LeonardoCiampa Senior Member Joined: 22 Oct 2008 Posts: 23 Location: Cambridge, MA Expertise: Pro Barista
Posted Thu Sep 3, 2009, 6:51am Subject: George Howell vs. Allegro
Friends,
I used to buy GH but now have been buying Allegro, because frankly it's more practical. (I can go to Whole Foods and scoop a few ounces at a time.)
To my tongue, which undoubtedly isn't nearly as sophisticated as many of yours, the quality of Allegro seems comparable to GH. Am I speaking heresy? Am I likening NKOTB to J. S. Bach in making this statement? Or is Allegro well thought-of in the business?
Posted Thu Sep 3, 2009, 6:00pm Subject: Re: George Howell vs. Allegro
I've tried 4-5 of the Allegro beans my local Whole Foods roasts in store & I finally just gave up as they were all disappointing. The coffees from Terroir are exceptional but I haven't tried any of the ghh Select roasts yet. Which one were you refering to?
andtheodor Senior Member Joined: 13 May 2008 Posts: 54 Location: Fort Collins, CO Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Yes Grinder: Yes Vac Pot: Yes
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 8:46am Subject: Re: George Howell vs. Allegro
Allegro has a vastly different target market than Terroir does. That said, Allegro sources many exceptional coffees too. If you're having difficulty discriminating between a Howell, PTs, Counter Culture, and Allegro coffee it might just be that they are the same coffee. Whole Foods customers aren't yet interested in 'boutique' microlot or S.O. coffees so they are not advertised that way.
LeonardoCiampa Senior Member Joined: 22 Oct 2008 Posts: 23 Location: Cambridge, MA Expertise: Pro Barista
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 9:59am Subject: Re: George Howell vs. Allegro
Interesting, so you do not necessarily agree with Wenus2?
The reason I had migrated to Allegro was because, with espresso, I don't grind that much coffee. It seemed to make sense to buy only c. $2 worth at a time.
However, Wenus2 inspired me to go back to George Howell. It really is night and day, to my palette. Allegro French vs. GH French -- wow. No comparison.
How would you folks rate New England Coffee Company? Compared to, say, Allegro? I have an opinion, but I'll withhold it for the moment.
interference Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 70 Location: TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Quickmill Andreja Premium Grinder: Mazzer Mini
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 10:04am Subject: Re: George Howell vs. Allegro
The Allegro coffees from the scoop bins are not very good at my Whole Foods. They certainly aren't as fresh as the valve-bagged beans that come from Terroir. Terroir is extremely conscientious about freshness at every step from farm to cup.
Even though my Whole Foods roasts the coffee in-store, they bins say "Filled On" instead of the "Roasted On"... the only time I've had good luck with Allegro was to come on a roasting morning and get them to fill my bag directly from the roaster. Something is lost in translation when the coffee sits out in those bins.
Also, quality micro-roasting is a manual process that requires experience and a watchful eye on each batch. The in-store Allegro roasters are small scale air roasters that follow a push-button program.
I wanted to like Allegro, for convenience sake and to save on shipping. But ultimately I gave in and started mail-ordering from the best roasters in the country, and haven't looked back since.
Finally, if Allegro and Terroir taste the same to you, I wouldn't blame your taste buds. I would probably blame your grinder or coffeemaker. When the coffee is brewed by a well-trained barista on commercial equipment (i.e. Ditting grinder, Clover or manual pourover brew, etc)... the difference between coffees becomes starkly obvious ("This coffee tastes like grapefruit! This one tastes like peanuts and cardboard!")
All that said, Allegro is a good company and no one should talk you out of drinking what you like. But if the question is "is there more out there" - the answer is probably yes and the solution is to sample some single origin coffees at a well-regarded 3rd wave shop if you have the opportunity.
Yes, that was exactly my desire, as well. Being right there at Whole Foods, the beans and scoopers and bags right in front of me... But GH just simply blows them right out of the water.
But your post was very clear, informative, and accurate. I thank you for it.
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