Help finding great coffee!

I live in the land of coffee but do not drink it. I am looking to add some to my Bingle Buddy basket and since i don't know anything about coffee I need help. I am not looking for a brand but I want to know more about origins and roasts. Any specific coffees that are particularly good? Options are good. Hopefully my buddy will chime in and it will be specific.

Different regions are going to have different tastes.

Taste is a personal thing.

What I like may not be what anyone else enjoys.

Why not a regional sampler?

Africa: Ethiopian or Kenya AA

Central America: Costa Rica

South America: Colombian

Asia: Sumatran

I'd suggest that what you need to find is not so much great coffee, but a great retail source for coffee.

That is, find a well-regarded local store offering a wide variety of coffee beans and blends, with the beans roasted by this operation, and then let a competent employee answer your questions, encourage you to sniff the beans, show you side-by-side differences between different types, etc.

Yes, doing research and shopping online has definite merits, in lots of fields. But when it comes to coffee, a local, physical store can be of immense value. And given that you're in Seattle, well, I wouldn't think you'd have too hard a time finding such a local resource.

BTW, I'm unfamiliar with the term "Bingle Buddy." And a quick online search on the term didn't really clear up things for me (beyond telling me about an Australian insurance company). Is this some sort of Secret Santa type thing?

I get what both of you are saying. I was hoping you guys would tell me what kind of coffees you like. I am aware of ymmv.

If you are shooting in the dark and buying one bag, I recommend getting something from South America either from Brazil or Colombia, roasted medium. That should be in the safe zone of what most people consider as "coffee". If you are getting a second coffee variety I would add something from Africa, roasted medium as well. Anything more then it is probably best to give a gift card so that your Bingle Buddy can chose their own variety and get something freshly roasted.

Try some of the single origin coffees from your local boutique roaster

We like the Ethiopian Coffees like Yirgacheffe, Sidamo. The Brazilian coffees are nice too..
Our all time favorite was the Sumatran Mandheling, a horrible looking coffee when green but man does it taste good. It has been hard to get the last few years.

Get as fresh as you can and avoid supermarket coffee while its better than instant, and will do in a pinch, its mostly stale...

I agree with the sentiment for shopping at a local, brick and mortar coffee roaster. A good roaster will have a "roasted on" date for all their coffees. Roasted coffee does not age gracefully so you want to purchase just prior to shipping and from a batch no more than two or three days old.

I have no first-hand knowledge of Seattle area roasters so take the following with a grain of salt but here are some names of roasters I've heard favorably mentioned on coffee forums: Espresso Vivace (espresso blends specialist), Slate, Red Door (in Everett), Ladro, Elm Coffee Roasters, Lighthouse and Kuma Coffee.

Unless you know that your recipient prefers them I would avoid very dark roasts (usually labelled French, Italian or Southern Italian). Medium roasts typically labelled as Full City or FC are probably the safest bet for an unknown audience. Personally, I'd be happy to get mottled looking bag of an Ethiopian natural roasted to just City but many people might be less pleased.

When it come to geographic origins my personal taste leans toward Indonesia coffees including Sumatras, Guatemalan coffees, Ethiopian coffees and East African coffees (Kenya is the most famous origin but I've also had good coffees from Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi. That, however, is just my taste and as [MENTION=47553]turtle[/MENTION] notes: "Taste is a personal thing. What I like may not be what anyone else enjoys."

Just realize that $$$ is actually everything (from reputable vendors) Kona can cost $10 a lbs, or $50 lbs, depending on the grade. Just ask when you are at your local coffee house/store.

Single origin Columbian peaberry mixed with a little cream is better in my opinion than starbucks with 12 sugars in it or whatever they try to pass as coffee these days

If its me, I like strong coffee. Dark roast, extra bold!

12345Michael54321 said:

BTW, I'm unfamiliar with the term "Bingle Buddy." And a quick online search on the term didn't really clear up things for me........ Is this some sort of Secret Santa type thing?

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Yes, it's B&B's own Secret Santa exchange. This is our third year.

Mr. Bingle Presents Reindeer & Sleigh

I personally prefer the lighter roasts from when I use to home roast. The longer the coffee beans are roasted the more oils are burnt off but in saying that some varieties benefit from longer roast times.

Home roasting is fun I started with a hot air paint stripper and some green beans. It's so easy.

It's cool--very cool--that you want to find out what might be best for your Bingle Buddy. However, it's sort of like asking folks what sort of music is best. It's largely a matter of taste. About the closest thing to a universal answer you'll find around here is that we most like coffee that is freshly roasted (up to about 2-3 weeks or so from the roast), freshly ground (ground within seconds of brewing), and freshly brewed. After that, things start going all over the place.

As mentioned, different coffee growing regions vary quite a bit in flavors. However, Colombian and Costa Rican coffees get a lot of love, so that could be fairly safe. You'll see a lot of folks list Costa Rican coffee (especially Timana) among their favorites. After that, Ethiopian, Kenyan, or Tanzanian coffees get plenty of smiles.

As for a roast, a medium or medium-dark roast usually is pretty safe. If it's not your Bingle Buddy's favorite, then it'll be close. However, the roaster probably has worked with that bean and come up with an optimal roast for it.

As for a roaster, well, I don't know how much specific advice you'll get on that unless another local comes on board to give it. There are more roasters in Seattle than you can shake a stick at. As advised, you might just want to walk into one or two stores and start asking and (if you're lucky) tasting a bit.

Be careful, man. You just might fall down another rabbit hole!

I think I asked the wrong questions. I am hoping people will chime in and tell their favorites. Top 3 even, maybe one of those will be my bingle buddy. 😀

I was thinking along the same lines as Texlaw ...FRESH roasted ANYTHING will be an AWSOME gift. If your Bingle buddy is an adventurous guy/gal then you can get beans from around the world. Generally the stuff in stores is either Colombian or Arabica. I like Arabica but most restaurant type stuff is Columbian...it's ok but to me the Arabica is more fun.
As far as "brands" to buy, I know everyone thinks Starbucks is the place to go, and it can be pretty good stuff (mostly because it's fresh I think) BUT it isn't necessary the coffee I want to get. If I am your Bingle buddy I would prefer something other than Starbucks. I personally like medium-dark and dark roasts. A lot of guys like Kona, the 100% kona is tasty stuff BUT for me it's over rated.
B&B has a vendor (west coast coffee roasters) that I remember people liking but I've never tried any of their stuff.

My recommendation it to find anything FRESH and whole bean

Mexican chiapas
Guatemalan
Ethiopian
Columbian
I'm not in the exchange, but these are my favorites.

I can't tell them apart (There was one type that was really sour and biggest beans you seen.It wasn't one of two more common types).. But https://www.lacolombe.com has some good rare coffee and more then likely true..

Kona
Sumatra
Monsoon Malabar

It's an acquired taste, but coffee blends that contain "Torrefacto" are a quirky addition
It all started in 1930s Spain, due to a shortage of coffee beans.
Sugar was added prior to roasting, partly as a preservative to protect the precious supply of coffee beans, but mainly to add extra weight so they could bulk out the precious supply of coffee beans
Torrefacto beans are jet black and very shiny - almost like onyx, and have a very strong, intense flavour
The Torrefacto beans were then blended with natural coffee beans and ground together
Torrefacto coffee changed the Spanish palate and to this day are added to coffee in Spain
Natural coffee is also available, but "Mezcla" or blended coffees are readily available with anywhere from 20% to 50% Torrefacto beans in the mix

adamchur said:

The Torrefacto beans were then blended with natural coffee beans and ground together
Torrefacto coffee changed the Spanish palate and to this day are added to coffee in Spain
Natural coffee is also available, but "Mezcla" or blended coffees are readily available with anywhere from 20% to 50% Torrefacto beans in the mix

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Interesting. That's very much like the chicory coffee I grew up with.

TexLaw said:

Interesting. That's very much like the chicory coffee I grew up with.

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You too? Coffee that will grow hair on your tongue! Stand a spoon up in it!

Made me lean towards extra strong coffee for the rest of my life.

Chicory and beignets, c'est bon.