disposable said:.

fancieryu said:I love lavazza coffee, but I am still weary of buying coffee of that big packages. Typically, coffee beans go stale in one to two weeks after opening the seal. How can I drink 2.2 pound coffee in a week?!

who says they go stale in 2 weeks? that's a lot of rubbish. the bags this coffee comes in will keep it fresh if they are sealed tight. use some of those large binder clips.


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Actually, I do. Depending on one's definition of fresh...if you don't know the actual day it was roasted..it's stale. Fresh coffee is really only attainable through a local small roastery, or home-roasted. My pulls are noticeably affected (stale) after day three on my roasts, and I store in vaccum-lock coffee bags. There is a lot of discussion wrt airtight freezing, and is the only way I know to preserve freshness beyond 3 days.

Have been using SB Sulawesi, since they were free with $100 Barista. Bought these as I am about out. After all my reading, I understand that consuming 3-14 days after roasting is best, but I have not located a local roaster in my area yet. I could take the dive into home roasting, but I am not sure at this point I am willing to spend ~$100 more for an IRoast or similar system(not sold on the popcorn popper idea). I have 2 unopened bags tucked away in the freezer, and I will pack prolly half of this one away in ziplocks once opened.

At my point in the espresso game, I would rather work up the ladder of cheap,easiest -> best, time consuming, as I am sure once I try the best I would never want to go back. This was definately cheap, whether they are the freshest of fresh or not. For what I can buy locally, these would be just as fresh.

Wawa coffee is still the best!!!

MISURICK said:iwearnosox said:Received mine. Bitter is an understatement, and I don't mind starbucks.

I'm sending mine back. Blech.

Coffee is bitter in taste (starbucks is always over roasted) - mine got shipped today - will post if it is an understatement (bitter is ...) when will get my caffeine - good luck!

Not to be rude but is that english? Because I have no idea what you're trying to say.

If you're trying to tell me what coffee tastes like, uh, I already know. Yes, everyone knows starbucks overroasts, it was the reason I said what I did.

iwearnosox said:Yes, everyone knows starbucks overroasts, it was the reason I said what I did.

Just like El Pollo Loco... TASTE THE FIRE~

Bronik said:I disagree with some of the comments re the coffee not tasting good.

I have to admit that I ordered with slight trepidation after discovereing that this selection had some robusta but a number of reviewers explained that this was traditionally added to espresso to impart fuller body and to provide better crema.

Well, I have a fairly decent espresso maker (an older Starbucks made by Saeco) and a Cuisinart Grind and Brew that makes a great pot of coffee. I haven't pulled any shots yet, but after several pots of coffee using the Cuisinart I am pleased with the brew. It is definitely not bitter...but it definitely is full-bodied. I'll probably get laughs on this but the infusion of robusta is reminiscent of a freshly-brewed cup of 7-Eleven coffee (many of you construction and blue collar types will know where I'm coming from....).

I always like to look for these excellent $5/lb. or so deals because they let me try different high-quality whole bean coffees without breaking the bank...home roasting sounds cool but too much work and ultimately too much cost....

Anyway, drink up and enjoy!!!

Ah..yes...7-11 coffee...large, 3 packets sugar, 2 creamers...those were the days.

Don't sell yourself short on home roasting. Once, I thought it surely couldn't be worth the hassle and cost. Boy was I so wrong about that. The iRoast 1 is discontinued, but some NOS exists for just over a benjamin..this seemingly glorified hairdryer with a jar manages to roast single-origin and blends with surprising detail and consistency, roast profiles are completely controllable. I use a version 1 and the newer 2 to roast two different batches every other day, and always have fresh beans at the ready in various states of rest. Like DJSpray says, once you experience this level of flavor and freshness, you simply can't go back...I didn't even bother with the *$ free pound on the Barista deal, I knew I simply couldn't enjoy it..not just because of a mental association with *$, but because my palette is so sensitive to roast quality now. Keep in mind that green beans are rather cheap ($4-8/lb), even for some of the finest varietals out there, which could cost you upwards of $15/lb from a local roaster, whose profile wasn't controlled by you.

Bronik said:Hmmmm, you got me thinking there. Maybe I'll do a little research and plead with my wife for a home roaster for Christmas. $5/lb for green beans is in my realm, so the only drag would be getting a good serviceable roaster and keeping a stable supply chain...

Thanks for the thoughts!

You're in luck, once again:

1st-Line

Sweetmarias

djspray said:Recent Home-Barista.com article on freezing beans
But alas...(from article)

If the coffee one contemplates freezing is not "fresh" to begin with, it is doubtful that freezing will do much of anything positive. To me this means that freezing is probably of no value when dealing with purchased coffee of uncertain age. In the case of coffee that has partially degassed, that is perhaps several days out of the roaster, it is unclear from this experiment whether freezing will extend shelf life significantly.

So depending on the freshness of these beans before sealed, if they are degassed, etc. This test couldn't speak to everything.

Another argument for home roasting, in small batches to reduce possibility of storage waste. This is definitely one of those cases where more is not better. I got tired of visiting my local roaster every other day for a fresh 1/2 lb of beans (would forget to stop by and be mad at myself!=addict), and homeroasting was my fix. No idea I'd enjoy it as much as the brewing side of things too!

Wanted to report on my experience with this particular blend. I may have spoiled myself on the fabulous espresso blend I get from my local micro roaster, Blue Bottle Coffee. The Lavazza has a pronounced bitterness. Before anyone comments that I'm a novice or not grinding or pulling my shot correctly, I know a bit about espresso. This one isn't doing it for me. Fortunately, this blend works well in my Aeropress brewer and yields a nice cup of coffee with more body and richness than as a shot of espresso.

coffeenerd980 said:Kassaal---so would you say it is better just grinding and running thru a drip machine...the reason I ask it is is hard to get this brand at $5/lb.

Is the bitterness coming from the blend being wrong? Not enough Rubusta?

I haven't tried drip. I used an Aeropress, which is a bit like a presspot, but uses paper filters, a finer grind and pressure extraction.

The bitterness that I found unappealing might appeal to others. I just don't care for it, even at the $5/pound cost. I semi-seriously considered getting some single origin beans and refining the blend to better suit my tastes, but I don't think it's worth all the trouble. Unfortunately, I have a lot of this coffee to go through and can't see myself using it with my espresso machine. Again, others may find that this is the perfect blend for them. For me, it's just OK (and that's factoring in it's relative cost).