When you open a bag of Fidalgo Coffee, that rich, aromatic experience isn't just magic – it's science of coffee! Today, we're pulling back the curtain to share how we ensure every cup of your coffee tastes as fresh and flavorful as possible. Let's dive into our fascinating journey from bean to bag!
Did you know coffee has seasons? Just like your favorite fruits and vegetables, coffee has optimal harvest times. We've developed a clever dual-hemisphere sourcing strategy that follows the harvest seasons:
This means we're always working with the freshest beans possible, switching between hemispheres to capture peak harvest quality. It's like having an endless summer of perfect coffee!
We believe you deserve to know exactly what you're drinking. That's why every bag of Fidalgo Coffee comes with two important dates:
Here's something fascinating: freshly roasted coffee beans actually need time to "breathe!" Right after roasting, coffee beans release carbon dioxide – and if you brew them too soon, you might end up with weaker coffee. That's where our innovative packaging process comes in:
This scientific approach means your coffee:
Coffee has three main enemies: oxygen, humidity, and UV light. Our advanced packaging technology acts like a shield against all three! Once you open your bag, here's how to keep that freshness going:
Our commitment to freshness goes hand in hand with environmental responsibility. The nitrogen-flush technology we use is:
While nitrogen-flush packaging is typically used by large coffee brands, we're proud to be among the few specialty roasters offering this premium technology. It's part of our commitment to delivering exceptional coffee experiences to every customer.
Next time you brew a cup of Fidalgo Coffee, take a moment to appreciate the care and science that went into preserving its perfect flavor. From our strategic bean sourcing to our innovative packaging, every step is designed to ensure you experience coffee at its absolute best.
We are proud to be certified in both Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), ensuring a safe, sanitary, and high-quality coffee production process.
Our GMP certification affirms that we uphold rigorous hygiene, sanitation, and operational standards throughout every step of production. These standards help minimize contamination risks by focusing on clean facilities, well-maintained equipment, and proper employee practices. HACCP adds an additional layer of protection by identifying potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards and setting up controls to prevent them.
Compliance with food safety regulations like the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is essential for any food business. Our certifications ensure we meet and exceed these legal requirements, helping us avoid costly penalties and operate in alignment with U.S. and global standards.
In today’s market, food safety is top of mind for both consumers and business partners. Our dual certifications in GMP and HACCP showcase our commitment to quality and safety, fostering trust and building brand loyalty. This commitment also positions us to partner with distributors and retailers who demand high safety standards.
We source coffee beans under GMP/HACCP-certified importing, allowing us to trace and monitor each lot of coffee from origin to end-product. This international recognition and traceability strengthen our commitment to food safety, both backward and forward, along the supply chain.
GMP and HACCP not only help reduce contamination risks but also provide a proactive approach to quality control. This minimizes the chances of recalls and liability, protecting both our reputation and our customers. The focus on organized, efficient operations further boosts productivity and streamlines the roasting process.
In a competitive industry, our certifications set us apart. By maintaining high food safety standards, we distinguish ourselves as a trusted and quality-focused coffee roaster, gaining an edge with consumers and retailers who prioritize safety and quality.
By adhering to GMP and HACCP standards, Fidalgo Coffee Roasters delivers not only premium coffee but also peace of mind, ensuring quality, compliance, and risk management every step of the way.
At Fidalgo Coffee, we are passionate about delivering fresh, rich, and aromatic coffee right to your cup. Part of how we achieve this is by using nitrogen — a powerful but often overlooked gas that plays a vital role in keeping your coffee at its best.
Nitrogen is an invisible, tasteless, and odorless gas that makes up a whopping 78% of the air we breathe. Despite being so common, it’s also relatively inert, meaning it doesn’t easily react with other substances. Because of this, nitrogen is widely used in various industries to protect products from spoiling or degrading.
In coffee and food packaging, nitrogen has a particularly valuable role. By displacing oxygen — a known enemy of freshness — nitrogen helps maintain the integrity of delicate flavors and aromas. When coffee beans come into contact with oxygen and moisture, they can lose their fresh, vibrant flavor. Nitrogen works to prevent this, preserving coffee’s peak quality for longer.
At Fidalgo Coffee, we use nitrogen-flush packaging technology to give our beans the ideal environment for long-lasting freshness. Here’s how it works: during packaging, we flush each bag with nitrogen to push out oxygen and humidity, then seal it tightly to keep out light, oxygen, and moisture.
This process is more than just a step to maintain freshness. When sealed in nitrogen, our coffee beans actually improve over time, conditioning in the bag for up to 60 days until they reach peak flavor. Even after this, they maintain their rich aroma and flavor for up to 120 days and can stay delicious for up to a year when unopened.
Using nitrogen in coffee packaging isn’t only effective but also safe and environmentally responsible. Nitrogen is a natural component of the air we breathe, making it non-toxic and entirely food-safe. Additionally, nitrogen gas is abundant, renewable, and doesn’t produce any harmful byproducts, making it an eco-friendly choice for protecting quality.
Since nitrogen flushing reduces the need for additional preservatives, this method keeps our coffee both pure and free from unnecessary chemicals. At Fidalgo Coffee, we value both the quality of our coffee and the well-being of the planet, and nitrogen packaging aligns with this commitment.
Once you open a bag of Fidalgo Coffee, it will start to age naturally, like any roasted coffee, taking about a week before staling becomes noticeable. But until that first opening, our nitrogen flushing ensures that the coffee you receive is fresh, flavorful, and ready for your enjoyment.
While nitrogen flush packaging was originally pioneered by Illy Caffe in Italy, it’s typically used by large-scale brands. At Fidalgo, we’re proud to be one of the few specialty coffee brands with access to this advanced packaging technology, allowing us to bring you a superior coffee experience every time.
So, next time you savor a cup of Fidalgo Coffee, you’ll know a little more about what goes into preserving that incredible taste — all thanks to nitrogen, a natural and sustainable way to keep coffee fresh.
Coffee enthusiasts are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to enjoy their favorite beverage. Enter white coffee, a lesser-known but intriguing variant that's gaining popularity for its unique flavor and brewing techniques. If you're eager to explore something different in your coffee cup, white coffee might just be the next thing to try. Here’s how to brew it and some delightful drink recipes to get you started.
White coffee isn't white; rather, it refers to coffee beans that are roasted at a lower temperature than typical beans, resulting in a lighter color and a different flavor profile. This roasting process preserves a higher level of caffeine and a nuttier, less bitter flavor compared to regular coffee. The beans are hard and require a special grinder for a fine enough consistency.
The Wired Wolf is a lightly roasted white coffee. White coffee has up to 50% more caffeine content than most fully-roasted coffee, is higher in antioxidants, and is low in acidity.
Only available in Espresso Grind.
To fully enjoy white coffee, you need to brew it correctly. Here are some tips to help you master the brewing process:
Once you've mastered brewing, it's time to get creative with some delicious white coffee drink recipes:
White coffee offers a unique twist on the traditional coffee experience with its distinctive brewing method and versatile flavor profile that pairs well with a variety of ingredients. Whether you're in the mood for something sweet, minty, or spicy, white coffee can accommodate your cravings. So why not give these recipes a try and see what new coffee horizons you can explore? Happy brewing!
Fidalgo Coffee/2024
Maltby Café/1988
This all relates to our Sunset Blend coffee from Fidalgo Coffee Roasters.
Cooking is not just my passion; it was also my first career choice. My friends and family know that I’m a seriously good home cook—it was once my career and now one of my hobbies. At 21 years old, I founded and was the chef at The Maltby Cafe, where those giant cinnamon rolls—my dough-proofing mistake—turned into a local craze.
I read every food book I can get my hands on, including Franklin BBQ by Aaron Franklin. I've been following him on YouTube to up my game with my backyard offset smoker. His approach to food and beverage mirrors mine: use the best raw ingredients and cook it the way it tastes best. While reading the book, I discovered that Aaron is a huge espresso drinker—not just for the taste but also out of necessity during his all-night brisket cooks.
In specialty coffee roasting, I've heard others in the industry negatively describe overly dark coffee as "BBQ." About 30 years ago, my industry started to push back against larger brands that roasted mid-quality coffee very darkly. The roast flavor dominated, so why would they buy the highest-grade coffees only to obscure their unique characteristics with a dark roast? They are not buying the lowest grade, in my opinion, but rather coffee that's good enough, then dark roasting it. However, the new wave roasters, mostly out of Portland around Y2K, introduced high-quality green coffees and roasted them to what we insiders would call a "cupping roast." With the lighter roast, some people pucker over the acidity. The roastery I worked at in the '90s would only roast Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain at those light levels, shouting to that roasting room, "Don't burn the Kona!" Today, I'm here to make a defense for quality medium and dark-roasted coffee done right, like we do at Fidalgo.
Aaron Franklin insists on using only USDA prime beef for his BBQ, and despite its high cost, his focus on quality ingredients and BBQ technique has led to incredible success. I agree, and this is how we operate at Fidalgo.
We buy the best stuff on earth: top-grade (specialty Arabica) coffee, fresh in-season, new crop. These are the top sorted coffees from origins mostly in Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, and Ethiopia, both washed and pulp natural. We've had the same coffee buyer for the past 20 years, and it’s truly remarkable to witness that expertise. For instance, we offer a light-roasted specialty Guatemala Huehuetenango as our Koma Kulshan and our Ethiopia heirloom washed single origin is lightly roasted because we want to taste the Meyer lemon in that coffee. Our popular house blends use those same exotic coffees, and we take them to their fully developed place as medium and dark roasted coffees. Some might say we could save money by using lower-priced coffees, especially for the darker roasts. But our customers know that something special is going on, and it’s closely tied to the quality of the raw ingredients, which is evident in every cup.
For example, I recently hosted a family visiting from Los Angeles who ordered our coffee online at our roastery in Burlington (WA). I made them all a cup of our Sunset Blend, a classic dark roast. I used a 13:1 water-to-coffee ratio with water at 202°F, and they were all amazed by its smooth, delicious flavor. This blend is one of our dual hemisphere coffees, meaning we use coffee that's a fresh crop, switching it out every six months between northern or southern hemisphere crops. Right now, Sunset is a blend from a coffee farm co-op from Huila, Colombia. I really like Colombian coffee, and this one hits all of my sweet spots. It’s that good.
I can’t wait to visit Franklin BBQ—it’s a long way from Seattle, but I’ll be in Dallas in two weeks for a trade show. It might just be worth the side trip.
Warmest,
Darryl Miller | President & CEO
Fidalgo Coffee Roasters
As the days grow longer and the chill of winter gives way to the warmth of spring, the Skagit Valley prepares for its most colorful season. The Tulip Festival, a beloved annual event, invites locals and visitors alike to marvel at the breathtaking beauty of millions of tulips in bloom. Amidst this floral spectacle, Fidalgo Coffee is proud to introduce our 2024 Tulip Festival Blend, a coffee that captures the essence of this vibrant celebration.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is not just a display of flowers; it's a community event that brings people from all walks of life together to appreciate the beauty of nature, local art, and the spirit of togetherness. From picturesque fields of endless colors to the diverse activities available, including art shows, gala nights, and fun runs, there's something magical in the air that we at Fidalgo Coffee are thrilled to be a part of.
This year, we're featuring the photography of Garry Brown, a talented local artist whose photograph from the official Tulip Festival poster graces our coffee label. This underscores our commitment to supporting local artistry and the festival that brings so much joy and color to our lives.
Our 2024 Tulip Festival Blend is a testament to our dedication to excellence and sustainability. This dark roast, with its smooth and bold flavor profile, is carefully crafted to provide a sensory experience as rich and memorable as the tulip fields themselves. Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Kosher, each cup not only offers a moment of contemplation and joy but also contributes to the festival's success and supports ethical farming practices worldwide.
Every purchase of this seasonal delight contributes to the cherished Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, with 5% of proceeds going directly to support this Washington State Non-Profit Organization.
As you plan your visit to the Skagit Valley this spring, let the Tulip Festival Blend accompany your journey. Whether you're strolling through the fields, capturing the perfect photo, or simply enjoying the company of friends and family, our coffee is a reminder of the beauty of the season and the connections that it fosters.
We invite you to join us in celebrating the return of the tulips and the community spirit they symbolize. With every sip of the 2024 Tulip Festival Blend, you're not just tasting coffee; you're partaking in a tradition that continues to bring beauty and joy to the Skagit Valley.
Warm regards,
Your Friends at Fidalgo Coffee
For more details on the coffee and to make a purchase, visit Fidalgo Coffee's Tulip Festival Blend page.
In the heart of the South Park neighborhood, San Francisco, there has long been a daily buzz around the famed Caffe Centro. Throughout communities globally, the idea of “Centro”, (the center, middle of something) often provides the heartbeat of activity to our villages, towns, and cities. It is a common gathering place for meetings, conversation, relaxation, and culinary pleasures. This is the inspiration behind Fidalgo’s Organic Centro Blend. Named after the well-known coffee institution, this medium-dark, smooth coffee creates comfort and familiarity you can depend on daily.
The beans in Organic Centro are a “post roast,” meaning a blend of two separate batches with different profiles. The first part is Peru roasted dark. Then, a combination of Peru and Guatemala is added from a second lighter roast. Sourced at an altitude range of roughly 3600 – 5600 ft above sea level, the Piura, Amazonas, Cajamarca, and San Martin regions are situated in the Northern part of Peru. The crop is fully washed and dried in the sun. The beans are certified fair trade, organic, and known for caramel, chocolate, and walnut notes.
The smaller portion of Guatemala beans used in the lighter roast component also have the same certifications and undergo the wash/dry method. They are sourced from the Santa Cruz Barillas within the department of Huehuetenango, a region situated around 4600 feet above sea level. These beans can show flavors of banana bread, baking spice, nougat, and dark chocolate.
Together, they create a coffee described as mellow with a medium body, mild acidity, and a sweet finish. Some other notes to look for include roasted nuts, white chocolate, and citrus flavors that can taste winey or buttery. As mentioned, the acidity is mild but present, creating balance for an ideal “everyday” cup or enjoy with simple pairings like fresh bagels, biscotti, and buttered biscuits.
This is a coffee you could feature as a “house brew” for your busy café or restaurant – focused and consistent. Centro’s character embraces the coastal climate zones and an element of sophistication. Try it with an orange-walnut scone, or perhaps combine it with your favorite milk steamed up for a classic café au lait. It’s a “go-to” blend that appeals to a seasoned coffee drinker calling for refills and time set aside to savor for a while.
Ho ho ho! It’s Christmas time, and we at Fidalgo Coffee Roasters are excited to share a mug of cheer with you this holiday season!
Do you like dark roast coffee? Fidalgo Coffee does this one right—Yuletide Roast. It’s our annual tradition from our family to yours. When it’s cold outside, there's almost nothing better than a mug of Yuletide Roast. We know Yule love it!
We make this coffee using just-arrived, fresh, new-crop, single-origin, organic coffee that was grown in the Amazon rainforest of Peru. We roast it slow and dark. You can enjoy this coffee with cream, sugar, milk or even eggnog. We’ve heard tales of Santa doing just that.
May your home be filled with the warmth of family and friends this holiday season. May your spirit sparkle with moments of love and laughter. May your days be filled with the magic of Christmas. Wishing you a season of togetherness and happiness with loved ones.
Darryl Miller
CEO
Fidalgo Coffee Roasters
Welcome back the cherished warmth of the holidays with Fidalgo Coffee's beloved Yuletide Roast – a sesonal tradition that's eagerly anticipated each year. As the winter winds herald the return of festive times, there's no better companion than a cup of this rich, full-bodied coffee.
Our Yuletide Roast, a harmonious blend from the high-altitude terrains of San Ignacio, Cajamarca in Peru, is an ode to the craftsmanship of deeply-roasted coffee. Each sip offers a symphony of flavors, with undertones of toasted nuts, that's both smooth and robust – a testament to the organic, fair trade, and kosher beans that make up its composition.
With a lineage of coffee varieties like bourbon, catimore, cattura, mundo novo, pache, and typica, the Yuletide Roast paints a palette of flavors – deep tones from bourbon, nuttiness from catimore, sweetness from cattura, woodiness from mundo novo, silky smoothness from pache, and a hint of smokiness from typica. And rest assured, these are the bean's natural profiles, skillfully uncovered through our precise roasting methods without a whisper of artificial flavoring.
Drinking a cup of our Yuletide Roast is akin to wrapping yourself in the cozy embrace of a winter cottage, where the air is scented with the allure of freshly baked pies, and the fireplace's gentle warmth is a steadfast presence.
The perfect gift for the Holiday season - even if it's just a gift to yourself. 😉
Our partnership with CENFROCAFE, a co-op of over 3,000 farming families, ensures that every bean enriches not just your cup but also the lives of those who cultivate them. With each purchase, you support sustainable wages, environmental care, and safe working conditions.
As the beans journey from harvest to roast, they're fully washed and sun-dried, ensuring clarity in flavor. And it's in our roasters in Burlington, Washington, where the magic culminates – a dark roast that's rich and smooth, never burnt or bitter.
The Yuletide Roast isn't just a coffee; it's a festive ritual, a yearly delight that's become a part of the holiday fabric. So, gather around, share stories, and savor the season with Fidalgo's Yuletide Roast. And if you're curious to explore more, take our Coffee Finder Quiz to discover a roast that's just right for you.
Autumn brings a touch of nostalgia — from the crackling bonfires and crisp mornings to the kaleidoscope of foliage and pumpkins adorning porches. It's the season of warmth and reconnection, a perfect time to cherish our friends and family. The best connections are forged in quiet moments, away from life's hustle. These authentic encounters often happen during a peaceful drive through the countryside, a relaxing afternoon on the couch, or gathering for a jam session after a busy week. It's in these shared experiences that we find joy.
At Fidalgo, we're dedicated to enriching your connections in a truly genuine and lasting manner. In contrast to the fast-paced world of mass-produced coffee, we offer a crafted experience. Our handpicked coffees don't just promise a delightful cup but also enhance those special moments with a richer, more authentic taste — a satisfying coffee experience.
Great coffee has the power to connect us on a profound level. Fidalgo Coffee is committed to fostering those bonds with our meticulously roasted coffee. We believe in the magic of simple ingredients, carefully roasted to showcase their full potential. Our aim is to transform these quality beans into a cup that mirrors the purity of its origins, crafting a coffee that brings people together, not just for occasions, but as part of everyday life.
The artistry in roasting exceptional coffee lies in two elements: the quality of the beans and the roasting technique. At Fidalgo, we're passionate about selecting only the finest beans and perfecting the roast to craft a cup of coffee that deepens the moments you share with loved ones.
We value responsible sourcing and maintaining a close relationship with the farmers who grow our coffee. Our goal is to create a vibrant, exciting cup of coffee that stands in stark contrast to the uninspired offerings commonly found. For those who appreciate the depth of flavor that often goes unnoticed, we're here to deliver.
Fidalgo sources only the finest beans, ensuring excellence in every cup. Whether you prefer single origin or a blend, the secret is starting with high-quality beans. Our master blenders artfully develop each coffee's flavor profile, ensuring consistency and quality in every batch.
Despite some criticisms, we believe a well-crafted blend can rival any single origin. Our roasters, like artists blending paints, combine beans to create complex and imaginative flavors. This craftsmanship can result in a cup that's as delightful to share as it is to savor.
We take pride in our roasting process, which utilizes small batches and direct flame techniques to achieve the most even roast. Our roasters' finesse brings out diverse flavor profiles that cater to every palate without any artificial enhancement.
The natural roasting process can unveil a spectrum of flavors — from caramel to fruity — creating a perfectly balanced cup that coffee enthusiasts adore. Our coffees might surprise you at first with their distinct taste but give them a chance, and you'll come to appreciate the natural flavors of this beloved bean.
Fidalgo caters to all preferences, including white, light, medium, dark, and decaf roasts. Unsure of your favorite? Try our Yuletide Blend — a festive concoction with notes of toasted nuttiness, perfect for the holiday season.
We invite you to make Fidalgo part of your coffee ritual, whether you're sharing a cup with a friend, enjoying a scenic drive, or simply taking in the autumn view from your porch. Trust in the simple, quality ingredients that make Fidalgo a standard-bearer for great coffee. Let this season be one of meaningful connections, with a cup of Fidalgo in hand.
Did you know you can make cold brew yourself? As an insider with the Fidalgo Coffee community, here’s a tip: cold brew can be made with any coarse ground coffee.
Summer is a wonderful time to enjoy the sunshine with family and friends. Whether you are soaking up the rays on a beach towel at a family outing, hosting friends in your backyard for a social, or attending a public event with your besties, we invite you to keep cool with your favorite specialty coffee over ice.
If you want to keep it simple or don’t have the time to make cold brew yourself, Fidalgo offers two options you can buy, specifically roasted and ground for cold brew. You can purchase these online or in the Fidalgo store:
An easy way to spice up your next cold brew batch is to add a few cinnamon sticks while your batch is brewing for a cinnamon-infused coffee taste in every sip. If cinnamon isn’t your first choice, then we invite you to make your best cup by pairing cold brew with your favorite sweetener, syrup, specialty flavor, or milk. There are so many fun, creative, and tasty ideas for coffee. The sky is the limit!
Toddy Cold Brew System Directions:
Our mission is to create joy through coffee. May every Fidalgo cup be a delightful treat. We wish you great fun in the sun with family and friends, balanced with time to relax. The days are long, but summer is short. We encourage you to make each day count as the gift it is intended to be.
~ Your Friends at Fidalgo Coffee
Contact us if you have questions or need assistance with an order or personalized subscription program.
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