Bean sample suggestions

[JohnG]

Hi all.

For several months now I have been almost exclusively using Major Dickason's dark roast (both decaf and regular) in the mornings. Mainly because I get it from Costco in two pound bags and it's very affordable in bulk. But I wanted to get a variety of new beans to try and wanted suggestions for places online to buy variety/sampler packs. I'm the only one that drinks coffee in my house so buying other three-pound bags from Costco is a little bit of overkill.

Should be either dark or medium roast. I live on a modest salary so affordability is important, but they don't have to be bargain basement.

Thanks in advance.

-John-

 

[Flanders]

There are definitely coffee subscriptions from different roasters of all styles and prices. Some are available in single bag or 2lb. bag options which I prefer due to the lower cost per pound. It's a really great way to try different origins and slightly different roast levels within the roaster's usual style. I wish I could come up with suggestions out of my hat, but this requires some thought and I think there a few regulars here that will be able to help. You could always order a bag or two from Stirling, the same people that make soap. The prices are quite reasonable and they have some nice darker coffees.

One bit of caution for you: keep an open mind about roast level. Major is much darker roasted than they say it is based on independent testing, it's close to French roast. Most roasters that say dark roast actually are what they say which is less than your usual coffee. These coffees will still have a distinct roast character, but will reveal more of the origin character the less they are roasted. This can be a fun discovery, learning how different an African coffee can taste from a typical Latin American one. To be fair, I used to get a really fruity Ethiopian coffee from Peets and the deep roasting didn't destroy that unique characteristic. It was a limited release something like once a year I think, but something similar is readily available from other roasters year round.

I will add some suggestions if I can find anything, but they aren't likely to be ones that I have tried personally so I hope that others will respond with their suggestions.

 

[bonjing]

Are your grinding your own?

I see that you’re in alameda, if you’re ever in Sf check out sight glass, ritual and sextant. At least you might be able to sample some of the house stuff.

if you have a food saver you can always freeze your beans. after finding something you like buy in bulk and just breakdown into useable amounts.

 

[Whisky]

My favorite coffee is Costa Rican from the Terrazu region. Look around you for any local coffee sellers/roasters, they should be able to sell you 1/4lb bags that you can try out and decide what you like.

Go for a medium roast as most dark roasts have the nuances of the taste roasted out of them. Costa Rican coffee can run on the acidic side, but a little cream cuts the acidity very nicely.

If you don’t have a grinder make that your first purchase. Get a good Burr grinder, skip most of the cheap ones on Amazon and get something that will last and allow you change the burrs when they get worn. Buying pre-ground coffee really doesn’t allow you to experience the taste fully.

 

[AndyPanda]

If you write to Blue Bottle and tell them about how you're looking to try some new and different coffee, they will probably send you a sample size bag free of charge and also give you a very big discount on the first full size bag (Trial Subscription - $5 for first bag - and you can cancel after you get that first bag and not be locked into a subscription) . I make espresso and their Hayes Valley is very nice but they have other roast coffee beans that would suit you better depending on your brew method. The Blue Bottle coffee you find at the Grocery Stores or at Target is mass produced by Nestle and could be sitting on the shelves months (up to a year) since it was roasted. The Blue Bottle I'm suggesting you email is the Sacramento Blue Bottle roasters and the sample they send you will arrive 2-3 days after they roast it.

 

[rudygu]

I highly recommend Trade Coffee. They are a bit pricey at their standard rates, but almost always run introductory offers and special pricing. When I used them I purchased something like 8 bags for less than $10/bag, not a subscription, though they primarily are a subscription service. You select your preferred roast level and brew method and they’ll ship a bag every few weeks at the interval you choose. You can pause the shipments if you’re going to be away or if you get backed up and don’t want to keep accumulating. They don‘t roast anything themselves, but have agreements with different local roasters all over the U.S. that roast the beans fresh and deliver to you. After each shipment you can rate the coffee and they’ll tailor future choices based on that. You can always change your preferences or choose a different bean if you don’t like the look of the upcoming product. I used it to familiarize myself with some roasters I wouldn’t have tried otherwise and after the 8 bag deal was over I went directly to the websites of the ones I liked most and placed orders directly from them at a cheaper price than Trade’s standard rate.

 

[JohnG]

You could always order a bag or two from Stirling, the same people that make soap.

Thank you, Neighborino. I haven't ordered anything from Stirling yet, but I know they are a favorite here and I've been perusing their site for a while now.

Are your grinding your own?

I should've mentioned I use a 1ZPresso JX manual burr grinder and brew in a 6 cup Chemex. I've been very happy with this setup thus far.

If you don’t have a grinder make that your first purchase.

I should've mentioned I use a 1ZPresso JX manual burr grinder and brew in a 6 cup Chemex. I've been very happy with this setup thus far.

The Blue Bottle coffee you find at the Grocery Stores or at Target is mass produced by Nestle and could be sitting on the shelves months

Interesting, I was not aware of that. I got the impression that all the Blue Bottle coffee was from San Francisco. I do some of my grocery shopping at Target, but most of the coffees there are pretty opaque about their roast dates and expiration dates, so I haven't bought much coffee there. I did buy a bag of Dunkin's Original there and was impressed with its smoothness.

 

[AndyPanda]

Interesting, I was not aware of that. I got the impression that all the Blue Bottle coffee was from San Francisco. I do some of my grocery shopping at Target, but most of the coffees there are pretty opaque about their roast dates and expiration dates, so I haven't bought much coffee there. I did buy a bag of Dunkin's Original there and was impressed with its smoothness.

Blue Bottle was sold to Nestle in 2017 (or at least Nestle is a majority shareholder)

 

[JeffJ]

Sweet Maria’s, an importer that sells to home roasters also does small batch roasting and has a subscription service. It’s great and sometimes stuff you would likely never pick or find.