Frequently Asked Questions

Whenever pedaling in uncharted territory there is the potential to experience a few new bumps in the road, but more importantly there is always the potential to find your new favorite ride! Here are a few answers to some common questions to help smooth out the pavement.

Q: If I don't live in Boulder, can I still get coffee?

A: Yes! We love sharing our coffee with everyone. We feel that our community doesn't just mean here in Boulder. We're happy to ship your coffee anywhere in the nation so you too can experience the same great bicycle delivered coffee from boulder, directly at your front door anywhere in the country.

Q: I live in Boulder and ordered coffee. Now what?

A: We will fresh roast your order for you on the Wednesday after your order was placed. The following day on Thursday we pack up your order early morning before our team heads out for your delivery. Our delivery model allows for a true contactless experience (folks call us coffee ninjas), where we will drop your order off at your front door, without the need to be home. Your job is to enjoy your coffee!

Q: What's the cutoff for Thursday delivery or fulfillment?

A: We guarantee all orders placed on Wednesday by 10am will be out for delivery the following day. If we receive an order after 10am we will try and get your order for the next day, but if we don't have the coffee roasted, your order will be fresh roasted and delivered the following week.

Q: If the weather is bad, will I still get my Thursday delivery?

A: Short answer is yes! We have a rule here at TCR. If we aren't able to ride in the bike lanes because of snow, to keep folks safe and drivers happy, we will complete deliveries by other means. In the last 11 years we've never missed a Thursday delivery day.

Q: Will you grind my coffee?

A: Yes. We don't offer grinding as an option when ordering since there are so many different brewing methods and personal preferences when it comes to coffee. While we encourage folks to purchase even an inexpensive blade grinder since grinding fresh helps preserve the beans freshness, you can add a note to grind your beans during checkout. Just let us know how you like the grind and for what brewing preparation you need it for and we're happy to grind it for you.

Q: I live outside you bicycle delivery area, can I come pick up my order?

A: Yes! We have the option during checkout for pickup. We'll roast your coffee on Wednesday, and your order will be fulfilled the following day. Once your order goes into our pickup box (located just outside of our front door), you will receive an email that your order is ready which will also include instructions on how to get into the box.

Q: What roast levels do you roast to?

A: Here at TCR we feel that each particular has a perfect roast level that both highlights the unique flavor characteristics of the particular region, while still offering a palatable balanced cup of coffee. Since there isn't a uniform roast level for dark/medium/light, we suggest looking at the flavors on our labels tasting notes in order to determine what coffee is right for you. As a general guideline, most of our coffees are roasted in a more light/medium roast level unless otherwise noted.

Q: How can I subscribe and still qualify for free shipping?

A: As long as you order is over $100, you will qualify for our free shipping, i.e. one 5 pound bag every 3 weeks.

Q: How long does my coffee stay fresh?

A: This is a debatable topic throughout the industry. You can find coffee at the store that is 6 months off roast and says that the expiration date is another 8 months after that. Here at TCR we believe in getting you the freshest product possible. Since we roast everything fresh just for your order, you have about 15 days until your coffee reaches peak flavor potential. After that your coffee will be fresh for about 45 days after before your coffee begins to lose its freshness qualities.

Q: What's the best way to store my coffee?

A: Light and air are two of the biggest degraders of the coffee. In a airtight container in a cabinet works great. If you are going to freeze the coffee, it's important to seal smaller quantities airtight, and remove only what you will be consuming. Taking the coffee in and out of the freezer creates moisture and makes the coffee become stale even faster.

Q: What is the benefit of a subscription?

A: Our customizable subscription program was inspired by that terrible feeling of waking up on your one day off and needing to put your clothes on to head to the store to grab coffee. With a subscription you can fine tune the perfect quantity of coffee just for you, so you never have to run out of coffee again. You are also guaranteed to have fresh roasted coffee all the time.

Pro Tip: Since we roast everything fresh to order, time your subscription so that while you are still working through your current bag of coffee, you receive your new order, allowing the fresh coffee to off gas before you dive in. This also allows you to have a nice safety buffer of beans just in case you have some heavy coffee consumption.

Q: Where are bicycle delivery areas?

A: We will bicycle deliver your order anywhere in the city of Boulder and Gunbarrel. We deliver to offices, primary residences and we've even delivered to a camper van before. If we can find it, we'll deliver it to you. We've ridden over 26k miles over the last 11 years, just on our Thursday delivery days. We greatly appreciate your local support.

Q: Do you do wholesale?

A: Yes! We're happy to help you navigate through the process from getting your coffee shop up and running from equipment and coffee to getting your office the amazing coffee it deserves. We have relationships with all the major equipment manufacturers to get you up and running, training programs, and an in house equipment install and service tech.

Q: Do you take returns?

Coffee is extremely subjective and personal. We understand that everyone has their own personal ideal flavors, roasts and brew methods. While we try our best to be as transparent and informative about our coffee as possible, there still might be some instances where the coffee you purchased still might not be your cup of tea ;). Unfortunately, because coffee is a consumable good, we are unable to take any returns due to a coffee not being ideal to your preference. We appreciate your understanding in this matter and our suggestion would be to share this particular coffee with a friend that you think may enjoy it. Coffee is a journey and an experience and while this particular coffee might not be your personal favorite, we guarantee that it could be someone else's. Enjoy.

Q: What if my shipment is taking longer than expected?

Here at The Coffee Ride, customer service and your overall coffee happiness is extremely important to us. One of the most difficult parts of what we do, is when we have to rely on third party businesses to complete the fulfillment of our finished product. While we've all come to expect certain things taking a certain amount of time to get to us, sometimes weather and other unforeseen circumstances cause delays in the the delivery time of your coffee. While we would love to be able to hand deliver all your coffee directly to your door ourselves, when your package is in the hands of another business, we unfortunately do not have any additional information of the whereabouts of your package. We would suggest reaching out to your local Post Office. If it gets to the point of no return, thankfully all our packages are insured and you can file a claim here.

While we know that this isn't ideal we greatly appreciate your understanding and continued support, as these types of issues are unfortunately out of our contrl. Thank you.