WHY THEN WAS IT SO HARD TO FIND COFFEE THAT FIT THESE BASIC CRITERIA?

There wasn’t a single bag of coffee in the grocery store that was roasted less than 15 days prior (not even close!), and even the more expensive small-batch beans were usually roasted 3 months prior. Coffee I purchased online was almost always over-roasted (think black, oily and bitter) and also roasted a month or more prior.

I could purchase quality coffee from small local shops, but that became expensive and inconvenient. While more convenient, the big chain coffee shops were also using over-roasted beans and had obviously shifted their focus from quality coffee to more profitable sugary drinks.

I was left with no choice; if I wanted quality coffee that was roasted properly and followed the 15-15-15 rule.

I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE IT MYSELF!

Thus, 9 Coffee was born. To be honest, the name wasn’t my first choice. My name is Tyler Humphrey; my friends call me T.Hump, but unfortunately T.Hump Coffee is too similar to Thump Coffee (a great little chain in Bend, OR and Denver, CO.

Why 9 then? Nine has been my jersey number from tee-ball as a child to professional paintball as an adult. From the white sand in Aruba to the dreary overcast puddles in London to the perfect grass and sunshine in Orlando – whenever I put the number nine jersey on, it was Go-Time.

It meant that the hard work and grueling practice sessions were over. The planning, the scheming, the over-thinking, the travel: all of that was finished. All that was left was to put on the number 9 and execute. To me, the number 9 represents the dedication required to excel at any given task.

The task now, is creating the best-tasting, highest-quality coffee and sharing it with you.