Hi everyone

I am an intermediate-level home barista who enjoys straight espresso. On a recent trip to SF I bought a couple of bags of Blue Bottle's 17 Ft Ceiling and I really liked it. Rich without being cloying, good dark fruit flavor, and easy to dial in. While I am happy to buy more, it's pretty expensive ($19 / 12 oz) plus I have to get it shipped all the way from California (I live in Boston).

Do any of you know of other blends, preferably East Coast based, which are cheaper but comparable to 17ft? Unfortunately I know little about espresso blends so I am not totally sure how to describe their roast, style, etc (though you can check their website https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/17ft-ceiling# to see their description).

For what it's worth, I am using a Baratza Vario and a QuickMill QM67.

Thanks for your suggestions
TK

Interesting that you bring this up, my co-workers just came back from San Fran and brought me bags of Opascope and Roman espresso. I haven't had a chance to try them yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Never tried this roaster before.

Well that price includes shipping so it's not that bad perhaps look at paradise roasters?

I have been to Boston once and tried a cup of coffee from Pavement Coffeehouse. They use beans from a roastery called Counter Culture. I love their beans, especially the single origins. They must have something like the 17th Ceiling. You can consult with one of the baristas at the cafe. If you happen to like one of their beans, be it blend or single origin, you can subscribe to it if provided by Counter Culture. There is 10% discount on the beans + really cheap shipping (~$3). It should be about $17, which is pretty cheap for specity coffee. Give it a try!!!

By the way, Blue Bottle is all over the New York City. If you happen to go to the Bay Area again, another cafe/roastery to try is the Ritual Roaster.

It might help to clarify that Blue Bottle's 17ft ceiling coffee has a robusta component:

What is remarkable, however, is the sweet simplicity owing to the fact that we reverse-engineered a blue-collar Italian espresso blend (yes ... robusta!) and substituted higher-end organic coffees. Our goal was a robust, crema-heavy, unpretentious coffee.

Since very few third wave coffee roasters (currently) offer espresso blends that include robusta, you might want to check out the classic Italian espresso blends that inspired 17ft ceiling. As I recall, affordable Italian espresso blends became a subject of this thread:

2 month old Kimbo from Italy produces great espresso. I'm confused!