Recommendation for great (and reasonably priced) coffee beans?

[merlot143]

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I will be serving some for the holidays. I can grind my own beans, but I'd appreciate some brand recommendations. Supermarket or boutique rec's are fine. Thanks.

[svanegmond]

Even the worst beans freshly roasted will beat almost anything that was roasted a month ago.

So, I tend to get my beans wherever sells them green and nearby me, so that tends to mean I go to House of Spice in Kensington.

Unless you have a roasting device - or a hot air popcorn popper - just buy beans from someone who has a roaster in the store. Balzac's, Moonbean, Alternative Grounds.

The comments regarding coffee taste are on point. A medium roast is a dubious gift indeed for someone who likes their coffee dark and tarry.

The beanery at Bloor and Bathurst is fine too. Look at, but don't buy, their absurd coffee makers.

I usually find Kicking Horse in my nearby health food stores, but their turnover is poor and the product ends up not being particularly fresh.

[keijo]

I've always had good luck with Kicking Horse coffee, sold at many places in the city (Loblaw's, Sobey's, plus other boutiques like Cabbagetown Organics). It's a bit pricier (usually $13.99 - $15.99 / lb) but it's my stand-by, and my relatives were duly impressed at Thanksgiving dinner!

[Sarah Cat]

I always drink Kicking Horse at home, but it is a bit expensive. I love Three Sisters blend as well as Kick Ass. For myself, I will only buy fair-trade organic coffee.

For inexpensive and TOTALLY delicious coffee beans (and I am a very discerning coffee-drinker) I like the giant red bag of Kirkland espresso from Costco! I'm serious! The beans are roasted by Starbucks. You get this massive bag of beans (must be, like, six pounds of beans in there) for eleven bucks! And the coffee is SO tasty!! It's what what I'll be serving over the holidays for sure. I haven't tried the kind in the green bag, but it's probably good, too.

[jayt90]

The green bag is good too, more of a breakfast blend. When I don't roast my own, I'll grab a bag, looking for the furthest away stale date. The bags are 2lb-2.5lb.

[EASTENDCURRY]

the best coffee i have found it at a little lebanese place called samara nuts on lawrence between vic parc and warden . they roast their own beans and nuts too. there is another place one block over called arz it is a very good bakery with a bigger selection of coffee .

[food face]

Choco Sol Hippies have great fair trade organic coffee for $10/pound. They are at the Dufferin Grove farmers market and some other market's too. The best and cheapest I've found.

[OTFOODIE]

I have my beans roasted for me at Highland farms. I get an organic variety at 11.99/pound, but the regular varieties are 9.99/lb. They have a pretty decent turnover at the Steeles & Dufferin store, so even the beans in the bins will have been roasted within the past few days.

[merlot143]

Very ignorant question -- how many servings will I get from a pound of coffee?

[Googs]

The quick answer is "depends". Do you round the measure when doling out the beans? How large a cup/mug will you be using? I doubt you need worry about having enough for entertaining as long as you don't have more than 25 guests who don't have more than 2 cups.

[cheesymama]

The general rule of thumb is that you get 60 cups per pound of coffee, that is of course give or take as different roasts will vary in weight.

[merlot143]

I'm considering making small gift baskets with mini-samples. Would giving say, a cup of ground coffee, be considered measly?Or unusable for the regular coffee maker? It would be on par with giving four of five bags of tea.

[jayt90]

You'll need an all purpose, please everybody selection, since some like drip, some espresso, some instant. It's a mine field, and I wouldn't touch it unless I could get something exclusive like Blue Mountain, or Yemen.

[Googs]

60 cups is based on ground coffee, not beans.

merlot143, I agree with Jayt90. If you don't know the type of coffee maker, you'll have a hard time selecting the right grind let alone a flavour that matches every palate.

If you do know that (I'm sure most friends will have the common basket filter) then 1 cup of ground coffee is a very sweet idea. A special mug to start the day on a holiday weekend always makes the day start well.

If you happen to be in the SLM area I suggest dropping into Everyday Gourmet. You'll find a large variety of freshly roasted coffee that can be had in whatever quantity you please and in a variety of price ranges.
http://www.everydaycoffee.com/

[kwjd]

Are there any varieties of beans you recommend from Everyday Gourmet? I only care about the taste, but I'm willing to get organic/fair trade if the taste justifies the price jump.

[jayt90]

The best QPR for freshly roasted beans has to be www.greenbeanery.ca
They are at Bloor and Bathurst, and have a fresh roast every day, $9/lb to $20/lb

There are many good types, but most people like Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, or Mexican Chiapas, or Colombian Supremo.

e mail order is available, plus a large assortment of coffee equipment and green beans.

[Derksen]

+ 1 for Green Beanery.

I personally like their Sumatran. Yum. I have their Sweet Santa blend right now.... no idea of where it is from. With the freshness they offer, all of their beans are fantastic. I'm not big on peaberry though. I only drink espresso, but have experimented with lattes and americanos, and they are the best I have tasted.