Where Do You Buy Your Coffee Beans

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
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NYC/NJ
Been getting coffee from Porto Rico in NYC for a long time -- still the best value I've found.

http://www.portorico.com/store/

Aggie's blend and the Sumatra are some of the favorites here. Loved our old Bodum electric vacuum pot -- much better than drip, similar to French press -- but it died and is no long made afaik.
 

Robert

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2010
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For those who like French press, do take a look at the Clever Coffee Dripper with a Braun electric kettle. Very easy clean-up even at work, and no grounds in coffee.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-brewers/filtercones/clever-dripper-with-lid.html

The problem with drip coffee is that home machines do not get the water to a rolling boil. The other advantage of the Coffee Dripper above is that all the grinds are in contact with all the water for the full brewing time. It does make one cup at a time, but hey, that's all I can drink at one time. The only disadvantage is that some of the oils are absorbed by the paper filter, but I am not personally convinced how important this is.

It is not as good as a vacuum pot, but even I can't deal with the mess and broken parts with that aparatus.

For those of you interested in roasting, it really is quite easy. You just need to be present during the last 5 minutes of a 25 minute cycle. Green coffee beans in 20lb bags costs $4/lb.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/coffee.other.blends.php#FrenchRoastBlend2008

The HotTop Roaster is $720, and other roasters are available at lesser cost.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmar...rum-roasters/hottop/hottop-roaster-basic.html

If you are paying $12 for roasted coffee, it would pay for itself after about 90 lbs, plus the beans taste much better. The selection and quality of raw beans is excellent.
 

Larry

New Member
Mar 22, 2011
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Robert, I'm with you. I've been roasting my own beans for about 6 years or so. It's the only way to get a cup of coffee just the way you want it. Right now Ethiopian beans roasted till just before or at second crack is my favorite. For store bought beans, we get Pete's at work and most of their beans/roasts are decent. Italian Roast is my favorite from Pete's.

larry
 

Phelonious Ponk

New Member
Jun 30, 2010
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Beans? It comes in beans? I heard they had a new 32-ounce super size, but I didn't know it came in beans!

Tim
 

speakerlust

Well-Known Member
Mar 26, 2011
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Like Robert, I also roast my own beans, primarily from Sweet Maria's with a Hottop roaster. It is an expensive unit, but you can purchase pretty much all the replacement parts as needed and upgrade the electronics for roasting profiles and operation of the unit as well if desired. I have stayed with the legacy controller that came with my unit, but you can get far more control of the entire roast with newer units and tweaks. I have had mine for maybe 6 years now and replaced a heating element. I have been using a Jura-Capresso for coffee and expresso. I probably have at least half a dozen different green bean coffees on hand at a time. I generally let new roast rest for 1-3 days before using. I can taste a dropping in flavor and quality after about 10 days on most coffees, but am through a roast batch usually within 5-7 days including rest period.

Will
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
My son lives in San Francisco and raves about Philz Coffee where they also roast their own beans. He brought me a lb of their Ether coffee which is a dark roasted bean

All I can say is "wow"

They roast 17 different caffeinated and 3 decaf blends
 

mimesis

New Member
Sep 26, 2010
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I buy from a micro roaster who is local to me (Portola Coffee). He roasts on Saturdays out of a local bakery/cafe. A recent discovery is City Bean, which is in Los Angeles - they make an espresso roast that compares favorably to Intelligentsia's famed Black Cat blend/roast for pulls that can complement and cut through the typical steamed milk lattes I make. So all three are definites with City Bean a nice new find. All three also offer organic versions although I find the Black Cat regular to be more potent. Another good one in the greater LA area is Klatch - their espresso blend is a bit sharper. They have a barista on staff who competes (and wins) national and international contests.
 
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ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
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Boston, MA
Although I've been brewing Peet's Major Dickason's espresso for decades (a far superior blend to Starbucks, in my view), I didn't get serious about it until a year ago... Following the formula of most importance which has the beans at the top, roasting second, followed closely by the grinder and far below all that the espresso machine, I upgraded the hardware and then experimented with the coffee...

So for me, and w/o having really tried everything out there, the Spectral of espresso ;) so far in the US is... 1) Intelligentsia Black Cat @$23/lb; 2) Caffe Vita. So far, I find the balance, smoothness and non-bitter taste of Intelligentsia Black Cat nonpareil. Luckily, there is one specialty coffee place here in Boston and I don't have to order it from Chicago... Unfortunately, the price is much higher than direct...
 
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ack

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May 6, 2010
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This is what I pay here. It's $16 direct, but then there is shipping
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
still a hefty price to pay.

Too many coffee houses that roast their own in my neck of the woods to have to go elsewhere and spend that much on a lb of beans

BTW, what do you use to brew your coffee

For me there is only one, the Jura Capresso Z5 (or Z6)
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
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The grinder is by far the most important hardware, so I got a Capresso Infinity burr grinder - it's important to get a consistent grind, not to warm up the beans during the process, and obviously get as perfect a grind as you can get. This grinder is nowhere near the really fancy ones that have literally hundreds of fine adjustments, but it grinds exactly as I want it, for $120. The espresso machine is a Krups 5240 (gee doc, how much did you pay for your Z5???) - all you need is a good strong *steady* pump that heats up to the right temperature - I paid $250; anything beyond this is simply just fancier for me, including those Brevilles, Francis Francis (which a friend has) et al.
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
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Boston, MA
A word of advice on the Krups 5240 for those interested in it... my research showed that the original frother design had a flaw and it would simply pop off under high pressure; considering this, I got mine direct from Krups to be sure I have the redesigned one (all the ones I could find locally were apparently the original design, and I couldn't tell what I would be getting from Amazon). It replaced the similar model I had for over 12 yrs which worked flawlessly day and night.
 

John Brooks

New Member
Apr 26, 2010
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Washington (the state)
"Hoodoo Jo" by Kicking Horse Coffee Company on Salt Spring Island, B.C. is my new favorite:

http://kickinghorsecoffee.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=93&language=Fr

I like a bold, complex coffee. What sets this one apart is that it also has great aromatics and is not "burnt" tasting at all. Many so-called bold coffees are really just over-roasted. Hoodoo Jo is definitely a dark roast, but roasted just enough so the complexities of the beans still come through without being overshadowed by 'char'.

Second favorite is "Arco Etrusco Blend" by Cafe Umbria in Seattle:

http://www.caffeumbria.com/category/Arco-Etrusco-Blend-Dark-Roast.html

I buy this at the store when I run out of Hoodoo Jo.
 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
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Various places in the San Diego area...recently, I've been sourcing my whole beans from COSTCO. Of course, it's catch as catch can; however, on the whole -lol- I've been very satisfied.
 

mimesis

New Member
Sep 26, 2010
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It's my experience, if you pull your own espresso shots, that the grinder is important in order to deliver the right fineness without heating the beans. However, grain size, volume of ground coffee are related to the oiliness. Plus you need to tamp the puck properly, ideally 30 lbs of pressure - which is why I got an Espro tension tamper that delivers a consistent tamp. I find that after hitting the button on my semi-automatic Salvatore Espresso machine, there should be at least 7-8 seconds before any liquid comes out and for a double shot, it should take more than 20 seconds from start, ideally 24-28. Thus you get a properly extracted shot and good crema. Since I also prefer lattes, I steam the milk and have pretty much figured out, by holding the pitcher (or nowadays I steam milk in my big coffee mug) how hot is just right. Over 160F and the milk tastes burnt - which is what happens at least half the time when I get a drink at a coffee house. There are people who are a magnitude more paranoid/detailed oriented than me - coffeephiles are just like audiophiles. They get into factional measurements of water temp, flushing the unit first if it is a heat exchanger, etc. The king of the hill for a home unit is the La Marzocco GS3 at 6500; La Cimbili is also good. As for grinders, I have a Mazzer Mini doserless and it's awesome - the only one better, but uglier, is the Versa Dynamics (of Versalab turntable fame).

If I had to use a super automatic, like a Jura Capresso, I'd get the Nuovo Simonelli Microbar as it provides heavy duty boilers, grinder etc.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
If I had to use a super automatic, like a Jura Capresso, I'd get the Nuovo Simonelli Microbar as it provides heavy duty boilers, grinder etc.

I'm not familiar with that machine. I am however happy with the grinder and boiler on my Z5

Very informative post BTW. You are obviously a serious coffeephile
 

RUR

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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SoCal
...coffeephiles are just like audiophiles. They get into factional measurements of water temp, flushing the unit first if it is a heat exchanger, etc..
Sorta difficult to rank order, but precise water temp is at or near the top of the priority list for the best, most consistent pulls. I have an adjustable PID on my Alexia which ensures accuracy to within ~half a degree and it makes a world of difference.

As for grinders, I have a Mazzer Mini doserless and it's awesome - the only one better, but uglier, is the Versa Dynamics (of Versalab turntable fame)
Great grinder, William. Why did you choose the doserless version? I keep looking at the Mini, in large part because of the accurate doser. My Rancilio Rocky has one, but it ain't very accurate.
 

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