[lcrim]

I bought an Aero-Press and have been going through coffee like mad.   I love the deep flavorful taste and the reduced acid but I can't keep coffee in the house.  Any recommendations for widely available and cheap but good coffee?

[Jon L]

Yeah, I'd like to know some good cheap coffee beans, too!

I order Graffeo coffee beans and use French press, but I could use a cheaper alternative that won't disappoint.

http://www.graffeo.com/

[turkey]

Widely available, cheap, and good... I don't think you'll find anything that fits all 3.

You should probably start by checking to see if you have any local roasters. They're often your best bet for good coffee.

[jermmd]

If you have a nearby Costco, I can recommend the Kirkland organic brand. It's under $5/lb and delicious. At the other end of the spectrum, I just bought 3 lbs of Illy's Dark roast for $20/lb  It too is delicious in my Aeropress but not really worth the premium.

[ctviggen]

I second the recommendation by Joe.  The Costco stuff is pretty good and only $5/pound on average.

[boead]

JR Cigars, where else woud you buy coffee 

http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=coffee_menu

The 1935 Havana Blend is AWESOME!!

And any Sumatra is fine with me.

[Art_Chicago]

I Llke Illy, but a cheaper, but still good is Lavazza Gold, about 8 bucks per quarter pound. Sold as beans and ground.
I usually brew it in a Greek/Turkish way.

[srb]

I Llke Illy, but a cheaper, but still good is Lavazza Gold, about 8 bucks per quarter pound. Sold as beans and ground.
I usually brew it in a Greek/Turkish way.

How can 8 bucks per quarter pound, or $32/pound in any way be considered inexpensive?
 
Steve

[konut]

 And any Sumatra is fine with me.

That and Kenyan. Look for a busy grocery store that sells Kivu. The Aero-Press is inefficient as far as yield per oz is concerned. I alternate with a vac pot to add variety to the routine.

[2bigears]

  got an Aero=Press the other day,it works great and makes a good brew.it's ok to second press the grounds,is it not.seems to work ok ???? Merry Season to all......

[mcullinan]

Heres a place I love, a dark roast profile on all the beans.. Roasted upon ordering... 12.99/lb Buy 2 lbs, get free shipping!
http://www.oldbisbeeroasters.com/

[turkey]

If you have a nearby Costco, I can recommend the Kirkland organic brand. It's under $5/lb and delicious. At the other end of the spectrum, I just bought 3 lbs of Illy's Dark roast for $20/lb  It too is delicious in my Aeropress but not really worth the premium.

Both of these are what I would consider to be stale by the time they hit the shelves. That's why I recommend a local roaster.

[turkey]

JR Cigars, where else woud you buy coffee 

http://www.jrcigars.com/index.cfm?page=coffee_menu

The 1935 Havana Blend is AWESOME!!

And any Sumatra is fine with me.

While they know their cigars, they're not so hot at coffee. I tried a few of theirs and they were uniformly over-roasted and not the freshest either.

[turkey]

 And any Sumatra is fine with me.

That and Kenyan. Look for a busy grocery store that sells Kivu. The Aero-Press is inefficient as far as yield per oz is concerned. I alternate with a vac pot to add variety to the routine.

There is Sumatran and then there is Sumatran. The same for Kenyan. Both regions produce some excellent coffee and they also produce utter crap. Then some coffee comes through the wholesale chain well and some gets trashed.

Finally it gets to the roaster and you'll see some good coffee enhanced by a good roaster. You'll also see coffee completely ruined by some roasters. There are all kinds of gradations between these extremes.

Then there's the retail chain and some coffee gets to you fresh and some doesn't.

So just saying "Sumatran" doesn't tell you very much about a given coffee at all. (And this even assumes that you're actually getting what the label says you are. There are a lot of mistakes and also outright fraud in the coffee industry.)

[turkey]

Heres a place I love, a dark roast profile on all the beans.. Roasted upon ordering... 12.99/lb Buy 2 lbs, get free shipping!
http://www.oldbisbeeroasters.com/

To me, a place that roasts all their coffee dark is a place that is covering up for inferior beans and/or an unskilled roastmaster.

Also, too many confuse dark and strong. A coffee does not need to be roasted dark to be strong. They're two different things. Charbucks has never learned this.

[WG]

I recommend you look into roasting your own.  There are a variety of fine roasters, from air to drum, available.  There simply is a world of difference in flavor and nuance between a fresh roast that has rested a day and roasted beans 2 weeks old.

Will

[mcullinan]

No, they know what they are doing. The coffee is fantastic! I just prefer a dark roast profile. Lighter roasts, to me have either a bad aftertaste, or end up tasting like Maxwell House, but you are paying a rediculous premium. And Ive tried several lighter roasts from different places just to make sure. Dark is the way to go. The avantage at Old Bisbee is freshness since they roast upon order.
And I use a Burr and brew at 200˚.
Mike

[turkey]

I recommend you look into roasting your own.  There are a variety of fine roasters, from air to drum, available.  There simply is a world of difference in flavor and nuance between a fresh roast that has rested a day and roasted beans 2 weeks old.

I agree 100%. I've been roasting for about 5 years now.

[turkey]

No, they know what they are doing. The coffee is fantastic! I just prefer a dark roast profile.

The only thing really I like with a dark roast is Columbian coffee.

I just follow Tom's recommendations at Sweet Maria's. He's been right every time. (He also does not roast everything dark like a Peets or a Starbucks does.)

[turkey]

Now I remember why I roast my own coffee. It's so I don't have to pay prices like Old Bisbee charges.