Everything you need to know about our coffee, machines, shipping, and subscriptions. Can't find your answer? Contact our team — we typically respond within a few hours.
The biggest difference is freshness and traceability. Supermarket coffee is typically roasted weeks or months before you buy it, and the origin of the beans is often unspecified. At Orange Brews, every batch is roasted to order and shipped within 48 hours of roasting. All six of our beans are single-origin or intentionally blended, meaning we can tell you exactly which farm, cooperative, or region your coffee came from, the altitude it was grown at, and how it was processed after harvest.
We currently offer six signature roasts: Solaris Gold (light, Ethiopian), Ember Peak (medium, Colombian), Midnight Slate (dark, Sumatran), Crimson Dawn (medium-dark blend, Central American), Citrus Bloom (light-medium, Kenyan), and Velvet Fog (decaf medium, Colombian). We also release small-batch seasonal and single-farm lots exclusively to subscribers throughout the year.
Yes — Velvet Fog is our decaf offering, sourced from the Nariño department of Colombia and decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process. This method uses only water and osmosis — no chemical solvents — to remove 99.9% of caffeine while preserving the bean's natural flavor. It has notes of vanilla cream, hazelnut, and caramel, and is available in whole bean, coarse, medium, and fine grind.
We offer five grind options: Whole Bean (grind at home for maximum freshness), Coarse (French press, cold brew), Medium (drip, pour-over, Chemex), Fine (Aeropress, Moka pot), and Espresso Fine (espresso machines). Not all grind sizes are available for every bean — check each product page for specifics. We always recommend whole bean if you own a grinder, as pre-ground coffee begins to lose volatile flavor compounds within hours of grinding.
Most beans are available in 250g, 500g, and 1kg bags. Our Crimson Dawn and Ember Peak blends are also available in 2kg bags for high-volume households. Our Citrus Bloom and some seasonal releases are offered in 250g and 500g only, as these are limited-quantity lots. All bags are sealed with a one-way degassing valve and nitrogen-flushed to maximize shelf life.
Properly stored in a cool, dry, dark place (not in the freezer or refrigerator), our nitrogen-flushed bags keep beans fresh for up to 6 weeks after roasting. Once opened, we recommend consuming within 2–3 weeks for best flavor. Ground coffee has a significantly shorter peak-flavor window — typically 1–2 weeks after opening — which is why we recommend whole bean for any customer who owns a grinder.
Not all of our coffees carry official organic or fair trade certifications, as the certification process is cost-prohibitive for many of the small cooperatives we work with. However, all of our sourcing partners are vetted against our Ethical Sourcing Standards, which require fair wages above regional minimums, no child labor, sustainable land practices, and direct farmer relationships. We publish detailed sourcing reports on each bean on our About page.
We currently ship to over 40 countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and South America. Our full list of supported shipping destinations is available at checkout. If your country is not listed, contact us at hello@orangebrews.com — we occasionally make arrangements for destinations outside our standard network.
All orders are roasted and dispatched within 2 business days of being placed. Estimated delivery times after dispatch: US domestic — 3 to 5 business days (standard) or 1 to 2 business days (express). Canada and Mexico — 5 to 8 business days. Europe and UK — 7 to 10 business days. Asia-Pacific — 8 to 14 business days. Rest of world — 10 to 18 business days. Express international options are available at checkout for most destinations.
Free standard shipping is available on qualifying domestic US orders. Subscription orders always include free priority shipping, regardless of location. International one-time orders are subject to standard shipping fees based on weight and destination, calculated at checkout.
International orders may be subject to import duties, taxes, or customs fees imposed by the destination country. These charges are the responsibility of the recipient and are not included in our shipping fees. We recommend checking your country's import policies for roasted coffee beans before ordering. We declare all shipments accurately on customs documentation — we do not mark orders as gifts or undervalue them.
Once your order is dispatched, you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with a tracking number. For US domestic orders, tracking is available through USPS or UPS depending on the service selected. International orders are tracked via the carrier's own portal plus our local partner networks. If you haven't received a shipping confirmation within 3 business days of ordering, contact us at hello@orangebrews.com.
We stand behind every order. If your beans arrive damaged, stale (damaged bag seal), or if you received the wrong product, contact us within 14 days of delivery with a photo and your order number. We'll either reship the correct order at no charge or issue a full refund — your choice. We do not require you to return damaged goods.
One-time orders can be modified or cancelled within 12 hours of placement, before they enter the roasting queue. After that, orders cannot be cancelled because the roasting process will have begun. Please contact us immediately at hello@orangebrews.com if you need to make a change — we'll do our best to accommodate requests received quickly.
We offer three subscription frequencies: Monthly (every 4 weeks), Bi-Monthly (every 8 weeks), and Quarterly (every 12 weeks). You can change your frequency at any time from your account dashboard or by contacting our support team.
Yes. You can update your bean selection, grind preference, and quantity before each delivery, provided you make changes at least 5 days before your scheduled roast date. Your roast date is shown in your account dashboard and included in the reminder email we send one week before each shipment.
You can pause your subscription for up to 90 days through your online account. To pause, log in, navigate to Subscription Settings, and select Pause Delivery. Select a resume date and confirm. Your subscription will automatically resume on that date. There's no fee to pause, and pausing does not affect your plan tier or subscriber perks.
Yes, you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee. To cancel, log in to your account and select Cancel Subscription, or email hello@orangebrews.com with your account email and request. Cancellations take effect immediately and will stop future billing. If a shipment has already been roasted and dispatched for your current cycle, that shipment will still be delivered — cancellation applies to future cycles only.
Yes. Active subscribers receive advance notice of all seasonal and limited-edition roasts before they're announced publicly, and have the option to substitute a seasonal roast into their next cycle. Many of our limited lots sell out within hours of release — subscriber early access is one of the most valued perks of the program.
Yes, gift subscriptions are available for all three plan durations (3, 6, or 12 cycles). The recipient sets up their own bean and grind preferences after receiving a gift activation code. Gift subscriptions are a popular corporate gifting option — contact our team at hello@orangebrews.com for bulk gifting arrangements.
For most first-time specialty coffee drinkers, we recommend the Cascade Pro. It takes the guesswork out of pour-over brewing — the most flavor-expressive brew method — by automating temperature, bloom, and flow rate. You get café-quality filter coffee at the push of a button, with room to experiment with custom brew profiles as your palate develops.
The Helio One, Cascade Pro, Solstice V, and Nomad Press are all rated 100–240V and will work with any plug adapter worldwide. The Meridian Office operates at 220–240V only and is not compatible with 110V North American circuits without a step-up transformer. All machines come with the plug type appropriate for the shipping destination.
All Orange Brews machines carry a 2-year parts and labor warranty covering manufacturing defects. The warranty does not cover damage from misuse, scale build-up from non-descaled hard water, or unauthorized modifications. Extended service contracts are available for the Meridian Office. To make a warranty claim, contact hello@orangebrews.com with your order number and a description of the issue.
We recommend descaling every 2–3 months depending on your water hardness. Use a food-safe citric acid descaler (not vinegar, which can leave residue) diluted per the instructions in your machine's manual. Run the descale cycle as described for your specific model. Using filtered water significantly reduces scale build-up and extends the life of your machine's boiler and pump.
Yes. Replacement portafilter baskets, steam wand tips, drip trays, carafes, and water filters are available for all machines. Contact us at hello@orangebrews.com with your machine model and the part you need. We aim to stock all serviceable parts for at least 7 years after a machine's discontinuation.
For light and light-medium roasts (Solaris Gold, Citrus Bloom), use water between 93°C–96°C (199°F–205°F). For medium roasts (Ember Peak, Velvet Fog), use 90°C–93°C (194°F–199°F). For medium-dark and dark roasts (Crimson Dawn, Midnight Slate), use 88°C–91°C (190°F–196°F). Lower temperatures prevent over-extraction of the bitter compounds that darker roasts develop. If you don't have a thermometer, letting boiling water rest for 30 seconds drops it to approximately 94°C.
A good starting point for most brew methods is a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio by weight — for example, 20g of coffee to 300ml of water. For espresso, a standard ratio is 1:2 (18g of coffee to 36g of espresso output). French press and cold brew often benefit from a slightly stronger ratio of 1:12 to 1:14. We include specific brew ratio recommendations on each bean's product page.
Espresso machine: Fine (similar to table salt). Moka pot / Aeropress: Fine to medium-fine. Drip / pour-over / Chemex: Medium (similar to coarse sea salt). French press / cold brew: Coarse (similar to rough breadcrumbs). A consistent grind is more important than the exact size — uneven grind produces uneven extraction, which leads to both bitter and sour notes in the same cup.
The bloom is a short pre-infusion step at the start of pour-over and drip brewing. You pour a small amount of hot water (about 2× the weight of your coffee) over the grounds and let it rest for 30–45 seconds before the main pour. Fresh coffee releases CO₂ gas trapped inside the bean during roasting. If you don't bloom, this gas escapes during brewing and disrupts water flow through the grounds, causing uneven extraction. The bloom degasses the grounds first, ensuring even saturation and a cleaner, more balanced cup. This is especially important with recently roasted coffee (less than 2 weeks old), which releases the most CO₂.
Store beans in a cool, dark, dry location — a kitchen cupboard away from the oven is ideal. Keep them in their original nitrogen-flushed bag with the one-way valve intact, or transfer to an airtight ceramic or stainless container with a CO₂ valve. Do not store in the refrigerator or freezer unless you are freezing a large sealed quantity you don't intend to open for months — the moisture from condensation when the beans return to room temperature damages flavor. Never store beans in clear containers on a sunny counter.
Bitterness in espresso is almost always caused by over-extraction — the water spent too long in contact with the grounds, pulling out bitter compounds after the desirable ones have already been extracted. Common causes: grind too fine (most likely), water too hot, dose too low, or shot pulled too slowly. Try coarsening your grind by one setting and pulling again. If bitterness persists, check your water temperature — dropping it by 2°C can make a dramatic difference, especially with lighter roasts.
Sourness in espresso indicates under-extraction — not enough flavor was pulled from the grounds. Common causes: grind too coarse, water too cool, shot pulled too quickly, or insufficient dose. Try grinding finer by one setting. Also check that your machine has fully reached brewing temperature before pulling — some machines need 10–15 minutes of warm-up time, not just 25 seconds to heat-ready status.
Our team is available Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm Pacific Time. We typically respond to all inquiries within a few hours.