Hi Folks,

When I find a worthy coffee resource, I like to share it with you. This morning I had breakfast at Alana's, a highly rated breakfast place in Redwood City, CA that advertises its "gourmet coffee" on the menu. I was skeptical but asked for a splash. It was delicious, not over-roasted. I could taste the fruit and other subtleties, and in this case that it was naturally processed, adding a pleasant earthy flavor. I thought it might be Central American, and definitely too good to drink with cream or sugar. So I asked the waiter about the source and searched the Internet, finally finding the right spelling, and came up with this site. Here's their "straight coffee" page. Looks like some interesting varietals, some of them reasonably priced. Apparently they also supply Trader Joe's. And long ago one of their founders who sold his coffee from a donkey cart found a supporter in Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

http://www.mountanosbros.com/shop_landing.php?cPath=1_77&frmcfe=yes

I wonder if I was sampling their Guatemala Bella Vista Estate? http://www.mountanosbros.com/product_in...cts_id=158

They even offer an "Espresso Maria" blend that's a medium roast and appears to combine some of the varietals recommended for these blends elsewhere on this site: http://www.mountanosbros.com/product_in...cts_id=454

Do any of you know about these folks and which of their offerings might be worth buying?

Good prices if the quality is high. Big plus that it is local for me as well. Especially since I am wasting so much of my Red Bird Espresso. I bought a 5 lb bag, but can't go thru it quick enough on my own. Vacuum sealing it in individual 1lb increments didn't preserve it even with putting it right in the freezer, even though I thought it would.

Long story short, outside of fighting with dialing in my own home roasts ( with possible lackluster results) it's nice to be able to buy a pound or so at a time without having to pay shipping or drive into the city, parking ext.. Especially since most espresso beans in SF are approx. $18 for 12oz.

I would feel better about them if they responded to repeated customer inquiries by web site form and phone, but they don't. This may be more of a small wholesale roaster with some retail coffees listed on the site, but good luck getting past that impersonal portal. I think for now I'll stick with some of the great roasters who support this site or services like Roaste.com.

Hey Guys,

Whether or not they're characterized as "old line" or sell funky tampers, I wouldn't have started this thread if I hadn't found their brewed coffee to be a well-balanced, subtle cup that's probably Central American, not stale or over-roasted.