emradguy Senior Member Joined: 31 Mar 2011 Posts: 1,698 Location: Houston Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Izzo Alex Duetto II Grinder: MacapM4T, Macap M4, OE Lido,... Drip: Espro press; Aeropress Roaster: internet
Posted Fri Jan 4, 2013, 6:29pm Subject: Re: Samples?
actually it wasn't a question, and I did see the previous post before I wrote it. But truthfully, I really don't see much of a difference between a subscription service that changes the offerings each month and just buying something new and different every so often...and the HB list of favorites is likely to have a lot of positive hits in the satisfaction department. but hey, I've never tried these other services that collect beans for redistribution, so...to each their own.
Look, the sampler beans I mentioned earlier bloom just fine when you grind and brew them. Also, a few times I've bought full bags of beans (shipped directly from the roasters, arriving 2-3 days post-roast) after having tried them in a sampler, and I didn't notice any striking differences in flavor profile. I think we can agree that ideally it's best to get coffee as fresh as possible and enjoy as it ages on our watch as opposed to someone else's. However, remember that what you get with Craft/MistoBox/etc. are small quantities that can be consumed quickly. For some, though clearly not for you, there's real value added in curated samplers.
To the OP, Matt: if I were you I'd take auxpomme up on his generous offer to ship you a few of his home roasts for the cost of shipping! Just be careful in case he includes some sort of self-destruct mechanism in the valve bags so that they spontaneously combust after two weeks... ;)
auxpomme Senior Member Joined: 5 Mar 2012 Posts: 88 Location: los angeles
Posted Sat Jan 5, 2013, 12:08am Subject: Re: Samples?
However, remember that what you get with Craft/MistoBox/etc. are small quantities that can be consumed quickly
still need to consume 12oz right? If you do that slowly, you could easily end up with 21 day old product. One thing I didn't concede is that it's $6.20 to ship a pound via priority. So factoring that in, it's closer to $25/lb plus $6.20 shipping which is on the expensive side but you do get 3 (old) different coffees to try and I supposed some could find value in that.
hankua Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2009 Posts: 204 Location: Jacksonville, Florida Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Salvatore One Black Grinder: Pharos,Rossi RR45OD, Lido,... Drip: CCD Roaster: Yang-Chia 800n
Posted Sat Jan 5, 2013, 7:05am Subject: Re: Samples?
Mistobox is a good deal because of the pricing. But getting 50g of single origin coffee is probably not enough for most home baristas. It does work great in a drip machine or pourover and very educational if your a home roaster. How does your home roast stack up against the pros? Get the Mistobox and find out.
Posted Sat Jan 5, 2013, 8:37pm Subject: Re: Samples?
Agreed. Speaking of MistoBox, in case anyone's curious it's $15 monthly (including USPS First Class shipping) for four 2-oz. samples (so 8 oz. total). They do have a coupon on their site that makes the first box only $5, just fyi. Not a fanboy, just a factboy.
Posted Fri Jan 25, 2013, 6:00am Subject: Re: Samples?
emradguy Said:
I don't see any problem just getting the smallest bag available from any of the roasters on the HB "list of favorites". btw, has anyone been through ALL of the roasters on the HB list?
Hello! I like this discussion! I am relatively new to "good" espresso. I have a Starbucks (Saeco) Barista Home Espresso Machine, and improving my quality of coffee is quickly becoming my new hobby, since I bought a grinder with Christmas money. (I got the Breville Smart Grinder) I have since learned that the coffee I have been buying is stale and doesn't produce "good" espresso. So, now that I have a grinder, and I have de-pressurized my portafilter and learned many of the techniques, I'm in the market for a fresh-roasted coffee provider, whose flavor I love.
SO..... My question is what is this "HB list of favorites" that you reference?? I haven't heard of it. I would love to have a list of recommended suppliers I can experiment with. I DO like the idea of having several samples to try side-by-side. But I have learned that you need a good amout of beans to dial in your extraction before you can really judge the coffee. So, for now I'm taking the one-pound-at-a-time approach to find a flavor I like, and would very much benefit from this HB list you speak of.
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