Bean Recommendation

[BucklesBeanery]

Can someone recommend a bean that will give full body coffee (I'm not sure what that actual terms are called) that will asimilate a bold coffee? My husband and I like the bold, full flavors of Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Panera Bread etc. I purchased a bean sample pack from Sweet Maria's and roasted a batch most of the way through second crack and the coffee has a pretty good flavor but is "thin" (in my description). I have not roasted any of the others in the sample pack but I am looking for some recommendations. Thanks.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Starbucks, SB and Panera bread coffee are normally very dark roaster.

So which means your beans should be covered with excess oil from the roasting.
To get that, you have to roast the beans well pass second crack.

I would recommend you to try Sumatra region and Ethiopian coffee (Yargascheff or Sidamo)
After the roast, let the bean sit for couple of days before grinding and brewing.
You do want the coffee to degass before brewing the coffee.

 

[CoffeeLovers]

Coffees today are mostly Arabica or Robusta or combination of both. Usually Arabica can make a better coffee but it is expensive. There are a lot of things to consider having what you call a full body coffee. It should be neither under-roasted nor charred, and the brew should be moderate aroma and flavor, and subtle notes. However, keeping the coffee from tasting bland, sourness and bitterness are sometimes desirable.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Sometimes people are so used to at the this charred flavor, that is what they will crave all the time.
I would compare that to wine.
At first, most of the people would prefer Zinfendel, or Shiraz or much stronger flavor wine but as they drink more wine, most of the people settle on something much lighter like Melot, Bordeaux, or even lighter red.

It will be matter of time before people will realize what the coffee should taste like.

 

[eldub]

Coffees today are mostly Arabica or Robusta or combination of both. Usually Arabica can make a better coffee but it is expensive. There are a lot of things to consider having what you call a full body coffee. It should be neither under-roasted nor charred, and the brew should be moderate aroma and flavor, and subtle notes. However, keeping the coffee from tasting bland, sourness and bitterness are sometimes desirable.

Our coffees are never sour or bitter. Sounds like you are used to experiencing low quality, mass produced coffee beans.

As for a bean recommendation, good beans are coming out of Guatemala this season. I like to blend the central and south americans with a bit of sumatran for a bit of deep bottom end. Peruvians should also give a rich cup. Our Bolivian is drinking nicely.

Keep in mind that the longer you roast/char a bean, the thinner the result. (All the bean flavor gets roasted out and you are left with flavor imparted by the roasting process. A medium roasted bean shouldn't taste thin. A bean roasted too lightly might be considered herbal or grassy.

 

[TheCoffeeGourmet]

Very much agree with CoffeeJunky on the "Sumatra region and Ethiopian coffee" recommendation. And I would also recommend a shift away from Starbucks, Panera, etc. Starbucks espresso drinks are surprisingly drinkable, which I think is largely due to their consistent preparation, but most of their coffees (outside of the Christmas Blend) are over-roasted.

I admit though, they make a mean Americano, and since they did their massive ingredient upheaval a few years back, it's like a brand new coffee shop on the quality front, especially the food. I actually boycotted them until they finally made that change, LOL!

 

[eldub]

Add enough milk and flavoring and any espresso blend should be OK.

Doh! Just reread the post above and see the op contends he/she is drinking espresso a la americano, so no milk, flavorings implied.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I actually had one shot of espresso late last year thinking they can't mess up the espresso..... They did and i gave up drinking anything from starbucks. Only reason I was at Starbucks is because I was on the high way from NYC to Princeton NJ, and there were just no independent coffee shop near by and I was out of coffee I brewed that morning.

 

[BucklesBeanery]

Thank you to everyone for their great input. I will try the Sumatras and Ethiopians. I only have a half of a dozen roasts under my belt and I am still trying to find my way. I will take all the advice and try different roasts, beans etc. and see how our palates change. Thanks again.

 

[eldub]

Not to muddy the waters, but I'd be careful about what you buy from Sumatra. Make sure you are getting current crop. (This year's beans seem better to me than last season's. (At least from Gayo co-op.) There is a glut of sumatran on the market at present. I know folks still sitting on many bags from the 2011 harvest.

Sumatran beans have been a bit difficult for me to roast just right. You will find earthy/baggie undertones in many offerings. I like this year's crop as a single origin offering, but used most of last season's beans as a blender. We usually roast sumatran to the edge of darkness. (dark side of medium.)