Coffee talk

goinoregon said:
we will be in maui in a couple weeks. anybody have intel on a good cup of coffee? we dont roast... yet, but we might bring some beans home. any advice appreciated.
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The Costco in Kona was pretty well stocked with Hawaiian coffee when I was there over the holidays. If the place you are staying has a grinder and brew machine, I’m guessing you can get good beans at the Costco on Maui. I don’t have any intel specific to Maui coffee shops.
 
troutpocket said:
The Costco in Kona was pretty well stocked with Hawaiian coffee when I was there over the holidays. If the place you are staying has a grinder and brew machine, I’m guessing you can get good beans at the Costco on Maui. I don’t have any intel specific to Maui coffee shops.
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The hour at which I require my first cup of coffee is not an hour I would expect a Hawaiian person to want to have gotten up and opened a store and warmed up a machine, etc.

My Aeropresses end up being fairly well-traveled. Coffee-wise, I stay prepared.
 
On the menu in 2026. From light to dark, fruit-forward, to earthy and rustic. I ordered 2 pounds of each, except 5 pounds of the Ethiopiques - one of my all-around favorites.IMG_1806.jpeg
 
troutpocket said:
On the menu in 2026. From light to dark, fruit-forward, to earthy and rustic. I ordered 2 pounds of each, except 5 pounds of the Ethiopiques - one of my all-around favorites.
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I also just re-upped with a large order. I’m still working through a five pound bag of Ethiopiques along with some other half bag odds and ends. I like Ethiopiques as an espresso.
I had some of that Costa Rica in my last order and it was excellent.
Speaking of espresso, I took a kid to the aquarium and Pike Place today and we stopped in Boon Boona coffee on the Overlook Walk. One of the best shots of espresso I’ve had in recent memory. I wonder if I could duplicate it if I bought their beans.
www.boonboonacoffee.com

Meddah - Espresso

www.boonboonacoffee.com www.boonboonacoffee.com

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My wife and I have taken up snow birding - it's a long drive to LA's South Bay and we drive a small car so packing for three months away from home does not include my hillbilly home coffee roasting setup. Instead, we buy ground coffee and use the drip coffee maker that's in our Airbnb house. This past winter I shifted from buying Trader Joe's different grinds to buying Starbucks Pike Place Roast, decidedly a darker roast than "Organic Joes Medium Roast". After sometime my wife and I decided we liked the darker roast. Fast forward - we're home and I'm back at my hillbilly roasting setup. In the spirit of trying a darker roast, I took some Costa Rican beans (La Gladiola) into, but not out of, the second crack. We really like it:
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Enjoying a fresh cup (Melitta pour over, H2O at 206°F).
 
Buzzy said:
My wife and I have taken up snow birding - it's a long drive to LA's South Bay and we drive a small car so packing for three months away from home does not include my hillbilly home coffee roasting setup. Instead, we buy ground coffee and use the drip coffee maker that's in our Airbnb house. This past winter I shifted from buying Trader Joe's different grinds to buying Starbucks Pike Place Roast, decidedly a darker roast than "Organic Joes Medium Roast". After sometime my wife and I decided we liked the darker roast. Fast forward - we're home and I'm back at my hillbilly roasting setup. In the spirit of trying a darker roast, I took some Costa Rican beans (La Gladiola) into, but not out of, the second crack. We really like it:
View attachment 179563

Enjoying a fresh cup (Melitta pour over, H2O at 206°F).
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Do you drink your coffee black or add cream and other things? I find most who prefer darker like to add somethin to theirs.

Either way - that roast doesn't look super dark. Not like a French roast or Starbucks burnt. Looks more like a darker medium or "city roast."
 
I’m back to roasting now that daytime temperatures are hitting 50 on a regular basis. I’m working through the last of a bag of SM’s Ethipiques espresso blend, which I prefer somewhat darker, and just started on a Guatemala single origin. Here’s the Guatemalan:
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I stopped the roast before onset of second crack. I’ll give it a couple days then try a cup with my aeropress.

My first roast of the espresso blend was a little lighter than I wanted. I get the fruity flavor but it also has a nice berries and chocolate thing when I find the sweet spot.
 
This is my current bean I'm going through.

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Great tasting bean. A little ugly on the roast as it has a chaff that just won't go away no matter what I try. But definitely one of the better African beans I've used. Very nutty with an almost molasses-like finish to it.

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Evan B said:
Do you drink your coffee black or add cream and other things? I find most who prefer darker like to add somethin to theirs.

Either way - that roast doesn't look super dark. Not like a French roast or Starbucks burnt. Looks more like a darker medium or "city roast."
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Interesting divergence. I'd for sure call that Full City or FC+ which tracks with Buzzy's description of taking it into 2nd crack but not beyond. My reasoning: The beans are quite fully puffed up, chaff is essentially absent, there's a bit of an oily sheen to the beans and the bean "faces" show all show a few or more cracks.

 
I am having my first cup of the second half of a one-pound bag of coffee from India that I "coasted" into City roast level. India Yercaud Balmadi Estate. The first half I roasted and gifted in December. I don't recall trying Indian coffee before this, but I gotta say this cup is pretty darn well to my liking for now. I just roasted it yesterday morning so we'll see if it improves/changes over the next couple days. This cup from my aeropress has some healthy acidity on the front end but gives way to nuttier/chocolatier tones. Kind of best of both worlds in a way.
 
So, I was looking at the photos @Evan B and @Buzzy posted of their recent roasts and I wondered if I could get something similar. Theirs are a bit darker, a bit less chaf remaining on the beans. This is my second roast of Guatemalan beans from my current bag:
BD2A5998-E23F-4612-BEA8-D9822E172E1B.jpeg
Probably let them ride for another 30-40 seconds than the previous batch, that ended up like this:
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I’m planning to make cold brew out of the lighter roast in a couple of days. This is the stuff that makes home roasting fun!
 
troutpocket said:
So, I was looking at the photos @Evan B and @Buzzy posted of their recent roasts and I wondered if I could get something similar. Theirs are a bit darker, a bit less chaf remaining on the beans. This is my second roast of Guatemalan beans from my current bag:
View attachment 179818
Probably let them ride for another 30-40 seconds than the previous batch, that ended up like this:
View attachment 179819
I’m planning to make cold brew out of the lighter roast in a couple of days. This is the stuff that makes home roasting fun!
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Nice looking beans, Rod.

I roasted two different beans this morning - both going darker than my usual roasts since it seems my wife and I are on a "darker" roast kick. My wife baked cinnamon rolls this afternoon; a cup of black coffee goes well with a sweet roll.
 
Matt B said:
I am having my first cup of the second half of a one-pound bag of coffee from India that I "coasted" into City roast level. India Yercaud Balmadi Estate. The first half I roasted and gifted in December. I don't recall trying Indian coffee before this, but I gotta say this cup is pretty darn well to my liking for now. I just roasted it yesterday morning so we'll see if it improves/changes over the next couple days. This cup from my aeropress has some healthy acidity on the front end but gives way to nuttier/chocolatier tones. Kind of best of both worlds in a way.
Click to expand...
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Down to the last little bit of the Indian coffee beans. I don’t think India is known for their coffee but I gotta say I really enjoyed this batch quite a lot.

Back to Costa Rica now…
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