OT: Your favorite online source for coffee beans?

[Climb01742]

As the title says, I'd like to expand my coffee choices in the morning. I've heard some very good online sources for beans are:

Heart
Onyx
George Howell
Olympia
Kuma

Has anyone gotten beans from any of those folks? Other sources you like?

Many thanks.

[dbnm]

This is quite good
http://pourvida.com/

[Climb01742]

This is quite good
http://pourvida.com/

Thanks! I love 'Wake the dead'!

[keevon]

My parents regularly order from Intelligentsia and Metropolis (both in Chicago).

That said, I highly recommend home roasting. Sweet Maria's (https://www.sweetmarias.com/) is the best online retail source for green coffee beans. About $6 / pound for a wide variety of great single-origin beans, and the freshness of home roast can't be beat.

[PNW]

Bespoken Coffee Roasters out of Corvallis, OR. They ship online and their stuff is wonderful. I do pour overs via Hario every morning.

[Dracarys]

My favorite is Vivace in Seattle. I've been ordering from them for over 15 years. Haven't found any beans I like more for my espressos and lattes.

[Frankwurst]

http://colectivocoffee.com/
:beer:

[Jaybee]

My guy is in Bisbee, AZ (https://oldbisbeeroasters.com/) Never disappointed.

[nighthawk]

I've always been a fan of counter culture (https://counterculturecoffee.com/)

[Climb01742]

Bespoken Coffee Roasters out of Corvallis, OR. They ship online and their stuff is wonderful. I do pour overs via Hario every morning.

Someone in Eugene gets something from Corvallis??? Isn't that illegal or something? Won't they run you out of town for that?;):):p

(Says a boy who grew up in Portland.)

[PNW]

Someone in Eugene gets something from Corvallis??? Isn't that illegal or something? Won't they run you out of town for that?;):):p

(Says a boy who grew up in Portland.)

Haha! I went to school there and lived there for awhile. Portland has some amazing roasters to choose from (Spella, Badbeard, Water Avenue, Stumptown, etc). I would seriously consider Bespoken. I am friends with the owners personally and they are great people. Everything is roasted per order as well so no need to worry about getting old inventory.

[echappist]

perhaps not as distinguished, but I really like coffeebeansdirect. based in NJ and roasted locally. They carry quite a selection, and they support cycling as well

[Willy]

Not mailorder but local Oakland company - Bicycle coffee

https://www.bicyclecoffeeco.com

[CDollarsign]

Heart, Onyx and Kuma are all really great roasters. In terms of subscriptions, I have been really happy with Ruby Roasters. I get 5 lbs of single origin coffee every 6 weeks for $80. For specialty coffee that's pretty cheap. They also have other options where you can receive multiple coffees monthly.

[Mzilliox]

I was gifted a subscription to Mistobox Coffee for the last year and tried many roasters. Augies Coffee out of Redlands, California was consistently the best i have had, from espresso to fruity africans, to well balanced blends. Exceptional coffee (I'm a roaster, from Portland).

Kuma coffee out of seattle is also excellent. So is Blue Bottle out of San Fran

[Mzilliox]

Heart, Onyx and Kuma are all really great roasters. In terms of subscriptions, I have been really happy with Ruby Roasters. I get 5 lbs of single origin coffee every 6 weeks for $80. For specialty coffee that's pretty cheap. They also have other options where you can receive multiple coffees monthly.

Oh, thats a good deal from Ruby, i think i tried one or 2 of their coffees and was happy enough.

[JAGI410]

My local favorite roaster is www.stumbeanos.com

He’s a cyclist too!

[ptourkin]

My primary concern online is freshness. Intelligentsia impressed me with how recent their mailings are. I didn't do them for pourover beans but Black Cat Analog and some of the single offerings make some good 'spro.

[CDollarsign]

My primary concern online is freshness. Intelligentsia impressed me with how recent their mailings are. I didn't do them for pourover beans but Black Cat Analog and some of the single offerings make some good 'spro.

By the time i get my Ruby order they are 2-3 days off roast...

I was hesitant getting a 5 lb bag because of how long it would take me to go through it (6 weeks off roast seems crazy) but I honest can't tell that much of a difference once I am a week in. Yes, its not as lively as the first week, but you have to make concessions when its hard to find good 12oz bags under $20 these days...

[Dsteiker]

My go to is https://bluebottlecoffee.com/. Even better now that they are roasting in Brooklyn, I get beans 2-3 days after roasting. Recently my go to espresso has been Hayes Valley.

Also like Caffe Lusso, their espresso blend Gran Miscela Carmo Espresso Blend.

https://www.caffelusso.com/coffee/espresso/

[Ken Robb]

I probably lack a refined palate but I have been happy with most of the specialty coffees sold by COSTCO. 2.5 or 3 pounds for $16-19. I don't know if these coffees are available in their on-line order program.

[zzy]

Here in the NE I swear by Happy Mug ( http://happymugcoffee.com/ ). Prefer it to almost all NYC roasters and it's a good bit cheaper. Their specialties are gold, and the current YIRGACHEFFE is incredible.

[echelon_john]

We order from Pawtucket!

www.newharvestcoffee.com

Super fresh. We love their Dark Roast of the Decade. Tried lots and keep coming back to that.

[kingpin75s]

Some good stuff here.

Glad Sweet Maria's came up in the first few posts. Great resource that I have been using for the past 10 years or so.

Nice to see Intelligencia getting some love still. I started on their Black Cat espresso in 2007 and drank it daily until a couple of years ago when I put my Silvia and Mazzer on the backburner for my daily French press. Hope the Black Cat is still great as they massively increased distribution the last few years.

Thanks for the Stumbeanos call out JAGI410. Will check them out. Distributed anywhere in the cities?

Probably not as cost effective these days and I think Jamaica is not producing the quality they used to, but I really enjoyed it when I used to order directly from plantations in Jamaica for their Blue Mountain and from Hawaii for their Kona. Direct deals were reasonable compared to the gouge rates you see when some chains carry these premium beans.

Might be time to put Silvia back in service. All this coffee talk has me thinking it's time to start pulling shots again!

[sfscott]

Scarlet City in Oakland/Emeryville

Recommend the Warp Drive.

[Kirk007]

Equator out of Marin is good, and they support cycling.

Second Vivace.

My current favorite is Storyville, roasted a few miles from my house on Bainbridge Island. Really nice espresso, but its damned expensive.

[Don49]

We order from Pawtucket!

www.newharvestcoffee.com

Super fresh. We love their Dark Roast of the Decade. Tried lots and keep coming back to that.

Bought this one on your recommendation, and drinking a cup now. Excellent!

[dddd]

I order a pound of Red Bird medium roast espresso a couple of times per year, it's the only online coffee I order these days.

https://redbirdcoffee.com/collections/featured-coffees/products/red-bird-espresso

[MattTuck]

A friend of a friend's father in law owns a coffee farm in El Salvador. He's been trying to figure out how to sell his beans, which are high quality, and fairly expensive as far as coffee beans go.

Would you folks that buy online consider buying directly from the farmer?

[ripvanrando]

My standard beans for lattes are the Lavazza Italian "Super Crema" Espresso Whole Bean Value Pack, which is 3 x 2.2lbs for $60 shipped.

The grinder and good water are probably more important than the bean but anyway, I also like Chris' Dolce Tazza... so complex, smooth, and sweet although not cheap.

https://www.chriscoffee.com/Coffee-s/2164.htm

[SoCalSteve]

Try Klatch Roasters, amazing!!!

https://www.klatchroasting.com

[patfl1]

Lots of great roasters already suggested. Figured I’d mention a good subscription.
Mistobox has been fantastic and with a 6 mo subscription, a new bag every other week for about $16 a bag delivered, is a steal.
Ruby, Onyx, and quite a few of the others mentioned participate.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[arazate]

Some fascinating selections. I home roast and I'm pretty tenacious at maintaining freshness, to the point of freezing my coffee beans.

After allowing the coffee bean to de-gas for 2-3 days, ideal freshness sticks around for 1.5-2 weeks, after that, its a pretty steep drop-off in freshness (taste). After de-gassing, I vacuum pack my beans into several pouches. They will be retain there freshness for at least 4 months.

There are coffee forums out there that conducted very detailed testing; I was a doubter, but after trying it, never looked back in the last 5 years.-AJ

[benb]

I live locally to George Howell and their beans are great and both a good value and very fresh. The last bag I bought had been roasted less than 3 days before it was in my hands. Some Starbucks beans are more expensive and I find those almost un drinkable.

I’m not sure how fast they are online. I buy from either Ride Studio Cafe or Pressed. It just tends to be easier. RSC has a better selection but I can walk to Pressed from my office.

The unfortunate thing is at the rate I drink it I am starting to be able to tell a freshness difference by the end of the bag. Less fresh coffee never tastes as good but it’s already lost the magic and so doesn’t lose flavor the same way so quickly.

I usually make one moka pot (3-cup) or one French press each day so I’m only using 14-21g/day.

I will also admit in the last year I have drank 2 lbs of coffee from Hula Daddy in Kailua-Kona. That stuff is unreal but also insanely expensive. 2017 must have been a bad yield in Hawaii as some of the top coffees were pushing $100/lb.

[skiezo]

If you like africans Abundancia Coffee this is my goto.
http://www.abundanciacoffee.org/

The other that I use is Mighty River Roasters out of Iowa. https://www.mightyriverroasters.com/

One that is local to me is St Thomas Roasters and they are always freshhhhh. They just roast a bit darker than I like but they do have a huge turnover of there roasted beans. Nothing is older than a few day post roast.
https://www.stthomasroasters.com/product-category/specialty-coffee/

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

https://deansbeans.com/ Amazing coffee, very diverse bean selection and right in MA. Coupon code for a while was Don't tell Dean, not sure of it still works.

[coastrider]

Been pulling espresso shots for Many Years. We've tried almost all the Branded and Designer roasters and they are good.

However 7 years ago I discovered a small roaster who created a magnificent Espresso blend and regular coffee blends. They actually sell by the Pound!! and never returned to Klatch, Stumptown, Counterculture,etc.

Check out Blackwelder on Amazon or call 310 839 4323 and ask for Patrick or Liza

[ceolwulf]

I'll plug my local roaster: https://www.otherbrotherroasters.com

Great coffee and great value too. (prices CAD)

I need to head over there next week and resupply some Ethiopia. Wonderful stuff.

[RWeb]

The best I could find in the Seattle area was Zoka Coffee, best I have ever had.

Colectivo Coffee in Milwaukee and Chicago is excellent.

Both will ship.

[ripvanrando]

Slightly off topic, but when changing beans the grind has to be changed to optimize flavor, aromatics and feel. I have a high end Compak grinder and find going from one bean to the next requires testing to optimize. (time, temperature, pressure, and most important, the grind itself). Obviously, drip or french press would be mostly time, temp, and the critical parameter.....the grind.

Is there a quick way to dial a new bean source in? (for the lazy)

[benb]

Slightly off topic, but when changing beans the grind has to be changed to optimize flavor, aromatics and feel. I have a high end Compak grinder and find going from one bean to the next requires testing to optimize. (time, temperature, pressure, and most important, the grind itself). Obviously, drip or french press would be mostly time, temp, and the critical parameter.....the grind.

Is there a quick way to dial a new bean source in? (for the lazy)

I certainly agree with you but I doubt there’s any rule you can use. I always seem to make a few poor cups before I figure it out.

I just use one of the latest Hario grinders, I’m starting to just eyeball it based on the position of the burr.

It’s more annoying for me switching back and forth between French press and the Moka pot with pretty wildly different grind sizes required.

I had an electric grinder but it was impossible to get it clean. I like to disassemble the grinder and clean it when switching beans.

[ripvanrando]

I certainly agree with you but I doubt there’s any rule you can use. I always seem to make a few poor cups before I figure it out.

I just use one of the latest Hario grinders, I’m starting to just eyeball it based on the position of the burr.

It’s more annoying for me switching back and forth between French press and the Moka pot with pretty wildly different grind sizes required.

I had an electric grinder but it was impossible to get it clean. I like to disassemble the grinder and clean it when switching beans.

Thanks, Ben. I mess with the grind by sight (just before clumping) and feel. Then the rest. Its not quite a Design of Experiments kind of thing but it takes time. I am alsways astonished how lousy a good bean can taste if I get the parameters wrong

[VTCaraco]

Flavio at https://sixdepot.com/ is awesome.
Heard about him/his shop last summer and decided to make a drive down for a cup one summer morning. He knows what he's doing...
Since then, I've been buying beans from him ~ his Notes from Underground espresso is as good as I've had and I/we cycle through a variety of his medium and dark roasts for the drip machine in the office at work. After a few years of using a few different roasters, I'd say that SixDepot's stuff has upgraded the palette of my crowd.

For you Berkshire folks, he's right off the West Stockbridge Turnpike exit and is definitely worth a stop for a caffeine fix (and his sweet and savory options are pretty good, too).

[GonaSovereign]

A friend of a friend's father in law owns a coffee farm in El Salvador. He's been trying to figure out how to sell his beans, which are high quality, and fairly expensive as far as coffee beans go.

Would you folks that buy online consider buying directly from the farmer?

Yes. Yes, I would.

[merckxman]

It never crossed my mind to home roast. Can this be done on a small scale? Any recommended products?

[William]

Roasting my own I get green beans from Sweet Maria's. I also found a local roaster that does a great job, the U.N. and Devils Foot blends are particularly good.

Updike's Newtowne Coffee Roasters in NK, RI.







William