What is your favorite medium or bold coffee for brewing via a french press. I was considering ordering the black cat classic espresso but I have heard that some espresso blends do not taste right if brewed in something other than an espresso machine. Any information or lists of commonly suggested brands would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know how many replies you are going to get. "Bold coffee" is not a term people in the world of specialty coffee like to use.

I'm going to take a guess that you don't want the fruitier, slightly sour coffees, and that by "bold" you don't mind a darker roast. If that is the case, perhaps look for something from Brazil or Colombia, maybe even Papua New Guinea or Sumatra. Read the tasting notes to see what flavors are predominant. Avoid anything that talks about being bright, winey, fruit-like, etc.--although a little bit should be fine. Try to look for something that says the dominant characteristics are chocolate, nutty, low-acidity, etc.

If I have your tastes wrong, please feel free to elaborate a little more on what you're looking for.

Also, remember to buy your coffee from a quality roaster within a couple of days of being roasted and try to finish it up within two weeks. If you're not sure about roasters, this list should help (it's a work in progress):

List of our favorite Roasters

Just looking at Intelligentsia's current offerings, nothing really jumps out. I tried their Cruz del Sur, Organic Peru, which I didn't care for. "Medium or bold" is definitely not how I would describe it. The Agua Preta, Brazil: Sao Benedito sounds okay, but maybe ask around about the "apple and dried orange acidity".

Good luck.

You definitely have my tastes correct. I had already checked the list for favorite roasters in my area but none are listed in FL. I wish there was a review somewhere for drip, press, and vac users sorta like the one you have for the espressos on this board.

I would suggest ordering online. If you want something special - check out Terrior, Coava, Water Ave., or Stumptown. I'd stay away from the espresso blends and branch out to the more exciting world of Single Origin coffee. I bet you'll have fun experimenting with all the different flavors and finding new ones that you enjoy.

I hate to ask, but are you grinding your beans fresh? If not, I highly recommend doing a little homework on finding the right grinder for your preferred brewing method. This will take you to a whole other level of coffee bliss.

Cheers,
~j

The mail order coffee roasters the others mentioned are great. But in any metropolitan area you can find a local roaster. Then you can smell, verify roast date, sample brewed, etc. even though they may not match the quality of those mentioned above. I have found local roasters in Pensacola, Fort Walton and Gulf Breeze, which are not among the large cities in Florida. Good luck and enjoy!

rduncan239 wrote:I wish there was a review somewhere for drip, press, and vac users sorta like the one you have for the espressos on this board.

Ken Davids' Coffee Review covers all kinds of coffees from around the country. Focus on more recent reviews, as crops are constantly changing. http://www.coffeereview.com/

rduncan239 wrote:You definitely have my tastes correct. I had already checked the list for favorite roasters in my area but none are listed in FL. I wish there was a review somewhere for drip, press, and vac users sorta like the one you have for the espressos on this board.

What part of Florida are you in? Two things that can help. 1) Some specialty food places carry some of the coffees from the listed roasters. The trick is finding it fresh enough. For example, Fresh Market usually carries a respectable selection of Counter Culture Coffees. 2) There are a few (very few) decent local roasters in the state. These will not be on that list, but can produce some nice coffees. Depending on where you live, you might be close to one.

There's a surprise coffee that I ordered after reading some reviews here that works for both Espresso machine and French Press. In fact, being that my Cremina 67 is on the way to Orphan Espresso for a rebuild, I've been drinking exclusively French Press.

Redbird Espresso makes incredibly delicious French Press coffee even though it's billed as an espresso blend! My friends have been coming over to try it and they all give it a high mark!

I absolutely enjoy this blend and the five pounds delivered for under fifty bucks, good value!

I took the suggestion of Jeff Pentel, owner of Red Bird Coffee and asked one of my good friends with a Foodsaver if he could 'bag' the five pounds in twelve ounce Foodsaver bags. He willingly did so and the coffee is easy to store in the freezer.

You've got to try the Redbird Espresso in your French Press. Its creamy, medium bodied, full of flavor and super smooth and incredibly easy to drink a couple of cups at a time. It's THAT good!

Enjoy.

http://redbirdcoffee.com/redbirdespressoa.html

Being a novice means it is especially important to explore and learn. Buying 5 lbs. of anything at this point is a bad idea. My recommendation would be to sample single bags (usually 1 lb. or 12 oz. each these days) of a wide variety of origins and roasts to develop your palate and get a better idea of what is available.

rduncan239 wrote:What is your favorite medium or bold coffee for brewing via a french press. I was considering ordering the black cat classic espresso but I have heard that some espresso blends do not taste right if brewed in something other than an espresso machine. Any information or lists of commonly suggested brands would be greatly appreciated.

Your question is a riddle; like asking which wine tastes best in a red wine glass. The answer isn't red wine, but whichever wine you like best. The same is true about which coffee works best with a French Press.

That being said, different preparation methods accentuate different aspects of the coffee. French Press is neutral in this regards, since it is the brewing method used when roasters select the green coffees they buy, roast and then sell to you.