I just did a search for ethiopia-yirgacheffe, and came up with many places that sell it for a lot less than where I've been buying it. But when I see that it's a sale on Ebay, I then ask myself just when was it roasted. Then I decided to ask the pros. You guys.

Where does one get good coffee that isn't breaking the bank?

Thanks

Here.

Consider roasting your own beans. Not difficult, though many get very involved in the process.

You can start out trying it with a simple air popcorn popper (thrift stores, I saw one new at Fry's electronics).

Some of the roasters sell green beans. Sweet Marias sells green beans and has a lot of helpful advice:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php

Many people like the Behmor roaster ~$300, fwiw.

I had a feeling this post would go the direction of roasting. After looking through the list of roasters, I see that good coffee isn't cheap. So maybe it is time for me to look at green beans. Thanks for that tip. I've always been the type to do my own thing. Now that I no longer drink beer, maybe I'll get into roasting instead of brewing. But then it took me many years to perfect my pilsner. I suppose roasting is also not a trivial art/science. But also, I found that this last month or so the roasting from my coffee source was not up to what I was used to. I like the control from doing things my self, despite the extra effort.

The only question is whether the beans I like are available in green. Hmm.

I wouldn't give up on exploring and seeing if there are roaster not so well known, but good, in your area. It is trial and error. One longtime roaster in the Seattle area still charges only $8.65 a pound.

You're not going to save anything by home roasting, at least not if you value your time. And don't plan on producing world class home roasts anytime soon.

But fortunately, great roasted coffee is available for under $15/pound. If you can't find any in your area, look for Internet specials. Does it have to be Yirgacheffe? Gimme! has some great gift boxes, 3# for $40-45 including shipping. You can purchase 5# of Ethiopian Amaro Gayo or Sidamo at Klatch for $50 (with their special $10 off sale today). Leave out a pound and pop the rest in the freezer, or split an order with a friend.

Gregg K wrote:The only question is whether the beans I like are available in green. Hmm.

There are a lot of sources for green beans on the net, look around a little. Sweet marias is a great resource, and I think everyone places at least one or two orders with them, but there are many other places to buy green beans.

But, it is not easy to get it right, at least not for me, but I just started this summer. And, the green beans are cheaper, but you lose about 15-20% in weight when you roast them. And, you have to account for the cost of roasting equipment, which can get pricey, depending on how you do it.

Randy

est $2750 for your espresso machine.
est $575 for your grinder
total of almost $3500 for equipment to prepare your coffee
but the coffee itself is too expensive at less than $20 / lb

+1

Have you ever actually tasted the coffee you're using for espresso? Brew some...

Most cheap espresso blends suck. Most cheap coffee tastes blah. Your current expensive coffee may suck or taste blah too; and your looking for cheaper crap may be fully justified.

But here's the other golden rule of espresso: if the brewed coffee sucks, the espresso sucks. If the brewed coffee is blah, the espresso is blah. If the brewed coffee is good, then with good technique and equipment, the shot might be heavenly.

Use good coffee; whatever the price.

RapidCoffee wrote:You're not going to save anything by home roasting, at least not if you value your time. And don't plan on producing world class home roasts anytime soon.

+1
Even though I enjoy roasting and most of my roasts are pretty good (and a FEW are wonderul), at my usual hourly rate the pro roasted is much cheaper. Of course since I enjoy the journey then all I count is the beans and my espresso home roasts generally weigh in at around $6-$10 per pound finished.

RapidCoffee wrote:You can purchase 5# of Ethiopian Amaro Gayo or Sidamo at Klatch for $50 (with their special $10 off sale today). Leave out a pound and pop the rest in the freezer, or split an order with a friend.

That Amaro Gayo from Klatch is DA BOMB and makes killer-yummy espresso and cappuccino