FAQ

About Try-Me Coffee

What is Try-Me Coffee, and where can I purchase your beans?

Try-Me Coffee is a 100-year-old coffee roaster in the heart of the historic Bywater of New Orleans. We roast full pounds at fair prices to keep local coffee accessible. To get your pound of Try-Me Coffee, order directly online from our community roaster. We’re one of the few remaining historic businesses still rooted in the neighborhood, staying true to our hand-crafted traditions: no mass production, no grocery aisles, just coffee shared through the New Orleans community. We roast on vintage machines that have been passed down through generations of local roasters. Every batch is roasted entirely by hand by skilled artisans — born and raised in New Orleans — with over 30 years of experience each.

Please note: We’re not a coffee shop, but we’re always happy to recommend a place to taste our coffee brewed—just reach out online.

How is your coffee roasted?

Our coffee is roasted by hand and by eye.

We use vintage machines, carefully maintained through four generations of ownership. Our staff has spent decades mastering their craft, listening for the first crack of the beans and watching their color deepen, the signal that a roast has reached its perfect moment. Nearby, a century-old mixer blends coffee and chicory just as it did when we were founded in 1925.

In a world where many roasting machines are programmed by algorithms and monitored by screens, our approach remains simpler:

“We look at the bean, not the screen.”

It’s a philosophy that we believe makes the difference in every cup.

Are you a coffee shop?

We are a coffee roaster, not a coffee shop. For 100 years, we’ve roasted coffee for iconic restaurants and coffee shops in New Orleans and beyond. We would be delighted to recommend a place to enjoy a cup of Try-Me Coffee—simply fill out our contact form with your location.

Ordering & Pickup

Can I walk up and buy coffee beans, or do I need to preorder?

Please pre-order your beans online here. We roast your coffee beans to order because we want you to have them at their best. The fastest way to get your coffee? Choose Pickup at our Bywater roaster, and they will be ready the next business day. See our First-Time Ordering Guide to learn about our ordering process.

How do I get my pound of Try-Me Coffee?

We offer several options to make receiving your coffee easy.

Delivery Options

Free Pickup at Try-Me Coffee.
Visit us in the Bywater at 1014 France St. Monday–Thursday, 9:30am–4pm and Friday, 9:30am–3pm to pickup your order. This is the quickest way to get your coffee beans. Place your order, and it will be ready 1-2 business days after.
Complimentary Local Delivery (Residential Only).
To Our Neighbors: We offer free delivery (M-F) on orders of $25 or more to 70117 zip code.
Throughout Orleans & Jefferson Parishes, and Arabi: Enjoy FREE local delivery by our staff on all orders of $60 or more to select zip codes. Deliveries run once a week on Wednesdays. Place your order by Monday for delivery on Wednesday. Learn more about our delivery route here.
Affordable Shipping.
We calculate the lowest shipping rates at checkout to ensure fair pricing without markup.

Learn more about our delivery and pickup policies here.

Can I change or cancel my order after it's been placed?

At Try-Me Coffee, we take pride in our roast-to-order service. Once your order is submitted, the roasting begins, and we are unable to cancel or modify the order.

Do you accept returns?

Because we roast your beans to order, we regretfully cannot accept returns. We understand that finding your favorite coffee is a journey, and we offer a Century Sampler to aid your quest. It includes four carefully chosen coffees, each with its own story connected to the rich history of coffee. Find out more here.

Product Questions

How is your coffee so affordable for such exceptional quality?

Our coffee is priced between $12-$17 per pound for personal retail orders, which is an incredible value for our quality and craftsmanship. You will typically pay much more at the grocery store for mass-produced coffee sold in bags less than a full pound. So how do we do it? As a heritage roaster with 100 years of experience, we’ve maintained high-quality equipment that helps keep our operating costs low. But it’s also a deliberate choice. As a wholesale roaster, we want to keep smaller orders affordable for our community. It’s a commitment to making great coffee accessible to everyone we serve. Learn more about Try-Me Coffee's full pounds at fair prices.

Why is freshly roasted coffee better? How long does it stay fresh?

Most beans reach peak flavor a few days to one week after roasting and stay vibrant for about 6-8 weeks. Every bag of Try-Me Coffee is stamped with its roast date, and because it arrives soon after roasting, many people even stock up for a month. Here’s something interesting:next time you’re at the grocery store, check the roast dates on coffees. You’ll often find expensive coffees roasted months ago. Not at Try-Me Coffee. You order, we roast, and you get it fresh every time.

Can you tell me what the grind options mean?

We offer the following grind options:

Whole Bean: Best for those who prefer to grind fresh at home.
Drip Grind: A medium grind, ideal for traditional coffee makers.
Coarse Grind: Perfect for French press or cold brew.

Are your coffee bags sustainable?

Yes! Our bags are compostable, designed to return to the earth that gives us our coffee beans. Simply remove the tin tie and peel off the label. To ensure our coffee bags break down consistently, they are certified compostable for industrial composting facilities. You can find more information about materials on the bottom of your coffee bag. At Try-Me Coffee, sustainability means caring for where we live in the Ninth Ward, a neighborhood shaped by environmental challenges like flooding and climate change. Learn more about our sustainability efforts here.

Wholesale & Gifts

Do you offer wholesale ordering?

Certainly. We are first and foremost a wholesale coffee roaster with 100 years of experience. We proudly supply delicious coffee to restaurants, coffee shops, and businesses that resell coffee. For further details, please visit our Wholesale FAQs and fill out our wholesale application.

Do you offer Try-Me Coffee gift cards?

Yes! You can purchase a gift card here. All gift cards are sent by email for quick and easy delivery. Need help choosing an amount? We've included a guide in the gift card product description.

I’m sending coffee as a gift. Can I include a message for the recipient?

Absolutely. To include a message, add it in the special requests section in your cart (top right corner) before proceeding to checkout. Your message will be printed on the packing slip.

The packing slip includes the items in the order and your message, but does not display pricing.

Please note: once you move to checkout, the special requests section will no longer be visible, so be sure to add your message while in the cart.

Do you donate to charity events or fundraisers?

Yes! We donate items for auctions, and we especially love supporting local schools. As a family-run business, we see the next generation of New Orleanians as stewards of our city’s culture. If you’re organizing an event, please fill out our contact form with a few details.