6 Planes Coffee Roasters

Shawn runs 6 Planes out of Hughesville, Maryland as a veteran-owned mail-order and local-pickup roastery. No cafe, no espresso bar, no walk-in seating. What you get instead is a box with handwritten notes, roast dates marked on the bags, and resealable packaging that says someone is paying attention to the details that matter once the coffee leaves the drum.

The lineup leans single origin. Guatemala Huehuetenango is the bag reviewers come back for. Ethiopian Guji covers the brighter side. The Joy Blend and Yirga Skies sit alongside, and the Basecamp blend is the everyday workhorse. Brazil is the recommendation for home cold brew, since the lower-acid profile holds up overnight. Easy Day is the drip pick. If you're not sure which to choose, Shawn will recommend based on your brew method, and he answers when you email. That kind of back-and-forth is the product as much as the beans are.

Shipping is fast. Bags arrive fresh. The roast-date labeling lets you plan your rotation honestly instead of guessing how old the coffee on your shelf is.

The veteran-owned angle isn't marketing fluff. The operation runs at a scale that matches one person doing the work and answering the email, which is part of what makes the recommendations feel earned rather than scripted.

The right fit for home brewers who want fresh single-origin beans, want to talk to the roaster about what works for their setup, and want to know exactly when the coffee came off the drum. Not the right call for anyone looking to walk into a cafe and sit down with a drink.