Roasted decaf coffee by the pound in the East Bay?
Sweet Maria's in Oakland is no longer offering monthly roasted coffee subscriptions, and they have dialed back their roasting of coffee to concentrate on green coffee sales (as they should!)
But this means that I no longer get several pounds of super high quality, freshly roasted single-origin decaf coffee in the mail every month.
So help a fellow decaf drinker out and tell me where YOU get your coffee from. East Bay is preferred, but I go into SOMA/Financial District twice a week as well.
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From Barefoot roasters in Santa Clara (They do Internet orders).
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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Keep them coming!
I'm not buying Peets as it's not to my taste. But I did stop by Catahoula yesterday and got a pound of their decaf Sumatra to try. Having my first cups this morning and it's pretty good. The barista that day had no idea how to pull a cappuccino and it wasn't very good, but I took a chance based on the roasting they do there and it seems to be a good one so far.
I guess I didn't realize how good I had it to have a green coffee importer roasting single-origin decafs and shipping them to me for cheaper than I could buy a pound at the store!
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re: Caesar_X
rworange
Jan 7, 2009 11:00 AM
The Mexican beans at Catahoula are the best. If you can find out when the owner, Timber, is there, that is the best time to go. One of the good and bad things about Catahoula is that Timber gives jobs to people who might otherwise not get one. That is a nice thing to do, however, it results in some people not as skilled as they should be.
Sorry, I didn't mention the Mexican beans in the first post, but not many people get out to Richmond and though I mention Catahoula a lot I never expect anyone to really stop by.
If you are interested in trying out Equator, Mokka on Telegraph uses that bean and sells it by the pound.
http://www.chow.com/places/1222
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If you're still willing to do mail order, my favorite is Counter Culture: http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/
Great folks, and damn good coffees. Boy do I wish I still lived 5 minutes away from them. -
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re: mflynn
Husky
Jan 6, 2009 05:23 PM
In general, Peets over-roasts their beans (that's why they are so dark and shiny/oily). It's OK for drip, but not so much for espresso. Plus, even though they say they roast daily in small batches, it's pretty hard to roast in small batches when you're supplying beans for hundreds of your own stores plus other retail. Never trust trust a roaster that doesn't put the "roasted on" date on the bag of beans.
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re: Husky
Actually, Peet's does put the roasted on date on every bag of beans they ship to the stores - ask the barista to show you sometime. They also put the roast done on every bin of coffee as they fill it (they keep coffee for 10 days from the roast date). Would you be more comfortable with a pre-bagged pound of coffee than a fresh scooped one just because it had a date on it?
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re: Deeg67
Husky
Jan 6, 2009 07:50 PM
I've never thought of asking the barista to show me the date on the bag...especially since the beans are usually stored in bins and while they may have a bag stored elsewhere with the date on it, who knows how long the beans in the bins have been there. If I'm buying beans on day 9 or 10, they're already on the downhill. I'd rather order my beans in the morning (as I do from Equator) and pick them up six hours later...I'd be finishing my one pound bag by day 9 or 10 rather than just purchasing them. Of course, if i happen to get lucky and get beans at Peet's early in their 10 day cycle, I'd be lucky, but is the crapshoot really worth it?
Besides, as I said, they over-roast their beans and since I make espresso at home, even their Espresso Forte roast is not well suited for proper espresso. Don't get me wrong, if I'm in an unfamiliar area and there is a Peet's and a Starbucks nearby, Peet's is a no brainer. No doubt it is the best of the big chains, but for me, it cannot compare with an small batch roaster (whether it be Stumptown in Portland/Seattle, Blue Bottle in the Bay Area, Ritual in SF or a host of others around the country).
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re: Husky
a_and_w
Jan 7, 2009 08:50 AM
Peet's overroasts, Blue Bottle underroasts -- you pick your poison either way. Personally, I prefer Peet's for the reason you mention -- I drink drip. If I were using a Clover, however, I would want a coffee like Blue Bottle where the taste is determined more by brewing method than roast.
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Husky
Jan 5, 2009 06:16 PM
Sounds like you mail ordered it before - if you're willing to go that route again, I highly recommend Equator Estate Coffees in San Rafael. We get their fair trade organic decaf and it is amazing. They will roast it the day you order if you send /call in your order by 10am.
http://www.equatorcoffees.com/store/h...›1 Reply -
I'll second Cole Coffee. They are truly wonderful. Blue Bottle hasn't floated my boat. I'm sure it is awesome when they brew it in the glass thingie at their store, but for home brew it's not so great IMO.
Mr. Espresso will send you coffee. It's what Caffe 817 uses for brewed coffee.
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rworange
Jan 5, 2009 11:58 AM
Catahoula in Richmond
http://www.catahoulacoffee.com/Linked Chowhound reports on this Place record
http://www.chow.com/places/1218-----
Catahoula Coffee Co
12472 San Pablo Ave, Richmond, CA 94805›1 Reply -
