Baratza Purchased - Roasted Coffee Recommendations?

A few weeks back I posted about using a wire basket in my Mr. Coffee and how it improved my daily cup. Purchased an Aeropress with some Amazon credit, and holy smokes, what a difference, even with my pre-ground Chock Full.

Just went full Coffee AD and purchased a refurbed Baratza Encore. I was originally going to go with a hand grinder, but realized that I will forever be a coffee drinker and that investing in a decent grinder was money well spent.

Now that I have a grinder on the way, I'm looking for some recommendations on some roasted beans. I have AJ's Coffee and Happy Mug scribbled down from reading a few threads. What are your favorite places to order beans online?

If anyone in the Chicago area has local places they enjoy, I'd love to hear that too.

If you are in Chicago try Intelligenstia. I love their Black Cat Espresso.

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/locations

As already mentioned, look into Intelligenstia. I'm sure there's plenty of local roasters that are top notch.
If you want to purchase via mail, there's such a huge selection. I'm a fan of Supersonic, Cartel Coffee Lab, Coava, Heart, and Portola. I have some great local options like Blue Copper, whom also accommodate mailorder.

What neighborhood are you in, Ryan?

Parjay said:

What neighborhood are you in, Ryan?

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I'm over in Bucktown. I had a feeling you might have some recommendations, RJ, just forgot to do a mention!

domzals1 said:

I'm over in Bucktown. I had a feeling you might have some recommendations, RJ, just forgot to do a mention!

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Shoot, we are neighbors! I am next door in Wicker Park.

Check out Ipsento on Western just North of Milwaukee Ave. There is an Intelligensia on Ashland and Division that is very nice too.

I know that you are set on a grinder, but I have some extra pour over stuff if you want to branch out.

Parjay said:

Shoot, we are neighbors! I am next door in Wicker Park.

Check out Ipsento on Western just North of Milwaukee Ave. There is an Intelligensia on Ashland and Division that is very nice too.

I know that you are set on a grinder, but I have some extra pour over stuff if you want to branch out.

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Howdy, ho, neighbor! I just saw some stuff about Ipsento on a quick Google search for Chicago roasters. Looks good. I love supporting small businesses in the area, and purchasing some roasted beans to brew at home from local roasters in the area would do that and feed my coffee addiction.

I'm out in San Francisco right now but I will PM you when I get back to borrow some of your pour over stuff.

domzals1 said:

What are your favorite places to order beans online?

If anyone in the Chicago area has local places they enjoy, I'd love to hear that too.

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I'm not in Chicago but you definitely have plenty of good local options. What did you like about Chock Full versus other stuff you tried? What are you specifically looking for from your coffee? It's not just about finding a good roaster but beans and roast that are suited to your palate.

Of course, I say that and get my beans shipped in even though I have a number of good local options. I just happened to run across a blend that I really liked for lattes while traveling.

takeshi said:

I'm not in Chicago but you definitely have plenty of good local options. What did you like about Chock Full versus other stuff you tried? What are you specifically looking for from your coffee? It's not just about finding a good roaster but beans and roast that are suited to your palate.

Of course, I say that and get my beans shipped in even though I have a number of good local options. I just happened to run across a blend that I really liked for lattes while traveling.

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I'll be the first to admit my coffee tastebuds are not developed in the slightest. I think I can pick up some nice chocolatey, nutty notes in the Chock Full. I wouldn't say I'm a huge hazelnut guy (when it came to hazelnut creamers or pre ground) but I drink my coffee black and like it a little bit brighter, lighter, and nuttier.

Even when brewed in my Mr Coffee, Chock Full seemed less sour and smoother than my old stand by (Foldgers Breakfast Blend)

Intelligentsia is one of the best roasters in the country. Metropolis is another good local resource for you.

jazzguy said:

Intelligentsia is one of the best roasters in the country. Metropolis is another good local resource for you.

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Thanks for the Metropolis recommendation, Sam. The list of Chicago-based roasters to try grows!

Make sure you try Big Shoulders Coffee at the corner of Chicago and Milwaukee - highly recommended.
La Colombe , next to the Damen Blue Line station, is also well worth checking out.

WesternModern said:

Make sure you try Big Shoulders Coffee at the corner of Chicago and Milwaukee - highly recommended.
La Colombe , next to the Damen Blue Line station, is also well worth checking out.

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Thanks for the recommendations, Garry. I had seen Big Shoulders come up in various local coffee shop rankings, so it's good to see a B&B endorsement. I live in Bucktown and very close to the Damen L stop, so La Colombe is super close.

Where did you end up going for your roasted and what SO did you end up with?

turtle said:

Where did you end up going for your roasted and what SO did you end up with?

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I ended up heading over to Ipsento as it's extremely close to my apartment. Went at 9am on a Saturday and the place was absolutely packed. Obviously they have a very strong local following!

Went with a bag of the El Salvador. So far, I've been blown away by the results of grinding fresh roasted beans in the morning coupled with the Aeropress. SWMBO was extremely skeptical with a new "obsession sourced from that online place you spend so much time" but couldn't deny how great the coffee tasted. Her only gripe is how much longer it takes compared to an auto drip. I, on the other hand, have no issue adding an extra 10 minutes to my alarm in the morning to brew a cup for the train.



Really appreciate all the advice here! I wrote everything down and will slowly be working my way through the roasters to find my favorite!

domzals1 said:

I ended up heading over to Ipsento as it's extremely close to my apartment. Went at 9am on a Saturday and the place was absolutely packed. Obviously they have a very strong local following!

Went with a bag of the El Salvador. So far, I've been blown away by the results of grinding fresh roasted beans in the morning coupled with the Aeropress. SWMBO was extremely skeptical with a new "obsession sourced from that online place you spend so much time" but couldn't deny how great the coffee tasted. Her only gripe is how much longer it takes compared to an auto drip. I, on the other hand, have no issue adding an extra 10 minutes to my alarm in the morning to brew a cup for the train.

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Really appreciate all the advice here! I wrote everything down and will slowly be working my way through the roasters to find my favorite!

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That's the first coffee we got from Ipsento too! They are the first roaster I've experienced where I really pick up on their tasting notes.

Glad you enjoyed some local flavor.

domzals1 said:

I ended up heading over to Ipsento as it's extremely close to my apartment. Went at 9am on a Saturday and the place was absolutely packed. Obviously they have a very strong local following!

Went with a bag of the El Salvador. So far, I've been blown away by the results of grinding fresh roasted beans in the morning coupled with the Aeropress. SWMBO was extremely skeptical with a new "obsession sourced from that online place you spend so much time" but couldn't deny how great the coffee tasted. Her only gripe is how much longer it takes compared to an auto drip. I, on the other hand, have no issue adding an extra 10 minutes to my alarm in the morning to brew a cup for the train.

Really appreciate all the advice here! I wrote everything down and will slowly be working my way through the roasters to find my favorite!

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Don't poo poo the auto drip method of making coffee.

I have scores of choices on how to brew coffee and 90% of the time I fire up my commercial Bunn and have GREAT coffee

turtle said:

Don't poo poo the auto drip method of making coffee.

I have scores of choices on how to brew coffee and 90% of the time I fire up my commercial Bunn and have GREAT coffee

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Now that's a great auto drip! I definitely don't have such a beauty, but used the old Mr Coffee for longer than I can remember.

Any advice on how to get the best from an auto drip?

domzals1 said:

Now that's a great auto drip! I definitely don't have such a beauty, but used the old Mr Coffee for longer than I can remember.

Any advice on how to get the best from an auto drip?

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You need one that will heat the water enough to make good coffee.

Run your Mr. coffee and stick an instant read thermo in the coffee stream as it leaves the basket.

You should see 190-195 which equates to around 200 degrees coming out of the boiler. The temp should stay stable through out the brew cycle.

If you don't get a reading that high or it goes down during brewing, descale using a 2 tbl of citric acid to a carafe of cold water through the machine.

IF after descaling you still can't get a high enough temp, you need to look for a new machine.

If you have good stable brew temps, rinse your filter with hot water before you add the grounds, then take the pre-warmed basket with grounds to the machine and brew right away.

turtle said:

You need one that will heat the water enough to make good coffee.

Run your Mr. coffee and stick an instant read thermo in the coffee stream as it leaves the basket.

You should see 190-195 which equates to around 200 degrees coming out of the boiler. The temp should stay stable through out the brew cycle.

If you don't get a reading that high or it goes down during brewing, descale using a 2 tbl of citric acid to a carafe of cold water through the machine.

IF after descaling you still can't get a high enough temp, you need to look for a new machine.

If you have good stable brew temps, rinse your filter with hot water before you add the grounds, then take the pre-warmed basket with grounds to the machine and brew right away.

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I have a hunch the old girl is about as stable as my college exgirlfriend who adored fuzzy navels, but I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best. I work from home on Fridays so sounds like an experiment for tomorrow morning.

Thanks Mick