We have an article that dives into our approach to sourcing and partnerships: What We Talk About When We Talk About Partnerships.
Traditionally, roasted coffee has been categorized according to roast degree: light roast, medium roast, dark roast, etc. At Passenger, rather than differentiating our coffees in this way, we develop all of our roast profiles with the same goal: presenting the intrinsic qualities of the different coffees we buy in a way that emphasizes their inherent sweetness and flavor complexity. Put another way, we try to let the beautiful coffees that we roast speak for themselves, as free of roast artifact flavors as possible. Roasting our coffees with this goal in mind lends itself to what would be considered a 'light roast' treatment across all Passenger coffees.
If you prefer a more developed medium-to-dark roast, check out our sister brand Necessary Coffee Roasters
If you're unsure where to start, consider which flavors you enjoy in your coffee most and look to our Foundational Menu for a great entry point into Passenger's robust array of offerings.
If you prefer a more approachable and easy-drinking profile that puts chocolate and browning sugars at the forefront, you will likely enjoy many of our options from Central and South America, such as our Cusco from Peru or our Montecarlos from El Salvador.
If you enjoy something with a touch of livelier acidity, more fruit-forward flavors, and a slightly more nuanced cup, our Colombian Divino Niño, as well as our African coffees from Agaro and Heza, and our Bhadra coffee from India might be the best fit.
If you're still unsure, we have two outstanding blends in our Stowaway and Keystone offerings that are great introductory options, adaptable to a wide variety of brewing methods.
While Fair Trade, Organic certification and other certification programs have been undeniably important to the development of the specialty coffee movement, we do not prioritize certified coffees on our menu for a variety of reasons. With respect to Fair Trade, Passenger has always paid considerably higher prices than the Fair Trade minimum, and we prefer to pursue ongoing fixed price contracts for as many of our coffees as possible, as opposed to investing in certification or quality-based premiums that are built on the fluctuating C Market index. With respect to Organic Certification, while many of the coffees that Passenger buys are produced organically, the cost of organic certification is untenable for many coffee producers and fully organic coffee production is extremely risky, if not impossible, in many coffee producing regions. Rather than requiring this seal of certification, we at Passenger believe in working with producers over time to identify viable strategies to lessen negative environmental impact and improve sustainability. We have found that World Coffee Research aligns more with our ideals while still providing a level of accountability. Passenger has been a donor member since 2024.
With this in mind, our Heza producer partners at the Long Miles Coffee Project are actively developing an organic compost program with the goal of pursuing improved soil/plant health, increased coffee yields, etc.
For those who enjoy adding cream and sugar, coffees with naturally sweeter flavor profiles—such as notes of chocolate, cocoa, and baking spices—are excellent choices. These coffees tend to be smooth, full-bodied, and easy-drinking on their own, while also holding up beautifully to the richness of cream and the sweetness of sugar.
Here are a few standout options from our menu that are always a great starting point:
Each of these selections complements cream and sugar without losing the essence of their carefully developed flavors.
You can expect the coffees to taste great the day they arrive, but they will also continue to evolve and 'open up' as they rest.
With that in mind, our recommendation is 2 weeks from the roast date indicated on the bottom of your bag. Beyond that, it really depends on preference.
We encourage you to brew the coffee over time to explore what nuances you find as the coffee rests. While each coffee will age somewhat differently, you can expect coffees to continue tasting great for a number of months!
We start with a Reverse Osmosis system to remove all mineral content (which would be comparable to distilled water), then add 30ppm of calcium carbonate via an inline calcite remineralization filter.
For mixing water at home, mix calcium carbonate with RO / distilled water manually or add a bit of tap water (preferably filtered) to RO / distilled water to increase the TDS up to 30 ppm. When exploring remineralization at home, check out companies such as Third Wave Water, which have a variety of user-friendly remineralization products designed for coffee brewing.
More simply, we often find that widely available spring water products work well with our coffee - Deer Park is our favorite!
The main difference between Passenger and Necessary Coffee Roasters is our roasting approach.
At Passenger, we develop all of our roast profiles with the same goal: presenting the intrinsic qualities of the different coffees we buy in a way that emphasizes their inherent sweetness and flavor complexity. Put another way, we try to let the beautiful coffees that we roast speak for themselves, as free of roast artifact flavors as possible. This approach lends itself to what can be generally considered a 'light' roast.
For Necessary Coffee Roasters, we put the skill and discretion of our roaster operators at the forefront, using the roasting machine to add additional layers of rich, everyday flavors that are directly attributable to the roasting process. In doing so, Necessary Coffee Roasters presents coffees that fall more into the medium to dark roast categories.
As for the green (unroasted) coffee, we source our coffees for Necessary from the same seven Foundational Partnerships that comprise the heart of Passenger's sourcing model and menu offerings.
Each of our seven Foundational Coffees has its own distinct brand or logo mark on the label and a distinct color scheme. Those coffees are:
The labels for our Reserve Lot menu products do not feature the larger brand mark of our Foundational Coffees but will share a similar color scheme based on the general producing region or country of origin of the coffee.
Finally, our Education Lot coffee labels will have a predominantly white label with a colored border to indicate the general producing region or country of origin of the coffee.
Across all of these menus, you may find certain products that have a small coin-like 'stamp' in the center of the label, which indicates that the coffee was sourced from one of our seven Foundational Partnerships.
It depends on your subscription type. If you’ve selected an individual subscription, you’ll receive the same coffee in each order. If you’ve chosen a dynamic subscription, your orders will rotate through a curated collection of Passenger coffees or teas, ensuring variety while considering what you’ve received before. Rather than repeating the same coffee, the system prioritizes offering a fresh selection each time.
You can learn more about Passenger Dynamic Subscriptions here or individual subscriptions here.
Every subscription comes with complimentary shipping within the continental US. Plus, you have the option to include extra items with any subscription order to make the most of this bonus benefit.
Yes, Passenger makes it easy to customize the products in your subscription. You can rotate through your selected items with each subscription cycle and update your selection of available products at any time.
For step-by-step instructions, check out our how-to guide here.
Your coffee will be freshly roasted when your order is processed and shipped the following day.
Unless explicitly stated, discounts cannot be used towards the purchase of subscription plans or gift cards.
Please note that our subscription system operates independently from our regular online store. If a subscription is combined with other items during checkout and a coupon code is applied, the transaction may be declined.
You can report an issue with an existing order using the “Report a Problem” link on your Order Summary page or by emailing help@drinkpassenger.com. Please provide your order details, including the order number and a description of the issue, and we’ll work to resolve it as quickly as possible.
For more detailed instructions, click here.
If tracking shows your package as delivered but you haven’t received it, here’s what you can do:
If your package is missing after following these steps, we’ll do our best to assist you with a replacement or a resolution.
If you need to update the shipping address on a new order, you can either use the “Report a Problem” form in your Account Dashboard (instructions) or email us at help@drinkpassenger.com with your updated address and order number.
To update a saved address for future orders, follow the instructions here.
Due to the perishable nature of our coffee and tea, we do not accept returns. However, if there is an issue with your order, please reach out to us at help@drinkpassenger.com, and we’ll do our best to make it right.
Items eligible for return include merchandise and any brewing equipment sold by Passenger.
You can view our full return policy here.
We roast coffee Monday through Friday and ship orders the following day.
Orders placed:
Once shipped, delivery typically takes 2–4 days, depending on your location and chosen shipping method. You’ll receive a tracking link as soon as your order is on its way.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to help@drinkpassenger.com.
We generally do not ship internationally, but exceptions can be made. Please reach out to us at help@drinkpassenger.com to discuss options.
No, we do not offer expedited production or shipping. Orders are roasted and shipped according to our standard schedule.
Passenger on King
7 W King St Lancaster, PA 17603
7AM-2PM Mon-Thurs
7AM-4PM Fri-Sun
Passenger on Plum
131 N Plum St Lancaster, PA 17602
7AM-2PM Daily
Our Flagship Cafe has a larger selection of coffee and tea, 2 drip options, our blue book menu with archived coffee releases, including pour overs and rotating espresso.
We offer rotating drip coffee, espresso, and teas at our roastery and coffee bar.
We always carry our Foundational coffees, along with a rotating selection of many, but not all, of our Reserve coffees. Additionally, most of our teas are available for retail purchase.
Beyond coffee and tea, we also offer a curated selection of brewing equipment at both of our shops.
Please give us a call at 717-455-3633 or email help@drinkpassenger.com with the following details:
We’ll do our best to assist you!