Mail Order Coffees vs Local Roaster

Discuss flavors, brew temperatures, blending, and cupping notes.
jgottlieb
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#1: Post by jgottlieb »

I have a local roaster that I have been pretty happy with. They roast daily and seem to know what they are doing. I'm not an expert by any stretch, but it always seemed that finding locally fresh roasted beans was the way to go.

I'm dealing with some challenges with my grinder where I'm getting a lot of annoying oil build-up and this has been suggested by the type or way the local roaster may be roasting the beans. I tend to stick with Mexican as I like the milder flavor but will sometimes go with their straight espresso.

Anyway, it was suggested to me that ordering online from Intelligentsia, Klatch etc may be a better bet.

I don't go through a ton of beans, I basically make a single double-basket cappuccino each day. When I get my beans locally, I buy a pound at a time. Half goes in the freezer, a quarter goes in a metal air-tight container and the remaining quarter goes in my grinder.

So all that said, is it worth moving to a mail order style bean? Is that what most folks here do? Do they just order a couple of pounds and then store in the freezer and take out as necessary?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joshua

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happycat
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#2: Post by happycat »

If they're oily right from the start, they're roasted quite a bit. This may caramelize a lot of their sugars (if I remember right) and you'll be tasting more roastiness and sugar than coffee flavour.

You can have sweet and mild coffees without over-roasting them... you can grind finer and dose lighter.

My wife thought she preferred sweet coffees but when she tried the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe I roasted in an air popper, it was her favourite (mine too). I roasted just to second crack.
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entropyembrace
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#3: Post by entropyembrace »

If your local roaster isn't one of the top roaster's in the country at least try mail order from a couple that are popular here on Home Barista to compare so you know what really great coffee is like.

As for the process...you should be able to get mail order coffee within a few days of roasting as long as you order within the United States so it's not going to be any older than what you're buying locally. If you have problems using it before it goes stale go ahead and freeze. Otherwise just use the the coffee you order within a couple of weeks of the roast date :)

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sweaner
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#4: Post by sweaner »

One of the things I enjoy about coffee is trying different varieties, blends and roasters. So, yes, try many!
Scott
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Intrepid510
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#5: Post by Intrepid510 »

What coffee do you drink? Colorado Springs is pretty big you should be able to find something locally, I would imagine a shop in town would be serving Novo. Switchback Coffee looked interesting they were brewing with Able Kones, but did look a little dark from the few pics on their site.

Nate42
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#6: Post by Nate42 »

A common thread among many a coffee roaster, even supposedly artisan ones, is they over roast their beans. They do it to hide flaws, they do it to increase consistency, and most tragically in the case of places that are starting out with actual good coffee is they do it to serve consumer expectations. Consumers have been led to believe that darker coffee = better.

The other common problem is lack of freshness. Even when you buy direct from the roaster, unless they provide a roasted on date (and you trust them) you have no way of knowing how long something has been sitting around before you buy it.

I'm not saying your local roaster is definitely crap, but the odds are stacked against them. Its worth your while to at least try some coffee from one of the many good roasters recommended on this site, just so you have a frame of reference for what the good stuff is like. After that you can search for a more economical local source.

If you REALLY want great fresh coffee at the lowest possible price, you have to home roast, but of course many aren't willing to take that step.

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happycat
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#7: Post by happycat »

This has been my experience...

- my local roaster roasts a little too much... even if the beans look brown, they can taste roasty in a siphon
- packaged coffee can be stale... 49th and Intelligentsia sitting on the shelf too long... the dates are weeks or months old
- lots of roasted beans in glass containers along the wall... how clean and airtight are those containers? and I wonder how quickly they move those beans... even good beans may sit in a container awhile if someone isn't coming to buy them... especially the expensive ones

I bought packaged coffee locally and by mail order for awhile. Where coffee is cheaper, shipping is higher and the way to get around that is to buy more... which means more roasted coffee to go bad or be frozen. Where shipping is free, coffee is more expensive. Buying coffee in 3/4 lb sacks means you might be just dialing it in when you hit the bottom of the bag... happened to me plenty of times. Kind of a waste of expensive coffee... not that it tasted bad ever, but you know what I mean.

I dunno... after about six months I came to the conclusion I should just buy greens in bulk and roast them in an air popper. Beans are cheaper, I control the roast, and I'll be able to dial in a bean and stick with it for a long enough time to really enjoy it.

My first messed up roast tasted great (slow). My worst roasts didn't taste any worse than local roasters.... just roasted too quick. I've slowed things down now and expect to make good progress quickly.

As for the amount of trouble... like I said, if you buy 3/4 lb bags of beans, you're paying way more and you have the added headache of waiting for beans in the mail or going to buy them, compensating for the roast someone else did, trying to dial in your grind and temps, getting things right just when the bag ends, and worrying about using up the coffee in the right amount of time. You're also at the mercy of whatever the latest trend is in coffee... roasters seem to go through trends and even the same name of coffee can change from chocolate to orange juice flavour and you can waste a lot of time fighting with it. With greens, you have more choice, plenty of beans to learn with, low cost, longterm storage without degradation, control over your roasts and the amounts of beans you roast, and probably plenty of enjoyment once you dial them in.

Anyhow... hope you find the right path for you.
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Burner0000
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#8: Post by Burner0000 »

If your thinking of mail order all you need to worry about is the shipping. Most roasters roast and send out right away. As long as you use Fed EX or UPS you are fine. Shipping usually with then only takes a few days. The fast shipping gives the beans enough time to degas on the way and be at their freshest once you get them. I have local roasters in town but I prefer ordering roasted from an online vendor I trust or roast myself. If your just worried about a dirty grinder just run some "Grindz" through your grinder from time to time.
Roast it, Grind it, Brew it!.. Enjoy it!..

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TrlstanC
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#9: Post by TrlstanC »

It's not an either/or choice, so there's really no reason not to try some of the excellent coffees available from roasters that don't happen to be in your city.

I'm lucky enough to have a couple great roasters locally, and to have access to even more fresh beans at a few local cafes that carry beans from a few different roasters. But even still I do most of my ordering online, why? Think of it this way, it's like limiting myself to just buying whatever's at the end of the isle in the grocery store. Sure, that stuff is the most popular, and the most convenient, and it's probably going to be better than a lot of stuff on the rest of the shelves. But think about how much stuff I'm missing out on, and some of that stuff is going to be great.

Even if I have access to 2 or 4 or maybe 6 good roasters locally, there's literally dozens of amazing roasters in the US. What are the chances that the ones that happen to be nearby have the all best coffees right now? We've got so many options, and there are so many amazing coffees, we don't have to limit ourselves to average, or even "very good" coffees, we can be ordering amazing coffee from the best roasters all the time if we want to :D

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Burner0000
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#10: Post by Burner0000 »

I am an SO espresso guy and I love roasting. My local roaster focuses on blending which I am not big on but you right the availability out there is endless. TristanC is right. Try whatever you can get your hands on and see what you like just don't let ordering online scare you.
Roast it, Grind it, Brew it!.. Enjoy it!..

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