Difference between gourmet coffee and regular coffee?

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glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Ok, so JBM sucks, so where can you get really good coffee?
Generally considered tamoung the best coffee in the world is http://www.laminita.com.
It sells for about $5 a pound green, if the owner, Bill McAlpine will sell you a 300 pound bag. There is a long list of folks waiting to buy his coffee, but you can get it buy the pound from resellers online. Unless you want to roast your own, try buying any freshly roasted Costa Rican coffee.
 

beer

Lifer
Jun 27, 2000
11,169
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Honestly, I am not impressed with anything Starbucks or Seattle's Best brews. The coffee is adequete but no coffee is worth $10 or more per pound. This is especially true given that most farmers are paid less than $1 a pound for their coffee that is sold at $10+ per pound, with absolutely nothing more than packaging. If you're blatently goign to exploit third world farmers, feel happy that you are paying 5-10x or more than the canned grocery store stuff. The farmers probably got paid about the same for both.
 

Siddhartha

Lifer
Oct 17, 1999
12,505
3
81
Originally posted by: Elemental007
Honestly, I am not impressed with anything Starbucks or Seattle's Best brews. The coffee is adequete but no coffee is worth $10 or more per pound. This is especially true given that most farmers are paid less than $1 a pound for their coffee that is sold at $10+ per pound, with absolutely nothing more than packaging. If you're blatently goign to exploit third world farmers, feel happy that you are paying 5-10x or more than the canned grocery store stuff. The farmers probably got paid about the same for both.

I doubt the farmer is getting as much as a $1 a pound.

But coffee has to go through three or four sets of hands from the farmer to being on the retailer's shelf. All those people have to make a living.

 

beer

Lifer
Jun 27, 2000
11,169
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$1 per pound is more or less the 'fair trade' coffee cutoff.

Most starbucks blends (except one) are non fair-trade. Hence, that is why I said, "less than" $1/pound.
 

flxnimprtmscl

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2003
7,962
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Hmmm...

<--- sits here drinking his cup of folgers... looks around... feels indequate :p

Perhaps it's time I broaden my coffee horizons :)
 

LS20

Banned
Jan 22, 2002
5,858
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how good or bad is gevalia considered?

i bought their deal for a 8-cup maker and 4 lbs (2 bags) of gevalia coffee for 10$..too good of an offer to pass up
 

rgwalt

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2000
7,393
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Originally posted by: Squisher
I've had some coffees that rivaled Jamaican Blue Mountain in taste.

The problem with a lot of gourmet coffees is that are usually expensive and therefore don't move too well in the store and tend to get stale sitting on the shelf. Spent $50/lb. on Jamaican Blue Mountain the last time I bought it.

This is why it is important to try and buy from a local shop that roasts their own beans.

Also, don't be fooled by gourmet flavored coffees. These are typically a lot more expensive, and are just regular coffee with flavoring added.

I've had Blue Mountain, and it is good. However, it is way too expensive to buy all the time. I buy Tanzanian Peaberry when I can get it freshly roasted. Tanzanian is some good stuff...

Ryan
 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
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Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Those are just words. Don't pay attention to them. The best coffee I've ever had is CDM. Cafe du Monde. It's like $.69 per bag at the grocery stores in the deep south.
FYI, CDM isn't what they serve at Cafe du Monde, even though that's where the name came from...confusing, huh?

I drink this stuff. I guess you could consider it gourmet...I could care less what it's called, it's the best coffee I've ever tried and reasonably priced enough for me.