Let's get back on the topic of.... where IS the really good coffee?
Feb 22nd, 2003, 12:48 PM
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Let's get back on the topic of.... where IS the really good coffee?
We had a good thread on this topic awhile back and I'm reviving it for good reason.
As a regular traveler, a frequent poster in this forum and a hard-core coffee/espresso hobbyist, I always keep my eye open for coffe related information and destinations here and elsewhere.
The outgrowth of this is a website of my own. Those of you who read this forum regularly know I'm not a shill for anyone or anything - it's strictly not for profit - no advertising of any kind and no agenda other than the quest to seek out really good coffee, espresso and cappuccino.
It's my first website effort so please be patient as to the limited content now posted and rest assured that more is to come. I'm considering adding a section or two, perhaps one where people can post recommendations of their own.
It's at http://espressotravelguide.com
Those with interest, please take a look and offer your comments and suggestions for improvement. I may be emailed directly from the email link on the site (rather than taking up space here with off-topic discussions). Thanks!
As a regular traveler, a frequent poster in this forum and a hard-core coffee/espresso hobbyist, I always keep my eye open for coffe related information and destinations here and elsewhere.
The outgrowth of this is a website of my own. Those of you who read this forum regularly know I'm not a shill for anyone or anything - it's strictly not for profit - no advertising of any kind and no agenda other than the quest to seek out really good coffee, espresso and cappuccino.
It's my first website effort so please be patient as to the limited content now posted and rest assured that more is to come. I'm considering adding a section or two, perhaps one where people can post recommendations of their own.
It's at http://espressotravelguide.com
Those with interest, please take a look and offer your comments and suggestions for improvement. I may be emailed directly from the email link on the site (rather than taking up space here with off-topic discussions). Thanks!
Feb 22nd, 2003, 02:00 PM
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It's Porto Rico - they actually have two locations in the village now. Their prices are very good and I LOVE the chocolate covered espresso beans. The only downside is figuring out which coffee is really fresh. In general, rooasted coffee is past it's prime and quickly loses the best flavor componenets once it's ten days beyond the roasting date, even if it's kept in a sealed container. Porto Rico has big open bags and barrels - some beans sit there for a bit too long but if you choose a type that turns over rapidly, they have some of the best beans in the city for the money.
Feb 22nd, 2003, 02:31 PM
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Hi Owen,
This thread will make me very happy if I can find out a new coffee that I will like better than (don't hate me) Starbucks Cafe Verona. I used to drink French Roast, but now I am hooked on this, but I would like to find something Not Starbucks
One year we brought Harrods House Coffee home with us from London, that was pretty good, but that could be some expensive cup of coffee, since we live in NYC.
Feb 22nd, 2003, 03:12 PM
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I suspect that Peet's has something that would be close but they ahve no location in NYC that I'm aware of. I'm not a Starbucks hater but there are better choices and certainly cheaper. The 'bucks has the big advantage of being fairly predictable. I travel regularly for work and when I need a caffeine fix in an airport or a downtown area I haven't been in before, they fill the bill nicely.
That said... IMHO they really overroast their beans. I suggest blending your own to save some money and get the result you seek. Porto Rico has outstanding prices and a good selection - $5.99 per pound for blends and $6.99 for the less common varietals (excepting a few like Kona and Blue Mountain that are very pricey everywhere). I suggest you try mixing 3 parts (by volume - just use measuring cups) of Porto Rico's Bedford Blend or Northeastern Blend to 1 part of Sumatra Mandheling or Papua New Guinea (or even split the one part between the latter two bean varieties).
That said... IMHO they really overroast their beans. I suggest blending your own to save some money and get the result you seek. Porto Rico has outstanding prices and a good selection - $5.99 per pound for blends and $6.99 for the less common varietals (excepting a few like Kona and Blue Mountain that are very pricey everywhere). I suggest you try mixing 3 parts (by volume - just use measuring cups) of Porto Rico's Bedford Blend or Northeastern Blend to 1 part of Sumatra Mandheling or Papua New Guinea (or even split the one part between the latter two bean varieties).
Feb 22nd, 2003, 03:19 PM
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In Jamaica. They serve Blue Mountain at the hotels and restaurants. I couldn't wait for breakfast each morning. The BEST coffee I ever had. I tried to bring some home, but it wasn't the same.
For more attainable good coffee, try Alterra Coffee Roasters in the Midwest.
For more attainable good coffee, try Alterra Coffee Roasters in the Midwest.
Feb 22nd, 2003, 04:07 PM
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The majority of the "Jamaican Blue Mountain" available here in the US is in many cases not the real thing or is a blend. When you do find the real thing it's tough to get it freshly roasted. Thanks for the tip on Alterra - I'll check them out as I am planning to add profiles of coffee roasters to the new website. Another midwestern roaster I hear very good things about is Intelligentsia in Chicago.
Feb 22nd, 2003, 05:30 PM
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Thanks Owen!
I will try that mix, although you are so right, when you need the caffeine, there is almost always a 'bucks nearby to fill the bill!
As for Jamaican Blue Mt, used to love it, years ago, found it changed over time. Same goes for Hawaiin Kona, aside from being very pricey, it never tastes as good as it used to.
Then there is that simple cup of coffee that you can get in any Parisian cafe that is perfect..why is that?
I will try that mix, although you are so right, when you need the caffeine, there is almost always a 'bucks nearby to fill the bill!
As for Jamaican Blue Mt, used to love it, years ago, found it changed over time. Same goes for Hawaiin Kona, aside from being very pricey, it never tastes as good as it used to.
Then there is that simple cup of coffee that you can get in any Parisian cafe that is perfect..why is that?
Feb 22nd, 2003, 05:44 PM
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Kate - I guess I'll just have to visit Paris and figure it out! It's ironic and sad that NYC has so much bad coffee and espresso. San Francisco and Seattle have far more places serving a good cuppa joe and/or above average espresso.
Feb 23rd, 2003, 12:23 PM
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Kate, I think that the coffee they serve in parisian cafees is Carte D'Or, very good coffee. And they use the french method of brewing - french press, kinda like Bodum. I much prefer this method over the regular coffee maker, it makes stronger coffee. Like turkish without grounds in your mouth.
Feb 23rd, 2003, 01:32 PM
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Hey! Luli, thank you so much. I will definitely look for it and try it. We have our little cafe press here at home, although that first cup of coffee in the morning, has to be waiting for me! so the press will be the second cup
Feb 23rd, 2003, 01:55 PM
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Oooh, I will definitely check out your web site.
Here in Philadelphia, I like La Colombe. The blend I like best is called "Corsica", I think. But I do enjoy Starbucks French Roast. Our "everyday" coffee is either French Roast or Pleasant Morning Buzz, the house brands at Whole Foods stores (we go through coffee so fast that anything else is exorbitant).
Just saw an ad in The New Yorker for something called Landmark Coffee--2 lbs of French Roast for $9.95. Anyone familiar with this? I may give it a try.
As much as I love coffee in France, I think the best cup I ever had was a French Roast at a roaster somewhere in Marina del Rey. I have no idea what the name of the place was, though. If anyone knows, I'd love to know if they have mail order. Yum.
Here in Philadelphia, I like La Colombe. The blend I like best is called "Corsica", I think. But I do enjoy Starbucks French Roast. Our "everyday" coffee is either French Roast or Pleasant Morning Buzz, the house brands at Whole Foods stores (we go through coffee so fast that anything else is exorbitant).
Just saw an ad in The New Yorker for something called Landmark Coffee--2 lbs of French Roast for $9.95. Anyone familiar with this? I may give it a try.
As much as I love coffee in France, I think the best cup I ever had was a French Roast at a roaster somewhere in Marina del Rey. I have no idea what the name of the place was, though. If anyone knows, I'd love to know if they have mail order. Yum.
Feb 23rd, 2003, 06:52 PM
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Best coffee hands down is standing shoulder to shoulder with Florentine workers at Patrice's in the Santa Croce area. Barring a long trip for that first cup tomorrow morning, I'll take Peet's or Torrefazioni here in CA.
Feb 24th, 2003, 07:34 AM
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eversince i found Illy, I have been sticking with it. I also bought a Francis Francis. Not only the design graces the entire kitchen, it makes beautiful expresso also. I believe other professional expresso machine are just as good. The machine makes a hugh difference in taste.
Mo
Mo
Feb 24th, 2003, 07:49 AM
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I just visited a shade-grown coffee plantation in Mexico that produces the most amazingly tasty coffee. You can order it at capulin.com. They hand-pick the coffee cherries only when they're ripe and red (take a look at the yellowy-green cherries Starbuck's displays in its stores), dry them in the sun and then hand-select only the best. They roast some themselves and some in Tucson, but it is good, good stuff either way, smooth and strong but not bitter. The mocha is to die for. And no, I don't work for Capulin!
On another note, and since this thread is already slightly off-topic, may I make a plea for all you coffee heads to seek out shade-grown coffee to purchase? Coffee grown in full sun not only requires mature forest habitats to be bulldozed under, it also requires pesticides and fungicides to survive. Even if you don't care about the environment, do you want to drink chemicals?
On another note, and since this thread is already slightly off-topic, may I make a plea for all you coffee heads to seek out shade-grown coffee to purchase? Coffee grown in full sun not only requires mature forest habitats to be bulldozed under, it also requires pesticides and fungicides to survive. Even if you don't care about the environment, do you want to drink chemicals?
Feb 24th, 2003, 08:27 AM
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Good point, E.
Whenever shade-grown is an option, I try to take it. There's a brand that Whole Foods carries--can't think of the name but it's in a metallic green bag--but they're often out of stock (I guess that can be a good thing; it means people are buying it).
Whenever shade-grown is an option, I try to take it. There's a brand that Whole Foods carries--can't think of the name but it's in a metallic green bag--but they're often out of stock (I guess that can be a good thing; it means people are buying it).
Feb 24th, 2003, 08:49 AM
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Look, i've been drinking coffee since whenever... and being born and raised in NYC -- i actually lived down the block from there! i can tell you that hands down, without a doubt, Porto Rico is the best you're going to get ANYWHERE! they also have a website and my mom, who lives in Long Island, has been ordering coffee from there for years. portorico.com
