Great coffee, staff is friendly and answer questions. I went with the whole beans. Both regular and decaf are very good and espresso machine friendly. I would definitely recommend. read more

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Such a great little coffee spot. The staff here is genuinely nice and welcoming, which always makes a difference, especially first thing in the morning. The location itself is simple, easygoing, and super convenient--plus there's parking right outside, which is honestly a win. Ever since moving to San Rafael, I've been really looking forward to finding a coffee shop or roastery where I could buy quality beans to make coffee at home. I love being able to brew it myself so it's as fresh as possible, and this place totally delivers on that. The beans are fantastic, and I actually look forward to drinking this coffee every single morning. It's one of those small routines that makes your day start off better. If you're local and care about good coffee--whether you drink it there or make it at home--this place is absolutely worth checking out. read more

Graffeo Coffee Roasting - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Rafael, California

Always engaging and willing to not just sell you a bag or 3 but to talk a little about coffee. Curiously located at a larger windowed storefront on busy 4th Street in SR, the place just sells Coffee, whole beans or ground, not actual cups of anything. The rich aroma of that morning's early roasting wafts through the air giving 1 the impression that you can by a cappuccino or espresso there but no, just beans, burlap sacks of the berries from New Guinea, Costa Rica and Colombia can be seen on the side of the store ready to be roasted soon. At $25/lb it's not cheap but after looking for a passable, less expensive alternative, I will be back; I can't just settle on something I don't enjoy as much as my so rich, flavorful & multi-dimensional morning Graffeo espressos. read more

visited the San Rafael roasting place and met Joey, a very personable fellow. Bought their dark roasted beans and discussed espresso machines. Coffee is excellent! will return...... read more

More than 40 years of a love affair with Graffeo. The coffee is consistently superb. Luciano is joy. I have had it shipped to me in LA except when they had the Beverly Hills store. To this day I go to the Columbus store whenever I get to the city. The old school ambiance. The odors! I am happy that the addition of Haas signals that Graffeo will be around for a long time. -hk read more

I'd give Graffeo zero stars if I could. My experience was that bad. I hd heard a lot from friends & co-workers about their wonderful coffee, & I had just treated myself to a super-automatic espresso machine. Perfect time to check out a local product, wouldn't you think? I went into the shop on 4th Street in San Rafael, & when the gentleman (I use that term loosely) behind the counter asked me what I wanted, I told him that I was looking for an espresso roast for my brand spanking new espresso machine. Wow, was that a mistake. He laughed, & said very condescendingly that there was no such thing as espresso roast: there was light roast & dark roast. Period. And anyone who told me different was an idiot. I guess I was an idiot by extension, given the sneer on his face. So I said, thank you very much for your help, I'll get the coffee I need from Peet's where even if they think I'm an idiot, they have enough sense to hide it. Never going back. read more

Simple selection but who needs more when what they have is simply superb? Note that while I always liked the flavor, I stopped shopping here until they brought in the organic blend. Now I'm very happy and there's nothing missing. Really friendly guy at the cash register. Lucky to have Graffeo in San Rafael all these years. Extremely reasonable prices in comparison to other options. Don't change a thing. read more

This company roasts coffee the old fashioned way and it shows in the taste. They roast dark, light and decaffeinated beans-that's it! Small "hole" in the wall in San Rafael. Enter, go up to the counter, order your beans, pay and leave. The gentleman serving you is full of information of the coffee beans they sell and roast on the premises. It's a bit expensive $25 per pound but worth the AMAZING TASTE! read more

This is strictly a roaster and seller of beans. They keep it real simple, dark or light, caffeine or de caffeine. Simple choices and a local favorite that has stood the test of time. They are friendly and will grind the beans if you like. read more

Graffeo Coffee Roasting - Bag and locations - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Rafael, California

Graffeo, in North Beach since 1935 and a real San Francisco institution, makes the best beans I've had. But you don't have to choose dark or light! I order "half and half". Perfect! And the checkers are masters of dead pan humor: likely some of the negative reviewers didn't get it. read more

Graffeo used to be my favorite beans in the Bay Area by far but the past 2-3 times I've gotten my usual beans from them, they seemed different. Like something had changed since early this year or so. The taste was off, a lot weaker is how I'd describe it - and I always stick to my same grind and pour-over recipe/settings. It was also peculiar when the guy packing them up started making small talk saying how "nothing has changed, nope, same old stuff" when I hadn't even asked yet. Like maybe they'd gotten questions from other folks too. Not sure if their beans provider changed, roasting process, or what, who knows, but it isn't as good as it used to be and I haven't been getting beans from here for a while now. I plan to try a small batch again to see if maybe it was a few misses. Hope it was. As far as the shop, this is only a roaster, not a cafe or anything so it's a pretty bare empty room with a counter. You get your beans and you go. Location is ok but being on 4th St can make parking a pain. read more

We live in the Los Angeles area and Graffeo's is one of our favorite coffees. We always look forward to grabbing beans when we're in town. Thanks! read more

Graffeo Coffee Roasting - Dark roast beans - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Rafael, California

The dark roast makes the very BEST espresso. I love this coffee! Just the aroma in the store makes me deliriously happy.

Fabulous coffee. Everybody who tastes it becomes a fan (and an addict). Never bitter, always velvety smooth and aromatic -- as a result of their unique air roasting process. I hope they stay in business forever! read more

I find this the most consistent and consistently superior coffee roaster. They also provide excellent crime prevention services. I was late ordering and we were at risk of running out, I put in the comment section of my order that my wife would kill me if that happened and if they could ship quickly that might help prevent a murder. They shipped the same day and I am still here to write the review read more

I need a bag of coffee beans for my next day medicine. Walking on 4th Street, there is a Starbucks at the corner...Nah! At the end of the block, there is a Royal Coffee Company...independent chain, maybe! Continue to walk down on 4th St., there is a Graffeo Coffee Company. I've always enjoyed going to San Francisco's North Beach location to buy wholesale beans to brew my coffee at home. I didn't know this location is the second oldest of the three locations (Beverly Hills is the thrid location), which has been around since 1977. Looking at this place, it looks new to me. The San Francisco location does not have any organic coffee. But the San Rafael location have the Organic Dark Roast. For $14.95 per lb, the coffee bean has just came out of their signatured roaster and the beans were still warm. You just can't beat that for freshness. I rushed home and immediately ground the beans and brewed that cup of coffee with that organic blend. That coffee was bold & aromatic. Quite possibly one of the best cup of coffee I've had in a while. And it's in my kitchen too. You just can't beat Graffeo Coffee Company. read more

Graffeo Coffee Roasting - $14.95 bag of Organic Dark Roast - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Rafael, California

Dark roast organic coffee was horrible. It was bitter. I never had charcoal juice but this must be the closest thing. I stopped drinking, using it to exfoliate my butt, garden fertilizer... read more

Graffeo Coffee Roasting - I understand, Costco buys ship load but still... Why x2+ price difference?$9.32 vs $20.50 per pound (as of 07/2021) - Coffee & Tea Near Me - San Rafael, California

As an espresso junkie, I love their roast. It's Italian but not too smokey or bitter. They can micro-adjust their grinders to your machine. My machine is fussy and likes it fine, and they don't mind custom grinding. Their roast would get 5 stars. The main guy I see when purchasing (a wonderful Latino gentleman) is most pleasant and helpful. The other counter guy has no customer service skills - an older rotund white guy. Once when I called to see if they were still open, he told me get here 15 minutes before closing or it's too late. Wow - with money in hand he wouldn't even keep the store open until their own posted hours! Their customer service would get 1 to 5 stars depending on who's working that day. Another recent complaint - they've been roasting too little dark roast (their espresso roast). This is the third consecutive day they are out, and it's only 2:30pm. Hello? - roast more beans next time! But hey - I'm still going back. Gotta get my fix, and their roast is great. read more

From the moment I entered, the dude on the other side of the counter did exactly everything wrong. I'm really disappointed because I might have found what could have been a really good local source for beans. I'm not at all a coffee connoisseur but I do like the smell of properly roasted coffee beans. I was walking past this storefront when I was pulled back by the really great aroma coming out into the sidewalk. I doubled back and came into the store, glanced at the price list and noticed that there were four kinds of beans (dark, light, organic and decaf). There were prices next to them but no indication of quantity. Underneath the prices, however, was a note about how they only sell in half pound increments. When someone finally came outside (invest in an automatic door chime, guys), he essentially greeted me with a scornful look. He gruffly asked me if I wanted to buy something--not if I needed some help nor if I had a question. I asked him if the prices were by the half pound or pound. He was very annoyed to answer my question. He disappeared into the back and came back again to ask me if I wanted to buy something or not. Before I buy anything pricey, I tend to like to sample the goods. I don't think that's too much to ask especially in a local place. When I asked here, however, I was told that I couldn't get a few beans in my cupped hands (because my dirty fingers would get into the batch) nor could I get closer to the shovel of beans he was holding about 4 feet away from me. Seriously? I am standing essentially 20 feet away from a roaster that's running and am near several containers of open beans. There's no way I'm going to be able to make an even slightly informed decision on whether or not I'll like these beans or not. Finally as I became completely exasperated with the whole situation, I was told that he didn't have time for me and he walked away. He didn't give me a chance to get his name. Terrible customer service in a span of 5 minutes. I guess they don't need the new business. read more

My wife and I are coffee lovers and this is our favorite anywhere for dark roast beans, nicely balanced , smokey and some strawberry flavors - at least for our taste buds. This is not Peet's or Starbucks where you sit and play on your laptop. This is no nonsense GREAT coffee beans to take away and process on your own. Service is friendly and efficient. When we run out I get a bag of Peet's Arabian Mocha Sanani and my wife complains until I make the trip to Graffeo. Peet's is not as good and much more expensive. I have some great talks and predictions with the guys on the Giants and Warriors. read more

Unlike many places around, Graffeo only has dark roast, light roast, organic (which is sort of between the two) and decaf. (They will blend them for you as well.) Coffee is a matter of taste and this particular one tastes best to me. (Well, not just me, since my guests rave about it and it is served in some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.) The beans are roasted fresh on a regular basis, so you aren't getting coffee that has been aging in a warehouse in Seattle for months before you get it home. The manager of the store is very knowledgeable and patient - even when dealing with pretentious Marin County coffee drinkers who have to try and prove they know more than anyone else in the store... Our household favorites are the organic and the house blend of 3/4 dark and 1/4 light. read more

If you want delicious, dark roasted, complex flavored and smooth coffee, you've come to the right spot. Graffeo has long been my favorite bean. Mostly because it just tastes so darn good, and I'll admit partly because it's a little obscure and OLD SCHOOL. I've noticed some reviews are critical of the customer service. On that, I'll say this: It seems to me that Graffeo sells much of their beans wholesale and already had this storefront so decided to sell beans to the public. You won't get gushy customer service, but if you bring cash they will sell you some kick-ass coffee beans. Side note: I've noticed the beans are so fresh that they actually don't reach their peak flavor until a couple of days later. The coffee is good if you go right home and brew a batch, but wait a few days and it will blow your mind. read more

Graffeo Coffee is a great little coffee roaster that does only one thing -- roast coffee. This isn't a coffee shop, it just sells the beans, and they only sell their own house blends in 0.5-1lb. bags. With all that in mind, I have made some of the best coffee using their beans. Their batches are consistent in flavor and extremely fresh. You can usually ask the guy in front when was the current batch roasted, and it's usually within the last 24-48 hours. So far, I've tried their dark roast and decaf. I have three primary methods of brewing coffee: French Press, Drip, and Aeropress, and their dark roast holds up very well to all of them, but ESPECIALLY French Press. Their beans have a very intense dark chocolate-flavor to them with a hint of toffee. Add some cream and sugar and it tastes just like hot chocolate! Their decaf is decaffeinated via Swiss Water, so if you are especially sensitive to caffeine, these decaf beans are as good as it gets. I will still continue to shop around for new and exciting coffee roaster joints, but their beans will be a mainstay in my kitchen as long as I live in the Bay Area. read more

8/12/05 The Decaf... I love great coffee, but am not a daily drinker. I will shell out the big bucks for Kona, but like to have around some good stuff that is not quite so dear. So I thought to try this local roaster. My issue is that most beans are over roasted and, unfortunately, this is true with their decaf beans. The light roast regular looked nice, but alas sleep is ultimately a greater pleasure. I would, however, love to read a review of the non-decaf beans, if anyone out there has one to offer. Two stars... 3/4/06 I bought a half-pound of their dark roast and had it this morning black with a little sugar. It was excellent! I had to stop myself after two cups; it was so good. They charge $12.75 per pound with a half pound minimum, which is a fair price in my book for such good coffee. They, as I learned, use only Arabica beans, which big roasters, like Starbucks cannot do, because of their volume. Five stars... read more

Nice to have a coffee roaster here in San Rafael. The store feels so empty it feels like it could use some other merchandise to make it more of an experience. How about the ability to be a little taster cup before you commit to a whole pound? read more

For whatever reason the heavily tatted salesman had a horrible attitude today when I attempted to buy my usual 2 pounds because I didn't have my mask on. I told him that I had left at home (true - I obey The Rules and wear indoors) and perhaps I could have one of theirs they keep a stack of in the drawer behind the counter. No, he says, we don't give those out. I said Walter gave me one a couple months ago without me even asking. He just stared at me like a goat. He could've asked what I wanted, walked 20 feet to hand the coffee to me outside the front door, and made the sale. I have purchased thousands of dollars of their coffee over the last 25 years but no more. read more

A store that only does one thing - roasts great coffee and sells it for a competitive price. No junk for sale, no fluff. Just fresh beans. What else do you want? I use the dark roast with my espresso maker and it is wonderful. This is as good as it gets unless you roast your own coffee at home... read more

The dark roast is an Italian roast, so not a hint of burnt taste. The coffee is full bodied yet smooth with a hint of nuttiness. The gentleman working behind the counter was very knowledgeable about coffee and obviously took pride in his roasting. There is no coffee for sell in the store and no tastings, so its a bit of a leap in faith and these reviews to take some home, but it was worth it to me. We buy most of our coffee from Graffeo and occasionally Peets when we are not in the area. read more

I order this stuff from Iowa and have them ship it to me, it's that good.

Great dark roast. Very friendly counter help. Gentleman was able to tell me about shipping rates to home and direct me to some good local gelato shops. read more

Amazing coffee with some great people to assist you in your coffee investments. Rex has always been a huge help. Thank you Graffeo Coffee!

These guys keep it simple and do it right: Light Roast or Dark Roast, VERY fresh, great to work with. What else to you want? I like being able to order smaller quantities so I always have super fresh brew--the secret to great coffee IMO. read more

They roast their own beans and don't let them sit around in a warehouse for a month before selling them? What? When you walk in all you see is a chalkboard with the roasting dates, the roaster, a scale and the wonderful person who will help you. The man who works here (owner?) is very friendly and totally knowledgeable about coffee, the roasting process and water-decaf processing. He will grind the beans if you want him to, but seems really pleased when you have a grinder at home. All the coffee is the same price, and they will do special roasts for you if you want. I prefer the darker roast to the light roast from them, it is not burnt tasting like many "dark roast coffees" you can buy. This is the main reason I do not like French roast coffee, it is almost always burnt in the roasting process. They use the Swiss water decaf beans, which is a non chemical way of extracting the caffeine from coffee. The beans are not totally "caffeine free" but are almost and very, very good. Most other processes use chemical solvents, like methylene chloride, to decaffeinate coffee beans. The beans are soaked in Coffee flavored water to remove the caffeine, not the flavor. Sorry to go off on decaf, it is for Alex C. If you want good coffee and even to learn about coffee go here. Or if you want to just sit in the front and smell the coffee, I am sure that would be fine too. read more

I have been a grateful customer of Graffeo Coffee since 1979. Found them when I opened a bakery in Marin (Baked Expectations) and used their coffees exclusively - the dark roast for both a drip coffee maker and ground for the first commercial espresso machine in east Corte Madera! Also had a pot of decaf always available. Sold the bakery in the mid-80's but have been a dark bean buyer, home grind and brew customer since. Consistently high quality at a very reasonably price and the feeling that I'm drinking Bay Area history every morning keeps me walking back through the door of their vintage roastery on 4th St in San Rafael every couple weeks for my pound & a half of dark beans. This time of the year, half-pounds go out across the country as Xmas gifts to my favorite relatives & friends who wish they lived closer. read more

Keep it simple. Make It great. Graffeo is simply the world's finest. Walking by I smelled a heavenly aroma. I was only looking for a cup of coffee, but ended up buying a profound of fresh still warm Graffeo dark roast. I was then directed to a place to get an espresso at Cafe Aroma down the street. I had a double espresso. It was incredible. Graffeo has been in San Francisco since 1935 and in San Rafael since 1978. I have been to many coffee stores and most don't even have the slightest aroma of coffee. Graffeo is a one of a kind business that gives ot customers a top notch product and great service. Walter and Steve are the best. read more

Having read all the raving reviews here and elsewhere, I bought a pound of dark roast from Graffeo in San Rafael. The beans are black, oily, sticky and smell like fireplace ash. The coffee is undrinkable. Was the roaster just having a bad day? read more

Good coffee but given the choice I'd go to their shop in San Francisco. The staff there seems more knowledgeable and much more interested in customer service. And the last time I came here, it was 10 minutes before closing and the shop was completely locked up - not sure how regular their posted hours are. No sign closing early, nothing to indicate why they weren't around during their normal business hours (and I made a trip just to go there...). read more

It's been about 4 years since I've tried this location, and I thought I'd give it another go. I did not ask to see the beans in advance, as last time doing so incurred the annoyance of the clerk and the light roast was in actuality a real light roast. I usually check the beans, since most people do not know what light roast is, but last time it was the correct roast, so I took my chances, figuring they had a formula. This time, I received a medium roast coffee, which for most people is fine, but I like the subtle, tea-like flavor, complexity, aroma, and true taste of the coffee bean only achieved with the minimum amount of roasting. The top coffee companies today have adopted this opinion as well. It's disappointing that they only offer medium and dark roast now, and that they bill their medium roast coffee as light roast. The flavor is slightly bitter and burnt, and the complexity has been removed from the beans by literally just a few seconds too long in the roaster and a few degrees too hot. Coffee roasting is a precision craft, and perhaps I just got a bad batch this time. But for $18 per pound, I expect a little more attention to detail. read more

Hands-down, the *best* coffee I've ever been able to find! I've been drinking Graffeo coffee since my boss first introduced me to it in 1978, buying my beans first from the SF location and now from the San Rafael location. Service at both locations is always first rate. I've tried Peet's (and other coffees) on a number of occasions but I always return to Graffeo. I introduced it to a friend of mine in Minnesota. He now has his shipped to him in Minneapolis. read more

The San Rafael store has seriously deteriorated recently, compared to how great it was in the past. No coffee in the morning because of "late delivery" or "supplier problem". No coffee in the afternoon because the next batch won't be roasted for several hours. E-mailed complaint to Graffeo and received no response. Tried buying at a Molly Stone and every bag of Italian had a different blend in it. No one seems to be supervising this branch. read more