OT: Favorite Boutique Coffee Brands

[storrsroars]

I don't like dark roasts in general so I don't love espresso,

It's not 2005. Lots of medium and even light roast espresso blends out there these days.

But I'm with you in general on dark roasts. I do not want to taste roast/carbon in my coffee and my palate became very sensitive to it when I was in the business.

 

[ScottBonz]

Barista Express?

yeah. Wife spent some her bonus money on it. I’ll use it on occasion but like coffee purely because of the volume.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.

 

[storrsroars]

Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.

Oils come from either overroasting or staleness. Either way, using a burr grinder with fine control is fairly pointless as you're not going to notice a significant difference in taste no matter what you do. So for oily beans, I'd suggest just getting a blade grinder.

 

[Hankster]

I like Angelino's. Their breakfast blend is enjoyable. I am not much of a coffee drinker after 9 in the morning. Once in awhile after a nice meal at a restaurant.

 

[GG]

Cuban Coffee Queen (Key West).

 

[Cardiac]

I normally pick up my single origin coffees online at TexasCoffeeTraders and J.Rene's in person.

Would recommend the Baratza Encore grinder and Aeropress.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Oils come from either overroasting or staleness. Either way, using a burr grinder with fine control is fairly pointless as you're not going to notice a significant difference in taste no matter what you do. So for oily beans, I'd suggest just getting a blade grinder.

Thanks for the info - just ordered some Ceremony online through their website - ordering better beans is probably a better idea than ordering a new machine to handle bad beans haha.

 

[8893]

Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.

Thanks for the info - just ordered some Ceremony online through their website - ordering better beans is probably a better idea than ordering a new machine to handle bad beans haha.

Btw, in case you didn't know, you have to clean the Breville burr grinder regularly. I keep it empty whenever it's not in immediate use, running it clean and then blowing through it so the loose grounds get out of the works. Every couple months I remove the burr gear and clean it with the brush that came with it.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Btw, in case you didn't know, you have to clean the Breville burr grinder regularly. I keep it empty whenever it's not in immediate use, running it clean and then blowing through it so the loose grounds get out of the works. Every couple months I remove the burr gear and clean it with the brush that came with it.

Thanks, yes I clean it regularly and also have cleaning pellets I run through it every so often - but even then if I put an oily bean in there directly after running the pellets it will still clog fairly quickly. Great machine otherwise.

 

[jmail1]

Always in the top ten roasters in US is Johnson Brothers Coffee of Madison Wisconsin. Highly recommended!

 

[methodology]

@8893

Hows Madison/ guilford coffee shop compare to Willoughbys? I know the owner Joe and he said his shop has really cut into Starbucks and Willoughby market share in Madison. He doesn't roast on site but has storage unit in town where he stores and roasts the beans

I dont ever drink coffee so I cant comment on quality.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I was going to Mocha Joe's but I found their scones to be pretty dry so I switched over to Latte Larry's. Larry's gets credit for the no defecation policy and the cutting edge urinals.

The one thing I know about coffee is that no matter what I make it's going to taste 25% worse than it does when I go out and buy it. I don't understand why this is.

I found a coffee shop I like years ago and I started buying their coffee. No idea how it stacks up to anything else but I like these guys so I'm happy to give them my business.

Go Get Em Tiger

Go Get Em Tiger: Experience world-class specialty coffee sourced and crafted by a dedicated team in Los Angeles. Visit us online or at one of our 8 cafes to see how we’re making a meaningful impact on people's lives by sharing the world’s beautiful coffees.

gget.com

 

[8893]

@8893

Hows Madison/ guilford coffee shop compare to Willoughbys? I know the owner Joe and he said his shop has really cut into Starbucks and Willoughby market share in Madison. He doesn't roast on site but has storage unit in town where he stores and roasts the beans

I dont ever drink coffee so I cant comment on quality.

I have never been to either one. I think my wife and kids have been but they're not really coffee drinkers, and I know it's a very popular gathering spot for the community--everyone knows Joe and Denise. Looking at his coffee menu online just now I am going to guess that his Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain are not single-origin coffees but are instead blends like you see from Green Mountain and the like. That's the level I would expect there, which I would consider a step down from Willoughby's; but I will try to check it out soon and confirm. I mostly buy beans and make my own coffee, and I buy most of it in Willoughby's New Haven or Branford locations. I'll buy a cup from your guy first though and see if it makes me interested in his beans.

 

[storrsroars]

The one thing I know about coffee is that no matter what I make it's going to taste 25% worse than it does when I go out and buy it. I don't understand why this is.

I found a coffee shop I like years ago and I started buying their coffee. No idea how it stacks up to anything else but I like these guys so I'm happy to give them my business.

Go Get Em Tiger

Go Get Em Tiger: Experience world-class specialty coffee sourced and crafted by a dedicated team in Los Angeles. Visit us online or at one of our 8 cafes to see how we’re making a meaningful impact on people's lives by sharing the world’s beautiful coffees.

gget.com

The "why" involves training and equipment and dedication to being really, really good at what you do.

The shop you're happy with happens to be one of the best in the US.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The "why" involves training and equipment and dedication to being really, really good at what you do.

The shop you're happy with happens to be one of the best in the US.

I had no idea they were known outside of LA. They seem like an incredibly nice group of people so I'm happy they're well-regarded.

 

[storrsroars]

I had no idea they were known outside of LA. They seem like an incredibly nice group of people so I'm happy they're well-regarded.

No real reason for most consumers to know, but as with any industry, those inside the industry who want to compete with the best know who the stars are, and Kyle and Charles are stars.

 

[8893]

The one thing I know about coffee is that no matter what I make it's going to taste 25% worse than it does when I go out and buy it. I don't understand why this is.

I found a coffee shop I like years ago and I started buying their coffee. No idea how it stacks up to anything else but I like these guys so I'm happy to give them my business.

Go Get Em Tiger

Go Get Em Tiger: Experience world-class specialty coffee sourced and crafted by a dedicated team in Los Angeles. Visit us online or at one of our 8 cafes to see how we’re making a meaningful impact on people's lives by sharing the world’s beautiful coffees.

gget.com

I will let you know. I just ordered two Hondurans and a Columbian.

 

[Essexdave]

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.

Agree with you on Willoughby’s but wasn’t sure it qualified as a “ boutique” brand.

 

[HobokenHusky]

Just got my Ceremony Coffee delivery - says the beans were roasted on 6/2, $14 for each 12 oz bag and free delivery - very good stuff, thanks for the rec @storrsroars

 

[LIuconn]

Stumptown even though they were bought by Peets

 

[wheelerdog]

I hate coffee

 

[Rich]

I hate coffee

It always speaks well of you.

 

[August_West]

It's not 2005. Lots of medium and even light roast espresso blends out there these days.

But I'm with you in general on dark roasts. I do not want to taste roast/carbon in my coffee and my palate became very sensitive to it when I was in the business.

Because you and @8893 are obvious super tasters.

 

[storrsroars]

Because you and @8893 are obvious super tasters.

I thought we went through this already. Supertasters have sensitivity to bitterness and generally do not like cilantro.

I enjoy bitters and cilantro.

1. Supertaster =/= having a trained palate.
2. Enjoy your french roast or darker. My advice is simply not to pay premium $ for those as any roaster worth their salt won't roast really good beans that dark as it's a waste.

Fun fact for coffee casual fans... as roast temperature and time increase, the mass of the bean decreases. Thus it takes more dark roast beans to fill a 12oz bag than it does medium/light roasts. So there's also economics behind it.