There was a recent article called “Hot Blonde in the Coffee Shop” about the current trend with the mega coffee companies towards a lighter roasted coffee. Doing business in the dark roast world of Northern California, Peerless has been called unfashionable for using a lighter hand when roasting our coffees. So this trend is right in our wheelhouse.

Peerless is grounded in the philosophy that every coffee needs to be roasted to varying degrees to bring out its unique traits, which are most pronounced in single origin coffees. Characteristics of flavor vary depending on the bean, terroir, varietal, and how the “cherry” is processed.

Brightness carries the flavor; without brightness the coffee can taste flat. Lighter roasts tend to preserve brightness, which lets varietal subtleties shine through.

Most of our “Brights “ are estate coffees.  We have visited many of these farms, getting a first hand view of their practices and nurturing business ties that go back three generations.

Single Origin Coffee Primer

For a single origin coffee, the flavor of the beans are heavily influenced by terroir, giving you the complete experience of the region.

89 YEARS OF LOOKING FORWARD…

John Vukasin Opens Peerless Coffee at 9th & Washington in Oakland – 1924 • Pioneers Dry Roasting • Survives World War II & Depression • Begins Roasting Fresh Peanuts – 1943 • George Sr. & Sonja Join Peerless • Patents Coffee Urn – 1964 • Survives the 60’s in Downtown Oakland • Moves to Current Location at 260 Oak Street – 1975 • Begins Roasting Organic Coffee – 1979 • George Sr. President, Pacific Coast Coffee Assoc. – 1984 • Purchases United Coffee Corp. – 1991 • Peerless Roastery Becomes an Official Organic Facility – 1992 • Chosen as Best Bay Area Coffee by the SF Chronicle – 1993• George Jr. & His Sister Kristina Join Peerless – 1996 & 1999 • George Sr. President, National Coffee Assoc. – 1997 to 2000

Begins Offering Fair Trade – 2000 • Certified as a Green Business- 2000 • Manuel Mejia Award Winner from the Colombian Coffee Federation – 2001 • Purchases Adam’s Organics – 2001 • Introduces Tropic Star Organic Iced Tea Line – 2002 • Introduces New Brand & Package Design – 2003 • George Jr. & Kristina Each Named One of 40 Under 40 in the Bay Area – 2003 & 2005 • Introduces Biodynamic Coffees – 2009 • Stop Waste Award Winner – 2010 • George Jr. President, Pacific Coast Coffee Assoc. – 2010 • 3rd Generation of Vukasin’s Take Over the Helm – 2010 • Sea Smoke™ a New Blend Perfect to Chase Away the Winter Blues – Winter 2011 • Introduces New Tropic Star Organic Iced Tea Retail Packaging at the Fancy Food Show – January 2012

THINGS TO COME IN 90 …

Introducing Single Cup Pods for in-room – 2012 • Unveiling new 2lb. loose leaf tea program – 2013 • New packaging for Espresso Nuovo – 2013