Affordable coffee beans

[fame da lupo]

Hi all,

I know who roasts the best coffee beans in LA (Klatch, Handsome, etc) but my problem is the cost of those beans. My wife would probably ban me from buying from Klatch (or any other premium roaster) if she knew I was spending $13-17 for 12 oz of coffee. So, LA coffee experts, where might I find good beans for a price that will keep my marriage together?

[theboatmanscall]

My standard bean was Major D's from Peets, but coffee ended up becoming one of the corners we cut to save cash. Whole foods offers pleasant morning buzz in a 24 oz bag for roughly $15 and it was a pretty good substitute. lately, i just started roasting my own in a air popcorn popper with green beans from sweet maria's and that's about $6/lb including shipping. I am now a convert to fresh roast and an aeropress and i don't think i'll go back to buying pre roasted except when i'm too lazy to spend the 10 mins roasting.

[LAMember]

I guess I'm the only one is thinks Costco's beans are good. I get their Sumatra (certified organic) roast which is $16 for 2.5 lbs or about $6.50/lb. I think the flavor is better than Trader Joes. Sometimes I splurge for Intelligentsia but I can't really taste that much difference.

[Baron]

I get the expresso dark whole bean at Costco. I grind daily and use a french press to brew. Really good value and the result is about as good as Pete's.

[happybaker]

I like the Seattle Mountain coffee at Costco as well.

Definitely think the flavor is better than trader joes and I like the freshness of it.

[carter]

Since when did Trader Joe's become the gold Standard?!
Most of their stuff is pure garbage, by comparison with what is available in the marketplace.
As an example, the Costco coffee is waaaay better, their wine selection is not worth a discussion at any level.
Their produce, well, don't get me started.

[cfylong]

If you can make the drive, try Fresh Roast in San Gabriel, a family business for +10 years. About $10 for one pound bag, freshly roasted in the see through back, still warm and terrific coffee. Better than Starbucks, not sure if that's saying much though.

[trolley]

great tip. i'm in a similar situation as the OP. will try it.

[TonyC]

These beans are roasted to "Chinese" palates. Take that as you will. Fresh Roast supplies quite a few coffee shops in SGV. The best thing there is the beef noodle soup. It's cheap, it's fresh, but that's it.

[trolley]

what is the chinese palate for coffee? can you provide more detail so i can perhaps compare it to my likings?

[rawdeal]

Conservatory for Coffee on Washington Blvd in Culver City has quality beans. They usually have a couple Ethiopian and Kenyan variations on hand ~15lb

[katydid13]

Don't laugh, but there's a really tasty line of Central & South American beans at Target under the Archer Farms label. Guatemalan & Salvadoran light roasts are my faves; former is $7.50 for 12 oz., latter $8.50 for 10 oz. They are often sold out at the WeHo location.

[Dommy]

Target often has quite a few specialty and limited edition beans throughout the year. But after a few tries, I've found their roasts to be uneven and not worthy of the beans. The only one I would purchase again was their Ice Coffee Blend...

For something more along the line of third wave, with a nice fresh and local roast try Tierra Mia. They are perhaps the MOST under-rated coffee shop in the city... They are up there in price, but not nearly as spendy as Handsome and other boutique roasters...

http://tierramiacoffee.com/Coffee_Roa...

--Dommy!

[ArtShapiro]

I'm quite surprised at your observation, although I respect your opinion. The couple times I've tried the Archer Farms coffee, I thought it was positively mediocre. In fairness, I don't recall what varieties I tried.

I was quite surprised, as the Archer Farms products, in general, are quite upscale from the more pedestrian house branded (is that Market Pantry?) items.

I had a cash-register-generated coupon for Archer Farms coffee that just expired a week or so ago, and had decided not to take advantage of it after my previous experiences.

Art

[ns1]

I go to Supreme Bean in NoHo. They roast fresh daily, many different types for $12-17/pound. They also distribute (or roast for...) groundworks coffee.

This is not 3rd wave single estate artisan coffee, but very good coffee nonetheless at reasonable prices.

[mrgreenbeenz]

2nd Supreme Bean. It's worth noting they are not setup for retail so placing an order requires a light touch.

Same prices as at any Groundwork location but a much better selection. Also, the Groundwork in Venice is better stocked than any of the others.

[TonyC]

Check City Beans for cheap single origin stuff:
http://www.facebook.com/citybean

Klatch (and Handsome) is borderline mental these days. Granted African beans simply cost more, but not everybody can afford $20/12 oz bags of Handsome.

If you want something more interesting, Trystero prices are reasonable, and you get to specify your roast: http://trysterocoffee.com/order.html

Or you gotta find your own "coffee guy".

[chewbacca]

Jon's market in the deli.

[happybaker]

If you are in a financial pinch, buying Armenian coffee on sale can be quite a lifesaver. It put coffee back in one friends life!

And if you like a dark french roast, just get all dark (not half and half) at Jon's or any other market and you'll be sizzling away : )