Worst States to Buy Green Coffee From

[paypalboutique]

What are the worst states to buy green raw unroasted coffee beans from. I hear Louisiana is bad because its humid. What about Florida, Texas, South Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington (rainy), Florida, California?

 

[peterjschmidt]

None of these states are bad... unless the coffee is stored poorly.

 

[namballe]

if you buy from a reputible seller, your worries and/or woes will be over.

 

[IslandRoast]

if you buy from a reputible seller, your worries and/or woes will be over.

namballe hit the nail on the head!! I purchase the majority of my beans from suppliers with warehouses in Miami and Jacksonville FL and have never had a problem.

 

[Cafeciteaux]

Being from possibly the most humid place on earth (South Louisiana), I can assure you that the coffee is just as good here as it is in Seattle or San Diego. At one time the majority of the coffee in the US flowed through the port of New Orleans.

 

[odysea]

I would definitely disagree with others. I work for a large multinational trading / import company and coffee stored in Seattle, NJ, and San Fran unquestionably holds up better than coffee in the gulf (Miami, Nola, Houston). Jax is a bit better, but not by much, and Charleston & Norfolk are decent. The hot and humid weather in the southeast is not ideal for storage, and I don't care who you buy from, they aren't keeping it in their office if you are buying full bags. Everyone uses the same warehouses. Make sure you get samples before you buy and know what you want. Any good quality arabica that has been stored in Miami or Houston for 6 months is going to fade in both cup and appearance. I have found the greatest success in SF where I had 2 year old sumatrans that maintained 90% of their character.

 

[peterjschmidt]

@odysea - how much improvement do you feel grain-pro bags provide?

 

[wahoo coffee]

who has the warehouse in Miami?

 

[BWest]

Are there any tips for buying coffee in the New England Area?

 

[odysea]

@peterjschmidt, I haven't done tests with grain pro, but some of my competitors have and say there is a difference. They prevent 2 of the biggest issues, the bag itself tainting the coffee, imparting it's jute flavor, and maintaining a consistent moisture. That said, if it is a recent arrival and going to be roasted promptly, I don't know how much of an advantage it would provide.

@wahoo, Econocaribe, Dupuy (formerly called Colmar), and ICW are the main warehouses. Importers/ traders themselves don't own the storage facilities. Most of the regular importers should have coffee in at least one of these warehouses. By the way, I miss your shop. I live in IHB Thurs-Sun and we used to come up all the time.