Speciality coffee: which are your favorite roasters?

[weinoo]

12 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

Hearty recommendation for Coffee Mob in Brooklyn. They happen to be a short walk from me. I was happy with Stumptown, Toby's Estate, Joe, 9th St., etc., and then walked in to this place. I saw with some skepticism that they roast their own, and didn't like the high prices, but felt compelled to try. Damn if it wasn't the best coffee I'd ever had. So now I suck it up and pay whatever they ask. 

 

The owner, Buck has become a friend. I went with him once to the roasting collective in Red Hook where he works his magic (turns out to be the same place many other boutique NYC coffee shops do their roasting). 

 

The selection is always small. He's been doing mostly central American coffees a lot lately ... I love the honey process Guatemal Finca Medina. But my favorites are his Ethiopian and Burundian coffees, especially when he gets in a natural process. 

 

He roasts on the light side, and I generally find that the beans are at their peak 1 to 2 weeks after the roast date. Easily 2 weeks if you're making espresso. They lose flavor very, very slowly. 

 

I'm gonna take a ride and pick some up.  I happen to really like the Burundi and Ethiopian coffees also!  What beans does he generally do as an espresso roast?

Edited January 5, 2022 by weinoo (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Being West Coastal and having Peet's within a couple of blocks from us, I'm devoted to their single origin Ethiopian, Kenya auction lot beans.    Either is exceptional, and I sometimes blend the two.   

[paulraphael]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I'm gonna take a ride and pick some up.  I happen to really like the Burundi and Ethiopian coffees also!  What beans does he generally do as an espresso roast?

 

It changes all time. This last year he's been doing a lot of blends for espresso, I think as a concession to most customers ordering milk drinks. I almost always prefer the single origins. But his blends aren't traditional espresso blends. They'll typically be two, or occasionally three different varieties, and they're all beans that he sells as single origins. So it's not about balancing out shortcomings. 

 

The site isn't always completely up to date with what he has at the store. He had a washed Ethiopian a couple of weeks ago that wasn't up on the site. It's mostly been central America lately though.

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, paulraphael said:

 

It changes all time. This last year he's been doing a lot of blends for espresso, I think as a concession to most customers ordering milk drinks. I almost always prefer the single origins. But his blends aren't traditional espresso blends. They'll typically be two, or occasionally three different varieties, and they're all beans that he sells as single origins. So it's not about balancing out shortcomings. 

 

The site isn't always completely up to date with what he has at the store. He had a washed Ethiopian a couple of weeks ago that wasn't up on the site. It's mostly been central America lately though.

 

This is kinda what the place I order my beans from does...George Howell. They roast one or two single origins for espresso, as well as offering a more classic espresso blend.  And they'll take certain beans up to French and Viennese roast level too. I've had such great luck using them; beans arrive literally within a day or two of my ordering and their roasting. And they get some wild, crazy expensive coffees as well - I haven't tried any of those, which can run into the hundreds of dollars a pound.

[paulraphael]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

And they get some wild, crazy expensive coffees as well - I haven't tried any of those, which can run into the hundreds of dollars a pound.

 

I am so not interested in coffees that cost as much as precious metals. What would happen if I tried one and liked it??

 

Sadly, with climate change, coffee is all creeping in that direction.

[blue_dolphin]

Over the last 3 years, I've been getting coffee via a subscription to YES PLZ, a small roaster in the LA area and enjoying it. They roast a different blend each week and have added a batch of decaf once or twice a month.  You can choose 8.8 oz or 12 oz packets and can get shipments weekly, every other week, every 3 weeks or every 4 weeks. Their online tool makes it easy to skip a shipment or make other changes. They used to ship a little newsletter with info on the beans, other articles and a playlist. Now, you get a link to the newsletter instead of a hard copy.  

 

There's no option to enter any preferences, nor can you get more of a blend you loved so this is not for someone who wants to dial in their own ideal coffee and enjoy that same perfection in each and every cup.  I've enjoyed the variety of trying something different every couple of weeks and I appreciate the ~ half pound size for my one AeroPress/day.   Roasts tend to be on the medium - light side.  The very first blend I received tasted shockingly bright, fruity and acidic to me but that's the only one I haven't liked. And even that one was rather nice after I added some darker roast beans to the mix. 

 

I was roasting with an air popper but the need to keep my eyeballs (and by default, my ears) so close to the noisy thing got too annoying, even with my noise-cancelling headphones. 

In the long run, it would be more economical to cancel the subscription and save up for a better grinder.  Maybe someday. 

My YES PLZ subscription is currently on pause because I received some gift beans over the holidays but I plan to start it back up soon. 

 

 

 

[RWood]

When I was living in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area, a new coffee place opened up called Verve. Been hooked ever since. 
Now that we are in Georgia, I still have it shipped. 

 The 1950 blend is our usual, Streetlevel is the one I started on, and their holiday blend the past two years has been great. 

 

[Alex Bernardo]

Best I’ve ever had is Nylon Coffee in Singapore. Where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area it’s Andytown Coffee and Ritual.

[kayb]

I’ll put in a word for Rozark Hills, a small roaster in Central Arkansas where I get my coffee. They’ll usually have a dozen varietals and about that many blends. Right now, I’m drinking Sumatran Mandheling.

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, Alex Bernardo said:

Where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area it’s Andytown Coffee and Ritual

 

I like Ritual a lot, as well as Four Barrel. Always visit when we're out there. But for me, with home delivery the day (or sometimes two) after it's roasted, George Howell can't be beat.  And some of his special roasts are insane (not that I'd buy one, at over $200/lb.!)

[rotuts]

I roast my own coffee.

 

however , if push comes to shove

 

Ive tried Peet's and Starbucks

 

and found coffee's  ( whole bean of course ) 

 

lacking from each vendor.

 

consider Trader Joes .

 

its not going to be quite like the $ 200 / lbs mentioned above

 

( Blue Mountain ?  Bait&Switch ? ) 

 

but its  decent coffee at a fair price.

[paulraphael]

On 3/23/2022 at 7:14 AM, rotuts said:

I roast my own coffee.

 

however , if push comes to shove

 

Ive tried Peet's and Starbucks

 

and found coffee's  ( whole bean of course ) 

 

lacking from each vendor.

 

consider Trader Joes .

 

its not going to be quite like the $ 200 / lbs mentioned above

 

( Blue Mountain ?  Bait&Switch ? ) 

 

but its  decent coffee at a fair price.

 

Peet's and Starbucks both sell burnt coffee, so they don't have to care much about origin, processing quality, or consistency.

 

I don't have experience with Trader Joes. In general you're not going to get great coffee from mass-market operations. One reason is that is that they're limited to buying coffee that's available in mass quantities, which means bigger, industrial-scale farms. 

 

These days you can get amazing coffee through the mail from dozens of roasters. The problem is you have to add shipping to the already high cost of the beans. I'm not talking $200/lb, but $30/lb is becoming norma. This isn't something I can live with for a daily brew. It's good for the occasional gift or splurge though. I'm curious to see prices from some of the shops mentioned upthread. 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, paulraphael said:

These days you can get amazing coffee through the mail from dozens of roasters. The problem is you have to add shipping to the already high cost of the beans. I'm not talking $200/lb, but $30/lb is becoming norma. This isn't something I can live with for a daily brew. It's good for the occasional gift or splurge though. I'm curious to see prices from some of the shops mentioned upthread. 

 

Free shipping from Howell kicks in at $50. I always buy 2 or 3 bags at a time, easily getting to free shipping, and they last about 10 - 14 days. They still have some coffees at $20/lb., but fewer and fewer. And of course some coffees (their specialty roasts) can be ridiculous.

 

I finally got to try your favorite shop, but I really wasn't impressed with the beans on offer, at least the ones displayed. They all had roast dates which were more than 7 days prior; in one or two cases, way more. I  bought one bag.  I did like the espresso that the barista pulled for me. And the bathroom is nice.

Edited September 3, 2022 by weinoo (log)

[donk79]

My favorite shop will bag beans for me from their bulk bags that they have for pourover, etc.  The price is often better than I get otherwise,  and the beans are almost always fresher than the retail packs.

 

I'm sure not every shop will (or has capacity to) do this, but it might be worth checking.  I always tip for the service as well ( It's still cheaper than shipping).  That might help encourage the practice to continue!

Edited September 5, 2022 by donk79
Grammar (log)

[blue_dolphin]

On 9/3/2022 at 5:06 AM, paulraphael said:

These days you can get amazing coffee through the mail from dozens of roasters. The problem is you have to add shipping to the already high cost of the beans. I'm not talking $200/lb, but $30/lb is becoming norma. This isn't something I can live with for a daily brew. It's good for the occasional gift or splurge though. I'm curious to see prices from some of the shops mentioned upthread. 

 

I mentioned that I order coffee from an LA area roaster, Yes Plz. They sell blends, ship out a new one each week (or whatever interval you choose) and the cost I pay is right about that $30/lb level, inclusive of shipping. 

I am a micro-consumer of coffee.  I drink one cup of Aeropress coffee per day using 20g beans/cup so an 8.8 oz bag lasts me 2 weeks.  At $17/250g bag, that's ~ 1.20/day.  I get a small amount of fresh beans delivered every 2 weeks and use them up in that period of time so this works nicely for me.  

 

[weinoo]

So, I'd read an article in the Times a few weeks ago, entitled:

 

It’s Not Just You — Blank Street Coffee Is Suddenly Inescapable

 

Quote

 

By this summer, New Yorkers across boroughs had noticed a new coffee chain multiplying faster than shark sightings at Rockaway Beach. No longer just a cart, the business has appeared in compact storefronts in residential neighborhoods in Brooklyn and near tourist attractions in Manhattan, on Midtown’s busy corners and in SoHo’s shopping drags. In just two years, Blank Street has opened 40 shops in the city, more than any locally owned competitor.

The rapid expansion has piqued the interest of New Yorkers, who became especially alert to changes in the streetscape during the pandemic. When word got out that Blank Street is not an independent chain like Variety or Bean & Bean, but an enterprise with global ambitions backed by private equity financing, many became curious — and sometimes suspicious.

 

 

And this morning, heading up to see my hand doc, right across the street from a Joe Coffee...

 

 

Close your eyes if you're offended, but just go fuck off Blank Street.

 

[gulfporter]

Francisco's family owns a small coffee farm in Veracruz.  He brings beans roasted at the farm and also hand grinds beans for you.  I like his strongest beans finely ground and he has an electric machine to do that.  250 pesos per kilo for the 'muy fuerte y molido fino'; his whole beans sell for 230 pesos per kilo.  He parks his truck at the side of the road in Ajijic, Jalisco where we live.  

 

He disappears for a few weeks when he sells out and returns to Veracruz to visit his family and load up.  

 

 

[Annie_H]

On 9/8/2022 at 12:20 PM, weinoo said:

Close your eyes if you're offended, but just go fuck off Blank Street.

agree and FO Starbucks

[Annie_H]

6 hours ago, gulfporter said:

Francisco's family owns a small coffee farm in Veracruz.  He brings beans roasted at the farm and also hand grinds beans for you.  I like his strongest beans finely ground and he has an electric machine to do that.  250 pesos per kilo for the 'muy fuerte y molido fino'; his whole beans sell for 230 pesos per kilo.  He parks his truck at the side of the road in Ajijic, Jalisco where we live.  

 

He disappears for a few weeks when he sells out and returns to Veracruz to visit his family and load up. 

Love that!

[scubadoo97]

On 8/27/2021 at 3:17 AM, Annie_H said:

I just checked. Feeling a bit dumb-dumb. But they still offer the popper with four pounds of beans, (not two) for 20$. Obviously the gateway drug to home roasting. A lost leader. We still use the popper at the beach home. But those visits are not working weeks. 9-11 minutes roast for a 1/4 pound. I have a couple of these 'new-in-the-box' for gifting. A back-up at the beach/vacation home. 

An air popcorn popper was my first roaster followed by  the dog bowl/ heat gun roaster .  Still have one in a closet in my pool house 

 

I’m out in the pool house at the moment roasting a batch of beans on the Gene mini drum roaster