koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

French Press. Without a doubt the best way to brew in my opinion.

Edit: Then again, if you are using really crappy coffee, it'd be best not to use a french press. You will get all the flavor out of bean, and with bad coffee you don't want that.

Ahh, coffee. As a fellow roaster I generally like to chime in to these kinds of things for the benefit of my fellow Wooters.

The Good:

• Freshly Roasted to Order - Why people still drink stale coffee is beyond me, especially with so many local roasters these days. Coffee starts "going stale" after about a week (it peaks around 3-5 days after roasting), and flavor quality sharply decreases after a few weeks. Sad to say that those coffees in your supermarket are often well past that point.
  
• Blends made post-roast - Unless done very carefully, pre-roast blends tend to come out screwy because all beans roast differently.
  
• Guatemala! - Guatemalan coffees were top notch this year (above the other Centrals), and you should look forward to this one! Antigua's are (usually) always highly rated.
  

• $12.12/lb - This has already been touched on here. This is on par with what any roaster will charge you, not to mention even Whole Foods, who roasts on site. There's something to be said about the green beans (from who they were bought, how much the farmers were paid, how they were shipped, etc.), but without that information everybody is on a level playing field. Those of you in at least somewhat-major cities should have no problem finding a local roaster if you care to look. I should mention, though, that the prices aren't necessarily the fault of the roaster; green coffee prices have steadily risen over the years.
  
• Vague Meritage Blend- What's in it! I suppose most people won't necessarily care about this one, though.
  

Nate650 wrote:If you're fortunate to live in a lovely area like San Francisco where there's Ritual, Four Barrel, and Blue Bottle, then I agree

Edit: I just reread your post. The places I mentioned sell their coffee for more than the price of this deal. For example, this coffee from Ritual is going for ~$21 for 12 ounces:

http://shop.ritualcoffeeroasters.com/products/kenya

So if you're buying coffee for significantly less than this, I'm sure it doesn't compare to the quality of this offering. Perhaps local coffee prices vary a lot based on location?

Thanks Nate for doing some "work"...this is a great deal, significantly less than our normal prices and great coffee like great wine comes at a higher price point...there are quality differences as you point out and we source superior beans and we're small batch roasting 10lbs. at a time...that's rare in any coffee roasting situation...we want to impress you "wooters" with what we do...by the way, our Kenyan AA currently retails at about $15 lb.

chefjfuzz wrote:Clever Coffee Dripper by Abid. 12 grams fresh roasted and ground per 6 ounces, 200 degree farenheight filtered water. steeped for 3 -4 minutes. Perfection!

Babbie's rule of Fifteens:
Green beans should be used in 15 months.
Roasted coffee should be used within 15 days
Ground beans should be used within 15 minutes
Extracted beans should be served within 15 seconds.

I find espresso should be consumed within 10 seconds max. Otherwise it just tastes sour.

I always like a good coffee, but whole beans are kind of wasted on me until I can find a decent (cheap) grinder. I don't mean a machine with a rapidly spinning blade that leaves behind equal amounts of fine dust and large chunks. I mean a REAL grinder that actually uses a 'grinding' motion to reduce whole beans to small equally sized particles... Do you think that Woot might be able to offer something like that someday? If not, can you get these already ground?

jmatthews wrote:Ahh, coffee. As a fellow roaster I generally like to chime in to these kinds of things for the benefit of my fellow Wooters.

The Good:

• Freshly Roasted to Order - Why people still drink stale coffee is beyond me, especially with so many local roasters these days. Coffee starts "going stale" after about a week (it peaks around 3-5 days after roasting), and flavor quality sharply decreases after a few weeks. Sad to say that those coffees in your supermarket are often well past that point.
  
• Blends made post-roast - Unless done very carefully, pre-roast blends tend to come out screwy because all beans roast differently.
  
• Guatemala! - Guatemalan coffees were top notch this year (above the other Centrals), and you should look forward to this one! Antigua's are (usually) always highly rated.
  

The Not-So-Good:

• $12.12/lb - This has already been touched on here. This is on par with what any roaster will charge you, not to mention even Whole Foods, who roasts on site. There's something to be said about the green beans (from who they were bought, how much the farmers were paid, how they were shipped, etc.), but without that information everybody is on a level playing field. Those of you in at least somewhat-major cities should have no problem finding a local roaster if you care to look. I should mention, though, that the prices aren't necessarily the fault of the roaster; green coffee prices have steadily risen over the years.
  
• Vague Meritage Blend- What's in it! I suppose most people won't necessarily care about this one, though.
  

Of course, a fresh roast is only one piece of the puzzle. Please, please, please do your research on proper brewing if you don't consider yourself brewing savvy. Grind only as needed (using a proper grinder, and a proper grind), use the proper amount of coffee (8g-11g, or about 2 Tbsp, per 5oz water), and use a decent machine. Improperly brewing such fine coffee would be a shame.

Other than that I only wish to say thanks to the roasters for offering such a treat on woot!

You are welcome and thanks for all the great notes!

The Meritage Blend is a blend (can't say percentages, trade secret) of our Natural Brazil which also happens to be a Rain forest Alliance Coffee and an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, new crop and a stellar find...check out our web site for more details or the voice mail thing I did...I also want to say that brewing is critical...at least 190-200 degrees for proper extraction and GOOD WATER...filtered to get out the chlorine...here in the country we are on a well and don't have that problem.

MarkES wrote:I always like a good coffee, but whole beans are kind of wasted on me until I can find a decent (cheap) grinder. I don't mean a machine with a rapidly spinning blade that leaves behind equal amounts of fine dust and large chunks. I mean a REAL grinder that actually uses a 'grinding' motion to reduce whole beans to small equally sized particles... Do you think that Woot might be able to offer something like that someday? If not, can you get these already ground?

You definitely don't want to get such high quality coffee already ground By the time it gets to your door it would be stale, so you might as well just buy pre-ground Folgers in that case. Freshly ground coffee using a blade grinder (brew using drip method) is a lot better than pre-ground coffee using a conical burr grinder. Here's a good everyday value:

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-565-Infinity-Conical-Stainless/dp/B000VAWXOU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1286432198&sr=8-2

MarkES wrote:I always like a good coffee, but whole beans are kind of wasted on me until I can find a decent (cheap) grinder. I don't mean a machine with a rapidly spinning blade that leaves behind equal amounts of fine dust and large chunks. I mean a REAL grinder that actually uses a 'grinding' motion to reduce whole beans to small equally sized particles... Do you think that Woot might be able to offer something like that someday? If not, can you get these already ground?

Hi...I understand your frustration with the grinding. on our website, you can request ground, but the woot deal is whole bean only, sorry about that. you might try taking your bag to a grocery store and using the grinders in the coffee aisle(psst...you didn't hear that from me)...they do a better job than the $10 spinning blade variety....

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

Recently, I buy green coffee beans, I roast them using a popcorn popper (it really works!) then I grind it in a burr grinder (really a mill, but whatever) and then I put it in a french press. Yeah, I've bought all of the hype, but it's a better story, and I love cooking.

Oh, and the best thing about home-roasted coffee is that I want a delicate coffee with a very light bitterness and no bitter aftertaste, which I've only found by roasting my own.

Can green beans be requested in this sale?

MarkES wrote:I always like a good coffee, but whole beans are kind of wasted on me until I can find a decent (cheap) grinder. I don't mean a machine with a rapidly spinning blade that leaves behind equal amounts of fine dust and large chunks. I mean a REAL grinder that actually uses a 'grinding' motion to reduce whole beans to small equally sized particles... Do you think that Woot might be able to offer something like that someday? If not, can you get these already ground?

Hand grinders are relatively cheap. The downside is that you have to use elbow grease, but you're getting the same kind of mill that'd be attached to a motor when you pay about $50 more.

mikegberg wrote:+1

It helps that I work in NYC, just steps from a number of specialty importers/roasters.

I do love coffee, and I also love supporting Finger Lakes businesses. My coffees of choice, however, are Kona, Sumatra, and anything from Africa, in that order. Any of those in the mix would probably have made this a buy.

P.S. No frack.

I live across the street from a boutique roaster/coffee shop, but I still like to roast the coffee myself now that I've sort of hit my stride and found an easy way to do so. I don't think very many people drink their coffee at a "city roast", which is very light and only cooked to first crack. Almost everything is star*ucked now, dark, dirty, and bitter.

Hello wooters!

This has been a lot of fun chatting with you tonight, but it's time to get in bed...big day of roasting and more chatting with wooters tomorrow!

Here on Keuka Lake, it's 2:19 AM and the sidewalks were rolled up hours ago...

If anyone could help me figure out how to get my avatar changed I'd be so happy! I'm trying to go to the Facebook picture but the darn thing keeps timing out...so frustrating! I'll look for the answer after I sleep...good night all!

PS: Can you upload a photo on this blog? Another question I have...

PeterN wrote:I live across the street from a boutique roaster/coffee shop, but I still like to roast the coffee myself now that I've sort of hit my stride and found an easy way to do so. I don't think very many people drink their coffee at a "city roast", which is very light and only cooked to first crack. Almost everything is star*ucked now, dark, dirty, and bitter.

I can assure you that our coffees are not overly dark or bitter...we don't like it that way either. Brian really knows his stuff with regards to roasting and gets the perfect temperature to get the most out of each bean...all the good complex flavors....i compare over roasting coffee to overcooking food...at some point it all tastes the same which is to say not so good!

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

I use a device I heard about on NPR... the AeroPress. Very easy to use, especially if you have a hot water tap.

http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

PeterN wrote:Recently, I buy green coffee beans, I roast them using a popcorn popper (it really works!) then I grind it in a burr grinder (really a mill, but whatever) and then I put it in a french press. Yeah, I've bought all of the hype, but it's a better story, and I love cooking.

Oh, and the best thing about home-roasted coffee is that I want a delicate coffee with a very light bitterness and no bitter aftertaste, which I've only found by roasting my own.

Can green beans be requested in this sale?

We do not sell green beans, sorry. Our coffees are always smooth, no bitterness...I found that by finding the right roaster to roast my coffee :-)

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

French press: just boil water, put coffee at the bottom of the carafe, pour water in, wait 5 to 10 minutes depending on how strong you like your coffee, then push the strainer down slowly until you hit bottom.

I bought my French press at a Cost Plus for $12. I'll never go back to a drip coffee maker, unless my cholesterol level becomes an issue. Supposedly the lack of a paper filter increases the amount of cholesterol in French-pressed coffee, though I've also heard contradictory arguments saying it's minimal.

Nate650 wrote:The product page states:

"Many of the coffees are fair trade/certified organic."

Are the coffees offered in this deal fair trade/organic? Does this depend on the location? I know coffees that are not "certified" organic may still be organic depending on the growing region. For example, according to a Four Barrel rep, all coffees grown in Ethiopia are organic.

Thanks!

We do have fair trade/certified organics in our offerings. For the coffees in the woot offer, the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is an organic and the Natural Brazil and Estate Nicaraguan are Rain Forest Alliance...

Is there anything wrong with using a Magic Bullet machine to grind your beans?

How is this shipping ? I live in Ca so it will take 5 days to get here. I recommend shipping mine on a Monday so I get it Friday. If not , it will take 7 days and I want it super fresh. Thanks!
P.s. Prioriy mail might be faster!

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

Solis Maestro -> Technivorm Moccamaster

It's still drip, so the Aeropress and Bodum fans will throw a fit, but it does fine for me.

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

I used to use a manual drip cone similar to this, with Trader Joe's brown filters:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-brewers/filtercones/hario-v60-ceramic-drip-cone.html

But I found I liked the coffee flavor more when using a French press.

Not related to the question but can someone tell me how to hyperlink text in a comment I post?

urocyon wrote:Solis Maestro -> Technivorm Moccamaster

It's still drip, so the Aeropress and Bodum fans will throw a fit, but it does fine for me.

Interesting device the Technivorm. Which model do you own?

lassow wrote:One of the local coffee roasters here in Boulder, CO recommends grinding and brewing a couple of days after roasting. If the coffee is packaged well enough it should do well at least a couple weeks after it was roasted.

Most do recommend this for best flavor, but that doesn't mean it turns to crap after 48-72 hours. Either way, you definitely want to brew it right after grinding.

lassow wrote:This deal works out to 33oz of coffee for about $25. This is right around $12/pound. I can get some excellent coffee locally from almost any part of the world roasted no more than a week before I bought it for significantly less than this. Why buy this?

$12/pound is on the high side, but shipping does have an effect. Mariposa Coffee Co(CA) charges $8/pound, but with shipping it is about the same thing(try the Flores) for what looks like a very similar type of operation. It's still cheaper than national premium coffee like Peet's(~$16/lb for Major Dikason[changed for the wootfilter])

Nate650 wrote:If you're fortunate to live in a lovely area like San Francisco where there's Ritual, Four Barrel, and Blue Bottle, then I agree

Edit: I just reread your post. The places I mentioned sell their coffee for more than the price of this deal. For example, this coffee from Ritual is going for ~$21 for 12 ounces:

http://shop.ritualcoffeeroasters.com/products/kenya

So if you're buying coffee for significantly less than this, I'm sure it doesn't compare to the quality of this offering. Perhaps local coffee prices vary a lot based on location?

If you're fortunate enough to live in San Francisco, then you shouldn't be paying $21/lb when the best coffee nearby comes from Yosemite with shops that carry it in the area

Most coffee in the store is roasted weekes before it finally gets there...we always roast to order and suggest using your coffee within 12 weeks of purchase...or sooner...store in a cool dry place...no frig or freezer![/quote]


I would consider purchasing this as a Christmas gift for my husband who loves coffee but I would waste over two months of shelf life just storing it until then. Any suggestions?

I'd also like to know how it ships. If it's shipping by FedEx, I need to specify a different address for it.

javalady wrote:Hi, this is a great deal and some great coffee. At $19.99 it's less than $10 lb and shipping really can't be counted in. Coffee is at a 13 year higher and going higher...not the roasters fault. These are top notch coffees and will be roasted to order...that's how we do it here...even the big names are up to $9 lb. at the Club Stores and a small batch, air cooled coffee is completely a different product.

Sorry but shipping is definitely counted in when I buy my coffee online, which is frequently. Compare yourselves to small local roasters not club stores. With that comparison your price, including shipping which is money out of pocket, is about the same.

For people who don't have access to small local roasters this is worth a try. They appear to take pride in their coffee and want the customer to get fresh beans.

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

lassow wrote:Yeah those are basically the worst. You can get a stainless filter for it, but your best bet is to get a french press or a mocha pot if you really want to enjoy your morning or afternoon caffeine.

I swore by my French press for years, then heard that studies have indicated that unfiltered coffee contains oils called terpenes that can raise your cholesterol (Johns Hopkins University.) At an annual physical exam, I discovered that my cholesterol was 20 points higher than it had been before I started using the press. I can't blame the increase entirely on the unfiltered coffee, but I switched to a manual cone with a filter and my cholesterol is back where it should be.

Manuel drip coffee, in my opinion, at least closely rivals French press and makes an excellent cup of coffee.

I would slightly worry about freshness.

Since there is no valve on the bag, it's likely they roast the coffee let it sit for a day while the coffee degases.

However it looks like they package the coffee in a standard "tin-tie" bag. If the bag is not sealed beyond using the tin-tie, they may package it as soon as it's roasted, since the bag is not air tight. Thus allowing the C02 to escape.

Either way there is a freshness concern since it's either left out for a day or its packaged in a non-airtight packaging..or even both.

Definitely are going to want to drink these quick. No saving for Christmas time, the flavor could be shot by then.

pah53 wrote:Most coffee in the store is roasted weekes before it finally gets there...we always roast to order and suggest using your coffee within 12 weeks of purchase...or sooner...store in a cool dry place...no frig or freezer!

I would consider purchasing this as a Christmas gift for my husband who loves coffee but I would waste over two months of shelf life just storing it until then. Any suggestions?[/quote]

Good Morning From Keuka Lake! I'm back up to face the "woot world"! You're right, Christmas is still 2+ months out, so if you're husband is a real coffee lover, why not give him a treat now? When he loves the coffee, you can reorder more from our website (we even do some special Xmas blends and packaging)and surprise him again! We're going to include a nice incentive for a future order with your purchase...now that's a deal and life is too short to drink bad coffee :-)

nmumark wrote:I would slightly worry about freshness.

Since there is no valve on the bag, it's likely they roast the coffee let it sit for a day while the coffee degases.

However it looks like they package the coffee in a standard "tin-tie" bag. If the bag is not sealed beyond using the tin-tie, they may package it as soon as it's roasted, since the bag is not air tight. Thus allowing the C02 to escape.

Either way there is a freshness concern since it's either left out for a day or its packaged in a non-airtight packaging..or even both.

Definitely are going to want to drink these quick. No saving for Christmas time, the flavor could be shot by then.

Hi...we do roast and package the same day. The bags are lined and heat sealed...no problem with expansion on them on the whole beans. On the other hand, when we package ground in the one pot pouches for restaurants, etc those do have to sit to degas overnight. However, this coffee is much fresher than anything you are likely to find in your typical store and 33oz goes pretty quick. Coffee is pretty stable until roasted and as whole bean holds up well...the grinding is when you really see the stale elements coming in, but still it would be hard for most to detect...it's not an immediate thing.

manoI wrote:Sorry but shipping is definitely counted in when I buy my coffee online, which is frequently. Compare yourselves to small local roasters not club stores. With that comparison your price, including shipping which is money out of pocket, is about the same.

For people who don't have access to small local roasters this is worth a try. They appear to take pride in their coffee and want the customer to get fresh beans.

Thank you! We are proud of what we do (glad that comes through besides chief storyteller, I'm often accused of being a mama bear about my products....lol...I consider them "my babies" now that my kids are grown...lol) and we have many loyal, regular customers all over the country. We'll let our final product be the proof :-)

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

I love and adore my Capresso coffee them.

Combines everything I want in a coffee maker, both good and bad.

Burr mill--good
clock set auto brewing--okay. that's actually not good, but I do like waking to a fresh pot of coffee
thermal pot--probably like the clock. Not good enough for the snobs, but very useful for the rest of us!
Directions: confusing if you try to make sense of them. You'll see a lot of folks complaining that it makes weak coffee--it doesn't. If you follow the directions, and don't clean out the bean track, the coffee is strong.

I've tried a lot of other auto-brews (mostly Cuisinart) and this is the only one that if/when it breaks, I'll replace it with exactly the same thing.

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

I actually use a piece of cloth hanging from a metal wire filling up the water past the bean in a coffee mug. One cup at a time. How long I leave the coffee submerged depends on the bean and grind.

ehtaniguchi wrote:French press: just boil water, put coffee at the bottom of the carafe, pour water in, wait 5 to 10 minutes depending on how strong you like your coffee, then push the strainer down slowly until you hit bottom.

I bought my French press at a Cost Plus for $12. I'll never go back to a drip coffee maker, unless my cholesterol level becomes an issue. Supposedly the lack of a paper filter increases the amount of cholesterol in French-pressed coffee, though I've also heard contradictory arguments saying it's minimal.

I understand your cholesterol concerns. here's a good article regarding the topic and it's, as you might expect, not clear cut and their are a lot of other lifestyle decisions that impact cholesterol much more. And, the oils in coffee are what hold the antioxidants that are attributed to coffee's being good for you with regards to cancer and other risks. So, you have to weigh the risk to benefit as with everything...if you love your French Press then that may be your priority...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6242467

koneco wrote:How do YOU guys brew your coffee? My Mr. Coffee is how I do it, and the coffee tastes awful.

I'm currently using an Aeropress.

AeroPress on Amazon

I've tried filter cones and french presses, but IMO, this makes the best coffee.

milacqua48 wrote:Is there anything wrong with using a Magic Bullet machine to grind your beans?

Well, according to the infomercial no...here's a blog i found on the subject with more:

http://the-magic-bullet.blogspot.com/2006/11/grind.html

uhoerhold wrote:I'm currently using an Aeropress.

AeroPress on Amazon

I've tried filter cones and french presses, but IMO, this makes the best coffee.

Hi! How you like your coffee is a personal taste thing and we respect everyone's likes. We go 2 ways:

First, we use a Cafejo pour through brewer...a commercial unit which many of our cafe/restaurant people have purchased. They are based in CA and this brewer is recommended by the SCAA (specialty coffee association. What we like is that the temp is 200+ and it's a slow extraction 6-7 mins for a 64oz thermal airpot which really brings the flavor with it. It uses a paper filter...you can add a gold filter if you prefer. The air pots they sell are amazing holding the temp and taste 10-12 hours...really!

Second, dare I say I'm a Keurig fan...I love the technology, but ONLY use the "My K cup" with our freshly roasted and ground coffees...it does a good job, and is quick and easy when sometimes that's what I need...and the Keurig is amazing for iced tea...and that's another thing I drink in mass quantities :-)

Most "Mr. Coffee" type units just don't have the high temps you need to brew good coffee...and you do have to descale all these coffeemakers from time to time...

MarkES wrote:I always like a good coffee, but whole beans are kind of wasted on me until I can find a decent (cheap) grinder. I don't mean a machine with a rapidly spinning blade that leaves behind equal amounts of fine dust and large chunks. I mean a REAL grinder that actually uses a 'grinding' motion to reduce whole beans to small equally sized particles... Do you think that Woot might be able to offer something like that someday? If not, can you get these already ground?

Even if you use a spinning-blade grinder to grind right before brewing, your coffee will be MUCH better than if you order pre-ground. A burr grinder is best, but the spinny ones get you 90% of the way there.

I roast my own coffee, and recommend using beans within a week to 10 days after roasting. Coffee starts to go stale very quickly (some say immediately). I can taste the difference between coffee that's a few days old and a few weeks old. Treat it as you would a baked good. Oh, and never put it in the freezer.