For 40 years, Henry Kalebjian and his family have been roasting coffee daily in their Noriega Street store in San Francisco. Voted "Best of the Bay" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, recognized as the Best of San Francisco in the Independent and the Gault Millau Guide, Henry's House of Coffee has a loyal following of customers that travel from throughout the Bay Area to their stores in San Francisco's Sunset District and in Burlingame.

The Kalebjians have long standing relationships with businesses and coffee lovers from Hawaii to Florida. A fourth generation master roaster, Henry's wholesale customers include retail groceries, neighborhood coffee shops and fine dining restaurants.

Coffee drinkers start their days on the way to work with a fresh pastry and a cup of Henry's finest roasts and blends. Some even come by regularly to watch Henry roast, take a break from their busy schedules, or relax with other customers from the neighborhood and around the Bay Area. Henry's personal touch with his customers - marked by a homemade Rolodex of his "regular" and their taste preferences - is what sets Henry's House of Coffee apart from other coffeehouses in the Bay area.

The more perfect the green coffee, the more even the roast, the better the taste. Just like a fine wine begins with the finest grapes, great coffee is a process, and it begins with the raw bean.

Henry's House of Coffee inspects every delivery of green beans to make sure they are residue-free, smooth and perfectly shaped. They also inspect every roasted batch for cracked or burned beans. Imperfect beans affect the taste of the final coffee product.

Master Roaster is a designation that is earned over time, and becomes part of ones reputation among peers in the industry - international coffee brokers, producers and other roasters. Henry Kalebjian holds this distinction. But it's the proprietary roasting process that lies at the heart of the Kalebjian family business. They personally roast and blend coffee six days a week.

Precisely measuring barometric pressure and humidity. Adjusting for natural acidity and regional characteristics of the beans. Meticulously monitoring the temperature of the roasting beans and the ambient environment of the roasting drum. Henry's House of Coffee insures the consistency of every bag they deliver.

Roasting alone does not make the perfect cup of coffee. One of the most overlooked, but critical aspects of a fine brew is the role of the filter and grind.

The drip grind coffee that the Kalebjians provide is calibrated to the filter and brewing systems of their customers. In the brewing process, the filter acts as an incubator. If a grind is too large, water filters through too quickly and flavor is lost. If too small, the heat of the water will cook the coffee and make it bitter.