Frequently Asked Questions

Specialty coffee is high-quality coffee selected for its flavor, character, and overall quality. The specialty coffee industry has traditionally used an 80+ point score as an important quality benchmark, but the score is only the starting point for us.

At Lightwave, we still have to like what is actually in the cup. We choose coffees for their taste, balance, consistency, and distinctive character, then roast them to bring more of those qualities forward.

We work with importers that have direct relationships with farms and producers, and in some cases we work directly with farms ourselves.

The biggest difference is that we do not buy coffee just to keep the lineup full. We taste and evaluate a large number of green coffee samples, sometimes hundreds, and if nothing meets our expectations, we would rather wait. When we find a coffee that meets our standards for both taste and quality, we may buy a larger lot so we can maintain better consistency for our customers.

Roasting changes how much of a coffee's natural character you can taste. Roast time, temperature, and development can bring out sweetness, body, fruit, chocolate, acidity, and other characteristics, or push the coffee toward darker, more roasted flavors.

Our founder, Joy, often compares it to cooking a steak. The same ingredient can taste very different depending on how far you cook it, which is why most restaurants will recommend more of a rare/medium-rare rather than a well done. Our goal is to find the perfect roast level that brings out the best in each coffee rather than simply roasting everything the same way.

We generally roast on the lighter side because it allows more of each coffee's natural character to come through. Origin, elevation, variety, processing, and growing conditions all influence flavor, and we want you to be able to taste those differences.

A lighter approach also leaves less room to hide. If the underlying coffee is not good, a lighter roast can expose those flaws rather than cover them up.

Tasting notes describe flavors and aromas that naturally remind us of other foods, like chocolate, berries, citrus, honey, nuts, flowers, or wine.

They are not added flavors. If a Lightwave coffee says clementine, chocolate, apple, cinnamon, or another tasting note on the bag, those are characteristics we taste naturally in the coffee. You may find the same or other complementing notes depending on your nose and palate.

Coffee is an agricultural product, and there is a lot more variation in it than many people realize. Where it is grown, elevation, plant variety, soil, climate, processing, and roasting can all influence what ends up in the cup. We take extra care in both the selection, and the roasting process, to find the most balance and flavor that can be extracted from specialty coffee beans (which are already a huge step above what you'll find in a typical supermarket).

One of our favorite reactions from people trying specialty coffee for the first time is, "I didn't know coffee could taste like that." Or having clients who prefer decaf try our sugarcane processed decaf coffee(s) which retain the natural flavor of the beans, whereas most decafs are heavily processed and treated as an afterthought.

Elevation is one of the growing conditions that can influence how a coffee develops and ultimately tastes. Many of the coffees we select are grown at higher elevations, where slower growing conditions can contribute to the complexity and character we look for.

Elevation is not the only factor that matters, but it is one of the things we pay attention to when evaluating a coffee. It's also the reason why you'll see it listed on the product pages.

The 80-point benchmark has traditionally been used in specialty coffee to identify coffees that meet a higher quality standard. Trained coffee professionals evaluate coffees based on qualities such as aroma, flavor, acidity, body, sweetness, balance, and overall cup quality.

For Lightwave, 80+ is a starting point, not the final decision. We still select based on how the coffee actually tastes and whether it fits our standards for quality and consistency.

Lightwave focuses on Arabica coffees because of the flavor quality and range of characteristics we are looking for in specialty coffee.

Different Arabica varieties, origins, elevations, and processing methods can produce dramatically different cups, which is part of what makes coffee so interesting to us.

A single-origin coffee comes from a specific country, region, community, producer, or farm rather than being blended with coffees from multiple origins.

Single origins are a great way to experience how growing region, elevation, processing, and variety can shape flavor. Our single-origin lineup changes as we find coffees that meet our standards.

A blend combines two or more coffees to create a particular flavor profile, balance, or level of consistency.

A good blend is not about hiding one coffee behind another. Each component should have a purpose. Our Starlight blend, for example, uses just two coffees to create a balanced cup with chocolatey body, fruit, sweetness, and versatility.

Coffee is seasonal. Harvests change, availability changes, and each crop can taste a little different from the one before it.

Rather than forcing the same origin to stay on the menu year-round, we look for coffees that meet our quality and flavor standards. That means some single origins rotate as new harvests become available. If you find one you really like, we suggest stocking up ;). It's also the same reason why you may not find some of our award winning coffees on the menu again, if a new harvest doesn't meet our standard, we'd rather focus on bringing you one that does.

These are different ways of processing coffee after the fruit is harvested, and the process can have a noticeable effect on flavor.

Washed coffee has most of the fruit removed before the beans are dried and is often associated with a cleaner, more defined cup.

Natural coffee is dried with the coffee cherry still intact, which can produce more fruit-forward sweetness and character.

Anaerobic coffee is fermented in a low-oxygen environment before drying. Depending on the coffee and process, it can create very distinctive flavors. Our Costa Rica Cordillera de Fuego is one example, with its naturally distinctive cinnamon notes.

No. Darker coffee can be bold, rich, and full-bodied without tasting burnt, harsh, or excessively bitter.

Our approach is to develop the deeper flavors people want from a dark roast while still preserving character from the coffee itself.

Our dark roast is intentionally lighter than the very dark style many people associate with large coffee chains. Joy describes even Lightwave's dark roast as lighter than what some major chains call a light roast.

That is why a coffee like Dusk can still be bold and rich while keeping more of its underlying coffee character.

No. Roast color and flavor intensity are not the same thing.

A lighter roast can have plenty of body and intensity while also showing more fruit, sweetness, acidity, florals, chocolate, or other characteristics from the coffee itself.

Because every coffee is different. Origin, elevation, variety, processing, moisture, density, and flavor profile can all change how a coffee responds to roasting.

We develop the roast around the coffee instead of forcing every coffee into one standard profile.

If you are new to Lightwave or specialty coffee, Starlight is a great place to start. It is our everyday specialty blend and one of the coffees our customers return to most often.

It is balanced, approachable, and versatile enough for drip coffee, espresso, or cold brew.

Starlight is one of the coffees Lightwave has built its reputation around. It is a two-coffee blend designed to be balanced enough for everyday drinking while still showing what specialty coffee can taste like.

The current blend combines a Colombian coffee for rich, chocolatey body with an Ethiopian coffee that adds bright fruit notes. It works well as drip coffee, espresso, or cold brew.

Starlight is our most versatile starting point for espresso because it was built to stay balanced across different brewing methods.

Some of our single-origin coffees can also work well as espresso if you want to explore a more distinctive flavor profile.

Starlight is a strong all-around choice for cold brew because of its balance, sweetness, and body.

Our Colombia Huila is another coffee that can work well for cold brew if you want something with a little more brightness while still staying clean and balanced.

Start with Dusk. It is our dark roast blend, created for people who want a richer, fuller cup without the burnt or overly bitter character that often comes with very dark roasting.

Expect a bold profile with rich body and notes such as toffee and grape.

Absolutely. Coffee can get complicated quickly, but choosing a bag does not have to be.

Tell us what you normally drink, how you brew it, and whether you prefer something familiar, chocolatey, fruity, bright, bold, or somewhere in between. Our team can point you in the right direction.

Our Colombia Valle del Cauca Decaf uses the sugarcane ethyl acetate, or EA, decaffeination process.

In this process, ethyl acetate derived from sugarcane is used to remove caffeine from the green coffee. The goal is to remove most of the caffeine while preserving as much of the coffee's original flavor and character as possible.

Because it should.

We approach decaf the same way we approach the rest of our lineup: start with good coffee and choose a process (e.g. our sugarcane decaf process) that preserves as much flavor and character as possible. Decaf should not feel like the compromise option.

If you have a grinder at home, whole bean gives you the most control, stays fresher and allows you to unlock more flavor as you freshly grind. You can also adjust grind size for drip, cold brew, espresso, etc...

If you do not have a grinder, we also offer ground coffee which isn't as big of a compromise as you may think. Choose the option that makes it easiest for you to brew and enjoy the coffee consistently.

Keep your coffee sealed, cool, dry, and away from direct sunlight. The original valve-equipped coffee bag works well, or you can use a good airtight coffee container.

You generally do not need to refrigerate your everyday coffee.

As a general guideline, we recommend enjoying it within roughly a month for the best flavor. If it's whole bean and carefully stored, it'll still retain good flavor for months.

How quickly the flavor changes can depend on the coffee, roast, storage, and whether it is whole bean or already ground.

Our core coffees are available in 12 oz bags and 5 lb bags.

A lot of our repeat customers move to 5 lb bags once they find the coffee that has become part of their everyday routine. It's also the size we use for cafes and restaurants.

It starts with being selective about the coffee itself.

We taste and evaluate a large number of coffees before deciding what to carry, and sometimes that means choosing nothing. We do not buy coffee just for the sake of having something to sell, and we do not quietly replace higher-quality coffee in our blends with lower-grade coffee simply to reduce costs.

Once we find the right coffee, our job is to roast it in a way that lets more of its natural character come through.

Visit our About page to learn more.

Our sister cafe, Elabrew Coffee, gives us something most online coffee brands do not have: a place where we can serve new blends and single-origin coffees directly to customers.

We get to hear what people think in real time, see what they come back for, and use that feedback as we continue refining and improving Lightwave Coffee.

You can try and purchase Lightwave Coffee at our sister cafe, Elabrew Coffee, in Santa Monica, California.

Lightwave Coffee is also available to order online.

Lightwave Coffee was founded by Joy Park, whose background is in hospitality and specialty coffee.

Joy attended Cornell's hotel school and has spent more than 15 years learning about coffee, roasting, sourcing, and the specialty coffee experience.

Visit our About page to learn more.

The name was inspired by the different waves of coffee culture, from mass-market coffee to the rise of specialty coffee and the third wave.

"Light" also fits the way we roast, generally lighter to preserve more of each coffee's natural character. For us, the name has an even broader meaning: "Light is limitless." Coffee feels the same way. There is always another origin, process, flavor, or roast to explore.

Visit our About page to learn more.

Yes. We work with cafes, bakeries, restaurants, businesses, retailers, and other wholesale partners.

Wholesale customers can order Lightwave blends and single-origin coffees in larger formats, and samples are available for businesses interested in trying the coffee first.

Visit our wholesale page to sign up, or give us a call at (310) 867-8707.

Yes. Lightwave offers private-label options for businesses that want to sell our coffee under their own brand.

Options can include custom labels and branded coffee packaging depending on the project.

Visit our wholesale page to sign up, or give us a call at (310) 867-8707.

Consistency and trust are a big part of it. We are selective about the coffees we carry, and we do not lower the quality of a blend simply because green coffee prices change. When we find coffees that meet our standards, we can buy larger lots to help maintain quality and availability for customers who depend on the same coffee day after day.