Kustomcoffee

01/10/2026

It was a pleasure visiting the dedicated brew team at . In a town of sugar-sweet beers it was refreshing to taste proper hoppy brews with surprising depth of flavor. Shoutout to for the recommendation.

01/01/2026

Hi!

Happy New Year!

I'm sitting at the kitchen table in my mom's home in Kolkata, India as I write this. Between September and November we moved away permanently from Fairfax, passed the Pourover Popup to a wonderful new owner (https://www.brewedrootscoffee.com) , and moved into a quiet retirement community in New Castle, Delaware. And why not throw in a quick autumn trip to rural Japan somewhere in the middle, too.

For us, this year will be a year of renewal, of getting back to the core of the idea that birthed Kustomcoffee. I hope you'll come with us as we focus on coffees with the highest quality and social impact, Our inventory will change quicker, we'll pick up smaller lots that deserve your attention, and bring you coffees that pique your curiosity as they satisfy your senses.

We'll be leading with subscriptions (https://kustomcoffee.com/subscriptions) and TasteBoxes, and roll out more ways to take the pourover experience with you such as single-serve BrewPaks, filter included. All coffee will still be freshly acquired and roasted. We will also continue to support fundraising for community organizations, and developing blends and mentoring up and coming roasters. To support all that we're moving to a new website, coming very soon.

I'll be traveling till the 22nd of January, and start back up with a new slate of microbatch coffees. Till then, stay caffeinated for the next twist in the tale of life.

Yours in coffee.

Arka
Roast Wrangler

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11/24/2025

Profoundly proud and thrilled to announce that is now officially and completely in charge of the at in ! Come by on weekends between 9am and 1pm for carefully crafted pourovers and drinbrewedrootscoffee

07/21/2025

Tanzania Gesha, Kenya Peaberry, and An Unusual Decaf

Hi!

My friends in the specialty coffee industry have been on a mission lately. Stock up, they say. Stock up before the tariffs break your business. But here's the thing — for a roaster our size (teeny tiny) we try not to buy more than we can move quickly. And our whole focus is on micro- and nanolots that usually come in boxes instead of giant sacks. We'd rather bring you the very best from the top lots than give you the same thing week in and week out. So we're eternally grateful for those that choose to work with us — the smallholders, the direct source networks like Typica, and importers like Royal Coffee and Genuine Origin. They not only empower small roasters like us by absorbing a lot of risk on the sourcing side, but also directly support the farmers and workers that produce the coffee you love.

You're probably wondering where I'm going with this. For the longest time I've been holding prices steady at $16 a bag even as green coffee costs have been climbing inexorably upward. I've bought small, roasted less, tried to balance costs with demand. But I can only go so far without compromising quality, and compromising will not happen here. So starting this month, we'll have to price coffee differently based on the price I paid for the green beans. This is not what I wanted to do. I much prefer the simplicity of a single price, but maintaining that is becoming lethal in the age of tariffs.

One way to hedge against pricing changes is to lock in a coffee subscription. You pay a standard rate for the number of bags you choose, and I can bring you things I can't sell retail. You receive a selection of bags every month, and can make your preferences known. Pause or cancel anytime with a simple email. To sign up and save before subscription rates go up in September, go to https://kustomcoffee.com/subscriptions.

Now let's talk new coffee.

Kenya Kirinyaga Peaberry Kii Cooperative

Notes of peach, orange blossom, mango and grape mingle effortlessly with a buttery mouthfeel in this classic Kenya coffee. The acidity is lively but not aggressive, so you can enjoy the fruity bouquet without puckering up on first sip. Try it, and feel how the sweetness lingers.

Tanzania Natural Gesha Karatu Vohora Family

Mango, jasmine, raspberry soda, peaches, and rose jam -- and that is just the beginning in this vibrant fermented natural Gesha from Neel and Kavita Vohora in Karatu, Tanzania.

This is an exceptional coffee, and stock is limited. Our friends at Royal Coffee sourced this as part of their Crown Jewels program.

Decaf Kenya Swiss Water Process Nyeri County Mutheka and Othaya Cooperatives

Black tea, cinnamon, orange, chocolate — and cherry tomato?? Let the flavors in this exquisite Swiss Water decaf throw you in a loop in the most pleasant way. This is a decaf that works hard to subvert expectations while staying true to the Kenya flavor profile.

Two star cooperatives in the Nyeri County — Mutheka and Othaya — contributed to this special lot that was decaffeinated with pure water in Vancouver, Canada. This coffee is part of Royal Coffee's Crown Jewels program.

Yours in coffee,

Arka
Roast Wrangler
Kustomcoffee

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07/13/2025

We're thrilled to welcome Mikaela Armstrong as our pourover specialist! She has already brought true grace, joyous service and technique to our little at . Come see her for deliciously crafted roasted right here in

06/13/2025

We're leaving the Roastery Owl on duty as we hit the road tomorrow, and the at will be closed this weekend. There are a few bags of available for purchase -- just pay at the bar. We'll see you with full service at 11am next Saturday!

05/31/2025

We're pouring till 3pm at come on by!

05/17/2025

We're attending a graduation ceremony this weekend! We'll miss seeing you at the at , but we'll be back next Saturday serving tasty

04/17/2025

And we're home from our travels, and serving , and at Saturdays and Sundays 11am to 3pm! Come on over!

04/06/2025

It's time to hit the skies again. I'll be in between April 8 and 16, and will open the at when I return. The online store will be in suspended animation, and any orders received during my absence will be roasted and shipped after the 18th. Till then, stay caffeinated my friends. I'll see you all again soon.

03/03/2025

Two Ethiopians...and a favorite returns

Hi!

The Irish have, I hear, a backhanded benediction — "May you live in interesting times." And that's where we find ourselves today. The coffee market is losing its mind, trade relationships are being upended and climate change is striking full force whether humans acknowledge it or not. As specialty roasters we're trying our best to step gingerly through this minefield of uncertainty to bring you what you truly deserve every morning — a great cup of good coffee.
SInce we don't have giant warehouses where we can hedge it out with quintals of past crop coffee, we have to be super strategic in what we source and from where. Our sourcing partners at Typica and Royal Coffee came through with some amazing small batch beans, and we're ever so grateful.

Kayon Mountain Natural Organic

Strawberry, cherry, and grape, evolving into sweet pastry and cocoa in this spectacular coffee from the Kayon Mountain farm in Guji, Oromia district.

The Return of Ratu Ketiara

A full-bodied classic Sumatra Gayo coffee with hints of grapefruit peel, peat and malt, this remarkable bean hails from the Ratu Ketiara Women’s Cooperative, trailblazers in women-owned and managed organizations in Indonesia. This coffee is part of Royal Coffee's Crown Jewels program, and we're thrilled to bring it back for you.

Ethiopia Wete Ambela

When we cupped samples of this coffee we knew it was something special. We are taking our time refining the roast profile of this coffee, and will have it available for sale later this month on the website. And of course, our subscribers get first dibs on all new coffees, so if you haven't done so, please consider subscribing at https://kustomcoffee.com/subscriptions — and set good coffee on autopilot while saving a bunch!

What's next?

Oh, there's so much! We're working on revamping the coffee subscriptions, launching an education- and consulting-focused website, and getting ready to launch an origin-focused brand very soon. More details will come in the next newsletter. Till then, keep caffeinated for whatever the world sends your way.

Yours in coffee,

Arka
Roast Wrangler
Kustomcoffee

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02/15/2025

Only two bags of Dreamseeker Blend at the today. This is an eight-bean aged blend inspired by a life-changing visit to in the fall of 2023. It takes months to build up enough quantity for a bag, but it is my love letter to the people of this legendary institution, and anything less is not acceptable

Label artwork by DALL-E