Has anyone tried or heard of Select Gourmet Coffee?

[frizank2003]

Hello,
Im new to this site. and new to coffee. Well I wanted to know if any of you have heard or tried Select Gourmet Coffee? It is Ground Coffee. comes in a metallic blue package. I got some and it tastes great to me but I am not a coffee expert like the rest of you, so I wanted to get some feedback on it because I bought it to re-sell it. I have so far sold 175 1.5 oz. (10 cup) bags of it and people like it at the local community market. So I was wondering if you guys would be interested in trying it. unfortunately Im just beginning so i cant afford to give away millions of free samples but I am selling them for cheap. I have 1.5 oz bags that I will sell for $1 each. and I got 12 oz bags for $6.75 each. Selections available are :
COLOMBIAN SUPREMO; FRENCH ROAST; KONA BLEND; AMARETTO; CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CREAM; STREUSEL CAKE; FRENCH VANILLA; HAZELNUT; IRISH CREAM; SOUTHERN PECAN; GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE; SNICKERDOODLE.
please email me w/ any questions, and I would appreaciate you trying my coffee.
thank you,
frank

PS. forgot to add. this coffee is 100% arabica beans

[topher]

sigh......more advertising...you say 100% arabica huh...I hear this all the time and alot of people fall for this trap...100% arabica doesn't tell you anything about the grade of the coffee.

[Alun_evans]

This is a big problem in Indonesia, that is one of the reasons why I like to buy directly from small holders and sometimes the estates. Even buying from so called reputable green bean traders can be a very frustrating experience. The big problem in Indonesia is there is not a functioning legal system you can call on to dispute quality if you are a small roaster. All of the green bean merchants here push grade 1, or specialty grade.... often its grade 3 at the best. I am lucky cause my line from supplier to my shop is not too long and I can confront these problems if they occur.... I really wonder how difficult it must be for the wholesale importers in places like the USA.

[Coffee Guy]

OK I can't stand it any longer, I gotta chime in here...With virtually everyone wanting to become roasters today, the word Arabica is thrown around so much it's almost become a generic term. I hate to say it but the green market is a buyer's beware situation, i.e., if you don't have a direct contact with a farm or have a good trustworthy broker, then you really don't know what you are buying. Arabicas can be grown anywhere that has high elevation, but as topher asks, what is the grade? That is the more important question. In addition, how old are the greens? Sometimes you can get high grade Arabicas for a little less if you are willing to accept older beans.

I've never heard of Select Gourmet Coffee, now, Seattle Gourmet Coffee I've heard of...Sorry, shameless plug

[Alun_evans]

Hehehe coffee guy..... a marketing guru if ever there was one, nice last line
Anyway agreed the term "arabica" is about as redundant as a synthesizer at a darkness concert... really you are right- anyone can grow arabica with the right ingredients of height and equatorial latitude....what distinquishes the quality of the bean aside from the grading process is the skill of the roaster, combined with the advice of the broker selling the stuff. We love to romantisize about coffee....sure that is natural 'cause we love the stuff... but if the quality of the raw bean is poor then there are limits to what we can achieve

[Coffee Guy]

Yeah, Alun_evans, some times I (2nd) crack myself up ...O.K. enough of my attempt with humor. I just sometimes find it hard to sit back and listen to the experts. Especially those that wish to give you coffee 101. Heck we've been in this business for 10 years, and I'm still not an expert. After all there's still plenty of beans to explore and burn, oops! I mean take slightly beyond the 2nd crack. I'm always amazed with how things can change with slight tweaking of recipies, roasting times and flame adjustments.

[Vinarabica]

Hi everyone
Can some1 explain to me what is the grading process of a coffee bean, and who determines the grading ?
Thanks a lot

[Alun_evans]

There are numerous different grading systems. The link here walks you through the most important ones>

http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/classification.htm

In Indonesia AEKI (The Indo association of coffee exporters) have their own chart, If anyone wants a copy I can send you one. Apart from the colourful descriptions of how to grade beans- ie: reference to how visable bite marks should be in different grades, a pictorial description of some note is also attributed to each grade.

I myself prefer to use the defect charts issued by SCAA. The number of defects, plus a description of what is classed as a defect accompnaies this chart. The pictorials are also full size and very clear.

I think the ICO also has issued several grading instructions to member countries- and this is where producers such as Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia etc get the basis for their producer defect charts. However, like everything else that has flowed from the ICO.... no one seems to agree on a true international standard as such.

[topher]

Hey coffeeguy...you going to be in Atlanta? Boston was fun...Atlanta will be better!!! At least it will be warmer!

[Over Caffienated]

I have to agree with the early posts here... 100percent Arabica doesn't mean very much at all, it's simply a type of bean, and says absolutely nothing about quality. And Let's consider that there's really only two varieties of coffee bean: Arabica and Robusto (so I've been told)

[Vinarabica]

Alun_evans
Thank you for your inputs about the coffee grading system. I appreciate it.

[Coffee Guy]

Hey Alun_evans:

I'd love to have one of those charts. Please send me one. And topher, no I won't be at the show, I'll be visiting one of my customers in Binghampton, NY during those dates.

[Vinarabica]

In Indonesia AEKI (The Indo association of coffee exporters) have their own chart, If anyone wants a copy I can send you one.

Could you send me one of those chart. Also, i wonder if Vietnam has any grading system for their green coffee?

[Alun_evans]

Guys.... send your addresses to my email and I will put a couple in the post for you! Indonesian Post (even email) is slow though, so expect delivery in 10-14 days.