Steady State Roasting

Steady State Roasting works out of Carlsbad, California, with a second address in San Marcos a few miles inland. Most of what it sells is unblended. Twelve of the 16 active coffees are single origins, which leaves blends at a quarter of the list.

Colombia does the heavy lifting. Seven of the 12 single origins come from there, with three from Ethiopia and one each from Costa Rica and Peru, a narrow spread that lets the roaster go deep on a couple of origins instead of stocking one bag from everywhere. Processing is where the range opens up, split between washed lots and a fermented and natural wing that covers half the single origins.

Pricing carries a wide spread. A 10 ounce bag starts at $17.50, sits at $21.50 in the middle of the list, and climbs to $48 at the top, so the same shelf holds an everyday coffee and something several times its price. One coffee is decaf.

Single Origins

Blends

Roast Profile & Flavor Range

Eleven of the 16 active coffees are roasted medium. Four sit at medium-light and one crosses into medium-dark. Nothing is light and nothing is dark. That narrow band is the clearest fact about this catalog, and it holds across single origins and blends alike, with acidity and body both averaging close to the middle of the scale.

Processing is where the variation lives. Six single origins are washed, three are fermented in an anaerobic style, and three are naturals, so half the unblended coffees carry processing that adds fruit and weight beyond what the origin alone would give. The origin list stays tight by comparison, with Colombia at seven of 12 and Ethiopia at three. Prices at the 10 ounce house size run from $17.50 to $48, with the median at $21.50.

What Steady State Roasting Coffees Tend to Taste Like

Caramel and chocolate anchor the list. Each appears on four coffees, with milk chocolate on three more, which gives the medium roasts a sweet, cocoa-heavy base. Orange is the most common fruit note, listed three times, and it brings the citrus lift you would expect from washed Colombian and Ethiopian lots.

Beyond that the fruit gets softer and darker. Berry, grape, plum, and peach each turn up twice, a stone and vine cluster that tracks with the natural and fermented processing in the catalog. Honey appears twice as well. Two coffees are described simply as balanced and two more as smooth, and that vocabulary says as much about the house style as any fruit note does.

Why Buy Steady State Roasting

• Twelve single origins, four blends: Three quarters of the active list is unblended, and Colombia accounts for seven of those 12.

• Processing does the work: Half the single origins are natural or anaerobic, which is where the berry and stone fruit in the notes come from.

• A tight roast band: Eleven of 16 coffees are medium and only one goes darker, so roast level is rarely the variable a buyer has to weigh.

• Range in price, not in roast: A 10 ounce bag can cost $17.50 or $48, a spread wide enough that one shelf holds a weekday coffee and a weekend one.

Is Steady State Roasting Right for You?

Single origin drinkers get the most out of this catalog. Twelve of 16 coffees are unblended, half of those carry natural or fermented processing, and the medium roast level keeps the fruit legible without pushing into the sharp, tea-like territory of a very light roast. Colombia alone accounts for seven bags.

The misfit is anyone who wants a dark roast. One coffee reaches medium-dark and none go past it. Espresso drinkers who like a heavy, roasty shot will find the catalog too restrained for that, and four blends are not enough to build a standing order around if blends are what you drink. One decaf is listed.

Frequently Asked Questions