What was your Pandemic hobby? Mine was becoming nerd-Ishly self-reliant for my twice a day iced coffee habit. After purchasing some additional equipment to supplement my home Cold Brew set up, I was able to cold brew and make home pour overs that I flash chill in a ColdWave Beverage Chiller. When you home brew, you need roasted coffee beans. Since I was largely homebound in the early Pandemic days, I was motivated to buy the best coffee beans from US roasters who ship to my house in CT. JBC from Madison, Wisconsin is one of the roasters that appeared on multiple best US roaster lists. In addition, JBC is one of the roasters that regularly submits its coffees to "Coffee Review", which performs blind taste reviews, scores coffees and reports the scores on its website. Especially within its normal price range, JBC is one of the highest scoring US roasters that I've noticed. That's why JBC is the roaster I order from most frequently. My orders in the past two months have included coffees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Columbia and the Indonesia island of Sumatra. "Coffee Review" rated five of the six JBC coffees I ordered as 94 or 95, which fall in the Top Rated Category. I suspect the other hasn't been rated yet but will score similarly. Many of the other roasters that routinely score this high charge much higher prices than JBC. In this regard, JBC's cost for 12 ounce bags of whole beans in my recent order ranged from, prior to the 10% discount, $18 to $20.50. At these prices, I actually save money home brewing high end coffee instead of getting whatever the local drive-thrus are selling. I can't speak highly enough of JBC's customer service. My recent order is representative. Over the July 4th Weekend, I ordered three bags so I could receive a 10% holiday discount and free shipping. JBC fresh roasted the coffee on 7/6 and shipped my order that day. I received a tracking number, but I know not to worry with ever-reliable JBC. It was waiting in my mailbox for me on 7/8 - high-end coffee, two days after it was roasted. Not to bury the lead, JBC's coffee is routinely fresh and outstanding. Their flavor notes listed on their website and bags are right on. If you home grind and brew, I highly recommend JBC. read more

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Been ordering from JBC for 2+ years usually three bags at a time to take advantage of their free shipping (if orders are 3+ bags). First heard of roaster through Coffee Review where they consistently have highly rated coffees. They say coffee(s) ship within days of roast date although the roast date is not labeled. Wish they would date but since I strictly do pour overs the CO2 gassing out volume leads me to believe them. Highly recommend you try their whole bean coffee out. They roast med/light read more

Just had a JBC pour-over in Charleston WV. Great roast so bought a bag of Kenya to take home. Nice discovery and will place whole bean order in future. Well done ! read more

Great personal service with my beans fresh from the roaster! Staff here know how to interpret what you like into solid suggestions. Plenty of options, tastings and good smells. Don't let the warehouse front fool you. Go in and get some beans! read more

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Pretty good coffee. I bought a five pound bag of beans from them. So that should say something.

This is the real deal. Read some great reviews and decided to try some of their unique blends. I enjoy discovering small mom and pop independent coffee roasters and I can proudly say that I am now a JBC customer for life! read more

NOT A COFFEE SHOP. They have classes and training events which is why their photos feature latte art. We stopped in on a road trip and had a lovely chat with a super knowledgeable staff member. We had a cup of free coffee...but spent $15 on water treatment! The coffee was excellent. read more

This review is for the JBC coffee cart! Every Saturday at the farmers market, I see people line up for the JBC coffee cart, and I've always wondered what all the hype was about. Considering there are at least 4-5 other cafes/coffee shops in the vicinity, there must be something special about JBC that draws such a consistent customer base. I set off to find out! First impression? JBC is pure hipster. More hipster than tight jean shorts and handlebar mustaches. I think my hipster level rose a few points just standing in line to order my coffee, and I love it! If only I could absorb lecture material that easily. I ordered the iced latte (easy on the ice), and found it to be much creamier than I am used to (probably because I usually get my lattes with skim or nonfat milk), but it was reallllyyy good and SUPER filling. My only issue with my drink wasn't the drink itself, but rather the paper cup that it came in. By the time I was half way through my drink, the cup had become a soggy mess that was barely holding its shape (which meant the lid wasn't staying on very well either). I ended up having to down the rest of my coffee quickly to prevent spilling on myself. So, JBC, new cups perhaps? I like the fact the JBC coffee has two separate windows for placing orders and picking up orders. It prevents the congregation of a large crowd in front of the cart which makes it difficult to distinguish between those waiting to pick up and those waiting to order. Do expect the drinks to take a little longer than usual though, unless you just order a brewed coffee - there's only two people managing the espresso machine. read more

Located in a warehouse near the highway, they do not serve coffee or espresso here. The equipment is there for training. There is no seating and it is only to purchase beans. We got some recommendations for cafes and espressos in the area (1 good, 1 ok, 1 not so good) but this was simply a transaction for their high quality beans. The cashier was nice and asked us what kind of coffee we prefer (Central and South American with more caramel or nutty flavor notes) but we thought we would be able to get some coffee or espresso here. read more

JBC Coffee Roasters - For training only - Coffee Roasteries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Ordered two bags (one with beans from Colombia and one from Ethiopia). First shipping was quick and not expensive. Second the coffee is lovely and full of flavor and aroma read more

As previews review have stated, don't let the warehouse appearance discourage you. The staff there is spot on and you can tell passoniate about what they do. I am a big fan of their coffee and I was able to grab a cold brew on nitro. Absolutely loved it. You can also pick up some of their swag here. read more

Now these guys take coffee drinking to a whole new level! I usually add cream and sugar to coffee to knock off the acidity but I drink this brew black and pure. It's phenomenal! I also love the fact that they are into sustainable farming practices and they're educating people all over the world in regard to coffee quality, sustainable farming practices, and coffee service. Do yourself a huge favor and try it! I know Rosie's Coffee Bar & Bakery on Monona Drive serves it. You'll have a brand new experience in coffee drinking. read more

I have been ordering coffee from Johnson Brothers for years. The company sources the best beans from all major coffee-producing areas (often single origin). More importantly, the company is dedicated to supporting eco-friendly production methods and is certified Fair Trade. While I value social responsibility in companies, what counts most is the quality of the product. In this regard, the expertly roasted beans from Johnson Brothers afford coffee drinkers with an amazing array of taste experiences, similar to fine wines. The fact that these outstanding coffees are sold at very fair prices and can be ordered without shipping costs (order of 3 bags or more) is another reason why I am a dedicated Johnson Brothers Coffee fan. read more

Before buying, I had a chance to meet and speak at some length to the founder: Michael Johnson. To boil down the conversation: Michael Johnson is truly a "micro" roaster, who literally deals one-on-one with the farms, has the bags shipped directly to his commercial location (no middleman) and then sifts the product for the top beans, managing the cut through the roasting process as a science using state of the art computer software next to good old fashioned roasting hardware. The end product is packaged on site. That said, I took all of that with a grain of salt until I tried one of the finished products: the Ethiopian Sidamo Fair Trade. Wow. Blew my socks off. The Ethiopian Sidamo Fair Trade may very well be the best coffee I have ever had. Unbelievably complex bouquet and flavor: I detected floral and cinnamon notes followed by a crisp, refreshing finish. On that alone, I ended up buying another four different types from JBC (have yet to try, but cannot wait to do so). As a good blend will run you $18-$24 a pound in the Bay Area, I consider JBC's prices down right competitive. I can only hope my finished brew tastes the way Michael's preparation did. %&* great coffee. Period. read more

I live in Hawaii and order coffee for espresso. I have ordered several times from JBC....high quality beans. Well, I made the mistake of ordering espresso grind rather then the automatic choice of whole bean which is what my machine takes. Michael Johnson (the owner) answered the phone and insisted he would resend the whole bean to me . What a guy. I told him that was too much as it was my mistake. All I have to do is tell the whole world what a great guy he is. He's a great guy!!!! I would say you can buy with confidence here. read more

Seriously good coffee. I'm not really a coffee drinker, but even I can tell the difference between Johnson Bros. and whatever starbucks crap I usually drink. read more

This is the best place I've ever found for coffee. They consistently have the most 90+ rated coffees in the world. Their prices are great too. About $12-$17 for a 12 oz bag of beans. They are *expertly* roasted and come from truly only the finest stock in the world. read more

I have ordered coffee from a few of the top roasters in the US (think Klatch, Onyx, PT, Counter Culture, Ceremony, Intelligentsia, Lexington Coffee, etc.) and JBC is consistently the best of the best! Unless I want to try new roasters from time to time, JBC is my go-to because I know they will always ship quality coffee! read more

I live in California. I saw reviews for the Good Food Award for coffee. I ordered several, from 3 separate roasters, and JBC is by far the best of the 3. In fact, the quality of the bean, texture are packaging are so stellar, I would say that this is the best coffee I have ever had. Even the aftertaste is smooth and silky, not bitter in the least. I called to ask a question, and the customer service is excellent. These people care about coffee and customers. From now on, I will be ordering my coffee from here, and having it shipped. Feels like I hit the jackpot! Thank you. read more

Excellent coffee! They rival another one of my Madison favorites and come in a close second to my favorite Milwaukee shop. I haven't been to their location, but I have had their coffee at restaurants. read more

Incredible coffee! JBC has opened my eyes to another world of coffee I'm excited to explore.

I mistyped my address when i ordered from them. I emailed to ask about correcting this and they happily shipped a fresh bag to my actual address. I got the impression it was because they genuinely cared, not just a company policy too. Also the coffee was the best coffee i've ever had in my life, so thats good too read more

Disclaimer- this review is based on tasting one bag purchased at JBC. Other roasts may be more palatable and/or delicious. It tastes like drinking flowers (albeit, good flowers). If that is your thing- this is the brew for you. If you prefer coffee without the floral arrangement in your mouth look elsewhere. read more

The most incredible coffee experience I've had anywhere. We swung by JBC to check it out, and were welcomed with cold brew and drip samples. The single origin cold brew was one of the best I've ever had. We got a tour of the place, and we learned about their roasting and brew methods. Awesome people, coffee, and experience. read more

Such a wide variety of flavors! These are the freshest beans you can get, and the flavors and depth just keep on coming!

I have ordered from this company every month for the past 3 years. Outstanding Coffee, Outstanding customer service. While I'd like to keep it my little secret, I feel the need to share with others. With all the BAD coffee out there on the internet, I can say that I have only had AWESOME Coffee from Johnson Brothers! It is the only coffee I buy, and the only coffee I drink! read more

this is the best coffee you can get... just give it a try and see. you won't be sorry... I love it. from french press to espresso you can find what you need right here! read more