As a newbie getting into home espresso, I've read a lot of information about different beans working well for a specific use case.

For me, I am a big latte lover. So far with a local roaster, I am having trouble getting a decent tasting latte at home. I do attribute a bit of it to my poor frothing abilities, but it has also been pointed out the beans may simply not be 'milk material', if you will.

As I'm inexperienced, I can't properly judge. Definitely want to spread my wings through and try to make first person sense of everything I read.

With that said, please suggest some beans that are fit for straight shots. Then, some that are well regarded for milk based drinks. The goal is to learn to differentiate them and their taste profiles first hand (and maybe produce a good drink along the way!)

My taste preference is generally what would be the 'stereotypical' coffee taste or darker flavors. Getting into espresso and coffee overall, the fruity coffees have been a big surprise to me. I am not against them, just not as familiar.

Lastly, as a side question, I've attempted to sample some different coffees from our local Starbucks as well. They have a clover machine in now and I've tried a Panama, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, a Kenya, etc. They all have a distinct 'earthy' or dirt type taste to them. A friend confirmed this thought. Curious what the opinions are, is this a common distinction with some of these coffees, the brewing method, or anything of that sort? Found it rather off-putting.

Thanks as always!

Starbucks? shame on you.. you know that stuff is garbage. It's only good for fertilizer.

For lattes, good milk is critical, perhaps more so than the beans themselves. So use only fresh whole milk.

If you want the best tasting latte, learn to froth milk.. what can I say. it's not rocket science it just takes practice.

honestly, if you've got rich perfectly frothed milk, you're like 90% there.. just don't use crap beans like the ones you're buying.. there are a countless specialty roasters out there. I have yet to make bad latte with fresh beans.. regardless of the blend, region, roast level (so long as it's not charcoal)..

BTW, if you want to learn what tastes good you'll never do it trying to create it yourself, that's just silly.. you have no reference point.. Go to lots of reputable roaster/cafe that serves specialty coffee then you'll know.

surreal wrote:Lastly, as a side question, I've attempted to sample some different coffees from our local Starbucks as well. They have a clover machine in now and I've tried a Panama, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, a Kenya, etc. They all have a distinct 'earthy' or dirt type taste to them. A friend confirmed this thought. Curious what the opinions are, is this a common distinction with some of these coffees, the brewing method, or anything of that sort? Found it rather off-putting.

Good coffees from Panama, Yirgacheffe and Kenya in my experience never taste of dirt. Panama geisha gives me great florals, ripe citrus and caramels. Yirgacheffe also with florals, hints of jasmine. Kenya often gives me very pure and concentrated currants.

I know I know.. Starbucks! But its been a common spot for some work buddies and I. My feedback here is only regarding the clover though, which fresh ground/made to order type deal.

I've read a lot of good stuff about Red Bird being chocolatey and doing well in both uses. About to put an order in with them and see how that goes.

About visiting reputable places - There are 2 primary ones Id say in my location. However, Id prefer to have some more experienced suggestions. One day Ill plan a road trip to Texas or somewhere within a few hours (maybe a meetup?) and ingest a lot of good caffeine, in the name of science.

Clover coffees Ive tried so far all share the 'dirt' type taste, so must be the machine/method. Ill just consider these new to me.

surreal wrote:
Clover coffees Ive tried so far all share the 'dirt' type taste, so must be the machine/method. Ill just consider these new to me.

That's the characteristic taste of Starbucks. Over-roasted and stale coffee with rancid oils.

Clover brewed coffee is absolutely wonderful if high quality coffee is put in and the brewing parameters are properly calibrated.

surreal wrote:I know I know.. Starbucks! But its been a common spot for some work buddies and I. My feedback here is only regarding the clover though, which fresh ground/made to order type deal.

I've read a lot of good stuff about Red Bird being chocolatey and doing well in both uses. About to put an order in with them and see how that goes.

About visiting reputable places - There are 2 primary ones Id say in my location. However, Id prefer to have some more experienced suggestions. One day Ill plan a road trip to Texas or somewhere within a few hours (maybe a meetup?) and ingest a lot of good caffeine, in the name of science.

Clover coffees Ive tried so far all share the 'dirt' type taste, so must be the machine/method. Ill just consider these new to me.

It could also be how Starbucks is grinding for the clover. And the clover is an immersion type brewing system, akin to a more sophisticated French press. So if you're not used to immersion brewing, which has a fuller, richer body that includes coffee oils and some sediment, this, combined with Starbucks' over roasted beans and Crappy grinding, could be resulting in a cup you interpret as dirty.

A properly brewed clover cup, with great beans, can be wonderful. There's an independent cafe in Toronto, near where I work, that invested in a clover machine before Starbucks bought them out. I go there from time to time for a clover cup.

surreal wrote: With that said, please suggest some beans that are fit for straight shots. Then, some that are well regarded for milk based drinks. The goal is to learn to differentiate them and their taste profiles first hand (and maybe produce a good drink along the way!)

A good roasted coffee needs some time to age. I was drinking a Yemeni coffee that I had roasted more than a week ago. My point is, its pretty easy to pick one of several hundred good quality roasters in the US, order a couple of bags, and try them. With UPS shipping, by the time they get to you, they will be ready to drink.

• Klatch in Rancho Cucamonga is well liked.
  Espresso Vivace in Seattle is always one of my favorites. Both of what they offer are blends
  I like espresso roasted by Intellegentsia. Several to choose from.
  Blue Bottle in Oakland is mentioned regularly.
  Even a smaller roaster like Compass Coffee in Vancouver produces some nice stuff.

Regardless of who, even with some geographical limitations (I now live 3+ hours from a decent roaster, however I did live 3 blocks from 5 coffee shops, 3 of which roasted on-site!) with mail order, it's really easy to place an order, and give something a try. Usually shipping on Monday/Thursday, but regardless of those details, it will be a touch more expensive than getting a bags from Starbucks, but I think you'll find it much more rewarding.

entropyembrace wrote:That's the characteristic taste of Starbucks. Over-roasted and stale coffee with rancid oils.

That's for sure! Although the popularity of that chain concerns me because it's taking business from "legitimate" shops, the worst part is that it does to so many what it's done to you, Evan: it's set a poor standard against which you measure others' goodness, and that's a bad thing. My first thought on reading your post was that you are tasting dirt - but it's not from anything inherent in the coffee.

I hate opinions from people who haven't tried the things they criticize, so I'm about to go across the street to the closest Starbucks and try a Clover-brewed cup or two for myself. Nothing would please me more than to learn that there's good coffee 50 yards from my office, as all I have on my desk is my trusty old Nespresso Essenza (one of the original manual ones) for busy times when I really need a shot. I just hope no one sees me in there......

Only a few Starbucks locations have a clover from what Im told. If yours has one though please let me know if you get the same taste.

My Red Bird comes in Tuesday, excited to try it. I think for me I like smaller amounts of milk, along the lines of a cortado/macchiatto. At keast with the beans Ive tried so far, too much milk dilutes the taste.

bluesman wrote:I hate opinions from people who haven't tried the things they criticize, so I'm about to go across the street to the closest Starbucks and try a Clover-brewed cup or two for myself.

Hmmmm - it seems that Starbucks lied to me. Their website says that there's a Clover machine at the one across the street - so I went over as promised to scope it out.........and the sign says "coming soon". So's Christmas!

If I ever get to try it, I'll post a report.