redfishperson wrote:If only all 4 bags were the Huehuetenango beans...that is the best stuff in the world. I don't know about this particular roaster, but the stuff I had fresh from the plantation in Guatemala was incredibly amazing.

Guatemala is my favorite region for beans. Yet to have any that were anything short of really good, and most have been excellent. We try other regions frequently, but always end up with Guatemala beans the next go around.

Sorry but I have to:

Espresso is not a roast level!

The roast levels are more like this (light to dark)

Light Cinnamon
Cinnamon
New England
American or Light
City, or Medium
City+
Full City
Full City+
Vienna or Light French
French
Italian or Dark French
Spanish

I went over to the 1000 Faces website to see if I could find out more about the darkness/roasting level of their coffee beans, and found my suspicion regarding their coffee roasting & flavour style being 'light roast & acidic' was totally spot-on. While reading their Roasting info page under the LEARN tab, this jumped out from the concluding paragraph:

We never take beans to that dark oily place that many coffee drinkers have thought to be the sweet spot. Coffee roasted to the point of oils on the outside of the bean surface have been burnt, and are ruined.

Hmmm, well, maybe that's what YOU think, 1000 Faces, but I strongly disagree. Vehemently, even. I find coffee from lightly-roasted beans (that have NOT reached 'that dark oily place' to be completely, intolerably insipid yet chock-full of nauseating acidity. I am only able to drink coffees that are roasted to dark oilyness, and of course my very favourite beans are roasted in this delicious manner. And I don't drink cheap, industrial coffee.

1000 Faces sounds like a kindred spirit of the closes non-Starbucks coffee house in my area, which is a awesome-sounding joint called 3 Cups that offers wines, coffees, and chocolates (I think?). They brew all their coffees in individually gravity-drip, and grind the beans for each cup immediately before brewing. Cool idea, but ALL, yes ALL, their coffee is light roast! They don't offer espresso drinks at all, even! They claim their many types of coffee are light and medium, but they lie - it's ALL light. An employee made 3 cups of supposedly-medium roast coffees that I might enjoy, after learning about my dark tastes, and I found all of them completely horrid and very, very light and acidic. I was so disappointed that my hoped-for local private coffee house was such a complete bust.

lassow wrote:Guatemala is my favorite region for beans. Yet to have any that were anything short of really good, and most have been excellent. We try other regions frequently, but always end up with Guatemala beans the next go around.

If you like Guatemala, try Columbian. Tends to be a bit more chocolatey and nutty and in the same profile of body and acidity.

doryg151 wrote:Sorry but I have to:

Espresso is not a roast level!

The roast levels are more like this (light to dark)

Light Cinnamon
Cinnamon
New England
American or Light
City, or Medium
City+
Full City
Full City+
Vienna or Light French
French
Italian or Dark French
Spanish

You are probably correct - but it is not uncommon for coffee purveyors to use the term 'espresso roast' to refer to any type of coffee bean that has been roasted to a darkness level near that of Dark French and is ground finely for use in espresso machines or to approximate espresso at home. And it was this meaning I meant to imply by my use of 'espresso roast' as a roasting level.

doryg151 wrote:Sorry but I have to:

Espresso is not a roast level!

How is a product considered espresso? Is it a combination of bean and roast, or just how it is ground and brewed? Seems like there are many beans that are marketed and sold as espresso.

Espresso is a whole different can of worms! Just remember to consume within 15-30 seconds of pulling so that it does not go sour.

Seems like many American coffee shops use a darker roast for espresso.

fairnymph wrote:I went over to the 1000 Faces website to see if I could find out more about the darkness/roasting level of their coffee beans, and found my suspicion regarding their coffee roasting & flavour style being 'light roast & acidic' was totally spot-on. While reading their Roasting info page under the LEARN tab, this jumped out from the concluding paragraph:



Hmmm, well, maybe that's what YOU think, 1000 Faces, but I strongly disagree. Vehemently, even. I find coffee from lightly-roasted beans (that have NOT reached 'that dark oily place' to be completely, intolerably insipid yet chock-full of nauseating acidity. I am only able to drink coffees that are roasted to dark oilyness, and of course my very favourite beans are roasted in this delicious manner. And I don't drink cheap, industrial coffee.

1000 Faces sounds like a kindred spirit of the closes non-Starbucks coffee house in my area, which is a awesome-sounding joint called 3 Cups that offers wines, coffees, and chocolates (I think?). They brew all their coffees in individually gravity-drip, and grind the beans for each cup immediately before brewing. Cool idea, but ALL, yes ALL, their coffee is light roast! They don't offer espresso drinks at all, even! They claim their many types of coffee are light and medium, but they lie - it's ALL light. An employee made 3 cups of supposedly-medium roast coffees that I might enjoy, after learning about my dark tastes, and I found all of them completely horrid and very, very light and acidic. I was so disappointed that my hoped-for local private coffee house was such a complete bust.

By your own account (I think) you do tend to drink stale to very stale coffees, most of the flavor will have left them aside from the really caramelized bits. (No offense meant)
The trend at a lot of roasters lately has been toward brighter coffees. I am also not a fan try Brazilian or Sumatran based coffees that are fresh and a little lighter than you say you like (FC-Vienna) they are earthy, sweet, full body, and not very acidic if at all. Oh and if your using a auto drip brewer (think mr. coffee) check the water temp coming out if it I bet its to cold. to cool a brew temp = sour taste.

lassow wrote:My father served coffee that had been in the freezer for 2 years. It had no flavor. Wasn't bad, but just not worth making or drinking.

Supposedly some espresso roasts benefit from a little "aging" to the tune of 5-10 days. Not sure though. The owner of Boxcar Coffee Roasters mentioned this.

The oils in the beans can go rancid after just 3 weeks(give or take). If it is ground, it will start to turn rapidly. We have some whole been coffee in the office that is several months old and it smells terrible. People are still willingly drinking it and commenting on it's bad quality, and that is worth a chuckle.

Wow! That sounds awful. My mother keeps coffee- most of it ground, in small packages from hotels or such - in her freezer for years to offer to guests. Usually, they end up discreetly pouring their brews down the sink. That was when my mother didn't drink coffee other than some weird coffee-flavoured non-coffee granulated stuff.

Now she drinks proper coffee like a fiend but she gets her beans from TJs, and I haven't been able to find ANY coffee from them that I like. All their coffees taste very acidic - even their 'low-acid French Roast' and usually burnt to my taste, despite the great-sounding descriptions on the containers. I get all my coffee mail-order/online right now because I haven't found a single good coffee purveyor in my area.

It is truly amazing to me how bad most coffee is and how readily most people drink it or even ENJOY it. I almost envy their casual indiscrimination.

fairnymph wrote:You are probably correct - but it is not uncommon for coffee purveyors to use the term 'espresso roast' to refer to any type of coffee bean that has been roasted to a darkness level near that of Dark French and is ground finely for use in espresso machines or to approximate espresso at home. And it was this meaning I meant to imply by my use of 'espresso roast' as a roasting level.

Exactly!!!! Why does America have to do it different that the rest of the world? I feel very mislead.

Here is the wiki on espresso...

lassow wrote:How is a product considered espresso? Is it a combination of bean and roast, or just how it is ground and brewed? Seems like there are many beans that are marketed and sold as espresso.

Espresso is a coffee drink brewed by hot water under pressure. there is a little more to the definition than that but simply its a brewing method not a bean, blend, or roast level.

lassow wrote:Espresso is a whole different can of worms!

Very much so!

lassow wrote:
Just remember to consume within 15-30 seconds of pulling so that it does not go sour.

If brewed right this is not necessarily a true statement.

Really must sleep now... Good Luck..and enjoy!

doryg151 wrote:By your own account (I think) you do tend to drink stale to very stale coffees, most of the flavor will have left them aside from the really caramelized bits. (No offense meant)
The trend at a lot of roasters lately has been toward brighter coffees. I am also not a fan try Brazilian or Sumatran based coffees that are fresh and a little lighter than you say you like (FC-Vienna) they are earthy, sweet, full body, and not very acidic if at all. Oh and if your using a auto drip brewer (think mr. coffee) check the water temp coming out if it I bet its to cold. to cool a brew temp = sour taste.

No offense taken - I wish I had more info on the coffee beans I buy. For years I have lived in cities with access to very freshly roasted coffee, and I can absolutely tell the difference. I do prefer fresh coffee vastly, but fresh coffee made from beans of the wrong type (varietal/growing area/roast level) is never better than very dark-roast coffee that's a month or two old and made from beans I like. But of course, I do prefer to get the freshest & most-preferred coffee if I can - I just can't find a local source. All the coffees from local roasters I've tried just haven't been up to snuff.

Similarly, I can only drink coffee from whole beans ground right before brewing, or at least not more than an hour or so before brewing. Also, after 30 minutes, even the most ideal brew becomes undrinkable for me. When I drink it, it must be burning hot (and my drip machine produces VERY hot water). Can't do anything but a super hot brew. I am totally a snob in this way.

I too have notices this unfortunate trend towards 'brighter' (or 'sharp and nasty' as it translates to me) as of late. I can tell you my favourite type of bean is Arabian Mocha Sanani & in general I tend to enjoy Mocha Java blends. And I'm not sure if you've been to Australia, but virtually all the coffee their (which is espresso-based) is to my tastes. I haven't had a lot of Brazilian coffee but the little I have tried has not appealed to me; I do seem to find Sumatran coffee is frequently more drinkable than most other types; same with Columbian.

maybe 1000 Faces needs to know bell hooks does not use upper case.

Ozo in Boulder roasts regularly and I have never had beans from them roasted more than 4 days before purchase. Almost all "fair trade"(which I've learned is a sham) and single origin. Tried 2 from Columbia and we still prefer the Guatemalan product.

lassow wrote:Tried 2 from Columbia and we still prefer the Guatemalan product.

I've tried some Colombians before as well, and to be honest just haven't been impressed with them. Guatemalan coffees are quite unique from any of the other Latin American coffees, and it has to do with the particular rich, volcanic soil it's grown in, as well as the elevation. Perhaps I'm just prejudiced, after having lived there for 4 months and getting the freshest straight-from-the-field-to-the-roaster-to-my-cup coffee I've ever had in my life, but I'll stick with my Guate beans.

dredgman wrote:Why would you sell this much coffee together? There's no way to use all of this before it goes bad, unless you throw a coffee party daily or own a cafe.

Coffee tends to go bad within a week or two of roasting.

Agreed!

fairnymph wrote:I too have notices this unfortunate trend towards 'brighter' (or 'sharp and nasty' as it translates to me) as of late. I can tell you my favourite type of bean is Arabian Mocha Sanani & in general I tend to enjoy Mocha Java blends. And I'm not sure if you've been to Australia, but virtually all the coffee their (which is espresso-based) is to my tastes. I haven't had a lot of Brazilian coffee but the little I have tried has not appealed to me; I do seem to find Sumatran coffee is frequently more drinkable than most other types; same with Columbian.

There's definitely a trend towards brighter and more lightly roasted coffee in the Bay Area. They're calling the roasters the "third wave" of coffee, and it's sort of a reaction to the really dark style of roasting that Starbucks and Peet's (a smaller Bay Area-based competitor of Starbucks, for those who don't know them) popularized. It really took me a while to get used to the lighter roasts, but especially now that I started roasting my own, I rarely get dark roast coffee anymore. If you like exploring the impact of the different growing regions, a lighter roast is better because the darker the roast, the more that the roast itself dominates the flavor profile instead of the origin of the coffee.

I know some people just really don't like the lighter roasts, and I think that's fine, but I would point out that there's a big difference in the taste depending on exactly how light the roast is and the brewing method you use. When I started out roasting, I accidentally left some of them closer to the cinnamon roast than the more typical city-full city roast, and when I used my stovetop espresso (Mokka pot) brewer, the coffee was downright sour and tough to drink. It was still a bit bright for me, but much more approachable when I switched to a French press with it. If you're feeling adventurous and have access to different brewing contraptions, it's interesting to see the impact it can make.

The origin also makes a big difference for the light roasts. I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian coffee personally, which can have a sort of fruity character with a lighter roast. I found one once that I swear smelled exactly like a basket of blueberries after I made it. I'm not sure it would be for everyone, but it was a really interesting batch of coffee.

jarichmond wrote: I found one once that I swear smelled exactly like a basket of blueberries after I made it. I'm not sure it would be for everyone, but it was a really interesting batch of coffee.

Sidamo, Harar or Yirga Cheffe depending on the season.

I have had a few as well that were quite strong with blueberry. After the first kind of shock I found them quite nice while it lasted.

jarichmond wrote:There's definitely a trend towards brighter and more lightly roasted coffee in the Bay Area. They're calling the roasters the "third wave" of coffee, and it's sort of a reaction to the really dark style of roasting that Starbucks and Peet's (a smaller Bay Area-based competitor of Starbucks, for those who don't know them) popularized. It really took me a while to get used to the lighter roasts, but especially now that I started roasting my own, I rarely get dark roast coffee anymore. If you like exploring the impact of the different growing regions, a lighter roast is better because the darker the roast, the more that the roast itself dominates the flavor profile instead of the origin of the coffee.

I know some people just really don't like the lighter roasts, and I think that's fine, but I would point out that there's a big difference in the taste depending on exactly how light the roast is and the brewing method you use. When I started out roasting, I accidentally left some of them closer to the cinnamon roast than the more typical city-full city roast, and when I used my stovetop espresso (Mokka pot) brewer, the coffee was downright sour and tough to drink. It was still a bit bright for me, but much more approachable when I switched to a French press with it. If you're feeling adventurous and have access to different brewing contraptions, it's interesting to see the impact it can make.

The origin also makes a big difference for the light roasts. I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian coffee personally, which can have a sort of fruity character with a lighter roast. I found one once that I swear smelled exactly like a basket of blueberries after I made it. I'm not sure it would be for everyone, but it was a really interesting batch of coffee.

I hate coffee that's too strong or bitter. I want to learn more! coming to the Bay next week too!

cool beans

lassow wrote:Guatemala is my favorite region for beans. Yet to have any that were anything short of really good, and most have been excellent. We try other regions frequently, but always end up with Guatemala beans the next go around.

What makes them so special compared to others, taste, strength, flavor profile,smell,style?? I don't know much about those beans,so I'd to understand more about them. Can you or anyone else elaborate further?

FWIW, according to the little snail icon they are "shipped ground".
'.

Is this 100% Arabica by any chance? I can't see it anywhere.

Will a vacuum sealer keep beans fresh for a much longer period of time, or is there a reason why you never see beans (as opposed to grounds) vacuum sealed? My vacuum sealer helped my cheese addiction and I now have a drawer full of various cheeses...

Is this coffee fair trade? I see in the description something about farmers getting a fair price but I do not see any certification.

Did the world run out of wine? I haven't seen any on wine.woot in awhile.

WF wrote:Did the world run out of wine? I haven't seen any on wine.woot in awhile.

Well, it is Thursday after all. And according to my burning credit card, wine indeed was sold over the past two days!

joanglo wrote:maybe 1000 Faces needs to know bell hooks does not use upper case.

Your 100% right. On the bags it appears under-case, but it very often gets switched to a upper case in the hustle and flow of grammatical commerce. Nice catch though!

tetchypoo wrote:

If you want good coffee, buy whole beans from a local or trusted roaster, a week after roasting, but no longer than a month after roasting.

For some of us, freshly roasted coffee is a day's drive. Before Wal Mart (the devil) came to our small town, buying whole bean coffee (probably roasted 6 months ago) meant driving an hour to the nearest "big" town. Thankfully we have online sources like WOOT to fill large gaps. Coffee served at our house can't compare, I'm sure, but the scones here are yummy!

egroat wrote:Is this coffee fair trade? I see in the description something about farmers getting a fair price but I do not see any certification.

Hello! Great question. It can be a long discussion, but here is a good starting answer. 1000faces primarily works with single coffee farms whom are not able to be certified as FAIR TRADE(FT.) Both of the Herbazu and the El Injerto would be more like DIRECT TRADE.

To be FT they would have to be part of a cooperative, where their beans would get mixed in with other COOP members. Often with speciality coffee growers joining a cooperative is bad for their business, because the quality of their own hard work gets lost in the processing of the coffee. FT coffee's get mixed by regions. So if you are a artisan grower, your coffee would get mixed with your neighbors isn't as particular about the cherries he picks or the varietals that are getting sorted.

El Injerto and Herbuzu process their own coffee. We have a strong relationships with both of these farms and they are more wonderful places to live and work.

We do buy FT coffee's, but we often use those coffee's for blends as they present more of a regional taste profile.

terrenceistheman wrote:truth!

Exactly. I do get coffee from local roaster and I mail-order Peet's (no east coast locations). I use whole beans and have a cheap but effective burr grinder (cuisinart). Every now and again I do freeze a pound or two and I think it helps preserve flavor, regardless of what I have heard. Any of these options results in much better coffee than what you will find ground in a super market.

Hello,

My name is Benjamin Myers. I am the owner and head roaster for 1000faces coffee. I am proud that our coffee is being featured on Wine.Woot today. These are two excellent single origin coffee's and two of our classic blends we have sold since we started roasting five years ago. They will make you very happy, I can hardly believe the deal you are being offered! I will be on-line today to answer questions you have for me about our coffee or our company.

Cheers!

Benjamin Myers
owner/founder/roaster
1000faces Coffee
www.1000facescoffee.com

I thought this was wine.woot. What is this drink.woot?

diman wrote:Is this 100% Arabica by any chance? I can't see it anywhere.

Yes. All of the coffee's are of the Arabica family. The El Injerto is a blend of Bourbon and Caturra. The Herbazu is a Villasarchi. We try to highlight the varietals in each coffee.

jarichmond wrote:There's definitely a trend towards brighter and more lightly roasted coffee in the Bay Area. They're calling the roasters the "third wave" of coffee, and it's sort of a reaction to the really dark style of roasting that Starbucks and Peet's (a smaller Bay Area-based competitor of Starbucks, for those who don't know them) popularized. It really took me a while to get used to the lighter roasts, but especially now that I started roasting my own, I rarely get dark roast coffee anymore. If you like exploring the impact of the different growing regions, a lighter roast is better because the darker the roast, the more that the roast itself dominates the flavor profile instead of the origin of the coffee.

I know some people just really don't like the lighter roasts, and I think that's fine, but I would point out that there's a big difference in the taste depending on exactly how light the roast is and the brewing method you use. When I started out roasting, I accidentally left some of them closer to the cinnamon roast than the more typical city-full city roast, and when I used my stovetop espresso (Mokka pot) brewer, the coffee was downright sour and tough to drink. It was still a bit bright for me, but much more approachable when I switched to a French press with it. If you're feeling adventurous and have access to different brewing contraptions, it's interesting to see the impact it can make.

The origin also makes a big difference for the light roasts. I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian coffee personally, which can have a sort of fruity character with a lighter roast. I found one once that I swear smelled exactly like a basket of blueberries after I made it. I'm not sure it would be for everyone, but it was a really interesting batch of coffee.

You know your stuff! I used to drink the popular style of "burnt" beans until I spent some time at a coffee plantation in Panama and learned how much more of the flavor profile you can get from a lighter roast.

My main issue moving to lighter roasts was that I missed the intensity of coffee flavor. I quickly learned the answer is simply to use a higher coffee to water ratio.

Question for 1000 faces: I'll be in Athens next week, can I get this deal if I come in your shop and mention woot? that way I can avoid the shipping delay...

jhkey wrote:

Question for 1000 faces: I'll be in Athens next week, can I get this deal if I come in your shop and mention woot? that way I can avoid the shipping delay...

We welcome people to stop by our roaster anytime.

http://www.1000facescoffee.com/contact/

I have found the best way to store whole bean coffee is with one of these. This is NOT a gimmick -- it really does extend the shelf life of recently-roasted beans.

I have been home roasting for about ten years, and drink four to six cups a day, and it has been interesting reading about the different ways people enjoy or don’t enjoy coffee. I hope you are all talking about drinking black coffee, no cream, no sugar no nothing, the only way to drink a cup of Joe.

pjhad wrote:Anybody want to share their coffee to water ratios? What do you prefer; drip, french press, vacuum? Some cool hipster method we have never heard of? What about coffee grinders? I know burr is the way to go, but they are kind of expensive.

What makes your coffee so great?

I've recently started using an aeropress (you can see it at thinkgeek.com, and watch a video of it in action). This is my favorite of everything I've tried, and I have started enjoying lighter roasts with this, too. This method doesn't let too much of the acidity come through. You make one cup at a time, it is a zip to clean, and cheap enough to have several of them. It uses very little energy (whatever it takes to heat the water) and also makes great iced coffee.

loreelu wrote:I've recently started using an aeropress (you can see it at thinkgeek.com, and watch a video of it in action). This is my favorite of everything I've tried, and I have started enjoying lighter roasts with this, too. This method doesn't let too much of the acidity come through. You make one cup at a time, it is a zip to clean, and cheap enough to have several of them. It uses very little energy (whatever it takes to heat the water) and also makes great iced coffee.

Aeropress is a great brewing method. It does a great job of highlighting quality coffee. It is also very easy and great for traveling and having good coffee on the road.

aarphacker wrote:Exactly. I do get coffee from local roaster and I mail-order Peet's (no east coast locations). I use whole beans and have a cheap but effective burr grinder (cuisinart). Every now and again I do freeze a pound or two and I think it helps preserve flavor, regardless of what I have heard. Any of these options results in much better coffee than what you will find ground in a super market.

I use Counter Culture beans. I get a bag delivered every other week, and use a Capresso grind & brew every morning.

They do deliver, for those of you who can't find decent coffee locally.

Outside of wine, my coffee *is* my major splurge!