I don’t make coffee super often… because I’m an absolute heretic and drink Java Monster or Cafe Mocha Soylent and occasionally hate myself… but when I do I want a good cup, something not too bitter or burnt-tasting but with a good flavor.
So I’m looking for something that is… y’know, fancier than Folgers but not exactly Kopi Luak either.
My current go-to is Lavazza Intenso. I just got an aeropress (thanks to all the folks on here who recommended it) and I have a hand burr grinder … somewhere…
So. What should I be trying, assuming I want tasty coffee that isn’t priced like it’s made of gold?
The best beans are fresh locally roasted beans. any large nation wide roaster cant roast specifically for your local water chemistry, which is pretty important for a good cup considering it makes up 98% of it. local roasters use the same water you do when brewing, so it will be consistent with how the roaster wants it to taste.
Never thought of this. That explains why after trying the coffees from most Sofia roasters (soft water), I always come back to my local roaster’s (coastal area, hard water). Although they taste even better with homemade barista water! 😅
Barista water?
Really useful if the water in your area is hard. It makes a lot of difference in the taste.
You guys aren’t using distilled water in your coffee lab? /s
i know you’re being sarcastic, but distilled water would be the worst thing you could use since the minerals help extract flavor. using distilled water would produce the most bland flavorless coffee imaginable.
I’ve been using distilled since the water in this part of Texas leaves a thick build up in no time. Is it that much of a difference?
Yea, you should try getting spring water instead next time and doing a side by side comparison.
Death Wish coffee happens to be only a couple of hours drive from me. (I’m in New York but not the City; they’re in the part of New York that rubs elbows with Vermont, I think.) Is that close enough for this to work or do I need to look, like, within my county?
Aldi brand whole been is pretty good, decently priced
As far as nation wide options go, I’m a big fan of fresh roasted coffee. They have a variety of options and are reasonably priced. I really enjoyed their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Never had an issue ordering from them in the past.
I’m a big fan of McCafé. It used to be much cheaper before Covid but so was everything. I prefer it over most of the pricier stuff.
My buddies love black rifle but it’s definitely not budget.
I won’t buy Black Rifle because of… how they are… outside of their coffee…
Ideally you’d look for the specialty coffee roasters in your area/country and order freshly roasted coffee from them if the price suits you.
My personal “cheap” go to is from the Lidl brand (Bellaron?). It goes for about 8-10€/kilo, it’s a medium roast (lowest "intensity’) and tastes decent. Whole beans of course. It’s 100% arabica which is what you should go for anyway. Supermarket coffees are usually darker roasts and you might want to grind coarser than usual. Just don’t be discouraged if the first few brews aren’t to your liking. You might have to adjust. Good luck!
My personal favourite is Village Trade by Salt Spring Islands. It has good body, super tasty, and isn’t pretentiously overpriced. We used to get it locally in the stores, but customer support said it is so popular they have trouble supplying everybody.
