hey everyone,

ive recently got into the whole coffee scene, so ive been trying different blends from various online roasters.

what is your favorite blend from what roaster, and why?

i have a package of the espresso classico from paradise roasters, and its quite interesting. sweet and candy-like. almost floral in aroma.

it seems as the most popular blends on hb are the intelly kid-o, black cat, and counter culture toscano.
any others?

I think a lot of it depends on what is easily available to you. Intelligentsia is one of the sponsors of this site, and Counter Culture is close to where Dan Kehn (and probably others) lives. Personally, I've only had one shot of Black Cat, and that was from a vacuum-packed bag in someone's freezer. I am waiting on my order from Intelly that I placed as part of the HB 2nd-year birthday thing to arrive.

The blend I use the most is Stumptown's Hair Bender because they're local for me. If you look around a little bit, you'll see it mentioned quite often and it seems to be really popular with most people that are in to espresso. I'd like to try Counter Culture, but they're on the other side of the country and it seems like the beans would be starting to age by the time they got to me. I'm also interested in trying Paradise and Rocket roasters. Whatever you try, enjoy!

Justin

So far I've tried Cafe Fresco Ambrosia and liked it. I've tried Chris' Coffee Black Peal and liked it. I've tried West Coast Roasters Torro and liked it. I've tried Cafe Vita and it was ok but I'm not certain how fresh the beans were. I've tried Black Cat decaf (just tonight)...delicious. I'm think I'm about worthless as a point of recommendation; I rarely meet an espresso I don't like (as long as it's made at home...I don't have the same luck at shops). I'm looking forward to tasting the Kid-O when I get done with the Black Cat (I got some regular too) and then maybe it's on to CCC Tuscano. Oh, and then there's Paradise Roasters...and then....

lblampman wrote:...and then maybe it's on to CCC Tuscano. Oh, and then there's Paradise Roasters...and then....

I have a long list of about 30 coffees to try , prioritized...3-4 from all of the reputable roasters I could find.

A little closer to you than to me, Coffee Emergency is a worthy choice. They have a couple of different blends to try so see what matches your taste preferences. My preference was for their darker fuller bodied CBX. Their shipping, is great in fact I've gotten beans faster from them than roasters closer to where I live. Don't be hesitant to try some single origins. One of the most memorable and outstanding tastes has been their Yemen Mokha San'ani.

Cheers.

Since you're on the East Coast, check out Caffe Fresco, home of Ambrosia. I like their Daterra even better. Tony doesn't hose you on the shipping like some places do and has great coffee. Try the Daterra and Ambrosia. You'll probably get it in 2 days, before it's finished degassing. Michael

caffe fresco sounds great. since im on the east coast, too, im planning on ordering some of their coffee.

thus far, in terms of shipping speed, ive had excellent results from paradise and ccc: 2 days! the only roaster that's taken me longer has been PT's Coffee in kansas. i bought from east timor maubesse from them, which got stale fairly quickly, despite my putting it into an airtight bodum container in a "cool and dry" place.

what exactly is daterra reserve? it seems so popular.

I'm partial to Fresco's Bello Blend. I find it a bit brighter than the Ambrosia, and a bit more complex than the Daterra. Just my $0.02.

My favorite blend, however, is hard to peg. I like Counter Culture's El Salvador Finca Mauritania (not really a blend). I like Counter Culture's Espresso La Forza.

I love Classico Coffee's Verona Blend, but Jason is not currently accepting new orders.

I find the aroma of Coffee Emergency's Code Brown irresistible.

Every once in a while, I like the Espresso Delight from Mitalena.

jgriff wrote:... they're on the other side of the country and it seems like the beans would be starting to age by the time they got to me.

Many roasts need up to a week to rest after roast, so I would not rule out a roaster on the opposite coast--especially if they ship USPS Priority.

Regards
Timo

I share Les' problem (the one about liking most espresso blends I've tried). My 3 favorites are Black Cat, Hairbender and Ecco Caffe's Traditional Northern Italian Blend. Last week, my 3 favorites were ... Well, you get the idea.