New, need advice

[Jess]

Hi,

Im just getting into real coffee and Ive read that you need to buy freshly roasted beans (or roast your own) and grind them in a burr grinder, for a fresh, delicious cup of coffee. I also read that freshly roasted beans cant be frozen or refrigerated, and have a fairly short storage life.  Is that correct?

I only have coffee on the weekend as a treat (health reasons prohibit me from partaking in as much as Id really like ) so Im wondering what the person who only needs small quantities of coffee beans does ? Should I buy green beans and roast my own each week?  Just purchase freshly roasted and ground coffee in small quanitites from my local Gloria Jeans?  Or just buy a Nespresso   (just kidding, couldnt resist after reading a few threads on here about pod systems).

Many thanks in advance,

Jess.

[danq]

Re: New, need advice

Hi Jess and welcome to coffeesnobs,

If its a caffeine problem, how about you get Decaf beans from Andy? (Simply click on the BuyBrown logo <<<<<&lt

In my own experience, they are capable of providing excellent espresso, provided you, your grinder and machine do your part. Of course, the beans should be fresh, say, roasted less than three weeks ago.

Best wishes

Daniel

[tysonlt]

Re: New, need advice

Hi,

Welcome to the mad, obsessive world of good coffee!!! I warn you, as others warned me... it is addictive in more ways than just the caffeine!!!

As far as I know, roasting is quite an art and Im not sure how easy it would be to plunge into roasting as a beginning barista - I dont know though, Ive never tried it.

I think you would be best to buy say 250 grams of freshly roasted beans and see how you go. I believe beans in an airtight container in a dark place or away from sunlight or other heat sources, will keep for 2-3 weeks just fine. Then if you only have coffee once a week, you have plenty of beans to play around with the grind!

[scoota_gal]

Re: New, need advice

Welcome Jess!

Great advice guys!

Jess, the only thing I want to add is that roasting is really quite easy. If youve got the cash, a Gene Cafe roaster is very simple to use and only takes about twenty minutes to do a roast. Which is very doable each week! Or if youve not got the cash, you can pick up a popcorn popper pretty cheap and do a roast in that in about...oh...five minutes!

The pod comment was great too by the way... ;D

[Thundergod]

Re: New, need advice

Jess a Popcorn Popper would do the small amounts you need.
They generally can roast between 50 - 100g at a time.

Personally I recommend a Crazy Popper as Ive got some non-electrical modifications any non technical person can do to extend the roast times up to about 15 minutes (can make for a better roast).

As scoota said, roasting is easy.

[jakes]

Re: New, need advice

Just purchase freshly roasted and ground coffee in small quanitites from my local Gloria Jeans?

Just thought I should address this bit of your post as everybody else seems to be giving plenty of good info in relation to roasting your own.

I (and Im sure most, if not all here) would strongly advise against buying roasted beans from Gloria Jeans, mostly because theyre unlikely to actually be freshly roasted. Additionally, ground coffee goes stale very quickly, so if you decide not to go down the roast-your own route, youd be better off looking for a local supplier that can guarantee that their beans are freshly roasted where you can buy whole beans and then grind them yourself at home.

The main problem for buying roasted beans for you is that you only want small quantities and many roasters supply in minimum quantities of 250g - which if you only want 100 or 150g isnt particularly economical (and its not a good option for mail ordering because of the freight costs).

There are a few places Im aware of where you can buy smaller quantities of roasted beans that are not Gloria Jeans (but Im also not sure whether theyre the best for freshness either). Nevertheless, if you could provide your location, people might be able to point you to a sponsor (either to purchase a roaster like the Gene Cafe if you decide to go that way), or to get brown beans that you can try (although again Im not sure many sponsors generally sell less than 250g at a time).

[Dimal]

Re: New, need advice

Nevertheless, if you could provide your location, people might be able to point you to a sponsor (either to purchase a roaster like the Gene Cafe if you decide to go that way), or to get brown beans that you can try (although again Im not sure many sponsors generally sell less than 250g at a time).

Or....

Maybe even another CS member in close proximity who could share some of their home-roasted nirvana with you. You could offer to purchase the odd bag of green to cover costs or to be kept aside for your own consumption. I wouldnt mind doing this for someone like yourself and Im sure many others would feel the same...

Worth a thought....

Mal.

[bolb]

Re: New, need advice

Mal, you are right on the money, i had the same thought reading at post number 3.

I will also make that offer for Jess if they are nearby to my area, i do the same for a few friends.

Mal

[Dimal]

Re: New, need advice

i do the same for a few friends.

Exactly Mal,

I do the same....

Mal.

[jakes]

Re: New, need advice

Or....

Maybe even another CS member in close proximity who could share some of their home-roasted nirvana with you. You could offer to purchase the odd bag of green to cover costs or to be kept aside for your own consumption. I wouldnt mind doing this for someone like yourself and Im sure many others would feel the same...

Worth a thought....

Mal.

Thats a really good idea, Mal. Wish Id though of that myself.