FAQs

Our roastery and packaging facility is located in Chicago, IL where we always roast to order.

Yes! And like seasonal produce, coffee is best when it is freshest from the farms on which it is grown. In fact, we refer to our two annual coffee buying periods as seasons, each of which corresponds with the peak of harvest in a different part of the world. Across most of the Northern Hemisphere, the harvest is busiest during our winter months, and we introduce these northern season coffees to our menu beginning in the spring. Southern Hemisphere coffees are generally harvested in late spring and early summer, and these southern season coffees find their way onto our menu starting in the fall. Regardless of the season, we mark all our freshest single-origin coffees as 'In Season' to let you know they are less than nine calendar months removed from harvest. You can learn more here.

Intelligentsia sources coffee from dozens of Direct Trade suppliers in 14 countries around the world. Our Northern Season origins are located in North America and East Africa: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Our Southern Season origins are located in South America and Central Africa: Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Colombia, Peru, and Rwanda.

We address this through our commitment to direct trade, a structure that promotes monetary transparency, socially and environmentally progressive practices, and strong relations with farmers by directly working with them. Read more about our direct trade practices here.

We always carry USDA certified organic single origins, blends, espressos, and decaf coffee. See here.

Yes, all of our coffee is mold-free, because we test the water activity of our coffee before and after we purchase, as well before we put the coffee into production.

Yes! All of the coffee roasted at our kosher-certified facility in Chicago, IL is kosher.

Yes! See here.

We develop coffees to be as sweet and clean as they can be, and we offer profiles that fit everyone's tastes. We do not categorize our coffee based on roast level but in general our single origins are light roast, most espressos and blends are medium roast, and select espressos and blends are dark roast. If you need any help finding a coffee, take our flavor profile quiz here.

We do not add any flavorings to our coffee or espresso. We use flavor profiles to describe the general category and similarities between coffees. Flavor notes are specific descriptors for each particular coffee that are accentuated out by our coffee team through the roast process.

Single-origin coffees are sourced from a specific place, whether estates, family-owned farms, or communities served by farmer organizations. Blends showcase coffees from different places that we combine with great care and intention so they can work in concert to highlight a distinct flavor.

All our single-origin coffee names include at least two references: one to the country or origin, and at least one one that is specific to the lot. This could be the name of the grower or the farm, a farmer organization or coffee processing center, or a variety or post-harvest processing method. When in doubt, reach out to our customer support team.

We have guides for pour over, cold brew, AeroPress, espresso, French press, and automatic drip coffee. See here.

We recommend using this method here.

Use a scale to weigh your dose. If you can, use a scale to weigh your water, too. Measuring water by weight is more reliable than measuring by volume, as the density of water changes when heated. May we suggest investing in a digital scale? We sell a nice one from Jennings for $40. Escali makes a good one, too, available in a bunch of cool colors.

Always look for a conical burr grinder, as opposed to the noisy one with a single blade. Keep it clean, and the bottom line is: always grind your coffee fresh before brewing if you have the option.

For optimal freshness, we suggest storing our coffee at room temperature in an airtight container, or in the original Intelligentsia coffee bags, which are designed with one-way degassing valves and zipper seals to lock in freshness.

We recommend our coffee to be consumed within three months of the roast date. For peak freshness, we recommend five to seven days off roast and up to three weeks thereafter.

A coffee cupping is a tasting, not dissimilar from a wine tasting. The goal is to observe the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee in a methodical way. It is a professional practice, but it can be done informally by anyone. It always involves at least a few freshly roasted coffees, glassware, cupping spoons, a piece of paper and a pen (or a phone) to write down notes, and an open mind.

On our website, in one of our retail locations, or through one of our wholesale partners. Where are you located? We can help guide you to the nearest location.

If you are unsure what to pick you can take our flavor profile quiz here. It takes about 2 minutes to complete.

Our special selection coffees are our most premium, small lot single origin coffees. Many have won awards at various coffee competitions. They are only available as whole bean in 7oz bags from our Chicago Roasting Works. They are roasted according to a weekly or every other week cadence and will be fulfilled separately from the rest of the items in your order. Please refer to the product page for the roasting schedule.

Please visit our Wholesale Support page.

Yes! Please contact gifts@intelligentsiacoffee.com to coordinate bulk / gift orders.

Yes, we offer gift messaging! Enter your gift message in the cart.

All orders that are placed by 3PM CT will roast and ship the following business day. We are closed and do not roast on Saturday and Sunday. Orders placed after Thursday at 3PM and before Saturday at 3PM will roast and ship on Monday. Orders placed after Saturday at 3PM and before Monday at 3PM will roast & ship on Tuesday.

Please note there are exceptions to the above, including during peak holiday season or when our roasting facilities are closed for national holidays. For updates, please see here.

We always offer free shipping on US orders of $49 and above. We also offer free shipping to our subscribers on all subscription orders.

Yes, we do. Should you have further questions please contact our Customer Experience team at customersupport@intelligentsiacoffee.com

Please note, the recipient of the international order will be responsible to pay any applicable import tariffs or fees as deemed necessary by the shipping provider.

You can check the status of your order here. You can find the latest information regarding our fulfillment schedule or any shipping delays here.

Tracking numbers are generated when we create shipping labels, at which point you are alerted. There are times when it may take a few days for the order to be handed off and then scanned by USPS or UPS. Please wait a week for this to update before contacting support.

Unfortunately, no. Your order is committed to our system almost immediately after placing the order. Each order is individually roasted and ground based on your unique order details.

No, we are unable to retroactively apply promotions to previous orders or apply promotions to recurring subscription orders.

Not at this time. Please refer to our Return Policy for more information.

Please contact our Customer Experience team at customersupport@intelligentsiacoffee.com and we will make sure your gift card is re-sent to the correct email address.

Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago, New York City, and Boston. Learn more here.

Please check out our career page for available positions here.

We are always looking for the next great location. When one is in the works, we will be sure to announce it. Have an idea? Let us know.

Currently our only offering is a virtual home brew class. Learn more here!

Take our quiz to learn about our various coffees and discover which coffee blend, single origin, or espresso is right for you. Our baristas can also provide recommendations.

Yes! Navigate to the coffeebar that you would like to place an order with on our locations page. You will see an "Order Ahead" link that will take you to our online ordering system.

We have a variety of subscription options including blends, espresso, decaf, and single origins! You can learn more about the options here.

Yes. You have total control over your subscription in the My Subscriptions section of your Account. Cancel, skip orders, or postpone your subscription at any time.

Yes! If you would like to skip an upcoming order, you can select the "skip order" button in the My Subscriptions section of your Account. If you would like to pause for a longer period of time, you can use the "change date" feature and select any future date.

You can change your subscription frequency and quantity in the My Subscriptions section of your Account.

Yes! Once you are in the My Subscriptions section of your account, you will see a drop down menu below the coffee price. You can use this to swap into another option. Please note, current grind selections will apply to your new coffee.

Yes! Once you are in the My Subscriptions section of your account, you will see a drop down menu below the coffee price. You can use this to swap into another size of your current selection (12oz or 5lb). Please note, current grind selections will apply to your new coffee.

Unfortunately, at this time we can only support one grind type (e.g. whole bean) for every subscription in a given account.

You are able to add any item from our site, with the exception of special selection coffees, to your upcoming order. Simply log in to your account before you begin browsing our site. You will see a “Add to my upcoming order” button appear on the product pages.

Once you are in the My Subscriptions section of your account, you will see your current billing and shipping information. There is an "edit" link below both that will allow you to update this information.

Yes! Please reach out to customersupport@intelligentsiacoffee.com and they are happy to help.

Yes! However, we do not currently have an option that allows you to pay in full upfront. You would need to set up a regular subscription that ships to the recipient. It would be billed as each order is processed and would need to be cancelled at a future date.