Find a local roaster.
The quality is so much better and you support a local business instead of a megacorp.
Yup, and most of the big brands are actually Nestle anyway. Fuck Nestle.
Edit: or Green Mountain which is now Keurig Dr Pepper?, depositor of plastic cups everywhere.
Lavazza?
Looks like it’s independent still. But not really close to the size of the Nestle brands (like Starbucks bagged coffee)
Here’s the brands listed on the Wikipedia page (though Seattles Best is missing, but present on Nestles own site):
Wow I had no idea that Starbucks in bags was Nestle.
One tick further down the rabbit hole is the most recent roast date of the local available roasters.
Also tends to cost more from what I've seen. Which, if you drink a crap ton of coffee like I do.. matters.
I try to get local, but I caved once and got some Onyx Coffee Lab and let me tell you, that was some of the most underwhelming coffee I've had. They must have the good reddit bots because it seemed well recommended there and there wasn't a single blend of the five I tried that was better than what I can get locally (SE Michigan).
They excel with single origin coffees. Their blends are just okay.
I used to be local to Onyx. I really enjoyed their coffees. They are pretty pretentious, though.
Same here. I've tried two so far. The first one was gross. The second was... coffee. Not good, not bad.
I usually order from Trade and most of the time what I get is excellent.
I've had coffees from them that tasted like peach black tea and it was mind-blowing they have done some amazing stuff in the past but I've only ever gotten their single origins
Shoutout to Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea in Pittsburgh. Haven't been able to find coffee I like better than their roasts. I get their Antigua Guatemala Continental (dark roast) and Nicaragua Shade Grown (medium roast) and blend them together when I grind.
They used to have a Nicaragua Honey Processed coffee I'd get, but it seems like they don't carry that one anymore so I switched to the shade grown.
Black & Bold
Eight'O'Clock Coffee is my jam. Regular or Colombian roast.
I've been buying from Black White roasters in North Carolina for a while, they always have something interesting
Brandywine coffee roasters. They're based in Delaware. I've been blown away by the quality of their subscription. Best beans I've purchased in the US.
Brothers Coffee – subscription (rather than a brand) that focuses on “fresh, ethically sourced, and globally responsible coffee”
I like the organic coffee that I can source from Galaxy Girl Coffee. If I am in a pinch and can't wait days for a roast on site; I go for Peets, Caribou Coffee, or if I am feeling particularly odd, Starbucks. I only buy whole bean as I have a coffee grinder and my French Press needs a great coarse grind to work its magic.
My local roaster is Quartertone Coffee. I'm wearing their tee-shirt right now.
I also like Dunkin when I make it at home. I find their stores to be inconsistent, though. Sometimes they brew it properly and it's delicious, and sometimes it's weak and doesn't taste very good.
Passenger
Ozone Coffee Roasters
A New Zealand brand, also available in the UK.
Beautiful single origins from all over, for a decent price (for NZ at least)
I used to really enjoy Kings Coast. Great value for the money, solid quality, and the way they roast coffee makes the beans have excellent subtle flavor notes, which I really appreciated.
Unfortunately if you're not in the US or Canada, you're out of luck, because in 2021 they stopped shipping internationally completely
Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Just outside Boston does a good job and will mail out. Not sure their shipping radius/option.
I really like Raven's Brew, they have a lot of tasty blends.
Juan Valdez
Anyone ever done trade coffee? Is it worth it?
I use it, but I don't think I'm on the level of a lot of the posters in this community so take my opinion with a grain of salt
I like it, the bags are smallish for the cost 17-25 dollars per order. But it varies the type of coffee I drink and it has led to me discovering new brands that I go back to.
I'm on my second year or 3rd year of Trade and have been happy enough.
Everything I've gotten has been good, but I'm not enthused with their recommendations. I'll look at what they pick for me, but I end up picking my own thing more than half the time.
It's let me learn what I do like though, by having access to a good number of things in one spot. I could go to the specific roasters and likely get it for the same price or a buck cheaper, but this lets me search in one spot.
I try to make the most of it by skipping blends, and doing light to medium roast single origins only, unless there's a special seasonal blend or something. It lets me get whatever overall vibe I want for that order more closely: extra fruity/chocolate and nut/wine-like/warm and comforting flavors/etc.
I've never gotten the same thing twice, but I do feel I've hit up most of their suppliers at least once. Each supplier gets new runs of different things, so even though their regular coffees will be the same each month, keep an eye out for their seasonal or special runs.
Once you get a hang of what you like, supplement with outside vendors or bounce around on your own.
In short, it's convenient, you know what the price will be, and there's a good variety to pick from, and it tastes fresh. It's not infinite options, but it should be more than enough.
I've been using Trade for several years now. They're awesome.
8 o'clock. Smooth, flavorful, and cheap!
If you're near Stockholm, check out Kafferosteriet Koppar. Good quality coffee at reasonable prices, shipped freshly roasted on a monthly basis.
Ooh, they ship all over Sweden it seems, at least to here in Gothenburg anyway. Gonna try out the "the big coffee trip" thing, different coffee every month. Thanks for the recommendation!!
Bridgeport Coffee Co., Chicago 🤓
Driftaway Coffee. I think they’re based in Brooklyn, but I have their subscription shipped to the west coast. They roast and ship on the same day, so I always get freshly roasted beans within a couple days of getting the shipment notification. They focus on sustainability, appear to pay their growers way more than the average, and many of the farms they buy from are women-owned and operated. Been super happy with the quality, and they provide little info-cards with each bag giving details about the region, growers, and tasting notes, so I’ve built up a cool little history/collection so I can always look back and remember a bean I particularly liked.
Caffe Lusso in Redmond, WA is my go to. Super consistent, super fresh. Not sure what outside WA orders look like but when I order a bag I get one that was roasted that day.
I love YES PLZ for mail subscription. The Mix is almost always a home run, and even when it’s not it’s at worst a base hit.
But if mail subs aren’t your thing, I love several of our local roasters.
Years ago I lived Jeremiah’s Pick, Jamaica blue mountain blend. I haven’t seen it in forever. Anybody know where to cop?
I saw a bag of that the other day in... probably a Safeway or Lucky's.
You can always order from them directly https://jeremiahspick.com/product/jamaican-blue-mountain/
There's two local brands I like, Cirque and Topeca.
As far as big names, I get Gevalia and like it.
I think for me, it's Tim Wendelboe's coffee, but it's somewhat hard to get ahold of. Also real expensive, but man are those some good beans.
Tata Le Cafe
Shout-out to Red Rooster Coffee. They're an independent roaster out of Floyd, VA with some awesome coffees. Try the Old Crow Cuppa Joe!
Small natural process, but it's $
La Colombe. Really love their all dark roast.
☕ - The hot beverage that powers the world!
Coffee gadgets - It's always great to learn about new gadgets. Please share your favorite hardware or full setups. It might inspire newcomers to experiment!
Local businesses - Please promote your local businesses. If you are not the owner of the business you are promoting, kindly ask the owner if it's okay. It would be great if the business has a physical store to include an exterior or interior shot.