The Best Coffee You've Never Tasted - 7 Reasons Red Eye Bistro Is Unique

There are 7 things that differentiate the coffee we offer at Red Eye Bistro from the brands you may ordinarily find at your local grocery store. Read on to discover why this just might be the best coffee you've never tasted.

1. Freshness

When you pick up a bag of coffee, you'll see a date on the bag. That date is either a "roasted on" date, or "best by" date. "Best by" dates are often months after roasting, which translates into stale, flat tasting coffee in your mug, regardless of how you brew it or what creamers and sweeteners you add. The majority of coffees in your grocery store fall into this category. 

Coffees from small specialty roasters, like all those at Red Eye Bistro, have a "roasted on" date on the bag. While there is much debate - and no small amount of personal taste - regarding the ideal length of time between roasting and brewing, the general window for optimum freshness is from 4 days to 4 weeks after roasting. 

Roasted weekly

Every Tuesday, we send your orders to our small specialty coffee roasters across Tennessee. Because all our coffees are roasted specifically for your order, never kept shelved in inventory for weeks, you get fresh, richly flavorful beans every time. For the fastest delivery of the freshest beans, place your order on a Monday! 

2. Whole Bean or Ground

While I encourage any home barista to invest in a good coffee grinder, I recognize not everyone has a grinder or wants one. All our coffees are available whole bean or ground, so you can brew your coffee exactly as you like it at home. As we say around here, you brew you. 

3. Small Specialty Roasters in Tennessee

"There are coffee roasters in Tennessee?" was the shocked response I got from a neighbor when I was telling her about Red Eye Bistro. Most of us probably never consider where our coffees are roasted, or we assume it all comes from Seattle, the stereotyped coffee capital of the USA. 

What does "small specialty roaster" even mean?

All our roasting partners are small businesses, ranging from a few employees to a few locations. Many of them started in true American Dream fashion, bootstrapping their businesses from the ground (or grounds?) up. This isn't simply a job for them. It's a passion. And because of that, they are deeply invested in the quality of their product. 

Which brings us to the "specialty" label. That's a tricky, vague word. For us, it entails top quality at every level: growing, roasting, company values, and even packaging.

These small roasters are able to purchase small harvests of higher quality coffee beans, which aren't grown in the quantities needed by larger national or international brands. Next, the roasters carefully control the roasting process to coax out vibrant, delicate, or otherwise interesting flavors. It is not uncommon for these roasters to not only know the country origin and varietal of their coffees, but also know the growers by name and visit their farms regularly. Because of that close relationship, these coffees tend to be a step beyond Fair Trade, ensuring ethical labor practices and competitive compensation for the people producing these coffees. This is a high priority for us at Red Eye Bistro, and it's one of the key factors we look for when considering partnering with a roaster. 

There are many exceptional roasters in Tennessee. We'd like to share them with the world. 

4. Delivery Options

At this time, we have 3 subscription options for you: every week, every 2 weeks, or every month. You can also buy any coffees individually as a one time purchase.

Coffee subscription

We recently launched our subscription program! This is your click-it-and-forget-it way to get coffee delivered to your doorstep. You have the option to choose the roasts you want, or go with Bistro's Choice and let us surprise you. You set the frequency of deliveries - from 1 to 4 times a month - and how long you'd like the subscription to run.

I recommend giving it a whirl for 3-6 months. You'll never again run out of coffee, and it's a bit like Christmas getting a box of fancy coffee in the mail every few weeks! Treat yo'self.

On demand

If you need your coffee sooner than our usual delivery window, or want to schedule a delivery for a specific time like a loved one's birthday, let us know in the notes at checkout. We will work with our roasters to accommodate your requests. However, additional shipping charges may apply, and we cannot guarantee no delays from the postal service. We recommend using our other delivery options whenever possible. 

5. Curated

If you see a coffee at Red Eye Bistro, it has been through multiple levels of curation to ensure it is a truly exceptional beverage for you. Growers cultivate their crop for quality and harvest only ripe, healthy coffee cherries (the fruit that becomes our coffee beans). Roasters add at least 2 more layers of curation by buying only beans that meet their own quality standard and by packaging and selling roasts they are truly proud of as a representation of their business. Before partnering with a roaster, we sample several of their coffees, adding a final level of curation. Our absolute favorites end up in our shop, ready to hop in your mug and make your day better. 

6. Location

Red Eye Bistro is located in Johnson City, Tennessee. Our coffees are sourced from roasters across the state. Because we are all local - or at least regional - to each other, the time between roasting and delivery is short. This means the coffee we bring you is fresh and flavorful every time.

Once day, we plan to open a cafe so you can visit us in person. 

7. You're part of something wonderful

When you buy coffee from Red Eye Bistro, you're supporting tiers of small business, their employees, and their families: our own, our roasters, and the growers themselves. We all want to make the world a better place and make responsible choices with how we spend our dollars. Supporting small businesses is an easy and effective way to do that!

That's a bit about us and what makes us a great place to buy your coffee. What did you learn today about Red Eye Bistro? Let us know in the comments below, and add in any questions you may have. 

Cheers!

Amy, Founder of Red Eye Bistro