Lets talk about COFFEE

[indesertum]



Not at that price. I can get all my green coffee for under $10/lb. Even Gesha is less than $30/lb.

Yeah but you also have to buy a roaster and various equipment not to mention the time to read and develop the experience to roast.

About 5 yrs ago Pops brought me back some of this exact coffee:

Blue Mahoe Estate. This stuff was phenomenal. Truly the best I have ever had the privilege of drinking. Imagine extremely bright and light body with almost no acidity. Pops said the word on the street in Jamaica was that the Asians had been buying up all the premium JBM. Thus causing the market to be scarce and overpriced. He was able to grab some of the stuff that I pictured though, albeit at a bit of an inflated price, even for buying on the island. He was able to score the Blue Mahoe Estate stuff 5 yrs ago for $12 a pound....

Asians in Asia really love their tasteless luxury goods. Pretty sure they're buying up all the civet coffee too I've had JBMs quite a few times and the best I could say is that they taste like nothing. Nothing sticks out in your mind. No varietal or terroir or processing characteristics but I wonder if that's partly because they've all been dark roasts or if they just naturally taste mild/bland. Definitely not worth $30 -$60 per pound.

 

[Watchman1]

I've had JBMs quite a few times and the best I could say is that they taste like nothing. Nothing sticks out in your mind. No varietal or terroir or processing characteristics but I wonder if that's partly because they've all been dark roasts or if they just naturally taste mild/bland. Definitely not worth $30 -$60 per pound.

Okay. Obviously I have a lot to learn about many things.

So I guess my next question is what coffee should I be sampling and drinking?

Thanks.

 

[t3hg0suazn]

Go to a well established coffee shop / cafe in your city and try a bunch of stuff.

 

[indesertum]



Okay.  Obviously I have a lot to learn about many things.

So I guess my next question is what coffee should I be sampling and drinking?

Thanks.

Go to a well established coffee shop / cafe in your city and try a bunch of stuff. 

i would recommend the same. it's hard to say what's available where you live and also what you might end up liking. you can buy online but shipping costs are high relative to the bags of coffee. i find that my favorite kind of coffee are natural processed ones that are roasted medium, medium dark (<3 yemeni and ethiopians) and brewed really hot. not a fan of really mild tasting expensive ones like JBM and some hawaiian coffees and also not a fan of incredibly lightly roasted south americans.

these are my favorite roasters. i love everything they do
http://www.handlebarcoffee.com/
http://www.spellacaffe.com/



also if you want to really get into coffee you could try your hand at roasting. i feel like roasting yourself would be really helpful in understanding what you like in coffee better.

 

[scottcw]



Yeah but you also have to buy a roaster and various equipment not to mention the time to read and develop the experience to roast.

Those costs are recovered in the long haul. I can get 2+ lbs of green coffee for less than 3/4 lbs of roasted coffee.

 

[Equus Leather]



Those costs are recovered in the long haul. I can get 2+ lbs of green coffee for less than 3/4 lbs of roasted coffee.

This. Roasting is a very worthwhile thing to learn and invest in.

Charlie

 

[Jaiss Yamini]

I like cold coffee with ice-cream

 

[patrickBOOTH]

In NYC I can't cook a steak without filling my place and the hallway with smoke and annoying the neighbors. Imagine if I got into roasting as well? Also, where would I put the behemoth?

 

[Equus Leather]

I roast in an oven - doesnt have to be in really flash kit, though Im sure you can get result more easily with the rght kit. Smoke is a problem though!

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I don't know, I am a picky coffee drinker, but I would think the pros that I buy from can do a significantly better job at roasting than I can in my stove. Money spent on that premium is of no concern to me.

 

[justridiculous]

I don't know, I am a picky coffee drinker, but I would think the pros that I buy from can do a significantly better job at roasting than I can in my stove.

This has been my thinking when it comes to the "to roast or not to roast" question.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

The key part of what I wrote is "in my stove".

 

[scottcw]

My Behmor sits on my kitchen counter next to my stove top. The Behmor has smoke suppression and I turn on the exhaust fan to eliminate any smoke that does get out.

From a purely economic view, I go through about 26 lbs of coffee a year. At an average of $7/lb for green beans, that is $182. Compare that to buying roasted beans at an average of $14 (at the LOW end) for .75 lbs. and I would pay $455. That's almost the cost of a Behmor roaster in the first year.

For those buying a cup at your local shop, calculate $3.50 (if you live somewhere inexpensive) x 5 x 52 = $910 per year if you skip weekends.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Exhaust fans and counter space cost mucho dollars in NYC, pal, but I think I am preaching to the choir if you're living in the Bay Area.

 

[Equus Leather]

Significant cost savings to be made buying and roasting yourself - the payback time for some reasonable kit would be quite short. In terms of the not doing a good job as the pros, they will produce a more consistent roast I'm sure, given some practice you can roast to your own taste rather than someone elses though. Well worth a thought...