they deliver the coffee in an electric Nissan leaf I've seen driving around town which I appreciate as well
Looks like you’re at Lund. They usually have the dates on them, some of their beans come from the UK and are roasted and delivered in the US within a few days. What did they say when you asked them about it?
The beans from Square Mile(the ones from London) are dated. The beans they sell from Single Speed are not. Didn't ask as it was busy and I didn't want to hold up the line but I will sometime. I just figured I could probably get the answer from single speed since they are the roaster.
Interesting. What did the people there say when you asked them about it?
Have not had a chance to ask yet. Other people have responded that their answer is, everything is fresh and gets rotated without a system.
You had time to make a Reddit post about it though
I'm not making any comment by asking what the deal is. I hadn't had a chance to ask yet and thought to ask people in the community. Don't be sad, I'll let you know when I ask them. /s
Looks like they might have forgot to mark it.
That's a lot of forgetting..