Fav coffee brands and roasts?

[Girardian]

My favorite coffee is my home roast. Freshly roasted coffee beans are essential, IMO, to a great cup. If you're buying coffee, I recomment trying a local roasting companies that buy good beans (not all do), or a chain (like Peet's) that is particular about it coffee freshness and bean quality.

If you're looking to buy espresso I recommend:
- Malabar Gold, sold through retailers like www.wholelattelove.com
- Gustav Crema Blend, sold via Cafe Umbria. I've met the owner, he started Torrefazioni and got out after it was sold because of the decline (in his opion) of the coffee. http://www.caffeumbria.com/our_blends.html.

If you're making espresso I must recommend a good machine and a good grinder. Unfortuantely both are expensive but, IMO, sound investments. Most entry level espresso makers make 'espresso strength coffee' but cannot make true 'espresso.'

 

[Dmax]

Who are your favorite green beans suppliers Girardian? I usually buy from Sweet Maria's. Currently waiting for 9 lbs shipment from Burman Coffee.

 

[Rambo]

Has anyone picked up Intelligentsia through the mail? I can't find it locally but I'm hesitant to mail order as it would work out to about $16 per pound. I don't know if it's that good.

 

[aarghh]

I roast my own coffee too - I use an iRoast 2 which I have managed to figure out a few profiles for. I get my green beans from Sweet Maria's like Dmax.

I move between french press and espresso for my coffee, based on weather and other parameters. I have a Rancilio Silvia for the espresso, and a Cunill Tranquilio grinder. I want a Quickmill Anita and a Mazzer Mini.

 

[Leroy Brown]

Great coffee roasted to order and all proceeds go to funding medical care and clinics in Central America, Cuba, etc...

http://www.fonsecacoffee.com/aboutus.htm

I use the Organic or Dark Esspresso with a Gaggia espresso machine and the Fair Trade Mexican for drip makers. Great stuff and an excellent value if you buy 5 lbs at a wack. With shipping < $8.00 per lb.

 

[whodini]

Originally Posted by Leroy Brown

Great coffee roasted to order and all proceeds go to funding medical care and clinics in Central America, Cuba, etc...

http://www.fonsecacoffee.com/aboutus.htm

I use the Organic or Dark Esspresso with a Gaggia espresso machine and the Fair Trade Mexican for drip makers. Great stuff and an excellent value if you buy 5 lbs at a wack. With shipping < $8.00 per lb.
I'm going to give this a shot. Pun intended.

 

[tonylumpkin]

Originally Posted by carlhuber

McDonald's now serving lattes, etc...

Marketing 101

The pimply faced kids can't even make the burgers right any more. How the hell are they going to make a decent latte?

 

[Rambo]

Originally Posted by tonylumpkin

The pimply faced kids can't even make the burgers right any more. How the hell are they going to make a decent latte?

They're making espresso too? I thought it was only coffee?

 

[DNW]

Originally Posted by tbone226

Where can I buy one of these?

Originally Posted by ms244

+1 I need a coffee maker

It's a Vietnamese coffee press. I normally brew darker roast coffee with it. It's also best if the coffee is a coarse ground.

You can buy it here. It's also available at most Vietnamese grocery stores and sometimes at general Asian grocery stores. It costs about $5 for the small one or a little bit more for the large one. Remember to pick up some condensed milk if you want an authentic Vietnamese coffee.

 

[Manny Calavera]

Illy Dark Roasted Medium Grind

It's hard to get good coffee around here (we have a nice local chain which serves a decent brew), so I just go with Illy. Meh.

 

[Rambo]

Has anyone every tried Whole Foods' fresh roasted coffee? I just found out that my local WF will fresh roast beans for you while you shop. The only problem is that they've got about 75 different varieties of coffee and espresso. Suggestions?

 

[antirabbit]

I would call them and tell them your likes, they will spec out the right roast and verietal for you.
Also, whole foods carries their coffee (at least in Chicago they do).

You really cant go wrong with them Btw.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by rambo

Has anyone picked up Intelligentsia through the mail? I can't find it locally but I'm hesitant to mail order as it would work out to about $16 per pound. I don't know if it's that good.

I ordered a pound week before last (Black Cat). It's very good, but the cost is probably not sustainable. And it's not really my preferred style (at least Black Cat is not), and trying to find what I want via trial and error probably isn't sustainable. So I'm going to keep looking for fresh, local options. Actually, there's a decent roaster not far from me that dates its batches, etc.

I use the KitchenAid Pro grinder and the Bodum Granos espresso machine. Not a perfect machine, but it's a semi-auto that makes decent espresso, which is what i need in the morning.

 

[itskub]

hey, would anyone mind helping out a newb? my dorm roomate brought a Barista espresso maker, which produces a (double) shot in about 22 secs.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=jp7GMWiDN...elated&search=
The crema is the lighter,frothy layer on top, correct? When I make the shots, the proportion of the dark amount to the crema is inverse compared to the video (almost no crema at all). And I can definately taste some bitterness. Why is this? I grind tamp in the filter as much as possible..


(Thats all for now, Im not even going ask about frothing milk; something in which I fail terribly

) Thanks!

 

[grimslade]

Are you 1.) using fresh, and freshly ground, coffee? 2.) and making sure that the porta filter and grouphead are both hot before pulling?