HB wrote:I'd get bored with the same coffee day in and day out.

If I'm suffering coffee ennui, "I think I'll investigate what this would be like a cupla [notches / grams / degrees] [up /down] "

When I was behind a real bar day in and out, I would constantly just bring home whatever we had in the grinder at work all the time. Now that I am not, I order a new bag of something whenever I'm just about of of coffee, usually 7-9 days. I also change brew methods in this method. If I'm really wanting espresso, I'll order some, but if some single origin sounds really appealing, I'll order it with the intent of using it as press/drip.

I have 3 Max and 1 Compak K10 grinders in my kitchen (a bit over the top, I admit). Generally, 3 of these grinders have different coffees in them at any one time, not hard to do if you home roast. On average, I will make espresso drinks from at least 2 of the 3 coffees on any given day. The 4th grinder comes in handy since I usually have a "go to" bean (this year it has been the Ethiopian Worka, which has now disappeared from the market but of which I still have a considerable stash) that I roast every roast session. The extra grinder will have the "go to bean" in it, generally from the prior roast (extra grinder is not a specific grinder, but it "rotates.")

I will use the last dregs of a given roast for milk drinks, a couple or three days after I've given up on it for straight shots.

ken

After nearly a year learning on the same blend and recently upgrading to a stepless grinder, I have just changed to a new supplier. It is a similar blend as far as origins go. Since I am still learning how to understand the results in the cup I am trying to reduce the number of variables, but I also think I am ready to try something new. I plan on sticking with this new supplier for a while also until I get a grasp of the coffee in the hands of the operator.
Is this a good approach for a beginner or am I limiting the coffee I could be enjoying?


Gus

Gus wrote:Is this a good approach for a beginner or am I limiting the coffee I could be enjoying?

While I change coffees at least twice a week nowadays, I changed coffees less than twice a month for a long time. If you enjoy the result, I see no harm in focusing on technique by reducing one variable. That said, if I were to do it all over again, I would interleave different coffees as French press during the week. For example, one espresso blend for two weeks, one or two coffees per week for French press. Intelligentsia makes it easy by selling half pound bags. The non-espresso preparation is less complicated and takes less time; I find it easier to focus on the coffee's subtleties in a less concentrated form.

FWIW, while it's true Intelligentsia offers half-pound bags, it DOES increase the cost of the coffee beans (e.g.: Black Cat is $14 in a 1-pound bag, but $7.50 per 1/2 pound bag). They also offer 5-pound bags.

In contrast, Espresso Vivace only offers their coffee in half-pound, "zip-lock type" bags. One pound bags are not available.

Don't misunderstand: I'm very glad Intelligentsia sells 1/2-pound bags, and wish everyone offered that option. I just wish it didn't cost me an extra $1/pound . . .

I actually really like those resealable and smaller Vivace bags. Seems like a small thing, but...

zin1953 wrote:FWIW, while it's true Intelligentsia offers half-pound bags, it DOES increase the cost of the coffee beans (e.g.: Black Cat is $14 in a 1-pound bag, but $7.50 per 1/2 pound bag). They also offer 5-pound bags.

In contrast, Espresso Vivace only offers their coffee in half-pound, "zip-lock type" bags. One pound bags are not available.

Don't misunderstand: I'm very glad Intelligentsia sells 1/2-pound bags, and wish everyone offered that option. I just wish it didn't cost me an extra $1/pound . . .

Those bags are expensive. I have bought valve bags from Pacific Bag, in quantities of 500. Although I'm sure I paid more for those bags than Intelly pays, even if they got them for half what I paid, the price of two smaller bags is considerably more than one larger one. That combined with the extra labor needed to fill those two smaller bags probably means that they are making no more profit when selling as 2 smaller bags, then when selling the larger bag. They are simply asking you to reimburse them for their increased expenses in offering you a choice in bag sizes.

ken

Ken,

You misunderstand: I am not criticising Intelligentsia's use of the half-pound bags, nor am I criticizing Intelligentsia for charging more when their beans are ordered this way. It certainly DOES increase their costs -- just as the use of half-bottles increases the cost to a winery (i.e.: one 750ml is cheaper to bottle than two 375ml bottles) -- and they certainly have the right not only to recover the costs, but to charge whatever the heck they want for that matter! But that doesn't mean I have to like paying the extra $1.00 per pound.

Cheers,
Jason

I LOVE paying an extra 50p to get coffee in ½ pound bags.
I can just bung them in the freezer w/o the hassle of splitting. [sealing the 1-way first, of course]