USA Owners: Lets talk beans & roasters/suppliers

Ben B

Hi All,

Would be interesting to see where people are getting their beans in the USA. I've been buying from Redbird, which has been great. Looking to expand to new options. You're the experts!

Discuss:
-Where are you buying? (website, link, company, etc)
-What are you buying? (blend name)
-Why are you buying? (describe flavor profile; i.e. fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.)

All the best,

Ben

mark israel

You are on the West Coast I believe. Is that where Redbird is? It probably isn't critical, but relying on a more local roastery tends to make it easier to get recently-roasted beans. I am in Michigan, and I get mail-order beans from Chicago: either Intelligentsia (Black Cat Espresso blend), or Metropolis (Redline espresso), as well as an occasional single origin that sounds interesting to me. There are a number of good roasteries in Michigan, as well, including Madcap in Grand Rapids, which has Third Coast espresso blend. I have also happily used some Counter Culture blends, Toscano being one. Home Barista has a lot of good reviews of many nationally available blends and SO's.

George Van Wagner

Mostly, I drink my own roasts (got some excellent Central Americans and Ethiopians in the bean stash right now), but living in L.A. I've got access to a lot of world-class roasters, with two micro-roaster of the year winners (Klatch and Portola) nearby. If you haven't ever tried Klatch's Belle Espresso, it's one of the great comfort blends with dried cherry, chocolate and brandy notes.

I wouldn't worry overly about local vs. distance roasters when they're ones who cater to the specialty espresso crowd. Generally speaking, small roasters in the U.S. seem to ship via 2-3 day USPS Priority either on the day of roasting or the day after. So the coffee's gotten just about the right amount of rest when it gets to you, although coffees that like a little more rest like Sumatrans, Yemeni and some of the dry-processed Ethiopians might still want an extra day or two before you start pulling shots.

Unknown

George Van Wagner post=5976 wrote: Mostly, I drink my own roasts (got some excellent Central Americans and Ethiopians in the bean stash right now), but living in L.A. I've got access to a lot of world-class roasters, with two micro-roaster of the year winners (Klatch and Portola) nearby. If you haven't ever tried Klatch's Belle Espresso, it's one of the great comfort blends with dried cherry, chocolate and brandy notes.

I wouldn't worry overly about local vs. distance roasters when they're ones who cater to the specialty espresso crowd. Generally speaking, small roasters in the U.S. seem to ship via 2-3 day USPS Priority either on the day of roasting or the day after. So the coffee's gotten just about the right amount of rest when it gets to you, although coffees that like a little more rest like Sumatrans, Yemeni and some of the dry-processed Ethiopians might still want an extra day or two before you start pulling shots.

+1