Best Pacific Northwest Coffee Roasters That Ship Nationwide

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The best coffee roasters in the Pacific Northwest helped shape how Americans drink coffee, and many of them now roast to order and ship fresh beans across the country. Stumptown, the region’s best-known name, is already covered in our guide to the best coffee roasters in the USA, so this list goes deeper into six independent roasters in Washington and Oregon. We compared roaster details, expert reviews and owner feedback, and for each one we name a signature coffee to try first.

Part of our Coffee Buying Guides.

Roaster	City	Known for	Signature coffee	Ships nationwide	Price tier	Link
Heart Coffee Roasters	Portland, OR	Light, fruit-forward roasts; direct sourcing	Stereo Seasonal Blend	Yes (US)	$$	See price
Olympia Coffee Roasting Co.	Olympia, WA	Good Food Awards winner, B Corp, direct trade	Big Truck	Yes (US)	$$	See price
Coava Coffee Roasters	Portland, OR	Long-term producer partnerships, roasted to order	S.O. Blend	Yes (US)	$$	See price
Caffe Vita	Seattle, WA	Farm-direct pioneer since 1995, vintage Probat roaster	Caffe Del Sol	Yes (US)	$$	See price
Kuma Coffee	Seattle, WA	Publishes what it pays farmers	Classic Blend	Yes (US)	$$	See price
Herkimer Coffee	Seattle, WA	Roast you can watch from the café	Espresso Blend	Yes (US)	$$	Visit

Price tiers are per standard retail bag (roughly 8–12 oz): $ under $15, $$ $15–25, $$$ $25–40, $$$$ over $40. Prices change often, so check the current listing. Amazon listings may come from third-party sellers, so for the freshest beans you can also order direct from each roaster.

1. Heart Coffee Roasters — Best for bright, fruity light roasts

Wille and Rebekah Yli-Luoma founded Heart in Portland in 2009 with a simple idea: a great cup should highlight the distinct fruit flavors of the coffee. Heart buys directly and visits its farm partners during the year, and Thrillist twice named it one of the top roasters in the US. Rather than labeling roasts light or dark, Heart says it aims for even development that brings out sweetness, which in practice means a lighter style.

Start with the Stereo Seasonal Blend, which rotates its components through the year. A recent version paired a Honduran coffee with an Ethiopian lot from Yirgacheffe and listed notes of cherry, sweet cream and fudge. Orders ship by USPS or FedEx within about two business days, and a Roaster’s Choice subscription sends a new single origin every two weeks. Heart will grind on request if you leave a note at checkout, except for 8 oz bags.

Visit if you’re in town: its cafés sit on East Burnside Street in the Kerns neighborhood and on SE Woodstock Boulevard.

Why we picked it: Heart is one of Portland’s defining light-roast specialists, and its seasonal blend is an easy entry point to fruit-forward coffee.

Keep in mind: If you prefer dark, chocolatey coffee, its bright style may taste too acidic. Heart also suggests resting beans about a week after roasting.

What owners say: Fans praise its bright, sweet and fruity cups, while a few find some coffees thin-bodied.

Check price on Amazon →

2. Olympia Coffee Roasting Co. — Best award-winning all-rounder

Olympia Coffee started as a wholesale roaster in 2005, and former employees Oliver Stormshak and Sam Schroeder bought it in 2010. Since then it has been named a Roast Magazine Micro Roaster of the Year, won Good Food Awards as recently as 2024, been chosen by Food & Wine as the best coffee in Washington State in 2019, and become a certified B Corp in 2018. It buys direct, often down to specific day-lots from individual farms.

Try Big Truck, its original flagship blend of Colombian and Ethiopian coffees with notes of chocolate, caramel and berries. Olympia roasts to order on weekdays and ships the same day, with free shipping above a modest order total. It ships across the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, and internationally, and subscriptions are available.

Visit if you’re in town: the downtown Olympia roastery and café is on 4th Avenue East, and there are cafés in Tacoma’s Proctor District and several Seattle neighborhoods.

Why we picked it: Few regional roasters pair this much recognition with fast, roast-to-order shipping, and Big Truck works for drip and espresso alike.

Keep in mind: Its most famous single origins rotate and can sell out, so subscribe if there’s a lot you love.

What owners say: Public review data was thin, but coffee press coverage of Big Truck is consistently enthusiastic.

Check price on Amazon →

3. Coava Coffee Roasters — Best for whole-bean purists

Matt Higgins started Coava in his North Portland garage in 2008. It focuses on long-term relationships with producers, often in regions that get little attention from buyers. Higgins was named Oregon’s Small Business Person of the Year in 2018, and the flagship café once appeared on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

The S.O. Blend of Colombian, Brazilian and Ethiopian coffees is rich and chocolatey, with dark caramel notes, and comes in a drip or espresso roast. Coava roasts to order Sunday through Thursday and usually ships within 48 hours of your order, but only to US addresses. Online orders are whole bean only, and subscriptions let you choose drip, espresso or both.

Visit if you’re in town: the flagship is on SE Grand Avenue, with another café on SE Hawthorne Boulevard and a café and roastery on SE Main Street.

Why we picked it: Coava is a respected Portland roaster with a medium-roast drip profile that suits people who find very light coffee too sharp.

Keep in mind: It doesn’t sell pre-ground coffee online, so you will need a grinder.

What owners say: We found too little public owner feedback to summarize fairly.

Check price on Amazon →

4. Caffe Vita — Best for classic Seattle espresso

Caffe Vita opened on New Year’s Day 1995 in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne and was an early leader in farm-direct sourcing. It now works directly with growers in more than 11 countries and roasts on a 1930s-era Probat. It also roasts in Brooklyn and Phoenix but still calls itself independent and locally owned.

Caffe Del Sol is the one to try: a medium-roast blend of natural Brazilian, natural Ethiopian and washed Guatemalan coffees with notes of milk chocolate, caramel and dark cherry. Web orders usually ship within one business day from Seattle or New York. Unlike several roasters here, Vita offers six grind settings as well as whole bean, plus the Vita Coffee Club subscription.

Visit if you’re in town: the flagship café and roastery is on East Pike Street on Capitol Hill, with more cafés in Fremont, Queen Anne and the Smith Tower.

Why we picked it: If you want the rich, chocolatey espresso Seattle built its name on, made with modern sourcing, Caffe Del Sol delivers.

Keep in mind: Its darker options, such as the French roast, are quite different from the medium Del Sol, so read the roast level before ordering.

What owners say: We found too little recent owner feedback to summarize fairly.

Check price on Amazon →

5. Kuma Coffee — Best for transparent sourcing

Mark Barany began roasting in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood in late 2007 and founded Kuma in 2008. The Seattle Times reported that Kuma was the first Seattle roaster to publish what it pays per pound for its coffee, and its sourcing page says it aims to pay about three times Fair Trade prices. Most of its coffees are roasted medium-light.

The Classic Blend, formerly Fresh Crop Balanced, is a medium roast with notes of caramel, chocolate, stone fruit and honey. Kuma roasts and ships within 24 hours, Monday through Thursday, and offers subscriptions.

Visit if you’re in town: Kuma has no café right now, though its site offers local pickup in Seattle.

Why we picked it: Kuma’s open pricing makes it a good choice if you care where your coffee money goes, and the Classic Blend is an easy daily drinker.

Keep in mind: Without a café, you can’t try before you buy in person, and its lineup changes with the harvest.

What owners say: We found too little public owner feedback to summarize fairly.

Check price on Amazon →

6. Herkimer Coffee — Best for same-day roasting

Mike Prins, who co-founded Caffe Vita, opened Herkimer in 2003 and added its own roaster in 2007. Herkimer trades directly with small, high-altitude farms and says it pays well above Fair Trade prices. It roasts its blends on the lighter side of medium and its single origins light.

Its Espresso Blend is a classic-modern espresso and the core of its café menu. Herkimer roasts and ships the same day by UPS 2nd Day Air, ships whole bean by default, and offers weekly, every-two-weeks or monthly subscriptions.

Visit if you’re in town: at the Phinney Ridge café on Greenwood Avenue North you can watch the roaster at work from your seat, and there are cafés on University Way and downtown on 4th Avenue.

Why we picked it: Same-day roasting plus two-day shipping is about as fresh as mail-order coffee gets.

Keep in mind: Herkimer lists few tasting notes for its blends, so you’re partly trusting the roaster.

What owners say: Café visitors praise the friendly service and the chance to watch roasting, though some find the roaster noisy and the food menu limited.

Visit Herkimer Coffee →

How to choose a Pacific Northwest coffee roaster

Light, medium or dark?

Seattle earned a reputation for dark roasts during coffee’s second wave, when chains grew on full-bodied, darker coffee. Today’s independent roasters in Washington and Oregon have moved lighter. Heart and Kuma lean light to medium-light, Herkimer roasts its blends on the lighter side of medium, and Coava, Olympia’s Big Truck and Caffe Vita’s Del Sol land around medium. If you like bold, chocolatey coffee, start with a medium blend before trying the fruitier single origins.

Look for roast dates and ordering schedules

Every roaster here roasts to order, but their timing varies. Olympia and Herkimer ship the same day they roast, while Kuma and Coava ship within about a day. Fresh beans usually need a few days to rest: Heart suggests about a week and says flavor peaks roughly 7 to 30 days after roasting, and Coava says many of its coffees taste best several days after roast. Espresso generally needs a little more rest than drip coffee.

Whole bean or ground?

Whole beans stay fresh far longer. Coava sells only whole bean online, and Herkimer ships whole bean by default. Caffe Vita offers several grind sizes, and Heart grinds on request. Match the grind to your brewer: medium for drip and pour-over, coarse for French press and cold brew, and fine for espresso.

Buy direct or on Amazon?

Ordering from the roaster usually means the freshest bag and access to limited lots and subscriptions. Amazon is handy for blends and quick delivery, but listings for small roasters may come from third-party sellers, so check the roast date when the bag arrives.

Store beans properly

The National Coffee Association recommends an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dark place, buying one to two weeks’ worth at a time, and grinding just before brewing. Roasted beans keep their best flavor for about one to three weeks at room temperature, or a few months frozen in a truly airtight container.

FAQ

Is Pacific Northwest coffee roasted dark?

Seattle’s reputation for dark roasts dates to the second-wave coffee boom. Most independent roasters in the region now favor light to medium roasts, though some, like Caffe Vita, still sell darker options.

How long do fresh-roasted beans last?

Roasted beans taste best within about one to three weeks at room temperature, according to the National Coffee Association. Heart says its coffees peak about 7 to 30 days after roasting, so give fresh beans a few days to rest before brewing.

Do these roasters sell ground coffee?

Some do. Caffe Vita offers several grind sizes, and Heart grinds on request except for 8 oz bags. Coava ships whole bean only, and Herkimer ships whole bean by default. Grinding at home gives the freshest cup.

How fast do they ship after roasting?

Olympia and Herkimer roast and ship the same day, Kuma ships within 24 hours, and Coava usually ships within 24 hours of roasting. Delivery time then depends on the carrier and your distance from Washington or Oregon.

Related guides

• The best Colorado and Mountain West coffee roasters
• The best California coffee roasters
• All coffee buying guides
• The best coffee roasters in the USA
• The best coffee subscriptions
• The best pour-over coffee makers
• The best coffee grinders

Sources

Heart: About · Heart: FAQ · Heart: Shipping · Heart: Stereo Seasonal Blend · Wikipedia: Heart Coffee Roasters · CoffeeRoast.com: Heart reviews · Olympia Coffee: Our story · Olympia Coffee: Big Truck · Olympia Coffee: Shipping policy · The Olympian via Yahoo: Olympia Coffee · Coava: Our story · Coava: FAQ · Coava: Shipping · Coava: S.O. Blend · Wikipedia: Coava Coffee Roasters · Caffe Vita: Caffe Del Sol · Caffe Vita: Shipping · Seattle Met: The rise of Caffe Vita · Kuma Coffee: Sourcing philosophy · Kuma Coffee: Classic Blend · Seattle Times: Mark Barany · Herkimer Coffee: About · Herkimer Coffee: Locations · Seattle Unexplored: Herkimer review · Seattle Coffee Gear: Seattle coffee history · National Coffee Association: Storage and shelf life
Owner feedback is summarized in our own words from public reviews. Photos courtesy of Unsplash.