Go to the Article: How to Buy Coffee
This might be beyond this particular discussion, but I highly suggest you discuss roasting your own coffee beans since it's quite easy with a air popcorn popper or a low cost home roaster like the Behmor 1600. It makes ALL the difference. Seriously.
My choice for beans is Victrola coffee. They always present quality beans!
Ah, great idea! We'll pass this along to the powers that be, and we'll try to put it in there when we can. Any quick tips in the meantime?
Home roasting is definitely the way to go if you really want great espresso. If you've already laid out a pile of cash for the coffee maker and grinder, it's not much of a stretch to buy a home roaster. Buying green coffee costs 1/2 to 2/3 less than pre-roasted coffee. And that is the really top quality coffee. "Green" beans last practically forever, so you can buy them in bulk. Roasting a whole pound of coffee only takes about 40 minutes, including cool down time. Great sources for green coffee are www.sweetmarias.com and www.roastmasters.com to name a couple. What's great is that these sites only buy from reputable, sustainable farms. When I switched to home roasting, my espresso quality increased markedly. Chefsteps, you guys need to do this. Buy a Behmor 1600 for less than $300 or even modify an air popper. I promise it will change your life.
Home roasting is definitely the way to go if you really want great espresso. If you've already laid out a pile of cash for the coffee maker and grinder, it's not much of a stretch to buy a home roaster. Buying green coffee costs 1/2 to 2/3 less than pre-roasted coffee. And that is the really top quality coffee. "Green" beans last practically forever, so you can buy them in bulk. Roasting a whole pound of coffee only takes about 40 minutes, including cool down time. Great sources for green coffee are www.sweetmarias.com and www.roastmasters.com to name a couple. What's great is that these sites only buy from reputable, sustainable farms. When I switched to home roasting, my espresso quality increased markedly. Chefsteps, you guys need to do this, this kind of science cookery is right up your alley. Buy a Behmor 1600 for less than $300 or even modify an air popper. I promise it will change your life.
The amazing thing about home roasting is that you also gain complete control over your beans. It is an incredible experience being able to take one bean and roast it to several different levels and understand how the roasting changes the flavor profile. I switched to home roasting over 1 year ago and have never looked back. I went from paying >$14 per lb to around $7 per lb of roasted coffee. The best part is, I am always guaranteed coffee that is less than 7 days old.
Quick tips would include:
1. Don't roast inside unless you have absolutely fantastic ventilation.
2. If you don't have a popcorn popper or other roaster at hand, try using a cast iron pan instead.
3. Check out sweetmarias beginners roasting guide for information one determining roast level by sight, sound, and smell.
Rob, I have to wholeheartedly agree with you. Green beans and home roasting is the way to go. I've been a Sweet Maria's customer for years.
Great class ChefSteps!
One problem with the popcorn popper approach (I alternate between a popcorn popper and a FreshRoast SR500 depending on mood and whether it is nice enough outside, the popcorn popper makes a mess) is that by the time you have your grind properly set up, you're out of coffee. It takes quite a bit of time to get the roasting consistent enough that you don't need to adjust the grind every time. Once you swap out beans, all bets are off.
I recommend starting with Brazil beans. They're pretty forgiving and make sweet, mellow espresso. Stuff grown at high altitude tends to be a bit tricker to roast properly and to get good good espresso from. City+ to Full City roasts also tend to be more forgiving on the grind, while city roasts, from my experience, require a much finer grind, and the window between choking the espresso machine, and shots that pull too fast and send jets of scalding water across the kitchen (if you have a bottomless portafilter) is much narrower.
David. I agree. I use a Fresh Roast SR 500 which cost about $140 several years ago and I would have liked Chef Steps to discuss different brewing temperatures for different types of coffee, different roasts and combinations of roasts and blends of roasts, including Robusta. On site roasting was omitted also in MC. A Canadian site for green beans and machines is Green Beanery, Toronto. All this technology about pressures, grinds, etc, is much less important to the home barrista than a good source of fresh coffee.
I've been a home roaster for 15 years. While it's a great hobby, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone - in spite of the many home roasters who like to proselytize. Especially today with so many great roasters around the country shipping within 48 hours of roasting. Not everybody wants to spend that 40 minutes in extra effort every time they want a new batch of fresh coffee.
I find that the time I spend roasting is counterbalanced by the time I don't have to go shopping for beans. I buy an assortment of 2-5 lb bags totally 20 lbs at a time delivered to my house. I roast 2/3 lb at a time in my Behmor. They tell you to sit and watch it, but realistically just keep a timer in your pocket and check as it's getting toward the bottom of the count. I agree that home roasting isn't for everyone, but even without taking extraordinary care I get a product for $8 a pound that's MUCH better than anything I could buy costing less than $16 a pound or more.
Thank you so much Rob for your opinion, I'll definitely think about buying a small roaster for our cafe
Hi everyone, can someone tell me where in London I can buy good quality coffee? I was advised to order Mushroom Coffee, as it is suitable for vegans( I and my whole family are vegans). I would like to know your opinion about this coffee, if you have tried it. They say that it helps to get rid of excess weight, as it contains MCT Oil. It has long been proven that this ingredient perfectly helps for fat burn. It seems to me that together with sports, proper nutrition and one cup of this coffee a day, I can achieve excellent results. However, I am waiting for your opinion in any case!
