Lance's Pete's coffee?

[bulliedawg]

Has anyone tried this stuff. Lance talks about it in the Lance Chronicals, and then I heard Ms. Crow crowing about it during a TDF interview the other day.

Now much can he drink? Doesn't the drug testing include some sort of caffeine limit?

I love coffee. Drink our local Jittery Joe's all day long. I'd probably fail a TDF drug test because of it. But how good could this durn Pete's Coffee be?

Regardless, Pete must be a happy man for the free pub

[Black Bart]

I believe it is "Peet's Coffee" (www.peets.com). They started in Berkeley, CA but one of their relatively few shops is in Austin, TX. It is available locally here in San Jose and it is excellent coffee, if a tad pricey.

[bulliedawg]

Thanks for the correction.

[Ozz]

Is the coffee the stuff the Giro guy brings him that he is so excited about(from "The Lance Chronicles")?

I must have seen this segment three times, and can't understand what they are saying....

I'm sure it is just as good as (insert other specialty roaster name here).

Good beans + roasted well + as fresh as possible + good water = good coffee

I think there are a few 'forumites' who blend and roast their own beans? Flydhst???

[davids]

I love Peets. I was introduced to it by a native Californian who used to get it mail-ordered to DC. Au Bon Pain (a chi-chi chain in the NE) sold it as their house brand for a while. Now, Peets has a few stores in Boston, including one a few blocks from my office.

Their beans are very full-bodied and flavorful, without the burnt edge you get from Starbucks. Highly recommended. And I didn't even know that Lance dug it!

[IXXI]

Love, love, love Peet's. We're lucky enough to have a few stores here in Portland; and I'm usually at them all. Their best blend -- and the one i noticed Lance was drinking -- is Major Dickason's. Definitely worth checking it out. Beats Starbucks hands down.

If you're ever in Portland though, you gotta try Stumptown coffee. << Peet's vs. Stumptown in the cage match!! >>

[va rider]

Sorry, off topic, but Black Bart, what is the road cycling like in the San Jose/ Palo Alto area? I have some interest in a job out there and was just wondering. I know housing is absolutely un-affordable.

If you don't mind, just e-mail me at sstein at gwu dot edu.

[William]

Hey, as far as Portland goes, what about Coffee People? I liked their coffee better than Starbucks. That hipster-duffiss thing took some getting used to but the coffee was good. That transvestite that worked at the CP on SE Grand near the convention center kinda scared me though. :confused:

Anyway, never tried Peets.


William

[bostondrunk]

I think we can all agree that it is pretty hard to beat a good cup of dunkin donuts coffee. Starbucks and others are just way too bitter.

[eddief]

I live in the land of Peets here in Berkeley. I think Lance's blend of choice is Major Dickison's. They also have a grind called Garuda that is as good as coffee gets for my taste.

[scottcw]

Sorry, off topic, but Black Bart, what is the road cycling like in the San Jose/ Palo Alto area? I have some interest in a job out there and was just wondering. I know housing is absolutely un-affordable.

Define "un-affordable." It depends on what you are making. I pay more for less here in NYC, but I also make more money than I did working in San Jose. As for road cycling, it is great there. I could do a 25 mile loop, a 35 mile loop, a 50 mile loop, and a 100 mile loop from my home, all with beautiful scenery (including the ocean on the 100 mile loop), great roads, and good hills (especially the 100 mile loop, which featured some killer climbs). Check out this page for some good rides - http://www.chainreaction.com/rides.htm - and scroll further down for their "Rides and Maps" page.

Peet's coffee - I guess that I am the lone voice of dissension. Hate it. Way to overpowering. No subtlety at all.

[flydhest]

Funny, my parallel life. I spend some time on www.coffeegeek.com and there was a similar thread on Lance and coffee.

Peet's Major Dickason's Blend is, in fact, a nice dark roast, but Peet's has the ability to roast quite dark and yet not get the over-roasted "flavor" that has earned Starbucks the derisive nickname Charbucks.

However, as IXXI points out, Portland has Stumptown. They are one of my favorite roasters in the country and are on par with www.intelligentsiacoffee.com A shot of Stumptown's Hairbender will get your motor running for sure.

Coffee and cycling---two long glorious traditions interwoven. What could be better?

[Climb01742]

ah, sex and cycling. fly, get out more. :rolleyes:

[jeffg]

Sorry, off topic, but Black Bart, what is the road cycling like in the San Jose/ Palo Alto area? I have some interest in a job out there and was just wondering. I know housing is absolutely un-affordable.

If you don't mind, just e-mail me at sstein at gwu dot edu.

Biking in Palo Alto is amazing, IMHO. I went to (professional) school out on the farm there, and it was there I become the bike-obsessed drooling geek I am now. I tend to ride my Cardgirus trainer a lot here in NYC since at least that way I can replicate some long climbs ;) . Seriously, the riding there is great, though it is expensive and the market is down (big reason why I am in NY with a family to support).

As for Peet's, I am with the dissenters. It used to be Illy, but actually I find Dean and Deluca's espresso quite good. New Yorker's tend to go for the cup o'Joe instead of espresso, but I refuse to be converted (and I have my own espresso temple at home). Lance probably doesn't drink my medium-bodied italian stuff since it has too much caffeine :banana:

[Climb01742]

jeff, ever been to mcnulty's on christopher street? great coffee and teas by the bag. the aroma as you walk in is amazing.

[Dekonick]

Dont laugh:

I was at costco this week and saw a new coffee brewer. I was suckered bu its cool looks and promise of european 'pressed' coffee.

It uses coffee packs that you put in the machine, clamp it closed, it boils enough H20 for 1 or 2 cups - and presto - 1 min later you have 1 cup of joe. Its pretty good, but I wish you could use better coffee. (need to find that paper they make tea bags from to make my own individual coffee packs...)

[William]

Its pretty good, but I wish you could use better coffee. (need to find that paper they make tea bags from to make my own individual coffee packs...)

Actually my mom gets coffee packets like that from Starbucks. I'm sure there are others out there.

William

[sfscott]

Absolutely the finest, and if you like lighter roasts, they have those. I suggest also the Espresso Forte and French Roast. If you are a real connoiseur, they also sell in small quantities at high prices real Kona and Blue Mountain.

Also check out their amazing collection of teas.

Just like there are dog people and cat people, there are Peets and Starbucks people. Many of the same characteristics apply :beer:

[jeffg]

Absolutely the finest, and if you like lighter roasts, they have those. I suggest also the Espresso Forte and French Roast. If you are a real connoiseur, they also sell in small quantities at high prices real Kona and Blue Mountain.

Also check out their amazing collection of teas.

Just like there are dog people and cat people, there are Peets and Starbucks people. Many of the same characteristics apply :beer:


Starbucks!!!! That just maligns Peets, I believe. Didn't you see Austin Powers revealing the Seattle behemoth as a front of the evil organization?! :no: Geez! I'd rather drink frickin' Belgian coffee, eh? www.kaiboshonthestar_ucks.com already. Pass me the Illy or Lavazza! :banana:

[flydhest]

The real problem with most coffee is getting freshly roasted coffee. Fresh as in roasted in the past 3 or 4 days and used up within a week. Once you start drinking fresh coffee the difference is distinct. Alas, most of what gets sold in stores and even coffee shops is weeks to months old. Illy has the best chance of being close as they have positive pressure nitrogen packing.

For this reason, buying Jamaica Blue Mountain (even if you can be assured it's the genuine article, which it usually isn't) or Kona is a pretty dicey choice. Paying that much for coffee, it had better be fresh. Interestingly, many people are very disappointed with their first tastes of Kona or JBM, not just because of freshness, but because the flavors are fairly subtle. It's like someone who is used to drinking Aussie Shiraz or Cali Cabernets that are big, bold, burly, and in your face and then tasting a 15 to 20 year old Bordeaux. The over-the-top jammy intensity isn't there, but the finesse and complexity . . . oh baby.

But, for a free cup of coffee, who can tell me the part of Lance's coffee routine that would make any died-in-the-wool coffee geek cringe? No, it's not that he drinks drip . . . that's perfectly acceptable.

[sfscott]

But, for a free cup of coffee, who can tell me the part of Lance's coffee routine that would make any died-in-the-wool coffee geek cringe? No, it's not that he drinks drip . . . that's perfectly acceptable.

He uses pre-ground and/or hot water.

[Marco]

What is the great coffee sin? Do Tell

[Redturbo]

Tap water?

[stackie]

Fly,

I'd say the blade grinder, myself. Then, again, not measuring the coffee... Or, Carmichael trying to get a cup before the pot was finished... There were so many things wrong with that scene that I almost cried.

Aw, heck. Peet's is good, probably the freshest chain coffee around. But, Lance really needs a sweet espresso machine, a Mazzer mini, and a Hot Top. Then, he would really be the patron. Can't you just see the Ivan Basso knocking on the USPS bus door begging for a shot?


Jon

[SPOKE]

i'm not old enuf to drink coffee :rolleyes:

[flydhest]

Stackie wins!

I think it would be seriously cool if the next Lance Chronicles featured him talking about pre- versus post-roast blends and the optimal timing for shot extraction.

[shinomaster]

Was the best coffee I ever had till the dark evil empire of coffee came in to Boston and bought them and ruined them. At least the Romans and Ottoman empires let the people continue their lives as they were when conquering..except for the occasional tribute of money or children. Alas not Stare Hole. only Starbucks can ruin sweet Ethiopian Harrar and reduce it's flavor to charcoal...Way to go Starbucks!!

Peet's is better, but they still burn stuff..

www.stumptowncoffee.com is better than Peets, or Starchunks or Seattles best ( owned by starwarsbucks) . They pull the best shot I have ever sipped. :banana: :crap: :banana: :crap:

[H.Frank Beshear]

In St.Louis roast their own in the store. Really nice Mocha Java. Stop at the Missouri Bakery grab a cannolli or two walk up to Shaws thats breakfast. To bad it takes me 4 1/2 hours to get there :D . They wre working on a web site for Mail order not sure if its up yet. Shawcoffee.com Good stuff Frank

[max_powers]

esp. since SBUX just announced a price increase. many beautiful people down here in Newport Beach hang at Peets rather than SBUX.

Also read that a study says SBUX coffee (prob. also peets) has 2x as much caffeine as 'regular' coffee. No wonder we keep going back.

[csb]

many, many times

[bostondrunk]

is it <burp> true that the best coffee is made <burp> from cat poop?? I saw <burp> that on <burp><burp><burp>law and order..........

[Brian Smith]

actually, it's a cat-like animal, which eats what (it's thought) it deems as the ripest and best coffee cherries, which includes the bean seed we roast to brew. That animal is the Kopi Luwak in Indonesia. It's digestion doesn't turn the bean into luwakbars, it just changes slightly (it's thought) the bean on it's way out the rear end. somebody's gotta go out an pick up all this poo and "sort" the beans out of it. the lucky stature of the person with that task and the relative rarity of the post-kopi-ulated beans give these beans a much higher cost. anyway, I don't know if it's the semi-digestion of the beans or the fact that the animal has chosen the best ones, but it is widely held that Kopi Luwak beans are the best. Of course there is the roasting, delivery, and brewing, let alone the water being used, to further complicate the issue of "best" coffee, but then most people here are probably by now comfortable with the idea that proclaiming one nebulous "model" of a product "best," and like most information from TV, "best coffee is made from cat poo" probably does more of an informational disservice than service. $300/lb already roasted, less than few U.S. importers. http://www.ravensbrew.com/NewFiles/kopiluwak.html
Closest real-world example would be a "Celebes Kalossi" or "Sumatra Mandheling" and choose one not roasted terribly dark in order to present their particular flavors more clearly, at least until you are familiar enough to "see" them without "looking for them."

Bottoms up!
-Brian Smith

[flydhest]

To add, and perhaps clarify, it's a civet that eats the coffee cherries. All coffee, before it gets roasted, needs to have the skin and pulp removed from the seed (coffee bean). There are multiple methods, each imparting a different flavor to bean---this in addition to the idiosyncratic flavor of the coffee itself.

A humorous label and other links can be found at:

http://www.makeshiftbike.com/kopi.htm