Any coffee connoisseurs here?

[madteaparty]

I don't know coffee, but I know what I like. And what I like is a very light/medium blend, often mass marketed under "breakfast blend" or "Donut shop blend". I do a drip funnel by the way.

My question is, why is very light blend *good* coffee so hard to find? I realize part of it is the roasting process, because the ones I've found are the most light brown beans. I've discovered stumptown's lighter brands/blue labels, like the ones below, but where else can I find? Stumptown's locations are hard to get to and would love to find an alternative as a back up. I'm terrified to be out of good coffee, that's the end days here;)

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/products/costa-rica-santa-rosa-1900

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/products/colombia-el-nevado

[Spryte]

We order from Camano Roasters. They roast and ship the next day. They have some excellent shade grown, organic, fair trade coffees. Their CEO (I think that's who it was, some one from their co) did a TED talk fairly recently - you could check them out.

 

We've been using them for 4-5 years. We try others, but always go back eventually. Papua New Guinea blend has chocolate undertones.

 

Before that, our favorite was Counter Culture.

 

Before that, an Italian roaster who is a friend of DH's.

 

There's a good one in DC, too, but I can't recall the name.

 

Oh, and we use the light blends, too. We use a super automatic espresso maker. But even when ordering at a coffee shop - we both order light. So many of the darker blends are burnt.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Spryte

[happi duck]

I really like Starbuck's Veranda Blend. They usually have it available as a pour over in store if you wanted to try it first.

[EndOfOrdinary]

I work in specialty coffee which deal extensively in Stumptown. The blue labels are Latin American roasts. The Organic Hollar Mountain blend is also considered their "breakfast blend."

 

You can just have them drop ship it to you. They deliver ;)

 

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/subscriptions/

[madteaparty]

I work in specialty coffee which deal extensively in Stumptown. The blue labels are Latin American roasts. The Organic Hollar Mountain blend is also considered their "breakfast blend."

 

You can just have them drop ship it to you. They deliver ;)

 

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/subscriptions/

Please let them never go out of business omg. This is a huge quality of life issue for me ;)

I have ordered online before, it just takes a few days. DH picks it up in the city for me usually. I just think they are so unique with those blends and was wondering why. I mean coffee is a commodity. It's like preferring a brand of flour. But the difference is huge.

Anyway I tried the organic one by mistake bc DH misunderstood the label color. It was good, just a tiny bit green tasting. The Costa Rica stuff has been dreamy.

[EndOfOrdinary]

The Guatemalan is my favorite.

[madteaparty]

The Guatemalan is my favorite.

That's my second favorite. But they change them every couple of weeks... Consistently good

[MEmama]

I'm not up on current coffee trends ATM, but I used to own a coffeehouse and have done some roasting.

 

Coffee isn't really a commodity like flour, think of it more like wine. The same varietal grown in a different area will taste different; coffee is just as affected by soil, sun, etc as grapes. So you aren't necessarily imagining that your favorite Guatemalan, for example, tastes better from one roaster than the next. Likely their sources are different.

 

Of course roasting quality can seal or kill the deal as well. The finest Hawaiian Kona can be easily ruined by a roaster using a heavy hand. "Light" or "Dark" refers to the roasting process, not to the beans themselves. Some types (Kona for example) tend to taste better roasted lightly while others, like Sumatran, have the deep qualities that stand up to and are enhanced by a darker roast. Each type has individual characteristics.

 

Blends ideally combine various beans' best assets, but often they are done poorly, leading to winy or acidic cup.

[ktgrok]

If you like light/medium roasts, maybe you'd like New England brand? It's lighter, not bitter, but more full flavored to me than a lot of the coffees I've had. Some seem...watery or flat. And I can get it at my grocery store. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by ktgrok

[Liz CA]

http://captaindavyscoffeeroasters.com/

[madteaparty]

I'm not up on current coffee trends ATM, but I used to own a coffeehouse and have done some roasting.

 

Coffee isn't really a commodity like flour, think of it more like wine. The same varietal grown in a different area will taste different; coffee is just as affected by soil, sun, etc as grapes. So you aren't necessarily imagining that your favorite Guatemalan, for example, tastes better from one roaster than the next. Likely their sources are different.

 

Of course roasting quality can seal or kill the deal as well. The finest Hawaiian Kona can be easily ruined by a roaster using a heavy hand. "Light" or "Dark" refers to the roasting process, not to the beans themselves. Some types (Kona for example) tend to taste better roasted lightly while others, like Sumatran, have the deep qualities that stand up to and are enhanced by a darker roast. Each type has individual characteristics.

 

Blends ideally combine various beans' best assets, but often they are done poorly, leading to winy or acidic cup.

That makes total sense, thanks for chiming in. That explains why the same the country of origin results in different tasting coffee, depending on plantation. I wonder why everyone universally over-roasts. I was without any coffee the other day and stopped at my local roaster, asking for very lightest blend. It's so much darker than my usual. And yes, still "Costa Rican".

[Guest]

My friend at church is a coffee fan, and brews a good cup, and prefers a lighter body than I do.  He *swears* by Dunkin' Donuts coffee.  I think it comes in a 5 pound bag.  

 

[AmandaVT]

Vermont Coffee Company is our favorite coffee by far - not bitter tasting at all and it's just delicious! :-)

[madteaparty]

My friend at church is a coffee fan, and brews a good cup, and prefers a lighter body than I do.  He *swears* by Dunkin' Donuts coffee.  I think it comes in a 5 pound bag.  

 

I'm totally not a snob, but I swear each Dunkin Donuts is different. Further, because I only drink my coffee hot, one has no idea when the last pot was brewed, now in the summer.

And yet often there's where I end up, because I'm always driving all over the place.

[Guest]

I'm totally not a snob, but I swear each Dunkin Donuts is different. Further, because I only drink my coffee hot, one has no idea when the last pot was brewed, now in the summer.

And yet often there's where I end up, because I'm always driving all over the place.

Oh--my friend buys the beans and uses it for his home coffee. I know what you mean about getting the coffee from an old pot. Yuck.

[TravelingChris]

I buy Hawaiian Isles Kona Coffee CO.  Kona Classic and it is a light but very tasty bean.

[KungFuPanda]

DH was introduced to cold brewing in college by a professor. Him and his wife are literally French Market's oldest customers. Now that DH is older and the stronger coffees bother his stomach, he's gone back to cold brewing. He gets their coffee with chickory blend and cold brews it overnight. Then he just uses the concentrate. Apparently it's a much mellower brew then the bitter Starbucks stuff. It's even mellower than drip-brewing the same coffee.

[madteaparty]

DH was introduced to cold brewing in college by a professor. Him and his wife are literally French Market's oldest customers. Now that DH is older and the stronger coffees bother his stomach, he's gone back to cold brewing. He gets their coffee with chickory blend and cold brews it overnight. Then he just uses the concentrate. Apparently it's a much mellower brew then the bitter Starbucks stuff. It's even mellower than drip-brewing the same coffee.

I don't drink cold coffee :) but that's all the rage now, I know

[TranquilMind]

I don't know coffee, but I know what I like. And what I like is a very light/medium blend, often mass marketed under "breakfast blend" or "Donut shop blend". I do a drip funnel by the way.

My question is, why is very light blend *good* coffee so hard to find? I realize part of it is the roasting process, because the ones I've found are the most light brown beans. I've discovered stumptown's lighter brands/blue labels, like the ones below, but where else can I find? Stumptown's locations are hard to get to and would love to find an alternative as a back up. I'm terrified to be out of good coffee, that's the end days here;)

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/products/costa-rica-santa-rosa-1900

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/products/colombia-el-nevado

 

The Good Java Company makes some great light organic coffee.   Amazon. 

[KungFuPanda]

I don't drink cold coffee :) but that's all the rage now, I know

He brews it cold, but drinks it hot. He reconstitutes the concentrate in hot water. Our daughter, on the other hand, is all about the iced milk coffee and she uses the concentrate for that.