Sprouts Nationwide Launch, James Beard House, and the Truth About Caffeine in Light Roast Coffee

February in New York has felt like winter used to. The kind that makes the air sharp, the sidewalks loud, and the walk from your bed to your front door feel like a test of character. Coffee consumption seems to rise in direct proportion to wind chill. There may not be hard data on that, but we have eyes.

We are writing with a few updates from Oval, and with the second installment in our series answering the ten questions we hear most often about coffee. This month’s question is one of the big ones.

Back at Sprouts

We are back at Sprouts for the month of February. All three of our whole bean blends are on shelf, and available on Instacart as well if you prefer to have it arrive at your door. This time, we have had the opportunity to do it with a custom display built specifically for the coffee aisle, which makes the whole thing feel properly placed.

Our whole bean lineup highlights women produced sourcing, a half caff option designed for everyday drinking, and a naturally processed coffee with a fruit forward profile, all sourced with intention and roasted in New York City.

Partner links: Sprouts Farmers Market Instacart

Oval at James Beard House

We served Oval coffee at the James Beard House as part of a private gathering by our longtime partner, Resident. The West Village townhouse is where James Beard lived and cooked, and where much of modern American food culture took shape. It felt genuinely special to be there.

Interior of the James Beard House in the West Village during a private Resident gathering. Interior image from the historic James Beard House in the West Village of New York City, showing a framed portrait of James Beard during a private Resident gathering where Oval Coffee Roasters provided coffee service. The townhouse is a landmark location in American culinary history.

James Beard House moment from a private gathering with Resident. If the embedded video does not load, view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FSic_CDd4GY

Partner links: James Beard Foundation Resident YouTube

Pampered Chef activation

We partnered with Pampered Chef for a special event at One Manhattan Square and represented Oval by brewing our Bowling Green blend on their Deluxe Coffee Machine. It was a pleasure to serve attendees in that setting, showcasing how thoughtfully sourced and roasted coffee can shine across different brewing formats.

Oval Coffee Roasters coffee catering activation with Pampered Chef at One Manhattan Square in New York City. Collage of three images from Oval Coffee Roasters coffee catering activation with Pampered Chef at One Manhattan Square in New York City. The first image shows a Deluxe Coffee Machine setup with Oval branded cups and catering equipment. The second image shows baristas preparing coffee drinks with fresh ingredients and service ware. The third image shows two Oval team members in brown aprons standing in front of a Pampered Chef backdrop during the event.

Partner links: Pampered Chef

INKEY event

We partnered with INKEY for a special event in the Meatpacking District, which gave us the opportunity to refine our coffee service to match a beautifully styled setting, complete with florals from Takata Nursery. It was a thoughtful collaboration and a good reminder that coffee service can meet the tone of the room without overpowering it.

If you ever need an elevated setup for a special event, we would be glad to help shape it for New York City and the broader Tri State area, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Partner links: INKEY Takata Nursery

Coffee Question 2

What has more caffeine, light roast or dark roast?

Short answer: They have the same amount.

This is the question I get more than any other. Does light roast have more caffeine, or does dark roast? People tend to ask it with confidence, which is usually a sign they have already heard an answer somewhere and are testing whether it holds up.

It feels like it should have a clear winner. Dark roast tastes heavier, louder, more forceful. Light roast feels alert, precise, a little tense. Reasonable people land on opposite sides and remain certain.

The truth is less dramatic. Light roast and dark roast coffee contain the same amount of caffeine.

The confusion comes from what roasting actually changes. Roasting darker does not burn caffeine away or concentrate it. Caffeine is stubborn. It survives the process intact. A pound of coffee roasted light and a pound roasted dark contain essentially the same amount.

What roasting does change is the physical structure of the coffee. Dark roast beans are roasted hotter and longer. More moisture leaves the bean. It expands. The coffee becomes lighter and physically larger. Light roast beans remain denser and more compact.

This matters because most people do not measure coffee by weight. They measure it by sight. A scoop. A spoon. A quick pour into the grinder that feels right. When coffee is measured by volume, dark roast contains less coffee than light roast simply because the beans take up more space. Less coffee means less caffeine. Measured this way, dark roast appears weaker.

Measured by weight, there is no measurable difference in caffeine content. That is the entire trick. Nothing is hidden. Nothing is added or removed. The caffeine never moved.

If you want a practical way to use this information, especially if you like switching between light and dark roasts but want roughly the same amount of caffeine each day, measure your coffee by weight rather than by volume. Scoops exaggerate the difference. Scales remove it.

A few side notes

It is worth saying that light and dark roast are not simply two ends of a quality spectrum. They are different experiences entirely. Liking one over the other just means that, at that moment, one feels better than the other.

We do not currently offer a dark roast in our retail lineup, but we have long believed in the style. We roast a special dark blend for ANDO Patisserie and recommend stopping in for a pastry and an Oval espresso.

Partner links: ANDO Patisserie

Oval Coffee Roasters is roasted in Hunts Point in The Bronx and served across New York City and the Tri State area, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island, with nationwide availability through select retail partners.