Organic Beans

Discussion of various types and blends of commercially available pre-roasted beans, their best sources, prices, their respective merits, and the Vivaldi settings required to optimism flavor.
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RobertD

Organic Beans

Post by RobertD »

I wonder if anyone out there has a recommendation as to who carries good organic beans? Now that I have had my S1 for over six months and seemed to have worked out my hardware issues, I am ready to explore beyond my local Whole Foods!

Thanks,
Robert
TonyR

Post by TonyR »

Stumptown Coffee Roasters has a good selection of Organic, Fair Trade and Direct Trade coffee. They recommend brewing between 204 & 207
Niko

Post by Niko »

Stumptown is awesome.
They're one of the few I'd buy beans from, if I wasn't homeroasting I'd be getting all my beans from them. Sure there's lots of good micro-roasters in the S.F. Bay Area, but I'm not impressed with any of them.
My favorites from Stumpy would be their Hairbender and the Kenyas.
TonyR

Post by TonyR »

I live a few miles away from Stumptown's Annex and it's always an adventure buying beans. The staff are a bunch of energetic wiry 20 something
Niko

Post by Niko »

Speaking of energetic 20 something's,
I know of someone who went out of his mind roasting too much coffee!
He worked at a roasting company and apparently he absorbed a lot of caffeine through handling the beans, he didn't drink the coffee but rather OD'd just by touching too many beans.
I know it sounds like an urban legend...
wantmorecrema

Post by wantmorecrema »

intelligensia's Organic Kid-O blend is supposed to be excellent and won a 2006 Coffee Geek award.

p.s. I know this is an old thread but I'm new to the La Spaz world!
Niko

Post by Niko »

Carrie,
Do you roast at home?
wantmorecrema

Post by wantmorecrema »

I don't roast at home, though it's tempting!
Niko

Post by Niko »

Then I must tempt you further...

There's nothing better than home roasted!
You haven't lived until you try it - go check into it, you won't regret it and you'll never look back.
One of my favorite pastimes is to pull a shot from ground beans straight out of the roaster, I get this "monster crema" that's unbelievable. The shot is about 99% crema, it doesn't taste all that great (yet) because it's too fresh but who cares! - it looks great.
But once the coffee settles down you get the best coffee around.
wantmorecrema

Post by wantmorecrema »

Ok, I was tempted further...

but here are my concerns:

1. Isn't there a ventilation issue with the roasters? I'm in a NYC apt so backyard or garage roasting isn't an option.

2. Don't the beans often have to "rest" for several days? I buy from online roasters so I feel the timing is perfect - I get them 2-3 days after roasting, no later than when I would have used a home roasted batch.

I'd be happy to be convinced otherwise!

- Carrie
Niko

Post by Niko »

Some roasts are drinkable right away. Homeroast is still better than any other. I don't care how fresh a shop roast is, mine are ALWAYS better no matter what.
Black Cat? Black What? Stuff is rancid next to my beans.
I don't care how many awards or what ratings a roast gets it's still not better than a good homeroast. In most cases, relaxing the roast only takes overnight - and this is what you're missing out on, that next morning smell that knocks you out of your boots and into nirvana.
Some beans peak on the 2nd-3rd day, UPS and FedEx are still delivering roasts in their frigid cold or sweaty hot vans while mine are enjoying the constant temperature in my bean cabinet.
You do have an issue in NYC apartment because of noise, most air roasters are LOUD. Smoke is not an issue if you have a window which you can crack open and secure a laundry hose out to. It's the noise unless you get a drum style roaster like the Hottop. I have the venerable iRoast2 (iROAR we call it). You better make sure your neighbors love you because this thing is louder than hair-dryer loud. But either way it's like comparing Budweiser to Micro Brews, and I'm sure Chas will chime in by saying that home brew is much better than any brew.
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chas
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Post by chas »

With an average of 50lbs of green lying around and a Hottop I never have to worry about running out.

I concur about Black Cat but I've just tried it twice. The first time I thought it was really good and different. That was about 1 1/2 years ago. Then I tried it again a few months back and thought it was nasty I varied the temp all over and couldn't get an acceptable taste out of it. Both times were on my original S1.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
Niko

Post by Niko »

The Black Cat was the same for me all 3 times I tried it.
Over rated.
The pour was impressive, picture perfect but I just didn't like the taste either no matter what temp I dialed in.
I wish I had a Hottop just to not listen to that damn iRoar2. I use sound-isolating earphones with an iPod to phase it out.
Ducatista

Coffee Beans

Post by Ducatista »

Hi

My current favorite beans are:

1) Northern Italian Reserve Espresso
http://www.eccocaffe.com/

2)Kid O's
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com

Cheers...
bbqnut

Post by bbqnut »

Niko wrote:The Black Cat was the same for me all 3 times I tried it.
Over rated.
The pour was impressive, picture perfect but I just didn't like the taste either no matter what temp I dialed in.
I wish I had a Hottop just to not listen to that damn iRoar2. I use sound-isolating earphones with an iPod to phase it out.
I have a couple of the IRoar2 units, and do like the roast, but they are so loud.

I am deciding right now whether to buy a used Hottop Digital for $400, or the new one for $1000, since I have heard such good things. Or I may just wait.
Niko

Post by Niko »

I'd wait.
Besides, the new $1000 unit is so OVERPRICED!! For that kind of bling I'd expect at least 1lb batches not a measley 1/2lb. I can empty that in a day.
jonniewishbone

Post by jonniewishbone »

I to agree with the rest of the gang on home roasting being better. I think there is a lot to be said for "knowing" that your beans were roasted at 10am on April 20th. You can make absolute comparsions between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day brews with different types of beans.

I also put up with the I-Roar for a little over a year. Went through three of them while they were under warranty and then stuck it in the basement for an "extreme" back up. The noise was indeed horrific. Was just about to lay out the cash for a Gene Roaster when I decided to try a SC/CO. Probably the same reaction will take place when I turn on the new SII for a brew cycle compared to a vibe pump. Quiet........ And the ability to roast a pound to a pound and a half per roast!!!! Even roasts and no more 5-6 minutes Med-Rare roasts on the I-Roast. I am now doing 16-18 minute roasts and the results are very apparent in the final cup. It is worth the effort to put one of these babies together.

Now I have my eye on a Dietrich IR3FM which can do 1-7 pounds. Looks like my car may loose it's place in the garage. Even with the Dietrich tho, I would still keep the SC/CO in use for a quick small batch - IT IS THAT GOOD !!!

Main point is... Home Roasting is the BEST.... hands down.... period.
raf
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Post by raf »

Okay, as someone who is not a home roaster I'll bite: what is a SC/CO?
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chas
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Post by chas »

raf wrote:Okay, as someone who is not a home roaster I'll bite: what is a SC/CO?
Stir Crazy / Convection Oven

http://homeroast.pbwiki.com/SCTO
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
Weska

Post by Weska »

Home roasting is a lot like home brewing, which I also did in a previous life. Your result is difficult, even impossible, to control closely, but the freshness makes up for the variability.

And the variability, instead of being a defect, becomes something that keeps you focussed on the process of brewing...whatever you are brewing.
Niko

Post by Niko »

I got the home roasting down to a science, I can repeat a roast over and over again EXACTLY. No matter what bean, the ambient temperature, humidity and the voltage going through the machine - I can roast like a demon in the 7th plane of you know where...

Now that you mention home brewing, I got all the stuff to start brewing but I haven't touched it yet, people are telling me the same things you just said.
Variables and lots of variables and it's really hard to repeat anything...damn, now that sounds challenging! And it kind of sounds like creating coffee as well.
I'll raise my 1st pint glass to you Weska.
And then I'll see if I can repeat it.
Weska

Post by Weska »

Niko, homebrewing can be quite a popularity enhancer, among other things. The biggest disadvantage is that it is time-consuming, especially if you take it to the extremes we have with coffee.

I don't know whether the supplies you have assembled are based on already mashed sugars, either as syrups or granulated, which is the typical way to start. The next stage would be doing your own mashes from roasted barley, a half-day process. As I left the hobby, I was just getting into something that looked like it was doing great things for my beers and was not at all time-consuming. I recommend that you culture your own yeast slurry, which can be done from unpasteurized beers you like or even from a tap.

Whatever path you take, have a good time with it!
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