Here is an article about perfect coffee

http://sprudge.com/perfect-coffee-startup-54476.html

Marshall wrote:It's proprietary. But there is no comparison with Keurig, etc. And it ain't cheap.

No kidding. I looked into Perfect Coffee packages as a coffee service option for our SXSW renters. It costs as much per cup ($2/serving) as buying batch-brewed coffee at a good cafe.

Still a compelling concept. Blue Bottle apparently thought so, as well.

I signed up to be part of Perfect Coffee's Alpha tester team when I read about the product on Sprudge. They had coffees from my local favorite Chromatic as well as Blue Barrel and others pre-ground in air-tight packets designed for different brew methods such as Aeropress, French Press, Bonavita (drip), etc. I was very impressed with the quality of the coffee brewed after being stored for weeks or months and my thoughts were that this would be perfect for emergency coffee in your grab-and-go bag, coffee packets in hotels, and other travel coffee such as camping, but it would be a bit expensive for every day use (for me).

Well, this isn't really about grinders, but I'm very interested in the product. In particular, as it relates to office coffee. Saudi Arabia has terrible coffee. We have Maxwell House here. Ugh.

I was real excited about Starbucks instant coffee. Loved the idea but it didn't really taste that good to me. But the concept, great.

bamaster wrote:Well, this isn't really about grinders...

Well it's about grinding and the need for grinders.

One of the complaints, besides lack of quality of pods is the waste aspect of small portioned coffee. Curious how these compare as it seems they are dosed for individual portions?

I would agree with one of problems that they are trying to solve, proper grind. I can't count how many times customers have asked via phone or email what their grind should be for their brew method of choice. In person it is easier as they can see, feel, and touch an example grind, but on the phone I have run the gamut of size descriptors and comparisons to try to help give a proper idea of what the correct grind should be like (rock-salt, corn meal, cream-of-wheat). Even just tonight I saw a discussion where a poster on a different site suggested a micrometer range to the OP...which I doubt would be helpful for most people. Proper grind seems to be the biggest hurtle for most people when properly brewing. I dream of Baratza or other consumer focused grinder company figuring out how to make a universally calibrated grinder where I can tell a customer to "Use Grind Setting XX" for your Bonavita to truly experience what this coffee has to offer.

This makes sense to me. As a frequent traveler, it's a royal pain to carry around all the gear I need for a good cup of coffee. Being able to just toss some pre-packaged coffee, already ground and guaranteed to taste like fresh coffee, would simplify things a great deal.

JmanEspresso wrote: The people who will really benefit from a technology like this, are the type 2 people. Because if they can have coffee that tastes as good as when their coffeegeek friend makes it, or the out of the way cafe doing things right, AND they dont have to pay attention to buying coffee frequently from the right place, storing it properly and pay attention to the roast date, buy a good grinder and use it seconds before use.. If they can enjoy fresh coffee by skipping all that, then they probably will.

Maybe but I doubt it. I have several type 2 friends that rave about my coffee & then go back home to continue working their way through a 5lb bag of pre ground Dunkin Donuts coffee that they keep in the cupboard. I seriously doubt that they are suddenly going to start spending 4-5? times as much money on someone elses pre ground coffee just because it tastes better.

Yeah that is still a problem, one that many will see as a deal breaker. But even still, they can skip a lot of steps and have good coffee.. hopefully some people will see the light. Or they wont, and they'll still drink crap when people like us arent around. Time will tell all I suppose

Many people's eyes glaze over when you tell them grinding is important or that they have to spend more than $20 on a grinder. But they still appreciate the difference in quality when they are served a good cup. There is a market for Perfect Coffee, especially among people who have been to the better coffee bars.