I ordered a grinder and an HX with an E61 group yesterday. I haven't been advised of shipment or tracking numbers yet, but my hope is that I'll be able to pull my first espresso from my new machine in about a week. This will be my first quality espresso machine and grinder. With that in mind, I want to order some coffee so I can be ready for the big day. I have no (none, zero) experience with good commercially available blends, so I'd appreciate hearing about some of your favorites for an E61 HX.

I'm ignorant and completely open to suggestion on coffees to try. Here are some that I have decided to try based on the descriptions I found in the thread Favorite Espresso Blends 2010: Black Cat Classic, Espresso Toscano, and Hairbender. I'm going to start with those three simply because their descriptions appeal to me.

Having no experience, I know I could select almost anything at random and stand a good chance of being pleased, because being ignorant, I wouldn't know any better. But I'd like to know what commercially available coffees you like from your E61 HX and why that coffee appeals to you. I want to add them to my list!

Well, as a start, I'd look at the List of Our Favorite Roasters . . .

Secondly, and specifically, realize that not every one loves every coffee. For example, a lot of people love Intelligentsia's Black Cat, but by no means does everyone. The same can be said for Espresso Vivace's Dolce. What I will say is that I don't recall anyone voicing a dislike for Red Bird Coffee's "Red Bird Espresso" . . .

Thanks for the links, zin. I have been looking at that List of our favorite Roasters and I notice that there are none listed in my neck of the woods (Dallas / Fort Worth). It would be great to be able to get fresh roasted top quality beans locally. I suspect there are some roasters around here. I'll just have to seek them out and try their offerings.

True, I know that not everyone loves every coffee. But I'm an open cup right now, so I thought I'd ask for suggestions. Black Cat Classic is on my list. Both of the Espresso Vivace blends are now on my list too.

One thing I've read expressed by a few people in various posts on this forum is that certain coffees show better on one type of machine or group or another. That's why I specified an E61 HX in my question. But if that doesn't really matter, then I won't worry about it.

godshot wrote:Black Cat Classic is on my list. Both of the Espresso Vivace blends are now on my list too.

I would urge you not to overlook Red Bird.

Medium dark, rich and nutty, hints of chocolate and hazelnut... Sounds great, and so the Red Bird Espresso is on my list too.

Black Cat Classic
Espresso Toscano
Hairbender
Espresso Vivace Vita & Dolce
Red Bird Espresso

I'm going to end up with more than I can consume while it is still fresh, so I'll have to stagger my purchases. Will it damage the coffees if I repackage them into smaller sealed containers (e.g, Mason jars or vacuum bags?) and freeze them?

godshot wrote:Will it damage the coffees if I repackage them into smaller sealed containers (e.g, Mason jars or vacuum bags?) and freeze them?

Coffee: To Freeze of Not to Freeze
Freezing Espresso Coffee, Part Two
Frozen Coffee Storage Calculator

. . . should I go on?

There was plenty of exhaustive research that review article and those two threads. That pretty conclusively answers my question about the viability of freezing coffee. Since I have two manual defrost deep freezers (about minus 10 degrees and no automatic defrost cycles) I have plenty of room to store enough coffee to make it practical and economical to buy a couple of pounds at a time of whatever blends I like, and consume them over a two or three month period.

Now, I better get busy and order some coffees because I just learned that my new espresso machine will delivered to me tomorrow, much sooner than I expected. That's wonderful, but unfortunately I do not yet know when my new grinder will arrive. None of my current grinders are particularly good, but that won't stop me from pulling shots until my new one arrives.

Skip,

I also live in Dallas and have shipped many a pound of coffee from all over in my search for artisan-roasted fresh coffee. I do recommend ordering online, because despite the sting of shipping costs, the sheer variety and exploration of it is a great way to enjoy your equipment investment.

However, Dallas is slowly but surely growing a progressive coffee culture, and there are now a couple of places to get a good espresso drink made with proper technique and reputable coffee.

I recently helped open a little espresso bar at The Green Spot (right by White Rock Lake). I'll be there pulling shots this Saturday from 8a to 1p. If you'd like to come by, I'll buy your cappuccino and we can talk heat exchangers, grinders, coffee roasters, etc.

Ryan

Ryan,

That sounds great. Thank you for that invitation; I'll take you up on it. I'd love to have a good cappa and talk about machines, coffees, and techniques. My experience with espresso drinks so far is limited to Starbucks and my own poor and uneducated efforts. It'll be great to have a better quality target to shoot for while I'm learning to pull shots on my new machine.

I'll see you sometime mid-morning. I'm looking forward to it!

Skip.

godshot wrote:I'll see you sometime mid-morning. I'm looking forward to it!

Great, see you then!