Keweenaw Coffee Works — Restaurant in Calumet Township

UPDATE: I called back, Val has agreed to ship me new beans after they've received my shipment. I still have to pay for shipping, but I'm glad we could come to an agreement to make things right.

I grew up in Michigan and went to school at MTU, so I would drink Keweenaw Coffee Works coffee regularly. I have since moved to California after graduating from Tech, and placed a few orders from Keweenaw Coffee Works. During my first order (which I placed in store while on vacation, and was shipped to California) I was worried about freshness of coffee, so I asked and was assured that they typically send out beans the date of roast or a day or two after, which is completely acceptable to me. So I ordered, and the first bag I purchased was fine, within about 5 days of the roast date.

The most recent order I placed, which I received in the mail today, has one bag that was roasted September 10th, 4 days ago (great), and one that was roasted on August 8th which is over one month old! As a coffee enthusiast, this is unacceptable from any quality roaster.

So I called KCW to ask about the roast date, and I was told by Val (one of the owners) "coffee is non-perishable and will stay good". While the term "good" is relative, the flavor changes with time, and is typically lacking in flavor after about 30 days. I try to use my beans within 20 to 30 days of their roast, but this bag is 37 days old! Val offered a refund under the condition that I pay return shipping, which is $9.00. So, a large portion of the cost is just gone, and I have nothing to show for it.

For $21.00, I thought it was safe to assume that KCW would have done what it takes to make sure that my beans were as fresh as possible, however, here I am, with wasted money, time and effort on something I will not be able to enjoy.

I do wish the best for this company, because I loved them in college, I love supporting the local community (even while living in CA), but I wish they were able to come through for me to make...

Still rating highly because I don’t want this to affect their rating BUT …a few days ago got food and coffee here and while ordering/talking to the cashier another employee steps up beside me (a little too close in my opinion but didn’t think of it at the time) and as I’m telling the cashier my name for the order the employee beside me loudly interrupts and says to the cashier, “I thought it was a woman” regarding me, and laughs. I’m uncomfortable but shrug it off and say “sorry yeah I get that a lot” (because I do lol)

I sit down and take my number for food. About 2 minutes later the same employee that made the comment comes to my table, reaches over me to move my number closer to the edge, and doubles down on what she said to me in line: “I just couldn’t tell because of your hair - you look like a woman.” Again I’m extremely uncomfortable and in disbelief this girl would come back to repeat this to me personally. I tell her, “I get that a lot, I have long hair and I’m short too. Kind of lost the lottery on that one”. I don’t think she meant to be rude, my first impression is that maybe she was on the spectrum. She said something about “well it adds character/makes you stronger” and “well, you look good” doesn’t make up for the discomfort though and I’m still troubled by this interaction days later. Again, I don’t think she meant to be rude but maybe worth talking to her about? She was the one who brought my food out, but I didn’t catch her name. Great...

As a tea lover, this place is awesome. There are tons of options from The Tea Spot. You know how a lot of coffee shops have detailed descriptions that include flavor notes, origin stories, and intricate nuances? This place has this for tea and it’s AMAZING. It was so hard to choose just one, but the staff let me smell the varieties I was most interested in and helped me make a great choice (choco-mint). Plus, when I miscommunicated my order, they were very understanding and made it over for me. So thoughtful!

As for coffee, the roastery smells amazing. My husband had a medium blend drip that was pretty smooth. They have a lot of options geared towards every kind of coffee drinker.

The community space and vibe seems really unique and valuable in a city like Calumet. You can tell these folks really care about the place they live and want to make it warm, inviting, and special to locals and visitors alike. They certainly made us feel right at home and we look forward to coming...