OT: Favorite Boutique Coffee Brands | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT: Favorite Boutique Coffee Brands

So, I have some Kona beans from McNulty's. Got them 2 Christmases ago.

Still good?
 
UCLJ0211 said:
Bulletproof is great, probably not considered “boutique” though
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Butter, Beans, Blah! 3 Coffee Experts Taste Test Bulletproof Coffee. - Food Republic

While hardcore coffee fans debate the merits of automatic Chemex pour-overs and how many grams of water it takes to make the perfect cup of coffee, there's significant buzz building over another area of the coffee world, and it has nothing to do with the minutia of bean culture whatsoever. It's...
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storrsroars said:
I think you have to really love straight up espresso and a bit of spare change to blow to get any benefit from having a dedicated machine. You can create an ersatz latte with an Aeropress and a milk steamer/frother ($20-$30).

It's a deep rabbit hole if you're trying to get to same quality of shots you get in a good coffeeshop. How many beans are you willing to waste each morning while you adjust your grinder and go through a couple to several shots to get to today's ideal brewing parameters? Espresso is a constantly moving target. With each passing day beans behave differently, and it's not only oxidation, but environmental factors like how humid is your kitchen today?

That said, if you like cappuccinos or lattes and aren't all that fussy, then sure. Milk can cover up a lot of flaws in the shot. I own a Barista Express (got it for free as I worked for Breville) and it's a fine machine for that purpose. The steaming is powerful enough to get decent mircofoam. I would not get the Bambino as it's simply not stable enough on the counter. I think the Oracle line is overkill.

If I was really into espresso, I'd get a separate grinder (which you have) and something like the Rancilio Silvia, which has a big following, so lots of online advice on using it. Generally on any combo grinder/brewer, espresso or drip, the grinder will break down well before the brewer does. But then you're well over a grand for even a beginner setup.
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So I’ve read articles about wine that 95% of the wine drinkers can’t tell the difference between a 10.00 and 100.00 bottle. Back to the original post, is this an accurate piece of advice? They’re trying to come up with a decent non-Keurig option and I’m not sure the thread has much of that. It’s a lot of coffee nerd flex.
 
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Dove said:
They somehow got placed to the back of a pantry shelf. Sad.
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Give it a shot and see what happens. Pretty sure coffee beans don't grow mold, so the worst that happens is you make a crappy cup of coffee.
 
brasssbonanzaa said:
Give it a shot and see what happens. Pretty sure coffee beans don't grow mold, so the worst that happens is you make a crappy cup of coffee.
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True. It's possible if the bag were never opened it might still have a glimmer of its former glory, and probably still better than Folgers.

Deepster said:
So I’ve read articles about wine that 95% of the wine drinkers can’t tell the difference between a 10.00 and 100.00 bottle. Back to the original post, is this an accurate piece of advice? They’re trying to come up with a decent non-Keurig option and I’m not sure the thread has much of that. It’s a lot of coffee nerd flex.
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I'd say that's probably much more true for wines between $20 and $100, but I'd have a hard time believing $10. Barefoot offers $10 wines that could never be mistaken for anything more than that.

For @brihman, if the goal is lattes/capps, then I'd suggest heading to someplace where they can taste a couple of drinks made on a Nespresso and see if that does it for them. For many people it does. In your analogy, let's call them the 95%.

If a Nespresso doesn't do it for them, then the key questions beyond budget are really, "Am I going to use this every day?", "How many drinks/day will I be making?", and "How much countertop space am I willing to forfeit for this hobby?"

Also, while he owns a Baratza grinder, only the Preciso and Sette lines will be good for espresso. The Encore and Virtuoso models won't be up to the task for reliable espresso grinds. The grinder is far more important than the espresso brewer when it comes to getting reliably delicious shots.

Keep in mind that the people who generally buy dedicated espresso grinders paired with home espresso machines are the coffee nerds who make up the 5% of people who will digest anything and everything in their quest for the "God shot". Spend a few moments on home-barista.com or coffeegeek.com to get an idea of just how involved devotees get with this stuff.
 
brihman said:
This is really helpful advice—thank you.
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Forgot to mention, if you want to try a Nespresso, any Williams-Sonoma should do the trick. Most staff should know how to operate it and often on weekends there may be a traveling Nespresso rep in the store. W-S sells a ton of Nespresso equipment.
 
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Dove said:
[looks left...looks right...] This house has always smiled when the top of the Chock Full o' Nuts pops off. Always in stock...(New York Roast)
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Well, it is a heavenly coffee. Better coffee millionaires money can’t buy.
 
Easy last week I was thinking how I haven't bought myself anything in a long time. Was thinking of an expensive mirrorless camera but then this thread popped up and I was thinking maybe a new drip coffee machine. On Thursday I ordered the Bonavita Connoisseur (same as 1900 but the filer tray slides into the unit instead of having to be on the carafe). Looking forward to its arrival.

Will be trying an East Haven roaster for fresh beans. They were closed when I rolled up on Friday.
 
I don't like dark roasts in general so I don't love espresso, but I loved it Italy when it was part of the everyday culture and you could always find a well-made one within reach. One of the places we rented for more than a week had a Bialetti stovetop maker as the only coffee maker so I used it to make my regular coffee (although stronger). I decided I'd like to have the option of making espresso at home once in a while so I bought a Bialetti and that's what I use when I get a hankering. I cheat though and use my regular coffee beans, again because I like it less bitter. Works well enough for occasional use, but nothing like what a good barista could produce:

images
 
8893 said:
I don't like dark roasts in general so I don't love espresso,
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It's not 2005. Lots of medium and even light roast espresso blends out there these days.

But I'm with you in general on dark roasts. I do not want to taste roast/carbon in my coffee and my palate became very sensitive to it when I was in the business.
 
Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.
 
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HobokenHusky said:
Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.
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Oils come from either overroasting or staleness. Either way, using a burr grinder with fine control is fairly pointless as you're not going to notice a significant difference in taste no matter what you do. So for oily beans, I'd suggest just getting a blade grinder.
 
I like Angelino's. Their breakfast blend is enjoyable. I am not much of a coffee drinker after 9 in the morning. Once in awhile after a nice meal at a restaurant.
 
I normally pick up my single origin coffees online at TexasCoffeeTraders and J.Rene's in person.

Would recommend the Baratza Encore grinder and Aeropress.
 
storrsroars said:
Oils come from either overroasting or staleness. Either way, using a burr grinder with fine control is fairly pointless as you're not going to notice a significant difference in taste no matter what you do. So for oily beans, I'd suggest just getting a blade grinder.
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Thanks for the info - just ordered some Ceremony online through their website - ordering better beans is probably a better idea than ordering a new machine to handle bad beans haha.
 
HobokenHusky said:
Anyone have a recommendation for a grinder that doesn’t clog after grinding oily beans? I have a breville grind control coffee maker which does the job but I am limited on what beans I can use because it will clog up after a few cups with anything oily.
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HobokenHusky said:
Thanks for the info - just ordered some Ceremony online through their website - ordering better beans is probably a better idea than ordering a new machine to handle bad beans haha.
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Btw, in case you didn't know, you have to clean the Breville burr grinder regularly. I keep it empty whenever it's not in immediate use, running it clean and then blowing through it so the loose grounds get out of the works. Every couple months I remove the burr gear and clean it with the brush that came with it.
 
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8893 said:
Btw, in case you didn't know, you have to clean the Breville burr grinder regularly. I keep it empty whenever it's not in immediate use, running it clean and then blowing through it so the loose grounds get out of the works. Every couple months I remove the burr gear and clean it with the brush that came with it.
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Thanks, yes I clean it regularly and also have cleaning pellets I run through it every so often - but even then if I put an oily bean in there directly after running the pellets it will still clog fairly quickly. Great machine otherwise.
 
Always in the top ten roasters in US is Johnson Brothers Coffee of Madison Wisconsin. Highly recommended!
 
@8893

Hows Madison/ guilford coffee shop compare to Willoughbys? I know the owner Joe and he said his shop has really cut into Starbucks and Willoughby market share in Madison. He doesn't roast on site but has storage unit in town where he stores and roasts the beans

I dont ever drink coffee so I cant comment on quality.
 
I was going to Mocha Joe's but I found their scones to be pretty dry so I switched over to Latte Larry's. Larry's gets credit for the no defecation policy and the cutting edge urinals.

The one thing I know about coffee is that no matter what I make it's going to taste 25% worse than it does when I go out and buy it. I don't understand why this is.

I found a coffee shop I like years ago and I started buying their coffee. No idea how it stacks up to anything else but I like these guys so I'm happy to give them my business.

gget.com

Go Get Em Tiger

Go Get Em Tiger: Experience world-class specialty coffee sourced and crafted by a dedicated team in Los Angeles. Visit us online or at one of our 8 cafes to see how we’re making a meaningful impact on people's lives by sharing the world’s beautiful coffees.
gget.com gget.com
 
methodology said:
@8893

Hows Madison/ guilford coffee shop compare to Willoughbys? I know the owner Joe and he said his shop has really cut into Starbucks and Willoughby market share in Madison. He doesn't roast on site but has storage unit in town where he stores and roasts the beans

I dont ever drink coffee so I cant comment on quality.
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I have never been to either one. I think my wife and kids have been but they're not really coffee drinkers, and I know it's a very popular gathering spot for the community--everyone knows Joe and Denise. Looking at his coffee menu online just now I am going to guess that his Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain are not single-origin coffees but are instead blends like you see from Green Mountain and the like. That's the level I would expect there, which I would consider a step down from Willoughby's; but I will try to check it out soon and confirm. I mostly buy beans and make my own coffee, and I buy most of it in Willoughby's New Haven or Branford locations. I'll buy a cup from your guy first though and see if it makes me interested in his beans.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
The one thing I know about coffee is that no matter what I make it's going to taste 25% worse than it does when I go out and buy it. I don't understand why this is.

I found a coffee shop I like years ago and I started buying their coffee. No idea how it stacks up to anything else but I like these guys so I'm happy to give them my business.

gget.com

Go Get Em Tiger

Go Get Em Tiger: Experience world-class specialty coffee sourced and crafted by a dedicated team in Los Angeles. Visit us online or at one of our 8 cafes to see how we’re making a meaningful impact on people's lives by sharing the world’s beautiful coffees.
gget.com gget.com
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The "why" involves training and equipment and dedication to being really, really good at what you do.

The shop you're happy with happens to be one of the best in the US.
 
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