Can You Give Me Coffee Suggestions for My Office Taste-Off?

May 9, 2007 9:43 AM

Can you recommend some good gourmet coffees for my company taste-off?

I was recently tasked with finding four or five good coffee samples so that we could have a taste-off in our 50-person office.

If any of you are dazzled by the coffee in your office, can you please let me know what it is?

Requirements:
- tastes delicious
- can be delivered to an office on the East Coast
- fair-trade preferable

posted by jmprice to Food & Drink (23 answers total)

Firstly, don't worry about fair trade. The prices paid to growers for really good coffee is much higher than fair trade prices.

Secondly, Kenneth Davids is your friend.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:48 AM on May 9, 2007

And thirdly, George Howell's stuff is as good as anybody's in the USA.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:50 AM on May 9, 2007

Ancora Coffee Roasters

Seriously, I drink a lot of coffee, and this is the best tasting stuff I've had (no matter where; I'm not just being a local-business-booster, I travel often). Even their decaf is good.
posted by gillyflower at 10:04 AM on May 9, 2007

Starbucks, Cafe Verona or Yukon, bold, awesome taste, and rich, rich aroma. One of my favorites.
posted by winks007 at 10:07 AM on May 9, 2007

When I lived on the east coast and worked in NYC, we used to take turns ordering from Small World Coffee. Top notch quality, and we'd receive it the day after it was roasted. I'm spoiled for life because of that experience.
posted by jclovebrew at 10:14 AM on May 9, 2007

Stumptown. French Roast. French press.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:23 AM on May 9, 2007

Fair trade and organic, absolutely awesome and roasted by my childhood neighbor: Hip Drip. I'd put it up against any coffee in the world. And we're major-league coffee snobs here at bitter-girl HQ!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:32 AM on May 9, 2007

I just picked up some Kauai and a dark roast Colombian Peaberry from Porto Rico in NYC ... and it amazed me.

Crouton is right- Stumptown makes some damn fine coffee too.

If you want to BLOW MINDS, you should get a small sample of medium roast Jamaican Blue Mountain. (Porto had some, it's generally $40-50/lb but worth every dime)
posted by clango at 10:32 AM on May 9, 2007

La Minita is the coffee bean you want. You need search no further. Here is the link that tells the background.

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/05/laminta/

You will have to pick which online purveyor you want to use... I have no recommedation there. Just be sure to grind it yourself. Be sure to post your results. I am curious to see what comes out on top.
posted by bkeene12 at 10:33 AM on May 9, 2007

The best damned coffee I've had in recent years was the no-big-deal Columbian at the Dekalb Farmers Market near Atlanta. I don't think they deliver, but, wow, that was good stuff. You near there? It'd be really interesting to put it up against more expensive brews.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:36 AM on May 9, 2007

My two favorite coffees are Metropolis Coffee's Red Line Espresso and Intelligentsia's Black Cat Espresso. Both are phenomenal and completely destroy anything Starbucks serves. As you might guess, I am an espresso drinker, but both companies make blends designed to be used in drip machines or French Presses that I bet are just as good.

Check out the forums at CoffeeGeek if you need more recommendations--those are some guys who take their coffee seriously.
posted by jtfowl0 at 10:57 AM on May 9, 2007

I'm partial to McNulty's. Unprepossessing as it sounds, the Restaurant Blend (not listed on site, but orderable nonetheless) is excellent.

Hmm, I seem to be very multisyllabic today.
posted by timepiece at 11:00 AM on May 9, 2007

I would suggest Ethiopian Yirgacheffe as a less expensive option than Jamaican Blue Mountain. It's a great coffee. Good luck and post back to list your selections and/or results.
posted by bach at 11:29 AM on May 9, 2007

Peet's French Roast. I can't get enough of it.
posted by radioamy at 11:30 AM on May 9, 2007

Someone beat me to the Peet's. Peet's is so awesome. So are their loose teas.
posted by ninjew at 12:08 PM on May 9, 2007

There was a similar thread about this around here not too long ago, and I'll recommend what here what I did there as well. I am deeply addicted to Bongo Java's (a lovely little chain in Nashville) Mystic Brew. I live in San Francisco, so I know they'll ship it anywhere. All of Bongo's coffees are great, but this is just my particular favorite.
posted by mostlymartha at 12:22 PM on May 9, 2007

Kaladi Brothers. Local roaster in Anchorage, Alaska. But they ship.
posted by jeanmari at 12:30 PM on May 9, 2007

Be aware that in a company your size there will be at least one person who is not a coffee drinker. You might want to consider alternative drinks (gourmet hot chocolate?) for the caffiene-free coworkers.
posted by trinity8-director at 12:43 PM on May 9, 2007

Tons of suggestions in this previous thread. My fave is Gimme! Coffee.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:03 PM on May 9, 2007

also possibly useful; check the archives by clicking on the coffee tag in the top right corner to see more
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:08 PM on May 9, 2007

Intelligentsia for sure. I'm currently addicted to the La Perla de Oaxaca and the Tres Santos Columbian.
posted by thehmmhmm at 3:27 PM on May 9, 2007

Exotic and weird: kopi luwak, or civet coffee. Chocolatey, caramel-y. Terrific, once you get over the fact that the beans are picked out from civet cat droppings. Used to be available on Firebox for the Brits, but not anymore ... I'm sure there's other places online to get it, though.
posted by Xere at 3:39 PM on May 9, 2007

Willoughby's in Connecticut. All their coffee is sold within a few days of roasting and is super fresh. (They ship.)
posted by mingshan at 12:24 PM on May 10, 2007