Ask HN: Where do you buy your coffee beans? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Where do you buy your coffee beans?

3 pointssbolt12 comments

I'm based in the bay area and I typically buy owl's howl espresso beans from sightglass

I love Trader Joe's coffee cans for their balance of quality, price, sustainability (shade grown and organic) and fair trade. I'm not a connoisseur though... good enough for me and less guilty than buying gourmet coffees that just focus on taste over everything else.

I haven't tried TJs, how do you make your coffee?

I have a Jura automatic espresso machine at home. It has a hopper that you put the beans into. When you want a shot, you push a button and it grinds the beans and steams the water and pulls you a shot or two.

It tastes... fine? But not great. Better than your typical gas station coffee, worse than a manual espresso machine. I tried to do a blind taste test with my friend who is a connoisseur and makes his own espresso with precise weights and pressures every morning. Lol the Jura failed horribly, the resulting output just looked so visually different (lost most of the oils) that he couldn't not see the difference even if he tried. And the taste of the stuff he made (from the same batch of beans) was just so incomparably better. I never realized there could be so much difference from preparation alone.

But still, I love my Jura. When I wake up I don't want to spend ten minutes doing math to make my coffee. I can barely push the button and wait 30 secs for it to make it for me, lol. Like I said, totally fine if you can learn to love mediocrity... I find it's a good philosophy for coffee and life alike :)

Edit: and oh normally we'd drink it either as an Americano (espresso and lots of water, basically a lazy man's drip) or with cold oatmilk poured over as an iced latte. The fancier models have steaming wands too so you can make lattes and cappuccinos and such. Never tried though, too fancy lol

Thanks for the detail on your experience. I have a semi-automatic Breville and love it but I see where you’re coming from. At the end of the day it’s about finding the method that works for you. The Jura sounds like an awesome choice for my parents who like you don’t want the hassle of the manual espresso.

I know some folks who love Folgers made in a coffee pot. It wouldn’t be my first choice but it shouldn’t be compared to single origin espresso, it’s just a different drink with its own pros and cons.

The Moka Pot is the best imho. (Bialetti is the brand I use and I've never had issues with it)

Check out Azucar Loca Coffee - https://azucarloca.com Their espresso blend Ayyy Papi is amazing and they have Cafe Cubano which tastes even better than Cuban Coffee.

Grocery store generic beans are fine and cheap. Don't notice a difference between those and the ones that cost 2-3x. However, I'm no connoisseur. Just avoid ground coffee like the plague.

Thanks for chiming in! How do you make your coffee?

I like to find local places that roast their own beans and try them out.

Any favorites that sell online?

Yes. Check this out: https://ascension.coffee/

Here’s a few of my favorites from Virginia!

https://blanchardscoffee.com/ https://www.redroostercoffee.com/ https://www.tbcroasters.com/ https://www.broadporchcoffee.com/ https://grains-of-sense-llc.square.site/#SpcQYl

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