NFT: Home brewing coffee aficionados.....

$10 pound generally speaking.

I think fresh roasting is critical. Then you can experiment with the bean and roast. I prefer dark roast myself since it is least acidic.

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Try Black Rifle Coffee Company. Made by a former Special Forces soldier and is made in Salt Lake City. Portions of the profits go to law enforcement, veterans, and other first responders.

my bodem press. $8.99/lb. I really enjoy it

as much anymore now that I'm addicted to espresso, but I did used to like Cafe Britt a lot. Their straight-up Dark Roast is really tasty.
Cafe Britt dark roast - ( New Window )

It is a medium roast that I have been buying for years. Very consistent from bag to bag. I mix with other beans that I have in the cabinet - always works out well. House guests are always complimenting my coffee. I drink 32oz in a "bubba" cup that I take back to my computer first thing in the am.

Jersey Shore Coffee Roasters. My top 3 are the Bali Blue Moon, Tres Guatamala, and the Sumatra. They roast & ship daily. Highly recommend.
Jersey Shore Coffee Roasters - ( New Window )

and doesn't let you taste what the coffee actually tastes like. As light a roast as possible will let the actual flavor of coffee come through, as opposed to the bitterness of letting the roaster destroy it.

I am a massive coffee nerd. If anyone is interested in truly high quality coffee, let me know where they are located and I can recommend some quality roasters/coffee shops to try quality coffee.

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Local roasted by a former NYPD officer and his family. Tell 'em I sent you.
Long Island coffee revolution. - ( New Window )

love a good strong flavorful (not bitter) coffee.

Julius Meinl

I have to say, which has already been stated, find a good roaster in your local market. Small batch, small company where you know your going to at the very least always get something fresh. Ideally if your a coffee afficiando you should be making sure you get the freshest coffee you can eat your hands on.

Not sure your brewing method, but for ease sake and best results I find French press to be the best, I own a stainless steel one that I swear by. A good grinder is critical as well. But don't let things like water quality and brewing methods go overlooked because they are equally as important as the quality of the roast and beans your brewing.

The same goes for espresso, you can have a nice machine and whatever, but it's all about getting the right grind, espresso is a little fineky. I can't afford a nice machine or espresso grinder right now, but I get by with a cheap one.

If your really into it stick with single origins for the cleanest and most distinct flavor profiles. I enjoy every type of roast, but I've learned which beans I like darker/ lighter than others, which characteristics come out from roasting certain types longer/shorter than others. I typically like a good blend for lighter roasts, Costa Rican is one of the best beans that's hard to fuck up at any roast level. For darker roasts I think Kenya AA and Ethiopian are my favorite. I don't usually enjoy black coffee, but those two I can drink black all day. Anyways that's my two cents.

In comment 13393452 beatrixkiddo said:

Quote:

I have to say, which has already been stated, find a good roaster in your local market. Small batch, small company where you know your going to at the very least always get something fresh. Ideally if your a coffee afficiando you should be making sure you get the freshest coffee you can eat your hands on. Not sure your brewing method, but for ease sake and best results I find French press to be the best, I own a stainless steel one that I swear by. A good grinder is critical as well. But don't let things like water quality and brewing methods go overlooked because they are equally as important as the quality of the roast and beans your brewing. The same goes for espresso, you can have a nice machine and whatever, but it's all about getting the right grind, espresso is a little fineky. I can't afford a nice machine or espresso grinder right now, but I get by with a cheap one. If your really into it stick with single origins for the cleanest and most distinct flavor profiles. I enjoy every type of roast, but I've learned which beans I like darker/ lighter than others, which characteristics come out from roasting certain types longer/shorter than others. I typically like a good blend for lighter roasts, Costa Rican is one of the best beans that's hard to fuck up at any roast level. For darker roasts I think Kenya AA and Ethiopian are my favorite. I don't usually enjoy black coffee, but those two I can drink black all day. Anyways that's my two cents.

If you aren't drinking coffee black, you aren't really drinking coffee though.

Buy a fresh roast coffee roaster on a site like burmans or sweet marias and roast your own.
I have a behmor and nothing roasting your own.

In comment 13393311 Sgrcts said:

Quote:

and doesn't let you taste what the coffee actually tastes like. As light a roast as possible will let the actual flavor of coffee come through, as opposed to the bitterness of letting the roaster destroy it.

Dark roasts are far from terrible. You seem to prefer lighter roasts, that's fine, but that doesn't mean that darker roasts are terrible. If a dark roast is bitter, it's likely due to the beans being overdone.

I've been home-roasting my beans for almost a decade, and I typically go for a darker roast. I agree with beatrix, single origin beans are most consistent, and Costa Rican are consistently good. I have a Bodum grinder that I use right before brewing, and I brew using a Technivorm Moccamaster, although I will french press on occasion.

Sorry if that disqualifies me from this thread, but I hate drinking hot beverages and prefer cold coffee. I picked up a Takeya Cold Brew Maker and have been making cold brew for the past few months.

Any good beans for cold brew? (I'm based in Chicago if someone wants to recommend a good local roaster)

Deej said:

Quote:

$10 pound generally speaking.

+1000000 - Specifically, Jamaican Blue Mountain Style if you like a light roast with a little sweetness. It's not the real thing, but an excellent facsimile at a fraction of the cost. And besides - who knows where most of the "certified" Jamaican stuff comes from? Trader Joe's had a really nice one for about $25/lb. for a while, but I think it has been discontinued.

We live a block away from Zabar's, so I'm in there several times a week.
$10/lb. in-store, $13 on-line unless you subscribe to their auto-order service. - ( New Window )

They have a shop right down the street from my job, little pricey but worth it. As far as brewing my own coffee goes - I use Café Bustelo.

They have different roasts available and I think most are organic. You can buy it on amazon.com or other online vendors.

It's usually $12.99 at my local spot, Porto Rico Importing.

This weekend I also picked up some Organic Mexican French Roast, which was a nice change of pace. $9.99.

If you can get your hands on some Jamaican Blue Mountain, it's about as good as coffee gets. But it's also very expensive. could run you as much as $100 for a pound.

Black Dog Coffee (West Va company)
Mystic Monk Coffee (Montana?)
Black Rifle Coffee
Douwe Egbert Coffee (Dutch)
Whatever CraftCoffee.com sends me

I do pour over or french press and use a burr grinder.

places, all of which send me locally roasted beans: Craft Coffee (Brooklyn), BeanBox (Seattle), and MistoBox. Expensive but it's high, high quality stuff and coffee is my vice. Craft really gets some tremendous dark roasts.

I have been drinking Kauai Coffee which I can now get at the local Shop Rite. Huge fan of it, especially their flavored roasts.

as i roast one thing i enjoy is controlling the roast.
to me a very light roast is fruity.
roast the same coffee darker and different qualities come out.
sometimes i will combine a light and dark roast of the same bean
i have found after roasting it is good to let the coffee sit for a day or two.
I do enjoy JBM, it is pricey but as a treat once in a while it is special.
It is very hard to find but try to get a bag of St. Helenas......that os special.