Coffeed.com - The wonky coffee universe

Not sure if this belongs here or not but...

I've become completely obsessed with coffee, which is bizarre considering that during the one year when I worked for my company's coffee division I didn't take advantage of my proximity to green coffee procurement or any of the other treats available to me. Now that I'm working on baked goods, all I can think about is coffee.

Today I decided to do a search on Mamuto, the Kenyan coffee that scored so high on Kenneth Davids' website. And I came across:

Coffeed.com

which is a bit like LTH but with far fewer members (most of whom are professionally involved in coffee at some level) and content exclusively devoted to coffee. The website offers great insight into the world of coffee at a pretty high level.

Thanks for the link, it looks like an interesting site from my brief browsing around on it.

Quick question for you, with your Boston-area connections. Any recommendations for good beans (other than Terroir) in the area? I will purchase Terroir (they have Terroir beans and brewed coffee at a coffee shop I pass on my walk in to work and at least one of the Whole Foods in Cambridge carries the beans), but it is unfortunately a too-expensive indulgence for me to use as anything less than a once-a-month or less frequent treat (starting around $12 for 12 ounces and going up to about $16 for 12 ounces for the Mamuto). I also don't like that the packages don't include a roast date, but I think older Terroir is still better than 99% of other coffees, so that's not too much of a concern. I am looking for something more in the $9-11/pound range, the price at which you can usually get a good everyday blend or single origin from Intelligentsia or Metropolis (certainly on days they are running specials, such as Intelligentsia's $2 off Tuesdays).

They do have the roast date on the packages -- My Mamuto was roasted on the 8th and shipped on the 9th. It is on the front label. I would buy direct from Terroir rather than buy it in a store -- shelf life is always a concern, as is proper handling.

I can't recommend any others in Boston. I did hear about Karma Coffee Roasters, but I haven't tried their beans yet:

http://www.stiryoursoul.com/

I am curious to learn where you have bought beans in the past, and what you like to drink.

Queijo -- I just moved back here after some time in Chicago. When I was in grad school here some time ago, I generally got my beans from Peets, but I now prefer to go the more micro-roasted route, thus my question to you. I think I will look to order directly from Terroir (do you know if they have a retail store in Acton?), as I'm pretty sure the beans at the coffee shop and Whole Foods do not have a roast date (but I will check more closely).

In Chicago, my habit before leaving had been to get beans from the Metropolis coffee shop and retail store on Granville even though it was a bit of a trek from my near west side home base. My favorite everyday coffee is the Samba blend, but I've enjoyed others I've tried, including the Ethiopian Harrar and a very dark blend that they roast in small batches for the Hopleaf that a well-connected friend scored me a pound of. I would also pick up the occasional pound from Intelligentsia, with Los Inmortales (El Salvador), Tres Santos (Colombia) and Fazenda something or other (Brazil) the old standbys. I prefer medium to dark roasts.

So how is the Mamuto? I may have to check that out -- even at $16 for 12 ounces, that seems as if it could be a deal if it's as good as the write-up (and 96 point rating) makes it sound.

Matt -- Terroir doesn't have a retail shop but once a month they open their facility to guests for a few hours for tours and tastings. They have a newsletter that they will send out once you place your first order online. I have yet to go (can't seem to coordinate my visits out there with the open house -- mom still occupies my childhood home which is very close to acton).

The Mamuto is good...when I opened the package I was surprised by the overwhelmingly fruity/chocolately aroma - very different from El Injerto, my (Guatemalan) roast of choice. The Mamuto is intense and very smooth (but not too acidic) with a strong, lingering aftertaste of nuts and cacao nibs and perhaps ripe cherries. After one cup I was a little overwhelmed and I went back to El Injerto, but now I'm back to the Mamuto. I'm not very familiar with Kenyans and my takeaway is that this is not very characteristic.

Have you thought about roasting your own beans?

I may have to check out the El Injerto. I assume you are drinking the regular El Injerto and not the more recent $50/12 oz cup of excellence version, but if it is the latter good for you. I will definitely try to check out the Terroir roasting works on one of their open days.

I have not roasted my own beans. In terms of home roasting, what do you need to get started? Where do you get a roaster? Where do you get the (green) beans? I am on somewhat of a hiatus for buying new equipment during my time out here (in the interests of keeping things to be moved back to Chicago at a minimum), but I'm sure exceptions can be negotiated in the right circumstances.

Kit has posted some info on home roasting here: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4801

Best place to start is www.sweetmarias.com - the complete home roasting source. You can start roasting with just a popcorn popper -- I'd venture that that's one piece of equipment you could shed when you return to Chicago. Since many thriftshops sell old popcorn poppers, you can probably find one for just a few dollars - but note that some of them have temperature regulation issues and you will also need a digital thermometer to make sure you are hitting the right temps.

I drink regular old El Injerto but I did recently order the COE beans -- should be arriving today or tomorrow. Very exciting.

Thanks for all the good info, Q. I may have to look into the home roasting thing. A reasonably sized small appliance can always be shoved in some nook or cranny of my car, I think. My only concern is taking on something that I know has a high likelihood of turning me into an obsessive.

I got some El Injerto at the grocery store yesterday (turns out there is a roast date on the back, and this had been roasted within the past week). I like it quite a bit. It has a very interesting quality that I would say is, for lack of a better descriptor, almost tea-like. I enjoy the "full flavor roast" style as well, a nice counterpoint to the over-roasted style that is certainly a hallmark of the larger commercial coffees but is prevalent even in some of the micro-roasters as well.

Found more sources for green beans and home roasting equipment today by chance -- this article lists a number of resources:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_4724715

sources include:

www.sweetmarias.com
www.deansbeans.com
www.thecaptainscoffee.com

ah the slippery slope....