Source for Espresso beans

[Bullett]

Jan and I were talking (really.) on our way back from Death Valley about espresso. We stopped at Baristas in Hurricane and noted that the espresso tasted similar to the espresso we drank in Italy: it tasted sort of like nutty caramel, not burnt like Starbucks.

 

I did a little research and it appears that there is a Northern Italian roast with two kinds of beans and a milder flavor and a Southern Italian roast that is more robust.

 

I purchased some Peets Italian Roast at the grocery and it is not the stuff I'm looking for. Anyone have a suggestion or two for a brand and source for Northern Italian roasted espresso beans?

 

 

 

 

[RT66Rider]

Try illy coffee. Italian all the way.

Amazon carries it.

[Polo]

There are only two major varieties of coffee beans. "Arabica" and "Robusta". Robusta is from lower elevations, less flavor nuances, but stronger tasting. It is common to see it blended with other beans to produce affordable espresso.

 

Espresso is a roast level. It is a notch up from French or Italian. The roasting process is a combination of temperature and time.

 

The coffee beans give the taste, a blend of beans will roast different.

 

Beans roasted separately and blended afterward will taste different.

 

Italy's coffee production is not enough to supply Italy's coffee production, so a lot of it is imported. Thus Italian coffee does not necessarily mean Italian coffee beans. Illy's is very expensive due to its continuous quality control. Illy invented the Espresso machine.

 

I know I haven't given an answer to the OP's question. I'm only trying to illustrate that the quest for a perfect cup of coffee is never ending.

 

If you found a coffee you like, keep buying it until they change the blend or get "smart" and lower quality to maximize profits.

 

There isn't enough of a crop

[Green RT]

Italy's coffee production is not enough to supply Italy's coffee production, so a lot of it is imported.

 

???

[Polo]

Italy's coffee production is not enough to supply Italy's coffee production, so a lot of it is imported.

 

???

 

Sorry, the question marks are justified. I meant to say:

 

Italy's crops of coffee beans is not enough to supply Italy's production of roasted coffee.

[bmurphypdx]

I love coffee and espresso but have never been able to swallow the Starbucks stuff. I have a Saeco Magic machine at home that makes all the difference in the world. I do think the method is at least as important as the bean. Our store sells 20 or more varieties of bean (we're in the Pacific Northwest ) so it was just a matter of finding the bean we like. Freshness is definitely a factor, so it is best to buy from a source with a high turnover.

[Selden]

I just googled for coffee roasters salt lake city and got seven hits (including Jack Mormon Coffee ). At least one of them is likely to be small, and have a fanatical person in charge of coffee roasting. Tell that person what you are looking for, and work with him/her until you find something that you like.

 

Last year, I was looking for a blend/roast to approximate Istanbul-style Turkish coffee, and I worked through various beans, a quarter pound at a time, with a local roaster until I got something that I liked (Ethiopian Harrar). Then, I found a local source for a Turkish brand, Kurukahveci Mehmet Effendi, and discovered that what I had settled on actually tasted very little like Turkish coffee. It was good, though. Now I mix my own blend, 50/50 Harrar and Turkish.

 

OR, if you are adventurous (you ride a motorcycle, after all), find someone who will sell you green beans, and you have an old hot air popcorn popper, you can roast your own. Roasting Coffee in a Popcorn Popper

[DavidEBSmith]

+1 on Illy. My wife used to work for a company that provided espresso machines to high-end restaurants and Illy was the preferred coffee.

 

Second to Illy would be Lavazza. They have a more diverse range of coffees than Illy and it's a bit less pricey. Until the local shop closed before Christmas I started every work day with a cup of Lavazza.

 

Starbux sucks. It's grossly over-roasted. The only good things about it are (1) Wi-Fi and (2) it's still better than the swill that's been sitting on the burners at 7-11.

[Twisties]

We ordered some Illy Caffe Normale. Seems to be their medium roast espresso standard. Oh, the price!!!! About $26/lbs

 

...and a couple of LaVazza's...

 

the Qualita Oro and the Crema e Gusto.

 

The QO is described as medium roast, Arabica, sweet, with much aroma, and somewhat high intensity and body.

 

The CeG is described as 70% Robusto and 30% Arabica with a chocolately flavor. Less sweet, more intense, more body, and more "round."

 

 

[marcopolo]

+1 on Illy.

 

Starbux sucks. It's grossly over-roasted. The only good things about it are (1) Wi-Fi and (2) it's still better than the swill that's been sitting on the burners at 7-11.

 

A year, or two, ago I read a book entitled Starbucked (the author was not a fan, but the book examined Starbucks' history and its tremendous expansion etc.). One of the points he made was that Starbucks was not really in the coffee business, but rather in the hot milk business. Given the enormous number of drinks they sell that are just a cup of hot milk with a couple of shots of espresso, they over-roast their beans so the coffee taste will cut through the 12 or 20 ounces of milk (according to this author, at least). It would seem that Starbucks consumes vast quantities of milk.

[Twisties]

Sbux never met a bean it didn't burn.

 

Yesterday, a day early, Amazon exceeding expectations once again:

 

 

Today, a little bit of ceiling structural integrity testing. It held, I bounced.

 

The Illy Caffe Normale is certainly recognizable as one of the blends we had in Italy. Aromatic and intense, I found it very similar to a typical US espresso, but lacking the burnt notes. Perhaps a bit richer than some. This is a 100% Arabica blend running about $26/lbs.

 

The Lavazza Crema e Gusto is also clearly recognizable as one of the coffees we had in Italy. It is the one I had particularly enjoyed, and was hoping to find. A 70% Robusto blend, it is much cheaper than the Illy, and somewhat cheaper than the other Lavazza's, though still commensurate with typical US super premium coffee pricing at just under $10/lbs. I found it distinctly chocolately, rich, and comforting.

 

The Lavazza Qualita Oro is going to have to wait until tomorrow, or ceiling repairs will be necessary.