naimnut Senior Member Joined: 13 Jul 2011 Posts: 66 Location: Seattle area Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Brewtus II Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Braun Aeromaster
Posted Wed Feb 1, 2012, 11:01pm Subject: Velton's Coffee - Bansai Blend and Three Ravens Decaf
I have two new favorite coffees, from a micro-roaster in Everett, WA. Has anyone else out there tried Velton's coffee? I think his prices are very reasonable, and now that I know I really like it I expect to be ordering it regularly. I just opened my third package, this one is a lb of three ravens decaf. It is the best decaf I've had, though I expect my new Vario grinder is helping me understand its potential, and I've been constantly improving the consistency of my technique, so some of the credit must be attributed to those factors.
Can anyone explain what the score of 94 by Coffee Review means? Is this actually a meaningful rating by a credible authority? I'm not familiar with these ratings, but I can say that the coffee is delicious.
Hope others who are familiar with this coffee will share their thoughts.
Posted Fri Feb 3, 2012, 9:48am Subject: Re: Velton's Coffee - Bansai Blend and Three Ravens Decaf
Yeah, I've been a fan of Velton's Bonzai blend for a couple of years now. It seems like a lot of espresso blends tend to be towards the dark side, while Velton places his squarely at the medium location on the roaster dial. The flavor to my buds, has fruit notes, with a smooth finish. The crema is also consistently creamy and present. Yummy!
My only gripe is with procurement. I live close enough to drive by and buy. But I can only purchase via mail order and pay about a 50% markup for shipping. But there in lies the rub that so many of us geeks deal with on a weekly basis, for the sake of freshness eh?
naimnut Senior Member Joined: 13 Jul 2011 Posts: 66 Location: Seattle area Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Brewtus II Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: Braun Aeromaster
Posted Sat Feb 4, 2012, 7:11pm Subject: Re: Velton's Coffee - Bansai Blend and Three Ravens Decaf
Craigo - you might be able to arrange to drop by to pick up your coffee in person.
i've talked with Velton several times and my sense was that he would be willing to allow a customer to stop by to pick up coffee in person, but, since he only roasts to order (and never has any extra laying around) you would need to order it in time for him to include it in his roasting schedule. Last week I was not able to get my order in on-line before noon, but called him and told him I wanted to order two pounds of decaf and he said "great, I'll add your two pounds to the batch I'm going to roast."
Since I live a good 50 minutes away from his plant I figure I may just as well pay to have it shipped. But the other thing I've been doing is doubling my order to include a pound for my neighbor so we can split the shipping. That makes it a little easier to accept the added cost of shipping.
Posted Sun Feb 5, 2012, 7:02am Subject: Re: Velton's Coffee - Bansai Blend and Three Ravens Decaf
Just got some Bonsai and Yemen Mokha Harasi from Velton's. They both are superb! I think Bonsai will be a regular for me from now on. I like citrus, sweet high notes in the Bonsai that are balanced out nicely with a smooth base of nutty chocolate. The finish is smooth and I like the lingering sweetness in the aftertaste. Comparing Bonsai to Redbird (another favorite), I would say that the former is definitely brighter and fruitier, while the latter has more of a nutty, caramel chocolate taste.
I agree with the poster who recommended trying the Yemen as a SO espresso. I am sipping a shot now and it is a fruit bomb, with lots of complexity for a SO. I have also brewed it with a CCD and a Hario v60 and it has come out fantastic. The roast is very light and has that unique winey, fruity smell of a Yemen.
Coffee is the common man's gold, and like gold it brings to every man the feeling of luxury and nobility. - Sheik Abd al-Qadir
Gig103 Senior Member Joined: 12 Feb 2012 Posts: 204 Location: Arizona Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Vario Drip: French press!
Posted Wed Jun 13, 2012, 3:48pm Subject: Re: Velton's Coffee - Bansai Blend and Three Ravens Decaf
Craigo87 Said:
Yeah, I've been a fan of Velton's Bonzai blend for a couple of years now. It seems like a lot of espresso blends tend to be towards the dark side, while Velton places his squarely at the medium location on the roaster dial. The flavor to my buds, has fruit notes, with a smooth finish. The crema is also consistently creamy and present. Yummy!
My only gripe is with procurement. I live close enough to drive by and buy. But I can only purchase via mail order and pay about a 50% markup for shipping. But there in lies the rub that so many of us geeks deal with on a weekly basis, for the sake of freshness eh?
It's a few months later but I wonder if you could pick up from Seattle Coffee Gear? I dunno if they mark it up much or not, but might be cheaper than shipping.
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