mail order beans

[glenn]

Can we come up with a best of list of mail order bean companies as well as types? [Correct me if I'm wrong - although it's been discussed here and there, I think the threads are all over the place.] [[oh, great to have this new hangout, good luck Owen!]]

Anyhoo, my 2 current faves are:

Graffeo -- dark

Whole Latte Love - java joe's sumatra

[Squeat Mungry]

I love Graffeo. I usually buy 1/2 lb dark and 1/2 lb half and half, and mix them together.

[bobsdf]

As far as mail order companies go I've been very pleased with Sweetmaria's.

[melkor]

As far as mail order companies go I've been very pleased with Sweetmaria's.

Sweet Marias rocks.

[CRUZMISL]

I presume we're talking roasted beans? I usually order form Intelligentsia Cafe from Chicago because they roast and then ship. It's get's here in a day or 2 with ground shipping which is always nice. I typically get the Oromo or Black cat blend. Other than that I usually get Espresso Vivace from Seattle.

PS I have a commercial espresso machine which is what I buy my beans for. Yummy dark esprsso with thick crema :)

Joe

[MatthewB]

What's a good price/quality ratio?

I'm asking as my SO isn't too happy that my new Bodum Santos 3000 uses 1.5 times as much coffee as the previous electric drip machine.

(And I'm not quite ready to start roasting my own beans.)

[melkor]

(And I'm not quite ready to start roasting my own beans.)

Home roasting is easy, there's no reason to wait. Besides, the unroasted beans are significantly cheaper.

[MatthewB]

(And I'm not quite ready to start roasting my own beans.)

Home roasting is easy, there's no reason to wait. Besides, the unroasted beans are significantly cheaper.

Yet another activity that eGullet will have sucked me into.

[cdh]

Yet another activity that eGullet will have sucked me into.

Don't look back... homeroasting is much fun and an excellent way to get high quality coffee at a reasonable price. I generally only home-roast things I can't get at a reasonable price commercially, i.e. Papua New Guinea and some funky Ethiopian beans...

My everyday espresso beans are actually commercial (sorta)... Zabar's Dark Espresso. Excellent, and very fairly priced.

Another mail-order souce worth consideration is M. Rohr's House of Fine Teas and Coffees... their quality is top-notch as well.

[cdh]

Yet another activity that eGullet will have sucked me into. 

Don't look back... homeroasting is much fun and an excellent way to get high quality coffee at a reasonable price. I generally only home-roast things I can't get at a reasonable price commercially, i.e. Papua New Guinea and some funky Ethiopian beans...

My everyday espresso beans are actually commercial (sorta)... Zabar's Dark Espresso. Excellent, and very fairly priced.

Another mail-order souce worth consideration is M. Rohr's House of Fine Teas and Coffees... their quality is top-notch as well.

[phaelon56]

It's worth noting that Sweet Maria's sells mostly green beans for home roasters but owner Tom Owen does roast once a week or so - only a few varieties but it gets shipped good and fresh and his beans are excellent - typically estate selections that one doesn't find available in roasted form elsewhere.

Espresso Vivace

Stumptown Roasters

Intelligentsia

These three are the biggies for discerning aficionados (two were already mentioned by others and have sterling reputations - Stumptown is coming on strong and their Hairbender espresso blend is said to be phenomenal).

Another place, in Austin TX, worth trying for espresso in particular is

Little City Roasters

Their Little City espresso blend is awesome - deep chocolatey tones and not a hint of bitterness. They're about $1 a pound less than the others and give an extra $2 per pound discount on Tuesdays but you'd have to call to find out if the discount is offered to mail order customers.

If you really want to cut costs down.... consider ordering from

Caracalillo Coffee Mill

They're in Tampa FL - I think you need to order in five pound lots but their current special is $15 for a five pound bage of fresh roasted whole bean espresso blend. I'm told that the quality is good and also consistent. Obviously, unless you use massive amounts, a five pound lot call for repacking and freezing small bags once you get the shipment but IMHO it's worth the effort to do that when buying mail order as it simplifies life and cuts down on shipping costs.

[m(a)ce]

I have a quite biased opinion in recommending small world roasters in princeton, nj. we are the coffee geeks that supply zingermans deli, cafe & bakehouse in ann arbor along with several other retailers & restaurants.

We typically roast our coffee between a lighter french roast and full city roast --> something we call an "East Coast Roast." Just dark enough to develop the flavor but not too dark as to burn off the delicate acidity.

small world roasters

Check us out on the web, at the retail store in downtown princeton or next time you are in ann arbor. If you have any questions, call our roastmaster, Jon @ 609.430.2821

[m(a)ce]

I have a quite biased opinion in recommending small world roasters in princeton, nj. we are the coffee geeks that supply zingermans deli, cafe & bakehouse in ann arbor along with several other retailers & restaurants.

We typically roast our coffee between a lighter french roast and full city roast --> something we call an "East Coast Roast." Just dark enough to develop the flavor but not too dark as to burn off the delicate acidity.

small world roasters

Check us out on the web, at the retail store in downtown princeton or next time you are in ann arbor. If you have any questions, call our roastmaster, Jon @ 609.430.2821

[megc]

I am a huge fan of Peets. Their coffee is amazing and oh so delicious. They are based in Berkeley, but I think their beans are available at Gourmet Garage in the city, along with via mail order (that's what I do). I love their French Roast, both regular and decaf. They make the best decaf coffee I've ever had (I drink primarily regular, though). They have plenty of single country and blend varieties, from mild to strong, plus their tea is also very good. I have a tin of Scottish Breakfast Tea, which is smoky and wonderful during these cold months.

[edited for clarity]

Edited November 30, 2003 by megc (log)