OT: Favorite Boutique Coffee Brands

[Rich]

My three:

1) Bones
2) Lola Savanna
3) Maryanne's
4) Volcanica

Personally I'm a big flavored coffee devotee and IMO you can't beat any of these four in that department. Bones' 'small batch' recipes are tops, though narrowly. Their 'Electric Unicorn' is absolutely fantastic.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

My three:

1) Bones
2) Lola Savanna
3) Maryanne's
4) Volcanica

Personally I'm a big flavored coffee devotee and IMO you can't beat any of these four in that department. Bones' 'small batch' recipes are tops, though narrowly. Their 'Electric Unicorn' is absolutely fantastic.

Counter culture (slightly larger operation) and Graziella (very small operation out of Brooklyn) are my go-to's for mail order. I'm a pour over light to medium roast guy.

 

[Greedo]

Not really sure if this qualifies, but I couldn’t recommend Happy Mug more. They supply bulk beans to a lot of roasters so their prices are great, but they also roast their own beans that you can buy online as well. Some of the best quality beans and roasts that I’ve found. They have rotating roasts and I’m yet to find one I don’t like. We always get excited to try out their new roasts or new flavors.

Edit to add I love my Techni Vorm Moccamaster for drip.

 

[8893]

My three:

1) Bones
2) Lola Savanna
3) Maryanne's
4) Volcanica

Personally I'm a big flavored coffee devotee

I think that's four, not three.

You lost me at flavored. Except for a couple-month fling with Hazelnut-flavored coffee around 30 years ago, I hate flavored coffee. I love good coffee though.

I've been a loyal Willoughby's devotee for almost 30 years; and since Covid I have frequently been getting mail order from Kuma.

Central American, light to medium roast.

Behmor BraZen Plus coffee maker; Breville Smart Grinder; spring water.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

I have been buying beans from the local places for a few years now. Daybreak in Glastonbury has been my go to since they are on my way to and from work. Really enjoy Ethiopian yirgacheffe light to medium roast or Central American medium roast beans. Prefer the french press but have heard great things about pour overs. Maybe I should invest in one.

 

[storrsroars]

I can't even begin to think about a coffee thread on small batch roasters that opens with a post on flavored coffee. It feels like my entire professional life has been for naught.

I've been a loyal Willoughby's devotee for almost 30 years

Willoughby's puts out some nice stuff and are good people. Of course they also put out flavored dreck, but it pays the bills I guess and they do a good job of making sure the flavored crap never mixes with the good stuff throughout all parts of the process. I visited them when I was researching equipment and they have my dream roaster in the back, a custom thing from a crazy engineer in San Diego that's like having a Mini with a Lotus engine under the hood. It's so damned powerful even Bob and Barry are afraid to use it on anything other than really hard, dense beans.

I've stopped seeking out the top of the top stuff as there are just too many, and IMO, you need a PhD in coffee to know which are really worth it. There are a lot of coffees that might taste great in the shop but aren't worth buying for home unless you've got a really top shelf grinder and erbrewer (and yours is good, but I'm talking roasters who do Scandanavian light roasts where you'd literally need a $2K commercial grinder to get a decent result at home).

If I were still in CT and wanted to buy local, I'd go to NEAT in Darien. Because I was in the industry for more than a decade, I got to know some really great people and Kyle Bellinger is near or at the top of that list. Great guy, really knows his stuff, solid roaster and buyer, now even has his own farms in SA.

I gig P/T at Whole Foods as a shopper and my store carries three blends of Ceremony (Annapolis) that I'm perfectly good with. When I visit our friends who bought our old coffeeshop, I usually buy a bag of something from them as well as they've expanded well past the Intelligentsia/Stumptown I used to sell and they've introduced me to some interesting microroasters... but I'm paying $12.99 for the Ceremony and $18-$22/lb for the others and the PQR usually just isn't there for me. If I'm going single origin, I'm generally going E. Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia [but not Harrar], Burundi/Rwanda [but wary of potato bug in those]), or a nice chocolately El Salvador. I'm not big into bright acidity unless there are other qualities in the cup, like good structure or body.

I do want to get a Breville Smart Grinder, but I'm the type who doesn't upgrade while the old stuff still works. Never had a cup from a Brazen as that came out just as I was leaving the industry. I have Breville Precision Brewer (replaced a dead Moccamaster) and a Breville Barista Pro espresso machine (the latter was free as I used to demo Breville, but I only use it maybe 2x/year).

 

[Deepster]

I spent a lot of time in Philly and grew to love La Colombe before they expanded into like supermarkets and stuff. Not sure how the experts view that but I still like it a lot.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I spent a lot of time in Philly and grew to love La Colombe before they expanded into like supermarkets and stuff. Not sure how the experts view that but I still like it a lot.

It's still good but like everything, you need to get it fresh. I've seen some high end coffee on supermarket shelves but generally it was roasted at least a month (and sometimes many more) before.

 

[storrsroars]

I spent a lot of time in Philly and grew to love La Colombe before they expanded into like supermarkets and stuff. Not sure how the experts view that but I still like it a lot.

They generally get a pass because their founder, Todd Carmichael, has done a ton to advance coffee knowledge, science, and distribution, along with his work in Haiti. His series "The Coffee Hunter" was kind of amusing to professionals, but it made a big difference to the general public's impressions of how coffee growing works and why it matters.

First time I met guys from La Colombe was at a regional barista competition in 2006 or so. When they poured their latte art, all they could do was a big "C", which they told me was how they served them at the store. They thought it was great, but they didn't read the rules and the judges were like, "WTF?"

 

[storrsroars]

Here's the thing about flavored coffee - if you like it, buy it. But you should never, ever pay more than $10/lb for it if buying direct from a roaster, and usually not much more than $8.

It's the process and the economics. Flavoring beans requires a "softer" bean that will accept the flavoring. Most roasters use Brazilian low-altitude arabicas for that. Those can usually be obtained for below C market value, like under $2/lb for green coffee. Once they start moving through the system, a roaster should be able to obtain them for around $3.50-$3.75. Add in the flavoring process and you're around $4/lb in real costs. Sales price would be double that.

If buying from a retailer, the wholesale cost would probably be around $6-$6.50/lb, thus the retailer will charge $12-$13/lb, or if a 12oz bag, less than $10.

 

[Lefty2one]

I stick with Willoughby's. It's not the best stuff in the world (I'm never impressed with their in-store drinks), but it's close to me and it's fresh. I primarily make espresso at home and drink my decaf black via V60. They have some good decaf stuff but it's $15/lb.

 

[JakeTheDog]

My own. I just roast for me and some family and I love the Sumatra wet-hulled green bean. My favorite cup of coffee is a fresh roasted pour over. I let the remainder of the beans de-gas because I primarily make espresso but that pour over with beans fresh out the roaster is as smooth as a Ray Allen three pointer. Mmmmm.

 

[jleves]

I have a local place that sells at my local farmers market and online. I only use single origin beans roasted within a few days of delivery or pick up at the FM. I've found I like Ethiopian coffee best and Yirgacheffe in particular.

Burr ground seconds before drip brewing.

Took a trip this week and had to drink coffee from the local hip coffee shop and it kind of sucked.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I have a list of about 20-30 roasters I've tried over the last couple years. I mostly stick to single origin and I try and get at least 3 different ones from each to get a good idea. My top 6

Bird rock
Dragonfly
Goodboybob
Mostra
Onyx
Verve

 

[CL82]

Don’t be fooled by the name. It’s good anytime.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Bought some of these roasts.

Solid.

6 Planes Coffee Roasters

Specialty Coffee Roaster

6planescoffee.com

 

[Dove]

I can't even begin to think about a coffee thread on small batch roasters that opens with a post on flavored coffee. It feels like my entire professional life has been for naught.

Willoughby's puts out some nice stuff and are good people. Of course they also put out flavored dreck, but it pays the bills I guess and they do a good job of making sure the flavored crap never mixes with the good stuff throughout all parts of the process. I visited them when I was researching equipment and they have my dream roaster in the back, a custom thing from a crazy engineer in San Diego that's like having a Mini with a Lotus engine under the hood. It's so damned powerful even Bob and Barry are afraid to use it on anything other than really hard, dense beans.

I've stopped seeking out the top of the top stuff as there are just too many, and IMO, you need a PhD in coffee to know which are really worth it. There are a lot of coffees that might taste great in the shop but aren't worth buying for home unless you've got a really top shelf grinder and erbrewer (and yours is good, but I'm talking roasters who do Scandanavian light roasts where you'd literally need a $2K commercial grinder to get a decent result at home).

If I were still in CT and wanted to buy local, I'd go to NEAT in Darien. Because I was in the industry for more than a decade, I got to know some really great people and Kyle Bellinger is near or at the top of that list. Great guy, really knows his stuff, solid roaster and buyer, now even has his own farms in SA.

I gig P/T at Whole Foods as a shopper and my store carries three blends of Ceremony (Annapolis) that I'm perfectly good with. When I visit our friends who bought our old coffeeshop, I usually buy a bag of something from them as well as they've expanded well past the Intelligentsia/Stumptown I used to sell and they've introduced me to some interesting microroasters... but I'm paying $12.99 for the Ceremony and $18-$22/lb for the others and the PQR usually just isn't there for me. If I'm going single origin, I'm generally going E. Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia [but not Harrar], Burundi/Rwanda [but wary of potato bug in those]), or a nice chocolately El Salvador. I'm not big into bright acidity unless there are other qualities in the cup, like good structure or body.

I do want to get a Breville Smart Grinder, but I'm the type who doesn't upgrade while the old stuff still works. Never had a cup from a Brazen as that came out just as I was leaving the industry. I have Breville Precision Brewer (replaced a dead Moccamaster) and a Breville Barista Pro espresso machine (the latter was free as I used to demo Breville, but I only use it maybe 2x/year).

What's wrong with potato bugs?

 

[storrsroars]

My own. I just roast for me and some family and I love the Sumatra wet-hulled green bean. My favorite cup of coffee is a fresh roasted pour over. I let the remainder of the beans de-gas because I primarily make espresso but that pour over with beans fresh out the roaster is as smooth as a Ray Allen three pointer. Mmmmm.

What do you roast on? I had a Behmor for more than a dozen years, but I've already replaced the motor once and the second one has been struggling. Of course I used it a lot (against directions) when I was selling stuff from my garage at the farmer's market. I'd do ~20 roasts a week, netting ~12oz each one, giving me 30 0.5lb bags to sell. I should've expected the machine to gag.

Sweet Maria's (and their larger batch counterpart Shrub) are still the best, IMO, for the home roaster sourcing green. I know there are other good ones, but SM has terrific advice and service, and the best selection for my $.

 

[storrsroars]

What's wrong with potato bugs?

If you get just one infected bean in the batch you're grinding, your cup will smell and taste like green potato. It was primarily a problem with Rwandan coffee, but also some Burundi. Not aware of any other region having issues with it. They've done a lot of work to mitigate the problem, but it'll still show up, and there's just not much worse than looking forward to your first cup of the day and getting potato.

Coffee Basics: Potato Taste Defect

Potato Taste Defect occurs in coffees from Rwanda, Western Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It smells and tastes exactly like what the name implies: raw potatoes. So how can you identify Potato Taste Defect?

counterculturecoffee.com

 

[storrsroars]

View attachment 67638
Don’t be fooled by the name. It’s good anytime.

Probably the best PQR of major supermarket brands, as long as you're grinding it yourself.

 

[8893]

Willoughby's puts out some nice stuff and are good people. Of course they also put out flavored dreck, but it pays the bills I guess and they do a good job of making sure the flavored crap never mixes with the good stuff throughout all parts of the process. I visited them when I was researching equipment and they have my dream roaster in the back, a custom thing from a crazy engineer in San Diego that's like having a Mini with a Lotus engine under the hood. It's so damned powerful even Bob and Barry are afraid to use it on anything other than really hard, dense beans.

I stick with Willoughby's. It's not the best stuff in the world (I'm never impressed with their in-store drinks), but it's close to me and it's fresh. I primarily make espresso at home and drink my decaf black via V60. They have some good decaf stuff but it's $15/lb.

I only buy their single origin unblended beans. Usually from their “Serious Select” selections if Central American and less than $25 per pound. Otherwise one of their newer ones from that area, like the Panama Kotowa Duncan I bought today:

Panama Kotowa Duncan

Check out the deal on Panama Kotowa Duncan at Willoughby's Coffee & Tea

www.willoughbyscoffee.com

 

[Deepster]

They generally get a pass because their founder, Todd Carmichael, has done a ton to advance coffee knowledge, science, and distribution, along with his work in Haiti. His series "The Coffee Hunter" was kind of amusing to professionals, but it made a big difference to the general public's impressions of how coffee growing works and why it matters.

First time I met guys from La Colombe was at a regional barista competition in 2006 or so. When they poured their latte art, all they could do was a big "C", which they told me was how they served them at the store. They thought it was great, but they didn't read the rules and the judges were like, "?"

I first tried it in 2010. I gotta admit I was surprised to see how they expanded so quickly. They seemed to small and niche at the time.

 

[elmcityboy]

stumptown is probably my favorite. as far as local stuff goes, everything i have had from giv (canton, ct) has been great.

that being said, i am just as likely to have a bag of pre-ground dunkin donuts on my shelf as i am anything super nice.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I like J Rene out of West Hartford. I go to Dom's in Avon a lot. And Irving Farms, which is what they sell at Rebel. I also tried something that had a skull and bones on it this weekend at a friends. It was delicious. Strong as hell though.

 

[Magic32]

I'm not a coffee drinker but my wife is. We had dinner many years ago at Plan B in West Hartford and after dinner we all raved about the meal but she couldn't stop talking about the coffee. I eventually called the restaurant to find out what they use for coffee. I've been taking a ride over to Newington for years now to get coffee from Saccuzzo Coffee Co. She has liked them all but is loyal to the French Roast which was the one she originally had at Plan B. They are less expensive in person than ordering online. I just grab a couple 5 lb. bags of beans when I'm in the area and grind it each morning. Saccuzzo Coffee Company