Chow's guide to best US roasters

[glenn]

Here's Chow Magazine's list of 5 of the best US independent roasters. [i don't see the article online.]

Intellegentsia

Gimme Coffee

Counter Culture

Flying Goat

Blue Bottle

I was sorry to see my roaster of choice not listed, Terroir, though it was nice to see a discussion on purchasing direct as opposed to purchasing from a broker.

On a related note, I'm curious to see how much y'all are willing to pay for coffee. I was selling Terroir's coffee retail but I stopped because customers weren't willing to pay the price - starting at $10 for 12 ounces. (I still serve it by the cup in my cafe.) I know Intellegentsia, one of the largest of the independents, sells their coffee for even more.

[phaelon56]

I've tried the first three and lack the breadth of experience to say that they're in the top five in the US but suspect that it's correct. have not tried the last two onthe list.

I'm surprised Terroir is not on there but they've been pretty low profile since George Howell got things rolling a couple of years ago.

The thing that kills me is the fact that people will gladly line up to pay $8 - $10 for a 12 oz bag of Starubcks over-roasted and middle grade beans but don't "get it" about buying better quality. The cost difference per cup for those making it at home is really quite small when one compares $12 per pound to $8 per pound.

[phaelon56]

I think they should have had Stumptown on the list also (Portland OR).

But after yesterday and today I'm ready to add Victrola of Seattle to my personal top 5. Had two machiatto's yesterday and a quad shot short latte this morning. Quite possibly the smoothest espresso I've ever had.

And I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with one of their roasters - Tony (aka Tonx). Talk about fanatical attention to detail. He is really, really dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in his roasting and it shows.

[malachi]

Biased version of the list...

Intellegentsia

Stumptown

Counter Culture

Terroir

Hines

[jsolomon]

My biased version of the top 2...

The Coffee Roaster (Lincoln, Nebraska)

Intelligentsia

Small guys that don't ship far don't get much press.

[malachi]

Sadly, small guys also tend not to get the best green.

[murkycoffee]

Keep in mind, the article clearly states that it's not a "best 5 in the U.S." list, but a list of great roasters.

Besides, you know to include the proverbial grain-of-salt when it says that Counter Culture is run by Peter Giuliano and Cindy Chang...

... everybody knows it's really run by Lydia.

[slbunge]

I'm partial to Ancora here in Madison, WI. An independent roaster with a few local coffee shops.

They don't have a national presence, certainly, but they do have a website.

[hopkin]

I'm partial to Ancora here in Madison, WI.  An independent roaster with a few local coffee shops.

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i find it distressing that this company has trademarked the term "Small Batch Artisan Roasted".

thats like a restaurant trademarking "pan fried to order"

[phaelon56]

i find it distressing that this company has trademarked the term "Small Batch Artisan Roasted".

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If someone else uses that phrase in their marketing and gets a court challenge - I'd be shocked of the trademark would hold up in court. Shocked.

But then again... UPS has actually trademarked the phrase "the color brown".

[Moopheus]

On a related note, I'm curious to see how much y'all are willing to pay for coffee.  I was selling Terroir's coffee retail but I stopped because customers weren't willing to pay the price - starting at $10 for 12 ounces.  (I still serve it by the cup in my cafe.)  I know Intellegentsia, one of the largest of the independents, sells their coffee for even more.

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Even after having it in the cafe and knowing what they're getting, they still won't buy? How much do you charge for a cup? It does, on the face of it, seem silly that they'll pay per-cup prices for the same coffee that would presumably be cheaper by the pound (or bag). On the other hand, I suppose it matters how they're making it, too. To get the most out of coffee like that, you should have a grinder and press pot (I remember when the Coffee Connection had table service, and the watiresses would bring individual press-pots to the table--now that was the way to run a cafe), not just toss it into the Mr. Coffee and have it sit on the burner. I guess for most people, most coffees really don't taste that much different. And Charbucks has them convinced that burnt=good.

I've got some coffee on order from Terroir now, so I suppose I can say I'm willing to spend what they charge (though I haven't sprung for some of the their more expensive offerings). Actually, the thing that annoys me about mail-ordering coffee is the shipping charge, in part because it encourages ordering more coffee than I really want to have on hand (i.e., shipping 3 or 4 bags is virtually the same cost as shipping 1).