I just ordered 3 lbs. from them. My wife is the only coffee drinker, so I'll report back when she tells me if I spent $$$ wisely!
Lee
Where Do You Buy Your Coffee Beans
- Thread starter Steve Williams
- Start date
I just ordered 3 lbs. from them. My wife is the only coffee drinker, so I'll report back when she tells me if I spent $$$ wisely!
Lee
For gourmet quality, that's actually quite reasonable. CostCo was selling Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for $30/lb. (COSTCO DISCOUNT PRICE!!!)
Lee
Well we're kinda lucky in NY-lots of good places to buy coffee. I'm not a great fan btw of Starbucks - I think they must use an acidic processing on their beans.
Currently, I buy my coffee beans at Orens (they have several stores located around Manahattan). I have a couple of favorite beans- starting with Jamaican Blue Mt. followed by Kona, New Guinea, Sumatra and Celebes (there's a thread here with So. Pacific coffees!).
Currently, I buy my coffee beans at Orens (they have several stores located around Manahattan). I have a couple of favorite beans- starting with Jamaican Blue Mt. followed by Kona, New Guinea, Sumatra and Celebes (there's a thread here with So. Pacific coffees!).
So far, both the "dark" and "1/2 & 1/2" whole bean coffees have been a big hit. Thanks for the recommendation!
Lee
steve, i like my coffee not wimpy. i want coffee aroma, taste, and a satisfied after taste. the content feeling you get that you just did it right, once more. as much as i love good coffee, i do not drink much, and i normally drink decaf. (you do not want to see me on caffeine)
this coffee shop in the rittenhouse square of philly had been my favorite ever since they opened (16 or 17 years ago?). it is called la colombe torrefaction.
http://www.lacolombe.com/business.html
there is also an audiophile friend/customer i know of who has been roasting great coffee for the last many many years. he is on a break now for a year, and setting up his on line business now. when that happens, i try to remember and post here.
last few times in san francisco, i enjoyed blue bottle coffee very much http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/
this coffee shop in the rittenhouse square of philly had been my favorite ever since they opened (16 or 17 years ago?). it is called la colombe torrefaction.
http://www.lacolombe.com/business.html
there is also an audiophile friend/customer i know of who has been roasting great coffee for the last many many years. he is on a break now for a year, and setting up his on line business now. when that happens, i try to remember and post here.
last few times in san francisco, i enjoyed blue bottle coffee very much http://www.bluebottlecoffee.net/
Larry "Bubbles" Brown is a SF Comedian who works in an off-beat dead-pan style.
Here are some of his other jokes;
"Give you an idea of my sex life -- the most romantic thing a woman ever said to me in bed was, "are you sure you're not a cop?"
"I once opened for the Pope. I go out, I'm killing, place is going wild. I come off, they had to bring out a high school marching band to calm the place down. I go back-stage and there's the Pontiff chewing on a wafer. I said, "follow that, motherf*cker."
Here are some of his other jokes;
"Give you an idea of my sex life -- the most romantic thing a woman ever said to me in bed was, "are you sure you're not a cop?"
"I once opened for the Pope. I go out, I'm killing, place is going wild. I come off, they had to bring out a high school marching band to calm the place down. I go back-stage and there's the Pontiff chewing on a wafer. I said, "follow that, motherf*cker."
For years I used to buy the Millstone whole bean dark roast Columbian at Sams Club. Then, the butt-head merchandisers in Arkansas decided to stop selling it. As a runner up I've grown fond of a dark roast Sumatra whole bean that is reasonably priced at World Market. Only time will tell if their merchandisers turn out to be butt-heads too.
The Kenya AA is also a very delicate and aromatic brew that is also readily available.
The Kenya AA is also a very delicate and aromatic brew that is also readily available.
Followup: We've reordered the half and half blend and the dark beans from www.graffeo.com. My wife didn't care as much for the light roast version. Thanks to fellow forum member rsbeck for the recommendation!
Lee
Lee
Also found a coffee shop here in town recently. They roast their own coffee in-house. I brought home a pound of Jamaican Blue Mountain that had been roasted that day. My wife said it was delicious, with no bitterness or acid after-taste, etc. She compared it to the differences between average and great wines. I told her we needed a DBT, and will be sleeping in the garage tonight.
Lee
Lee
There is nothing wrong with Starbuck beans or the way they roast. The problem is they brew their coffee way too strong which turns many people off. If you buy Starbucks beans and grind them in a good burr grinder and use good water, you will make a great cup of coffee.
I roast my own beans. I buy from Sweet Marias, and I use a Hot Top Home Roaster. It makes alot of smoke, so you need to use it under a stove hood or outdoors. It does about 3/4 lb at a time, and I probably roast 2-3 batches per week. The roaster is expensive, but the beans are cheap. It pays for itself in time.
For Espresso, I roast Malabar Gold beans from Josuma coffee. They only come in 100 lb bags, but if kept in a dry place, will keep for a couple years with no ill effect. Espresso beans are best after a 18-24 hour rest, and begin to deteriorate after about 7-9 days. Regular coffee beans can be kept at room tempature for 2-3 weeks, in an air tight container or the mill hopper. I don't store them in the refrigerator or freezer because that leads to condensation.
Also, Starbucks coffee is not roasted or brewed correctly. While I love coffee, I'd rather have none than Starbucks.
The best brewer is an electric water kettle for getting the water to a rolling boil, and the Clever Filter Cone from Sweet Maria's. It is like French Press, with no particles at the bottom. You let the entire cup of water sit in all the grinds for 3 minutes, and then you drain directly into a cup rinsed with hot water.
The Maestro Plus burr mill grinder is the best, most inexpensive grinder. Works perfect for drip and press coffee. For espresso, you need an expensive grinding machine.
For Espresso, I roast Malabar Gold beans from Josuma coffee. They only come in 100 lb bags, but if kept in a dry place, will keep for a couple years with no ill effect. Espresso beans are best after a 18-24 hour rest, and begin to deteriorate after about 7-9 days. Regular coffee beans can be kept at room tempature for 2-3 weeks, in an air tight container or the mill hopper. I don't store them in the refrigerator or freezer because that leads to condensation.
Also, Starbucks coffee is not roasted or brewed correctly. While I love coffee, I'd rather have none than Starbucks.
The best brewer is an electric water kettle for getting the water to a rolling boil, and the Clever Filter Cone from Sweet Maria's. It is like French Press, with no particles at the bottom. You let the entire cup of water sit in all the grinds for 3 minutes, and then you drain directly into a cup rinsed with hot water.
The Maestro Plus burr mill grinder is the best, most inexpensive grinder. Works perfect for drip and press coffee. For espresso, you need an expensive grinding machine.
If we look at a pure "cost analysis" of coffee, and disregard personal issues with preference, it shakes out like this:
Starbucks: ~ $4.00 for a 2 cup serving (approx.) = $2.00/cup
Top Jamaican Blue Mountain: $40.00/lb. One pound makes about 100 cups (burr grinder & your coffee maker). Therefore top home-brew coffee = $0.40/cup
So, Starbucks is 5 times as expensive as some of the most exotic, expensive coffee available. Just like cables, is the difference worth it?
Lee
Starbucks: ~ $4.00 for a 2 cup serving (approx.) = $2.00/cup
Top Jamaican Blue Mountain: $40.00/lb. One pound makes about 100 cups (burr grinder & your coffee maker). Therefore top home-brew coffee = $0.40/cup
So, Starbucks is 5 times as expensive as some of the most exotic, expensive coffee available. Just like cables, is the difference worth it?
Lee
My wife and I are into sone charity support programs for Oaxaca and Chiapas state communities, we get sometimes the chance to buy organic coffee directly from the people that grow and get into the whole process until it is ready to export, mostly Europe and Asia. No label nor fancy wrapping but terrific coffee - when that runs out of stock she gets Punta del Cielo Coffee in gourmet stores.
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