TomC wrote:It's important to me to support a great roaster and a great personal friend; Phillup Meech owns Cafe Lusso in Washington. Their state has been hit the earliest and hardest, since this outbreak. Caffe Lusso's business model was to support local cafes and tons of giant tech industries, that have both now closed the curtain and were sent home. They can use any support they can get.


https://caffelusso.com


So any purchase over $35 gets free shipping ( I often receive mine in 2 days from Seattle to SF)

I still think its the best value of espresso blends we currently chat about amongst ourselves. I re-ordered up and will rotate stock on hand.

You do not need a code for Caffe Lusso. They'll give free shipping to anything over $35! Flat rate shipping of $5 for orders under that amount.

* I have no financial interests in his company. Just sharing a friend's amazing coffee.

They also have great customer service even during this hard time. I had questions and they got back within a day. I also ordered red Bosco piston seals from them and Philip M responded and offered to answer any questions I may have about installing them.
I haven't tried their blends yet but I hear Lionshare and GMC are good.

We will get through this and come out better if we help each other.

mariog7 wrote:Hello, All. My local roaster, www.blackriverroasters.com just announced a sale - 20% off and free shipping through April 1! These guys are awesome and have amazing coffee. Plus, they give 16 oz bags, not 12 oz.

Check them out!

Got two bags: Espresso Blend and Quality Hill Blend.

Enjoy!

Tough times for sure. My coffee bar is open for takeout only by order of the governor of the great state of PA. Business hung on until Monday, but then tanked. I still have my employees coming in and am paying them, but tips are non-existent.

Fortunately, my online bean business has perked up nicely. Social distancing doesn't have to mean great coffee distancing!

FWIW, here is a great FB post by Mike Rowe. https://www.facebook.com/TheRealMikeRow ... 6308097491

Read the cited articles as well for a little encouragement in difficult times.



Edited by moderator to add link to SkyRoast Coffee

CoffeeGeek has its own list: Coffee Roasteries Open and Delivering during COVID-19. According to the article, roasters can get on the list by emailing roastersopen@coffeegeek.com.

Guys,

One bit of good information about stocking up on your favorite coffees with all the specials going on right now is a freezing observation I've made. This past week I cracked open a bag of one of my favorites (Kaldi's Espresso 700) that has been in my freezer since 11-29-2019. It was roasted 11-25-2019 and I immediately slipped it into the deep freeze. There's a story about why it's been in there so long, but I'll save that for another time. The long and the short of it is...pulled it out of the freezer on 3-16-2020 (that's 3 1/2 months), and I'm pulling "God Shots". Can't believe it, I'm well pleased, and plan to order quite a few coffees to support our great coffee people of industry.

BTW: My method to freeze beans is not very sophisticated.
1) tape over the one-way valve
2) slip unopened bag into freezer bag
3) remove as much "free" air from the freezer bag as possible (I use a straw to suck it out...really low tech)
4) my freezer is at -0.4 F

Hope this helps someone out there. Of course, your mileage may vary. Best to you all.

Edit..here is a link to their website. https://kaldiscoffee.com/

BaristaBob wrote:Guys,

One bit of good information about stocking up on your favorite coffees with all the specials going on right now is a freezing observation I've made. This past week I cracked open a bag of one of my favorites (Kaldi's Espresso 700) that has been in my freezer since 11-29-2019. It was roasted 11-25-2019 and I immediately slipped it into the deep freeze. There's a story about why it's been in there so long, but I'll save that for another time. The long and the short of it is...pulled it out of the freezer on 3-16-2020 (that's 3 1/2 months), and I'm pulling "God Shots". Can't believe it, I'm well pleased, and plan to order quite a few coffees to support our great coffee people of industry.

BTW: My method to freeze beans is not very sophisticated.
1) tape over the one-way valve
2) slip unopened bag into freezer bag
3) remove as much "free" air from the freezer bag as possible (I use a straw to suck it out...really low tech)
4) my freezer is at -0.4 F

Hope this helps someone out there. Of course, your mileage may vary. Best to you all.

Thank you! I am definitely going to get some Kaldi 700 and another from them. Is there another Kaldi you recommend?

I have coffee from last year's Expo in my freezer that I dipped into a few weeks ago. It seems to age somewhat more quickly once thawed, but within about a week of opening it was terrific. I also have some from the 2018 Expo (!) that I have yet to dip into. I'm really curious how two years of storage in a conventional freezer affected it.

For now I'm still trying to buy beans to help out roasters while they're operating. I just cracked into this coffee from Red Bay: https://www.redbaycoffee.com/collection ... a-colombia

It is superb! Makes for a lusciously creamy shot with some bright cherry and tropical high notes, but plenty of caramel to the base.

Iowa_Boy wrote:Thank you! I am definitely going to get some Kaldi 700 and another from them. Is there another Kaldi you recommend?

Hi Scott,
Not really...can't seem to try another from them since I'm hooked on their Espresso-700.

Just wanted to share this... I typically look for bags that have the roast date, but also those that share their espresso recipes. I know I will not be able to replicate the taste, but the recipes helps me minimize my dial-in efforts (i.e., waste coffee).

Yesterday I ordered two bags from Black River Roasters, and in my order, I put a note asking if they could share their recipes (again, I'm using it as a starting point). This morning, I received an email from Philip (Cafe Mgr) and not only did he share their recipes, he also provided an entire crash course on espresso: ratios, time, grind size, how to troubleshoot (adjusting finer/coarser for sour/bitter shots) - the whole shebang!

I know most cafe shops will try to help you out, but taking the time to provide all that info in the midst of (hopefully) fulling online orders speaks volumes about their customer service. Looks like I will have to order a few more bags and follow BaristaBob's freezing instructions