<p>Our very favorite is Millstone’s Bed & Breakfast Blend. We’ve been buying it for years, and I think I will cry if they ever stop making it!</p>
<p>Unfortunately we do not have a Trader Joe’s in our area. :(</p>
<p>Peet’s rocks. Try Major Dickason’s Blend or their House Blend</p>
<p>Okay, asked DH your questions, etc. For espresso he uses a special brand which is Coffee Bean Direct Italian Roast Espresso. For regular coffee he uses Eight O Clock 100 % Columbian. He just freezes it and he buys in bulk from Amazon (we have Amazon Prime so we get free shipping). You’re supposed to only grind enough for the day. He likes the Gaggia Espresso Machines, but honestly I think a French Press is quite sufficient for most people’s needs. He has a lot of dietary restrictions, but he can have coffee, so he’s turned it into his big indulgence.</p>
<p>We love Deans Beans. We buy them by mail. For those who are into these things, they are all fair trade, organic, and shade grown.</p>
<p>And they taste great at a reasonable price.</p>
<p>I’m with Interesteddad. Dunkin Donuts is consistently excellent.</p>
<p>Of course, we are in Western Washington, and so am a coffee snob. In my town, Starbucks is second rate compared to our local roaster Batdorf & Bronson.</p>
<p>If anyone on this thread goes to Jamaica I want some of that coffee! It costs way more than that here. I’m embarrassed to say what I last paid.</p>
<p>I like Sumatra Mandheling.,</p>
<p>@mimk</p>
<p>Did he say anything about how to keep the beans just sealed not frozen?</p>
<p>@sunnyfl</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s label says 100% Kona, $19.99 for 12oz. not 1 lbs… I guess I will try it.</p>
<p>He doesn’t remember, but he guesses an airtight container.</p>
<p>Some of the other Trader Joe’s coffee beans are quite good for everyday coffee. I sometimes buy the Kauai bean, or the organic fair trade medium roast, or their Colubian Supremo. Not such a fan of Starbucks to use at home but agree that both Dunkin Donuts and the old standby A & P Eight O’Clock coffee is good too.</p>
<p>^^^>.< Bookmama,</p>
<p>Exactly, I am using those Kauai Beans right now…and they are good…</p>
<p>Starbucks French Roast from Costco – 2 lb. bag, I think. It’s strong and dark, which H & I like – and we drink it black. I grind beans every morning. I’ve also read, more recently, that it’s not good to keep beans in the freezer, so I use an airtight container like one of these: [Airtight</a> Stainless Steel Canisters with Acrylic Tops (Set of 4) - Bed Bath & Beyond](<a href=“http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=13321426]Airtight”>http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=13321426) </p>
<p>Around the holidays, Starbucks Christmas (or is it Holiday?) Blend.</p>
<p>[uote]The most expensive coffee in the world does not hail from Jamaica or Hawaii, but instead from Indonesia.</p>
<p>Kopi Luwak the most expensive coffee in the world does exist, and those who drink the expensive coffee insist that it is made from coffee beans eaten, partly digested and then excreted by the Common palm civet, a weasel-like animal.</p>
<p>Kopi the Indonesian word for coffee along with luwak is local name of this animal which eats the raw red coffee beans. The civet digests the soft outer part of the coffee cherry, but does not digest the inner beans and excretes them.</p>
<p>
[quote]
</p>
<p>We had it in a local coffee shop $695.00 per pound and $39.95 per 12 oz cup :)</p>
<p>Yup, heard about that one ;)!</p>
<p>Eons ago, DD’s school was doing a fundraiser for the prom and I bought this:</p>
<p>[Kosher</a> Fair Trade organic Morning Dew Blend Coffee](<a href=“http://www.nectaroflife.com/Morningdew.htm]Kosher”>Morning Dew - Fair Trade Organic Coffee Breakfast Blend.)</p>
<p>This was a very nice, flavorful coffee without bitterness! Thanks for the reminder - I need to order this because our coffee at work is disgusting.</p>
<p>I like Starbucks Gold Coast, Italian Roast and Verona. DH really likes Kenya, but I think it has too many citrus overtones. I like similar mixes from Peets, but it’s harder to find around here. Often I just make a half and half mix of French Roast and Columbian from whatever the local grocery store has in its bins.</p>
<p>I grind them for each pot, use a French Press and usually heat my milk in the microwave and froth it with a whisk. mimk6, I’ve had two of those mini electric whisks (Aerolatte), but they both died.</p>
<p>I really like coffee and I buy lots of different coffees. I buy coffee to go from Dunkin Donuts as often as Starbucks. Generally, don’t buy beans from either, because my H doesn’t like them. I’ll also buy Eight O’Clock brand beans, which aren’t all that expensive and make pretty good coffee. My favorite beans are from a company called George Howell’s Terrior Coffee. Howell had several coffee shops in the Boston area (including The Coffee Connection in Harvard Square) and he sold out to Starbucks. From what I’ve read, he had a non-compete agreement with Starbucks and when that expired, he started this new company. You can get the coffee at Whole Foods and also on-line. My favorite is Daterra–from Brazil. [Terroir</a> Select Coffees](<a href=“http://www.terroircoffee.com/]Terroir”>http://www.terroircoffee.com/)</p>
<p>About a year ago, I got a new coffee maker from my H for my birthday. It’s a DeLonghi Espresso machine and it’s obscenely expensive, but the coffee it makes is absolutely wonderful. You fill it with water and the machine grinds the beans and presses the coffee. You can also make all the other drinks with the steamed/foamy milk (I just drink plain coffee, but my kids do all of the others). The only draw back is that the machine makes one cup at a time, so it’s not that great for a dinner party or a gathering where you want to have coffee readily available for lots of people.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Have a look at WholeLatteLove.com for educational articles, coffee goods, and extensive reviews. There are, in fact, coffee fora (coffeegeek.com, for instance) where people take coffee very, very seriously.</p>
<p>The jump from instant to freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee is a bigger jump than possible later improvements due to technique or exotic beans. Good basic technique requires freshly ground coffee and avoidance of coffee cooking or reheating.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>[Whole</a> Latte Love: Espresso and Coffee Related Articles](<a href=“http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles.cfm]Whole”>Blogs – Whole Latte Love)
[CoffeeGeek</a> - News, Reviews, Opinion and Community for Coffee and Espresso](<a href=“http://coffeegeek.com/]CoffeeGeek”>http://coffeegeek.com/)</p>
<p>This thread is interesting, I’ve been trying to find something for my BF’s stocking this year for xmas… maybe I can get some kind of quirky coffee beans. He’s an addict, lol.</p>
<p>@my$ Thanks for the links, I need time to explore those interesting sites…</p>
<p>@fender Are you implying to buy Kupi Luwak? when you get it, let me try it as well… :)</p>