I'm almost done with my can of Maxwell House. Looking to upgrade, which won't be hard. Any recommendations?
The Link Stewart's Private Blend - in the red plaid can. Discovered it while living in Chicago (15 yrs ago) and been drinking it ever since. Everyone who has a cup at the house gets addicted and then orders their own. I have 6 - 12 oz cans shipped till I need more (think I get less aged product that way). There are a lot of past treads about coffee roasters in the Austin area. I'm in Arlington, so this works for me. This is available here in Albertsons and in Austin, I think at HEB.
Find a local coffee shop that roasts their own beans regularly. Only buy whole beans that have been roasted within the previous 24 to 48 hours. Put enough beans for one week in an air tight container and keep them at room temperature. If you have more beans than that, seal the rest in moisture proof containers that will hold one week's worth of beans and put them in the freezer. Ideally, these would be vacuum sealed bags. When you take a container out of the freezer to use, let them come to room temperature before opening or moisture will condense on the beans which is not good. To start, try beans from Guatemala or Kenya that have been roasted to a "City" roast or a "Full City" roast. If the beans have visible oil on the surface then they've probably been over roasted. If you prefer the Guatemalan beans, try others from Central and South America since they are similar in character. If you prefer the Kenyan, try others from the region like Ethiopian. Half the enjoyment is experimenting with the various sources and roasts. Buy yourself a decent burr grinder and only grind enough for one pot at a time. Krups makes one for about $50. There are others, too. Do not settle for a blade grinder that sells for about $20-30. You'll only replace it later with a burr grinder. Get a French press coffee maker of the appropriate size for your use. They're not expensive and are generally considered to make the best coffee if you follow the simple directions. Proper water temp is the most critical part of brewing coffee. Most drip coffee makers are not hot enough which is one reason the French press works well. Technivorm makes good drip makers, but they run about $200. Follow the above guidelines and you'll but Starbucks and most other coffee shops to shame.
Any idea where I can find Stewart's in Austin? I wouldn't mind trying something new. I usually try HEB roasted-blends or Meliba (sp?).
google Kona Peaberry. Peaberry is 1% of the entire Kona (Hawaii) coffee crop and is unreal. The volcanic soil does something great to those beans. It's about $20-25/lb., but is worth every penny.
I swear. I love coffee but for an everyday expense some of these responses seem a bit over the top. Personally, I find Community Coffee to be a good every day blend that doesn't break the wallet.
If you are in Austin, I recommend Anderson's Coffee on Kerbey Lane & 38th. I find the prices to be very reasonable ($6.95 to $9.95 pre lb.) and the quality to be great. We drink mostly French Roast and find it a great way to start the day.
Sumatradoodle I have my local roaster (in fact the store is called Roasters) fresh grind 3/4# of Sumatra and 1/4# of Snickerdoodle together.
Lately, I've been getting the big bags of Organic Ruta Maya coffee from Costco and have been pretty happy with it.
Community is the best you can buy at a grocery store. Anderson Coffee Co. is the best store in Austin that I know of which roasts its own beans. Frankly, I don't notice enough difference in quality to justify the expense so I stick to Community.
What does Community Coffee cost per lb.? I'm curious to see if it's low enough to justify trying it. I don't mind the $7.99/lb. for Anderson's French Roast. It'd take a big difference for me to switch.
A good coffee for the price is 8 O'clock coffee. A 13 oz bag of beans goes for about 4 bucks at HEB. Then you print out the coupon for $2 off (use google) and the stuff is dirt cheap. It's by far not the best, but is a great value. Consumer reports rates it #2 in their tested coffees, way ahead of Starbuck's (dead last). I used to roast my own, but that became kind of a hassle and with shipping costs from sweetmarias, I now settle for costco beans; but when I need the beans this stuff is just as good.
I like H-E-B Cafe Ole the best. Make sure you buy the "Taste of San Antonio," not Austin or Houston, though. Oh, and Whole Beans of course.
As far as purchasing at the local HEB, I really like Starbucks Caffè Verona. I get the whole beans and my coffee maker has a built-in burr grinder. Its a nice way to start the morning.
Community is < $6/lb, so if you drink a lot of coffee, the savings will really add up if you're used to spending $8.
Community coffee. I've been drinking it for as long as I can remember. I won't make anything else. I had to order it to nyc for a while. Wife and I go through a pot a day. Dark roast. 11 scoops per 10 waters. I'll do some chicory on the wknds for a change of pace.