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Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

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nolken
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Joined: 22 Jan 2013
Posts: 7
Location: Missouri
Expertise: I like coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 12:45pm Subject: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

So I ordered a Bodum press and a Baratza grinder recently, but find myself in a dilemma of what beans to buy and where to buy them. I haven't used either, so I'm considering returning them after reading how many speak of the coffee I have available to me. I'm currently in school, and recently discovered quality coffee, and the wonderful effects that caffeine has on my focusing ability. Now there are no roasters within a 100 mile radius of me, and there are no places to buy coffee other than the grocery stores. Well there is a coffee shop here that sells their blends, but I can't afford the $1.20 per ounce they charge. So the question, Am I better off just getting the cheap beans with no grinder in a cheap brewer, or with cheap(er) beans with a good grinder in a french press? Literally the ONLY whole-bean coffee that is available in my area is Starbucks, 8 o'clock and Kroger Private Selection. Starbucks taste like charcoal, but I haven't tried the others. I can't really afford the online roasters, I can only do $.80 per ounce max. I've been searching the forums for days, and my searches seem to cause me more questions than answers. People seem to not even consider store-bought coffee (for understandable reasons), but that is my only option. I don't drink a lot, so there is no bulk buying for me. I drink about 12 fl oz on an average day, maybe 64 fl oz per week. I'm sure that will increase, but now as a beginning coffee drinker that is where I'm at. This in turn makes internet buying an expensive option for me considering my price:shipping ration is greater. Thanks in advance for the help, I'm new to anything other than Folgers :)

svyerkgeniiy
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
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Location: New York City, NY
Expertise: I love coffee

Espresso: (-ish) Bialetti moka pot
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Vac Pot: Yama (large 8-cup)
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Roaster: Behmor 1600

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 12:59pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

First of all, your goal should be to find what you like, or at least what is acceptable-tasting within your budget. Don't worry about what other people think. Having said that, you should experiment a little bit with different beans as that will give you a much better answer than us guessing for you. If you can afford a good grinder, that will certainly be a better way to go, as grinding whole beans is almost always better than using pre-ground. Consider manual grinders as these are not as expensive (~$40) and give a consistent grind, but require that you take several minutes to grind out enough for a pot. Do some research on the various manual grinders before you buy one. A french press is also a good choice as you have control over both time and temperature-- some store beans may do better with lower temperature water to reduce bitterness. A french press is also relatively cheap and lasts a long time; you may have to replace the filter mesh occasionally. You have to like the french press style of coffee though: a bit of sludge in the bottom of the cup, and a heavier mouth feel. If you get a manual grinder, be sure it does okay for french press (uses a coarser grind and some manual grinders don't do this well). Beyond this, I would encourage you to occasionally stretch out and try something new, like getting a single small shipment of some specialty roast, or trying out a higher-end coffee from somewhere. For me, I enjoy exploring and I don't always limit myself to snobbish conventions. I want to taste bad stuff for myself and not rely on everyone else to do it for me.

Donald Varona

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 2:47pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

Oh! and don't use a whirly-blade grinder for French Press; you can't make the grind consistent enough. It might work for Aeropress, but I don't think you're leaning to that style of coffee.

Donald Varona

nolken
Senior Member

Joined: 22 Jan 2013
Posts: 7
Location: Missouri
Expertise: I like coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 2:53pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

yeah actually i already bought a french press and the baratza encore grinder. I think i'll just stick with that and try to find some coffee that will work for me. I was mainly just wondering if that will do me better than just store bought ground coffee and a drip coffee maker, if it is worth the extra $150 or if i should just wait until i can get something better.

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 3:38pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

For what you are doing, the Baratza is a very good choice. It will be fine for both drip and french press. The problem with most drip coffee makers is that they don't heat the water hot enough (usually they get only to 185F or so, maybe less). You may not taste much difference with a common low-temp drip maker, but you probably will tase it with high-temp water in the press. It is easy to boil the water before you add it to the press-- although technically it should be 195F-205F, but I don't know how much that matters with store beans. If you want it cooler, let it sit for a half minute or more before you pour. I sometimes buy Starbucks or Peet's coffee beans in a pinch-- like when visiting family in central Georgia where I just don't have access to my normal kit. I can put up with poor coffee as long as I have the right dairy and sugar-- gasp! But I can only drink black coffee if it's my own home-roasted or from a high-end roaster that I know is fresh. One problem I find with the shelf coffee is that it is inconsistent-- one bag will be reasonably good, while the other is stale; no expiration date in sight. I have heard that Consumer Reports rated 8 O'Clock coffee highly, but that was with a non-coffeegeek mindset.

Donald Varona

RoyceRuiz
Senior Member

Joined: 31 Mar 2012
Posts: 47
Location: Hollister, CA
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 5:43pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

This might be beyond what you have time for but you could get an air popper and roast your own (then it could be cheap and good). Air popper at goodwill is about $2-$3. Green beans are about .50-.70 per oz.

Cerridwyn
Senior Member

Joined: 6 Jun 2010
Posts: 395
Location: Inland Empire California
Expertise: I live coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 6:44pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

RoyceRuiz Said: This might be beyond what you have time for but you could get an air popper and roast your own (then it could be cheap and good). Air popper at goodwill is about $2-$3. Green beans are about .50-.70 per oz. Posted January 22, 2013 link I like how many of you guys out there enjoy roasting your own, but it tugs my chain when you push it on every newbie. It's not for everyone and is just as likely to chase people away as bring them to your side of the fence. I've been eschewing store bought coffee since before many of you born. I don't roast, and never will. No offense intended cause your comment was milder than most it just was the straw to make me comment about this today.

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nolken
Senior Member

Joined: 22 Jan 2013
Posts: 7
Location: Missouri
Expertise: I like coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 7:02pm
Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

Cerridwyn Said:

I like how many of you guys out there enjoy roasting your own, but it tugs my chain when you push it on every newbie. It's not for everyone and is just as likely to chase people away as bring them to your side of the fence. I've been eschewing store bought coffee since before many of you born. I don't roast, and never will.

Posted January 22, 2013 link

yeah i'm not ready for roasting yet. I may look into it when i graduate, but even then I'll probably just buy roasted.

so what would you recommend I do? save money, suck it up and just do pre-ground and drip until I can afford the good coffee? or stick with what i have?

DragonOrta
Senior Member

Joined: 11 Sep 2012
Posts: 2
Location: Danville, PA
Expertise: I love coffee

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 7:44pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

If you can find Caribou Coffee around you, I would give that a try. They have some medium light roasts that seem to be be good for what they are.

msboo
Senior Member

Joined: 10 Nov 2012
Posts: 107
Location: Kentucky
Expertise: I love coffee

Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso
Drip: Bonavita

Posted Tue Jan 22, 2013, 7:47pm Subject: Re: Store bought beans; Which way am I better off?

OK, although I buy from a good local roaster where I live I'm curious about whole bean coffee in grocery stores. Has anyone here tried 8 O'Clock, Dunkin Donuts, John Conti or any other whole bean brands possibly available? I know roast dates aren't on these, as I've checked them out. I've heard Dunkin Donuts and 8 O'Clock Original is good whole bean but don't know from experience---wish I had tried so could give my opinion, sorry. Nolkin already has a French press and has also invested in a nice grinder---can somebody offer some suggestions to help this young coffee drinker out? I do hate to see anyone get something that ends up tasting bad but you have to start somewhere, especially when on a budget. Hang in there, Nolkin.

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