Coffee Bean Newbie

[MuffinHead]

I am sure that this is not the first time this question has been asked, but please be kind to a newbie. If there are any existing threads covering this, please feel free to point me in that direction.

For my entire life I have really had nothing better than Maxwell House or Folgers ground coffee. We recently bought a new Cuisinart coffee maker (Cuisinart DGB-550) that has a built in grinder and I am anxious to try some really good coffee.

I was a little surprised to find that some coffee beans cost $40-80 a pound. Now I am not opposed to trying one of these more esoteric brews, but for everyday use that is a little steep for me. As my first purchase I bought a pound of H. T. Traders Kona Blend, a Harris Teeter brand. Is this a good place to start or could I do better for my $10/lb?

[Coffee Forum]

[jagvpr]

Look for a local coffee roaster. The best coffee you will have will be freshly roasted and will retain it's freshness for about two weeks (so buy enough for two weeks). The reason being that once coffee is roasted it starts oxidizing immediately. The first thing that goes is the aroma followed by the taste.

Other than those specifics, coffee taste can vary significantly by country, region, farm, and roast so I would encourage you to try different varieties from different roasters. I have an online retail store and all my coffee is roasted by the order : cumberlandcoffeeroasters. com . I'm sure you will find other roasters here that will carry different beans.

Also, you can expect to pay anywhere between $13-$18 for most specialty coffee but the difference between it and ANYTHING that you will find at most super markets is like night and day...especially compared to Maxwell House and Folgers.

[cbhattarai]

I love Coffey ....I need to know more about the Coffey bean what is better and healthy./..

[shadow745]

Totally agree with "jagvpr" as they are preaching the truth. Some grocery chains like Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, etc. do carry high quality coffees, but I wouldn't touch what comes out of a bulk bin. If you do source coffee from these places look for sealed bags from known roasters and ALWAYS look for an actual roast date as a "use by" date means nothing.

Of course the best route is to look for a good local roaster. Also are many good artisan roasters available online, but that can get costly with shipping, etc.

You can also visit any quality coffeeshops you have in the area and ask to buy what they use daily, provided you like what they are serving. Tell them what you like in a coffee and go from there.

FWIW don't read into what some coffees cost because it's usually a supply/demand issue, not always about quality. Some really fantastic coffees can be had for under $15/lb. In all honesty, if consumers knew just what goes into having a pound of coffee in their hands they'd never scoff at price.

[CoffeeCrazed]

Look for wholesalers. Coffee Bean Direct sells five lb bags for less than $40 and there is even one called Poor Man's Blend which sells at $31. I haven't tried that one myself but I bet it still whacks the socks off Folgers. If you don't want to store a five lb bag, buy it anyway and half it with your neighbor. That's what I do.

[Ellie]

Also, watch out for "Kona Blends". Sounds appealing, but there is no regulation requiring any minimum amount of actual Kona coffee in the blend. I echo the advice: look for a local roaster and buy fresh. It's kind of fun to experiment with different single origin coffees (100% from one country or region) and see if you can taste the difference.

[williamlane25]

It depends upon consciousness..

[HalfCaffeinated]

I disagree. Coffees of Hawai'i puts at least 10% pure Kona beans in every bag. Guaranteed. It's enough to make the island kick you in the teeth. FWIW.

[MoffeeCoff]

Hello! I am having the same problem as MuffinHead had. Thankfully, I got some great suggestions here. I hope more discussions will further help me. Thanks!