About Us
Sandra Knight founded Chicago Coffee Roastery, Inc. in June of 1990. Sandra has been in the specialty coffee business, both retail and wholesale/roasting, since the mid 1980s. In 1990 she saw an opportunity to create a new wholesale roasting company to fill a need within the market for top quality coffee beans, delivered fast and fresh. Along with quality, Sandra knows great customer service has to be the cornerstone of Chicago Coffee Roastery. Since she has been in retailer's shoes for many years, Sandra understands what a reliable supplier is worth.
Sandra assembled Chicago Coffee Roastery's product line, selecting the very finest coffee and tea from around the world. They established the company policies of roasting and shipping all coffee in the same 24 hour period, roasting all coffee to our customer's specifications, and always assuring the telephone is answered by a live person. "It is the little details that make a company great", says Sandra, "being there to answer customer questions, suggest new products, and assist in any way possible. We do not reduce our clients to customer numbers and product codes; we keep a very personal emphasis on our service. The greatest reward for all the hard work is in the letters that come from customers, letting us know how much we have helped them."
Chicago Coffee Roastery has kept its focus on helping retailers through new products, coffee education, and training. "We've steered clear of selling direct through outlet stores and the Internet," says Sandra," we supply our customers with what they need, we do not undercut their business by competing against them."
Chicago Coffee Roastery's product line has grown over 22 years, expanding to meet its customers requirements and requests. Chicago Coffee Roastery's success is mirrored in our customer's success.
Since 1990 Chicago Coffee Roastery has upheld the high standards of fresh roasted, top quality coffee and outstanding customer service. With years of experience among key staff, Chicago Coffee Roastery continues to build its reputation and excellence, one customer at a time.
Espresso Roast: Espresso Roast flirts on the edge of ruin. Coffee is roasted to its extreme limit, the beans are nearly black with very heavy oils. Seconds too long in the roaster will completely destroy all of the natural oils in the bean. Traditionally used for espresso and espresso-based drinks, this roast level has seen diminished use in flavor of Espresso Blends, which combine the flavors of different Varietals at varying roast levels to create great espresso.
French Roast: Roasting just slightly longer brings coffee to the French Roast level. With more oil on the bean and a little darker color than Full City Roast, French Roast brings coffee to the height of it's flavor. French Roast creates a deep heavy flavor, some of the more subtle flavors of coffee will be hidden by the dark roasted smokeyness. As coffee is roasted longer, the unique character of each Varietal, such as Kenya or Sumatra, is diminished, all coffee would taste the same roasted dark enough.
Full City Roast: Distinguished by the deep brown color and heavy oil on the bean's surface, Full City Roast further intensifies the unique character of each different coffee. Coffee does not become bitter when roasted darker. Bitterness in coffee is from poor quality beans or improper roasting. Dark roasted coffee should have a heavy, rich flavor, never burnt or bitter. The extended time in the roasted not only makes coffee darker, but also lighter in weight. Coffee contains water, that water is turned into steam during the roasting process, steam pressure causes the beans to swell in size. After roasting, coffee can weigh up to 25% less from the loss of water within the bean.