Which Are Your Favorite Coffee Blends

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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,235
Alaska
Steam Dot Mountain Blend, Kaladi Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (also makes a great coffee porter), Raven’s Brew Deadman’s Reach, Kobuk Costa Rican, Kona, and Snickerdoodle (the only flavored blend I can tolerate), KIVU Costa Rican, and various different Sumatrans.

Black only, french press or espresso. With a splash of bourbon or rye and a bowl of Vaper Flake/Plug on those really cold weekends. Preferably after a big ol breakfast, involving bacon, eggs, sourdough hotcakes, and syrup.
 
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peregrinus

Lifer
Aug 4, 2019
1,205
3,787
Pacific Northwest
African coffees are my top choices. Ethiopian (when brewing for my wife and I) then followed by Kenyan if it is for guests and then Guatemalan for a South American coffee on occasion.
 
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Spa32

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 2, 2019
650
1,133
Wisconsin, USA
I was a supervisor at Starbucks for 3 years, I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. There are incredible small batch artisan coffees out there... Having said that, the Starbucks Christmas Espresso is absolutely divine. It works well ground for espresso (duh), or even if you want to go for a coarser grind to use for Keurig, regular coffee pot, French press, etc. It’s in season now that all stores just did their holiday reset, so get some while you can. Bulk amounts should be frozen for maximum freshness, with best results for taste within approx. 6 months of purchase.
Thanks for the tip about the holiday reset. I just purchased my 10 bags of Christmas blend.
 

subsalac

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 9, 2018
277
1,124
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe I find is incredible no matter where I get it. Creamy, chocolately, deep flavor. If you've never had it, do yourself a favor.
 
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tokerpipes

Lifer
Jan 16, 2012
2,042
690
45
Eatonville, WA
There are blends of coffee? Your lies. Only tobacco has blends.

I was raised by my grandfather during my summers as a kid. Old grizzled Army Air Corp vet and my dad was a career NAVY chief. The only coffees I knew was out there till I turned 17 was called mud, joe, dirt in a cup. To describe it if you took the consistency and color of molasses with the flavor of the scouring pad after cleaning the pot belly stove and you would be close.
When I visited N’awlens Cafe Dumon opened my eyes to chicory coffee. It’s been an adventure ever since.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
We live in an area with several good artisan coffee blenders, outfits that go to coffee growing countries and select the beans they want, so we have a number of favorite blends from them. These outfits sell online and three are Larry's Beans, Counter Culture, and Muddy Dog. Anything you buy from them, to your taste, will be good. For off the shelf grocery coffee, we like Chuck Full of Nuts, especially the darker roasts when available, but the Original when not.
 
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Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,928
England
Tea's my main drink but I do have a Nespresso machine that makes espresso and latte etc.
I like it and find the ease of use and quality pretty good, I believe aficionados look down on them a bit though.
 
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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,067
Carmel Valley, CA
Tea's my main drink but I do have a Nespresso machine that makes espresso and latte etc.
I like it and find the ease of use and quality pretty good, I believe aficionados look down on them a bit though.

Kinda. Those cup machines don't make real espresso, and few if any can produce fine foam. But a pretty good approximation.
Hard to believe that only a few decades ago the best coffees were Folgers, etc.
 
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Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,928
England
Kinda. Those cup machines don't make real espresso, and few if any can produce fine foam. But a pretty good approximation.
Hard to believe that only a few decades ago the best coffees were Folgers, etc.
The Nespresso I have doesn't use cups, it has these little foil/metallic pods like these:
12972
Maybe they're called cups where you live? You get a single shot out of each. But like you say I realise they're not the 'real deal', the thing is it's so simple to use, just pop it in and press the button, it even foams the milk.
The results are on a par with anything I've ever had from Starbucks, but I'm guessing that's probably not a very high bar?
I only use it occasionally to make a change from tea, which I drink nonstop.
If I ever opened one of my veins up pure English Breakfast would pour out:)
 

irishearl

Lifer
Aug 2, 2016
2,146
3,762
Kansas
Kinda. Those cup machines don't make real espresso, and few if any can produce fine foam. But a pretty good approximation.
Hard to believe that only a few decades ago the best coffees were Folgers, etc.
Actually, Folgers has recently come out with a new line of coffees called "Noir." Since I discovered Smoky Midnight in the Noir line which describes itself as "intensely" dark roasted, it has become my favorite due to flavor + great price, Great tasting coffee for those that love dark roast, (less than $4 a can @ wally world). This ain't your grandpa's Folgers.;)
 

timt

Lifer
Jul 19, 2018
2,844
22,729
I use a Nespresso from time to time, when I want a quick cup of caffeine. They're not bad and you get some decent "foam". I brew up 2 pods and add another empty shot with just hot water and maybe a splash of creamer to sweeten it up.

Currently at my house, my wife and I are brewing up Caribou Blend in a Mr. Coffee. I'm partial to a lighter roast, like a breakfast blend for the flavor and a little more caffeine but my wife gets her way with a medium roast.
 
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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,067
Carmel Valley, CA
My lovely lady wife found, via a friend, a mail order blend, Coffee Direct, a dark roast that I like even better than Peet's Italian Roast. Incredible. She orders five pounds to bring down the cost, now ca. $8/Lb. I am now swimming in beans! Heh- I see I wrote "mail order". How quaint! It's via the Interwebs, of course.
 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I began pilfering the burnt, bitter grocery store brand sludge from the drip coffee pot in my dad's garage as a young teen. I earned a buck and a half per hour to sweep, clean parts and drink all the coffee.

At 17, I joined the army, where the GI brew had me longing for dad's garage, but that didn't stop me from living on the stuff. It was foul but it kept the national defense humming along.

These days, it's mostly a French press affair at home.

I try most every new blend I encounter but have a couple of staples. Ruta Maya coffee, from Chiapas, Mexico is my main bean. They had a coffee house here in Austin for some time but have retreated in the wake of rising storefront costs. They still market the beans in our local grocery. They also have a website for those interested. I usually go for their medium roast. 2.2 pounds for $18 or so.

My backup plan is from Whole Foods. I shop there as little as possible, especially since King Bezos bought them, but their 365 brand coffee is consistently decent. Pleasant Morning Buzz (Central and South American beans) and Pacific Rim are the ones I use. I believe they also do a French Roast. All are Viennese style roasts. 1.5 pounds for about $14.

All that said, I still have a warm place in my shrinking heart for a freshly brewed cup of Colombian from Dunkin' or 7-11. The tried and true tastes of yesteryear. Community Coffee, 8 O'Clock, Cafe Du Monde, all can be enjoyable when freshly brewed with filtered water.



13056
 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Not nearly as into coffee as I am into tobacco. I don't drink anything too interesting, but I really like the Garuda Blend from Peet's. It's a blend of Indonesian beans, I think. Another I like is from Philz. I think it's called Aromatic Arabic.
 
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