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FAQ

Where is my order?

Please use our interactive Chat feature 24/7 to check the status of your order. All you need is your order# and email address and you should be able to track the status of your order.

How to place an order? web, phone, mail or fax.

We will ship coffee and other items the first business day following your order date. We’ll deliver to your home or office. We offer several payment options: check by mail, and MasterCard, Visa, or American Express online. To contact us with any questions about ordering, please visit Red Bay Coffee 

To order via the web:

Order online at Red Bay Coffee

What makes Red Bay Coffee Special?

Red Bay Coffee is building a global community through our commitment to sourcing, developing, roasting and delivering the best and most beautiful coffee to the people. We are the fastest growing, black-owned, coffee roasters in the country right now. Every day we strive to develop beautiful coffees, fair relations, and delicious approaches to living. 

Where is Red Bay Coffee roasted?

All of our coffee is proudly roasted at our B Corp Certified Public Roastery on East 10th St. in Oakland, CA.

How many coffees do you have?

Signature

  • 8 signature coffees
  • 3 espresso
  • 1 decaf
  • 2 blends
  • 6 single origins
  • 7 - 8 countries (Brazil, Guatemala, Tanzania, Sumatra, Ethiopia, Colombia, Burundi, and Chiapas Mexico)

Limited Release

  • 1 - 2 limited releases (also single origin)
  • Cold Brew, Nitro Cold Brew

Is Red Bay Coffee roasted light, medium or dark?

Our roasts range from medium to dark with the goal of creating a balanced and traditionally inspired cup.

How do I store Red Bay Coffee?

All coffees have a shelf life, to encourage the most beautiful cup, Red Bay coffee should be served ideally within 8 weeks of the roast date. Avoid putting your coffee in the refrigerator or freezer as this can cause your beans to become stale faster.

Each order of our 12oz of fresh roasted coffee beans is packaged in a resealable pouch with a one way degassing valve to keep your coffee fresh with the roast date stamped on the back.

Why are some beans oily?

For dark roasted coffee, the “oil” on the surface of the beans is a sign of freshness. It’s actually not oil, but starches in the beans that have been released by the dark roast. Lighter roast coffees do not release any oil on the surface of the beans.

Which grind should I choose?

To maintain the best freshness of the coffee, we recommend ordering coffee as whole beans. Then, with a coffee grinder, you can grind the coffee just before brewing it to make sure it’s as fresh as possible.

If you do not have a grinder or do not know what type of grind you should get or are buying coffee as a gift and do not know what type of coffee maker your friend has, it’s generally a safe guess to order coffee that’s ground “drip.” Most coffee makers are automatic drip and this is the preferred grind for them. If you are ordering coffee for use in an espresso machine, order “espresso” grind.

What makes your coffee special? 

We are Community-based, Creative, Local, Great product and we are devoted to our social mission

How do you decaffeinate your Ocho Libre?

We have decaf for people who love the ritual of coffee but don’t like caffeine.

The green beans are rinsed and then washed in Ethyl Acetate, a naturally occurring compound found in ripe apples and wine. The EA binds to the caffeine molecules and takes them away from the beans when they are rinsed again.

The compound has fewer negative connotations vs Chemical, framing it with apples and fruit. 97% removal; 3% of the caffeine of other products

Why are your coffees most Medium Roast?

We source the highest quality and most complex coffees directly from the farmers. A Dark Roast typically is intended to burn off negative flavor qualities that can be found in lower quality coffees. Our head roaster determined the roast and we typically roast at Medium because we never want to lose the inherent quality of our coffee. 

Coffee is amazingly complex in terms of flavor profiles the way wine is, even more so. Our head roaster looks at the coffee quality and sugar levels in all of our coffee lots and when roasting she makes sure to roast to a point where the sugars are perfectly caramelized and overoasting typically burns off any characteristics that are inherent in the coffee.

What is specialty coffee?

Specialty coffee is the highest quality coffee in the world and refers to coffee that scores an 80 or above on a 100 point scale. Specialty coffees are grown in special and ideal climates, and are distinctive because of their full cup taste and little to no defects. The unique flavors and tastes are a result of the special characteristics and composition of the soil in which they are produced. 

Where is your coffee from?

We import and have direct relationships with coffee farmers in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, Guatemala, Brazil and Colombia.   Among these are co-ops such as Burundi Kamikazi, members of the International Womens’ Coffee Alliance Burundi chapter.  

What is the difference between light, medium, and dark roasted coffees?

Generally, light roast coffees are more acidic, bright, with fruity flavors and less body (thinks teas). Note: Body refers to the mouthfeel - i.e. coffee feels thick and syrupy in the mouth or thin like tea. 

Dark roast coffees have less acidity and more body. Medium roasted coffees may have a balance of flavors and mouthfeel.

Is your coffee organic?

Our farmers use organic practices and don’t use pesticides. They aren’t certified organic due to costs.

How much coffee do I need for my office?

  • Employees divided by 2 = pounds
  • 1 lbs = 20 8oz cups
  • ~1 ounce per person per day

How do you brew a beautiful cup of coffee?

Whether you are new to brewing or an experienced coffee connoisseur, we’re happy to connect with helpful tips to experience a delicious cup of coffee. 

A quick tip for French Press:

  • Water ratio: 1:15 - 1 part coffee to 15 parts water
  • Coffee grind: Coarseness of sea salt (coarser than you would use for drip)
  • Water Temp: between 195-200 degrees
  • Steep time: 3-4 minutes

How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?

  • 6 oz. cup of coffee = 100 milligrams of caffeine
  • 1.5-2 oz. shot of espresso = 80-100 milligrams of caffeine
  • 12 oz. cola drink = 38-45 milligrams of caffeine

Is decaffeinated coffee 100% caffeine free?

A decaffeinated cup of coffee has 97 to 99 percent less caffeine than a caffeinated cup. A 6 oz. cup of decaf has 1 to 5 milligrams of caffeine

Do you offer Cold Brew?

  • We offer Cold brew in 1 Gallon Jugs
  • Nitrogen keg - 5 Gallon

Which coffees are organic?

For a coffee to be certified organic by the USDA, strict regulations and certifications are enforced at all levels of production. As the farms we partner with don’t always possess the financial resources to gain these certifications, we don’t require our coffees to be USDA Organic or Fair Trade Certified. However, most of the farms we work with practice organic and ecologically conscious growing methods. Through direct trade, we are able to offer producers substantially higher prices for their coffee.

Tasting and Flavors notes

We often get asked about the tasting or flavor notes on our 12 oz or 5 lb bags of coffee. When people see “fruity”, “milk chocolate” on our bag or “caramel” and “nut”, there’s sometimes a misconception that we’ve added flavoring to our beans.

However, please note that we’ve never flavored our coffee and never will. The flavors are natural characteristics inherent to the coffees! Our roasted coffee just contains the coffee greens.

  • Burundian Medium Roast - Pomelo, Brown Sugar, Dark Chocolate
  • Espresso - Mission Fig, Molasses, AllspiceGrape, Dark Chocolate, Cane Sugar
  • Brazil, Single Origin - Full-bodied medium roast with mild acidity. Golden raisin, nougat, citrus zest.
  • Medium Roast - Colombia Single Origin  black grape, dark chocolate, cane sugar
  • Tanzanian Dark Roast - Blackberry, Dark Chocolate, Date

FAQs About our Red Bay Coffee App

How do I change the default card I used for reloads?


You’ll be able to change this from the Balance tab, where you’ll be able to choose different payment methods. The default payment method will be used when you reload as part of checkout as well.


Do balances expire?


No, your balance never expires. Promotional credits may expire.


Is there a way to withdraw my existing balance, or undo a reload?


No, your balance is non-refundable. Once an amount is reloaded, there isn’t a way to withdraw the money.