Frequently Asked Questions

The "enemies" of coffee are oxygen, light, heat and moisture. Reducing exposure to these enemies can be achieved by keeping coffee in its Level Ground package or by storing it in some other airtight container located in a cool, dark, dry place. By purchasing beans instead of grounds, you can improve storage freshness as a smaller surface area decreases susceptibility to oxygen, light, heat and moisture.

For some, brewing coffee is an art; for others, a satisfying morning or mid afternoon ritual; and for many, a timely task necessary to fulfilling a caffeine craving. Whichever category you fall into, knowing which brewing equipment to use is key to great-tasting coffee. Stick to brewing equipment that doesn't require paper filters—espresso machines and French presses are best—this will ensure the wonderful aromas and oils of your coffee make their way into your cup instead of sticking to your filter. If you enjoy the clarity and taste of filtered coffee, try using manual brew methods which give you control over the water temperature—Melitta, Chemex, Aeropress, and the like are all excellent. While strength is generally subjective to the coffee drinker, lower ratios of water to grounds will result in stronger coffee. Visit our Coffee Preparation page for more information and helpful guides.

We have chosen not to produce single serving packages of coffee due to the amount of packaging waste single servings such as pods create. Instead, we encourage the use of our eco-cube with a reusable coffee measure as a consistent and convenient method of measuring coffee for brewing. We understand that in large organizations pre-measured coffee is important, so we also offer commercial portion packs, available in selected varieties by the case.

We grind all of our coffee to a medium-fine grind. This grind may be used for most brewing equipment except espresso machines, which require a finer grind.

At Level Ground we roast all of our coffees in a fluid bed air roaster. Here are some of the benefits to air roasting that we have found:

1. Air roasting times are shorter—the longer & hotter the beans are roasted, the more flavour can escape. Rapid, consistent, convective heat penetration locks in flavour & aroma for a consistent roast and quality of taste.
2. Air roasted beans are heated to exactly the same temperature at exactly the same time. Each batch of coffee is roasted to precisely the same temperature yielding coffee batches that are consistent in colour, flavour, undertones & aroma.
3. Air roasting provides the roaster exact control over each batch of coffee. Beans are roasted to temperature not to ‘colour’.
4. Air roasting filters off the chaff (skin) of the coffee bean entirely, meaning that nothing is “burnt” on. This results in a much cleaner bean for a smoother, less bitter taste in the resulting brew.

Decaf Colombia is decaffeinated in Colombia by DESCAFECOL. The plant is located in Manizales, in the heart of the coffee growing region. It is a process done to fresh green coffee beans which are then shipped to us directly.

DESCAFECOL uses a special combination of pure water and ethyl-acetate (EA) which allows for a gentle caffeine extraction from the coffee bean. Decaffeinated coffee, processed by the Water-EA method, is excellent for roasting.

EA is obtained from natural sources like sugar cane molasses. EA can be found in many natural products including: fruits, vegetables, and regular coffee. EA's consumption is free of any health risk and is FDA approved in "United States and Europe as a decaffeinating agent and food additive without any restrictions."

In this decaffeination process the combination of water and ethyl-acetate is used. In the extracting vessel, the EA, is circulated around the water soaked beans for extracting the caffeine. Then the mixture of water, EA and caffeine is drained from the extracting vessel. The extraction step is repeated several times, until the residual caffeine content is at or below the legal maximum level of 0.1%. (reference: ico.org)

Similar to our fruit and cane sugar, Decaf Colombia has been added to Level Ground's product line as a value-added product. By decaffeinating Decaf Colombia green beans in Colombia, Level Ground Trading is able to leave the value-added process in the local economy. Currently, our other origins do not offer Decaf coffee.