coffee beans

[gonefishin]

Hi guys and gals,


I did try a search on "coffee" but I returned sooo many threads (20 pages) I figured I would go ahead and ask.

I've been getting my coffee beans from Koffee Klatch, but I've been wanting to order some new beans.

Has anyone got any recommendations on places to order from or a favorite bean/roast/blend?

I use a french press and a Chemex drip.

thanks!
dan

[kuan]

www.sweetmarias.com

[skilletlicker]

Kuan, Thanks for a terrific link!

[gonefishin]

Thanks Kuan

[panini]

gonef
I have been hooked on our house blend for a couple of years now.
55% Costa Rican, 40% Columbian, 5% esspresso
pan

[gonefishin]

Hi pan,

Is this house blend available for purchase?

(aside...Your website is simply amazing. I can't wait until your new website is done as well. The cakes are stunning to look at, and to hear you describe their flavor and textures seems to describe a dream. I've been tempted to ask a friend of mine, who live in Texas to bring a small cake back on his next trip up north. Yumm)

dan

[panini]

Dan,
We do sell it in the store. It's vac. packed and not a good representation of the product.
Our store coffee is roasted to our needs. So it is always fresh roasted and ground. We use Globex, a great local roaster. I would love to send you some of my blend that I use at home. I go to 10% espresso and decrease the Columbian. I use a press pot.Please PM me your address.
Our little bakery is surrounded by Starbucks, LaMadaliene and large corps, so if you are ever in the area, remember, our gourmet coffee is always 25 cents. I love to be hated by them

[gonefishin]

I've been wondering about getting into roasting beans. I've been reading that the efforts are well worth it. But I'm just not sure if I could dedicate the time to another hobby. Especially if there's a long learning curve to get good results.

Maybe I'll have to look into some entry level roasters...

thanks,
dan

[skilletlicker]

I've been wondering about getting into roasting beans. I've been reading that the efforts are well worth it. But I'm just not sure if I could dedicate the time to another hobby. Especially if there's a long learning curve to get good results.

Maybe I'll have to look into some entry level roasters...

Well Dan, I think we're standing at the fork in the road together again. A coffee roaster never even crossed my mind but it looks like Kuan's link to Sweet Maria's is going to cost me $179. for a iRoast2.

It seems roasting would be a once a week 15 to 20 minute chore that will improve the quality and decrease the cost of something I enjoy every day. I'm surprised at the low price of the green beans, about $5 per lb. That's about half the price of least expensive whole roasted beans at my local grocers. Anyone know how much weight is lost in the roasting process?

If there's something I'm missing, somebody please explain it to me!

[JonK]

You'll lose about 15 to 20% of the weight of the green bean on roasting, depending on the bean and the degree of roast. If you just want to experiment without a major investment, try using your hot air pop corn popper. Don't put in more than about a half cup of beans and listen for the first and second cracks (a popping sound). You'll want to start checking for degree of doneness shortly after the second crack (or earlier if you prefer something lighter than a city roast). You'll want to cool the beans quickly, say by tossing around in a sieve. Expect to smoke up the kitchen a bit.

I rely on a local roaster who promises that his beans are no more than 48 hours out of the roaster. Despite Alton Brown's warning to not store roasted beans in the frig (it has to do with condensation of moisture), my own blinded experiment wth beans stored at room temp vs. in the refrigerator suggested that cooler is indeed better. I could tell no difference between refrigerated beans and those stored in the freezer, but I may not have run the experiment long enough.

[gonefishin]

Does anyone know if the smaller iroaster, the "FreshRoast Plus 8" is worth consideration? In my household, I'm the only one who drinks coffee. So I'm not sure that buying alarger machine would be beneficial to me (I don't want to be tempted to roast more than I could drink in a week or two). But if it comes down to a matter of taste, where the smaller machine doesn't achieve a full roast (like the previous +8 model)...well, then I'd consider getting the larger machine.

thanks,

dan

[shel]

Hi,

Coming in late to this thread, however ....

Sweet Maria's is not only an excellent source for information, their product is excellent and the people are very helpful. Their operation is local to me, and i learned about them from a client. Fresh roasted beans are wonderful.

Which leads to the iRoast roaster. That's the way to go. It's not very expensive, does a good job, and you can roast in small batches. My friend Linda uses the iRoast - and that's what she recommended to me - and roasts her beans in very small batches - she'll do up six or eight small batches and store each batch in a small jar, never refrigerating them - and I agree with AB and many others about not storing coffee beans in the fridge or freezer, after many years of doing so.

Good luck, and have fun ...

shel

[heavyG]

You could try "Merchants Of Green Coffee", they have an online store. I once thought that roasting was a difficult process that would only lead to tears... But I have been taping coffee segments for my website with the owner of 'Merchants' and it is dead easy. Start the roaster, start the kettle; by the time the water boils the beans are roasted-- strain through a sock (yes a sock) and you have the greatest coffee you have ever tasted.

No fancy machines, expensive equipment, or time consuming learning curve. I mean if you want all of those things you can have them...

Videos will show up in December.

G.