I'm glad barismo and Dogwood made the list. The former being a long time favorite of mine, and the latter being a newfound friend so to speak.

I would also like to see Madcap Coffee of Grand Rapids, MI added to the list. I just went through two bags of their coffee, each were incredible. One was called Fazenda Rainha, a Yellow Bourbon from Brazil, and the other Gacokwe, a mixed varietal from Burundi.
The coffee arrived three days post roast via USPS. Always a good feeling when a first time order from a roaster half way across the country comes in a timely fashion.

Very cool bags too, if that means anything.
They come in black one way valve bags with a color coded strip-label denoting origin (Brasil- orange, Burudi-green), which contains the info. The label had ample information about the crop (no brew specs though), and their logo is some type of stitched embroidery, which I thought was unique.

Batdorf & Bronson's Dancing Goats Blend is a great espresso. Surprised it's not been mentioned yet.
http://www.gocoffeego.com/member-picks/read-more/475

HB wrote:The reviewers will not be told in advance which coffee is being reviewed, i.e., they will receive the coffee in a plain bag.

Awesome awesome awesome.

I said it earlier, but just to re-iterate, I would like to see People's Daily from Social Coffee included in the reviews this year. Social offers free shipping to the States by UPS, so it's one of the few high-end Canadian roasters whose products are readily accessible to US members without spending a fortune.

I've been using Red Bird's Blue Jaguar blend for both espresso and lattes and had good luck with it. It works especially well for Lattes in my opinion.

Delirium from Compass Coffee Roasting is another one of my favorites for straight shots of espresso.

Ray

Caffe D'arte out of Seattle

My personal favorite espresso blend is Caffe D'arte's Taormina espresso. Caffe D'Arte has five different espresso roasts - Firenze, Parioli, Capri and Taormina, plus a Decaffeinated Espresso.

Firenze is their lightest roast (they call it a Northern Italian) and the roasts get progressively darker in the order that I have typed them. I've never tried the Decaf espresso, so I won't comment on it.

All of their espresso blends have been the freshest beans I have ever pulled a shot from. I am someone who (consciously!) prefers a dark roast espresso, so it's natural that their Taormina (called a Sicilian roast) appeals most to me. FYI, I use a Gaggia Classic, pull only double shots, and drink the shot either con panna, or in half & half with a little whole milk over ice. The Taormina really shines in this environment. Sweet, rich, thick, tasty.

For my taste buds, Caffe D'Arte is supplying some of the finest espresso roasts available anywhere at any price. To my taste buds, their beans are head and shoulders over anything else I have tried, and I have tried a lot!

Have you tried many of the roasters listed here?

ex trahere wrote:I would also like to see Madcap Coffee of Grand Rapids, MI added to the list. I just went through two bags of their coffee, each were incredible.

I'd like to second this I tried some of their coffee after it was featured at a local cafe, and it was great espresso. I think at the time their online store was down or being renovated, so I didn't order more, and unfortunately never went back to check. It'd be great to see if their current offerings are as good as I remember.

I place another vote for Social Coffee & Tea in Ontario - their Farmers' Collective Organic blend http://www.socialcoffeecompany.com/prod ... c-espresso. This blend is drinkable at 5 days, but does not really come into its own until day 6.

Social is one of only a few roasters in Canada that is entirely focused on quality. They get good coffee; their roasting is consistent, and they have placed extremely well in SCAA roasting competitions.

I used to like their espresso blends at brew ratios around 60%, but I have noticed that as of a few months ago I switched to considerably tighter ristrettos in an 18gm basket. Shots can be best described as beautifully balanced.

Mark

I know this is a little off-topic, and I believe it's been brought up before, but what about a separate project to review SO coffees? I almost never drink blends. What would be of particular interest would be comparing the same varietal sourced and roasted by different roasters, or comparing different varietals from the same country. I realize that SOs are a moving target, but many of the upscale blends are too.