I need coffee

[MrSmooth]

Great cartoon, John. The characters are appropriately bug-eyed from all that caffeine.

Who is your roaster? I remember Peaberry Coffee in Denver, but it's a chain of coffee shops, I think.

I think Peaberry is out of business now, but I never went there anyway. Another local chain that surpassed Peaberry is Dazbog coffee. they are ok, BUT! I'm with Ichabod ... I use Kaladi Brothers coffee pretty much exclusively. However, I've also used another local micro-roaster, "Coffea Rostir" near Parker Rd. and Dartmouth -- he does a fine job, but isn't convenient to my driving routes anymore. (Pablo's isn't convenient either, but their coffee is top notch too, as Ichabod pointed out)

[95%]

I usually buy my beans at Cup a Joe in Raleigh. They are seldom more than three days off the roast. You can tell freshly-roasted coffee from the amount of foam that wells up as soon as the hot water mixes with it. This is mostly CO2, but it also contains effervescent flavors. If the pot is too small, you can have quite a mess on your hands. I bought a single-cup drip coffeemaker a few years ago that was a disaster, because it overflowed from the fresh coffee I had ground. It had evidently never been tested with really fresh beans - only the flat, tasteless, pre-ground stuff that comes in cans.

[MrSmooth]

... They are seldom more than three days off the roast. You can tell freshly-roasted coffee from the amount of foam that wells up as soon as the hot water mixes with it....

I love that my fresh espressos come out around half crema - sometimes more. And the beautiful bloom as hot water meets the grounds in my french press is a site to behold. In other words, I know what you mean.

I've noticed that at around 20 days after roasting, the coffee starts to taste stale to me, now that I've had fresh roast so often. So, I don't buy more than I can use in about two weeks at a time. Pretty much, anything packaged in a bag or can that has sat for a few months (*$'s) or more (many others) is fresh for about 24 hours and then the stale flavor begins to set in (yes, even Illy and Lavazza in the US). Coffee doesn't age well after it is roasted.

Strangely, most people haven't ever really had really fresh coffee... and many don't seem to be able to detect the staleness.

[MrSmooth]

Back to maskaggs query...

There are a bunch of roasters in Louisville (don't know how convenient it is - some do mail order) -- there is a thread on coffeegeek.com about them here:

http://coffeegeek.com/forums/worldregio ... ast/258970

I don't know if they are any good, but in southern IN there is also:

PARTRIDGE & QUIGLEY COFFEE ROASTING COMPANY
1310 South Monon Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47403 812.336.5192
http://www.pandqcoffee.com/coffee.html

Good luck, and may coffee bean luck shine upon you!

[95%]

John, you're absolutely right that coffee doesn't age well after roasting. But especially it loses flavor - in a matter of minutes, really - after grinding. When ground coffee is prepared for canning at the huge roasting plants owned by Folgers and the like, it has been allowed to sit for hours before the can is sealed. Otherwise, the container would be grotesquely distended by the degassing of the contents. Companies like Starbucks address the degassing problem by packing the coffee, whether whole bean or ground, in vacuum bags with a one-way valve. This extends the shelf life of the product significantly. Still, it won't be as fresh as beans you buy at your local roaster, or order by mail from one.

I always buy beans a half-pound at a time. That's not because of an obsession with freshness so much as my experience, once or twice each year, of stinker beans in a bag. These are either fermented beans from fruit that was picked too ripe, or processed beans that were allowed to sit in wet burlap bags in the country of origin. Growers and exporters try to avoid these problems, but not with 100% success.

[fallingwickets]

But especially it loses flavor - in a matter of minutes, really - after grinding

thats a sad thing to read. Does keeping it in the freezer help at all or is that a grandma tale??

I buy two pounds of starbucks at a time.....lasts about two weeks. I wonder what 'real' italian blend actually tastes like?? lol

clive

[95%]

Clive, don't refrigerate coffee. Just keep it in a sealed container at room temperature. But most importantly for flavor, grind just enough beans for a pot immediately before brewing.

I've always liked the Starbucks blends. Haven't tried the new Morning Joe blend that was mentioned, but I did see Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough touting it on their program of that name.

[maskaggs]

Back to maskaggs query...

There are a bunch of roasters in Louisville (don't know how convenient it is - some do mail order) -- there is a thread on coffeegeek.com about them here:

http://coffeegeek.com/forums/worldregio ... ast/258970

I don't know if they are any good, but in southern IN there is also:

PARTRIDGE & QUIGLEY COFFEE ROASTING COMPANY
1310 South Monon Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47403 812.336.5192
http://www.pandqcoffee.com/coffee.html

Good luck, and may coffee bean luck shine upon you!

+1! Thanks!

How ironic I'm just now getting around to finding a decent source of coffee - I finished my BA at IU in Bloomington last May. I'm sure all the gentlemen here have some place in the world that gives them that little tug at the heartstrings when it's mentioned; Bloomington is that for me. I'm definitely happy down here by Louisville, but Bloomington is a fascinating town.

[Hodari D.]

i never buy more than a pound at a time b/c i just can't drink it fast enough to get through the beans before they start to taste rancid. I too like starbucks a lot. their holiday blend was great. now i am drinking their 'casi cielo' which is really really tasty. it is the most readily available good coffee. i don't have any roasters close enough to make it worth while to make the trip and the starbucks is more than serviceable. grind it up while my water's boiling. 4 minutes in the french press. plunge. great coffee every time. i like to do 5-6 oz. of water for every tablespoon of ground coffee. maybe a little less.

[95%]

Hodari, that's how I make my coffee. I make it strong, grind it coarse, and use bottled spring water.

[bernards66]

Well, THE coffee grinder here is an old place in Ybor City. We used to get our coffee there. But it was a hassle...just one more seperate place we had to drive to and park and all the rest ( Dominic knows how Tampa is ), and at the end of the day, my wife thought the La Semuse was better than most of what they ground anyway. If we lived in the Village and could just mosey on over to McNulty's ( which is better than Porto Rico, IMO ) we probably would, but otherwise, it's the best pre-ground packaged coffee for us. What we're after is consistantly very good coffee....not the very best that's possible regardless of effort and/or expense....just 'very good' will do.
Regards,
Gordon

[fallingwickets]

need to buy myself a grinder

clive

p.s. as an aside, am i the only one that is bothered by using ounces as a measurement for liquids.....use cups dammit hahahahahaha

[95%]

For a bright pick-up in the morning, I head for the nearest Dunkin' Donuts. Not all good coffee is a gourmet brand.

[Gene]

For a bright pick-up in the morning, I head for the nearest Dunkin' Donuts. Not all good coffee is a gourmet brand.

Good coffee for sure. Our local grocery store sells DD coffee -- whole bean or ground.

We bought a Keurig machine a while back, and like trying the different styles. It's probably more expensive than brewing in a more traditional machine, but it's way less than buying coffee at the store.

[fallingwickets]

Keurig machine

those things are all the rage right now.....well in Joisey anyway. You can't walk into any store without running into at least two huge Keurig (or similar) displays

clive

[Gene]

Keurig machine

those things are all the rage right now.....well in Joisey anyway. You can't walk into any store without running into at least two huge Keurig (or similar) displays

clive

Yeah, Keurig machines have shown up in some hotels I have stayed at, too.

We bought ours quite a while ago, for me, being a coffee lover, it's great for consistency. Every cup tastes like the one before it...never stale or burned.

In our family after my father in law and brother in law tried it they both rushed out and got one.

[ichabod]

But especially it loses flavor - in a matter of minutes, really - after grinding

thats a sad thing to read. Does keeping it in the freezer help at all or is that a grandma tale??

I buy two pounds of starbucks at a time.....lasts about two weeks. I wonder what 'real' italian blend actually tastes like?? lol

clive

The quote I always remember is the rule of fifteens:
Green beans are good for about 15 months
Roasted beans for about 15 days
Ground coffee for about 15 minutes.

The Kaladi folks recommend freezing roasted beans in an airtight container, not to prolong the 15 days so much as to maintain the flavor during those 15 days. Does that make sense? I mean freezing the beans won't keep them longer than their lifespan, but it'll keep them better during that lifespan. Or, put another way...sorry, I'll stop rephrasing now.
Anyway, I froze the last pound of beans I got from Kaladi, and just started using them on Sunday. Delicious as usual (espresso), but I can't discern any benefit from freezing them.

(My tally this morning so far is one double espresso, two large mugs of tea, and one mug of coffee from the Aeropress at work. Might ruin my afternoon nap at this rate...)

[fallingwickets]

any grinder in particular worth looking at, or are they all about the same? Ease to clean would be a big plus I guess.

clive

[95%]

The true coffee geeks insist on a burr grinder, but I don't believe them. I use a blade grinder, Don't recall the brand.

[nteeman]

The true coffee geeks insist on a burr grinder, but I don't believe them. I use a blade grinder, Don't recall the brand.

Well, as a coffe geek who has both blade and burr grinders I would say this: it depends on the method you brew your coffee. If you make Espresso which needs a fine grind or French Press which needs a coarse grind you will probably be happier with a burr grinder as it will give you a more consistant grind according to the setting. A blade grinder is less consistant but if you know what your doing you can satisfy the needs of a drip brewer or maybe even a French Press. I would not recommend a blade grinder for Espresso machine brew.

Cheers,