Palouse Coffee Club
How does the club choose roasters?
The club chooses roasters by three tests: the business is independent, it roasts its coffee in Washington State, and it was operating when we checked its shop, cafes and roast schedule. A roaster that passes all three is eligible to be listed on this site and to roast for the club.
The second test is about the roaster, not the cafe. Zoka's cafes are in Seattle and Kirkland, but its four person team roasts in Bellingham, so we list it under Bellingham. Caffe Vita also roasts in Brooklyn and Phoenix; it passes because its flagship roastery is on East Pike Street in Seattle.
The third test is why we check dates. When we went through our list in September 2026, one Seattle roaster on it had closed, so it is not listed. Washington has 209 independent roasters by the count of the Roast Local directory, so there is no reason to list one we cannot confirm is roasting.
What a listing means
The roasters on our roasters list are local favorites we like. A listing does not mean a roaster is part of the club, and it does not mean their coffee is in any box. Each roaster page carries that line.
What a roaster who roasts for the club does
A roaster who roasts for the club sets its own price. It names its wholesale price and we do not ask it to cut that price to win a spot.
The roaster roasts each bag to order, packs it in its own bag and packaging and ships it from its own roastery. We send the orders and the bag count before its box, and a packing slip for each order that names the roaster and their shop and gives their story and tasting notes. Details for roasters are on for roasters.
The four promises, and what they mean in practice
- Roasted and shipped within 3 days. The roaster roasts your bag after the order comes in and ships it within 3 days.
- Free replacement if a bag disappoints. Tell us and a different coffee comes.
- A reminder email 3 days before each box. It has links to skip, pause or cancel.
- Your ratings steer the next bag.
How your ratings steer the next bag
Rate each bag and we pick from the next roaster to match. If you rated a bright, fruity coffee high and a smoky one low, the next pick leans bright. Your roast level and style still set the limits: a decaf plan stays decaf, whatever the ratings say.
A low rating is as useful as a high one. It tells us what to avoid, and the free replacement covers the miss.
Editorial policy for roaster pages
Joe McRose writes the roaster pages. Each one is written from the roaster's own public pages first, then from public sources such as the Roast Local directory, local press and Wikipedia. We write in our own words and quote nothing longer than a short phrase.
- Every page shows the date its facts were checked. Coffees on sale change, so we date the coffee list too.
- We give the roastery or cafe address and the towns of its cafes. We do not post ratings or reviews.
- When two sources disagree and we cannot settle it, the fact stays out.
- Once we have contact with a roaster, we send them their page to check.
Every roaster is a Washington business, and a page that gets their story right is our small part in keeping them visible. That is the thinking behind why local roasters matter.
Corrections and removal
A roaster can ask for a correction or for its page to be removed by emailing roasters@palousecoffeeclub.com. Tell us the page and what is wrong, and we fix it and change the checked date. If the roaster asks for the page to come down, we take it down.
Anyone else who spots an error can write to coffee@palousecoffeeclub.com.