Azehn Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 82 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Jun 11, 2010, 9:51am Subject: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
I was in Target and happened to walk past the coffee aisle and thought I'd have a look just to see what was there and was a little surprised....
Target brand (Archer Farms) Bolivia Cafe Monterrey Cup of Excellence beans!
Nothing about roasting date and I didn't buy any so can't comment on how good it is.....but at the very least this seems promising in terms of awareness of quality coffee going more mainstream - although I guess Starbucks and their premium brands are doing similar things.....(Archer Farms) is the Target "premium" in store food brand.
Azehn Senior Member Joined: 19 Apr 2010 Posts: 82 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Fri Jun 11, 2010, 10:17am Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
Interesting....I should have checked for the earlier thread.....
Some Target stores have fresh(ish) fruit and veg now so in theory there seems no reason why they couldn't have freshly roasted coffee delivered weekly.....not that I expect them to do it any time soon as %99.8 of people have probably never even heard of coffee roast dates....
fwtechwiz Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2010 Posts: 522 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Evolution Grinder: Hario Skerton
Posted Fri Jun 11, 2010, 2:55pm Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
I am still working through a 12 oz. bag of Ethiopian Virgacheffe I got last week from Target, and it's pretty good too. A lighter roast, mild with fruit and flower tastes, but surprisingly holds up well for a cappuccino too. I still find myself drinking more of it as straight espresso though.
I was in Target just today, and noticed they move the 'older' beans to the top shelf and put them on clearance, so they really do try to keep a relatively fresh stock. Though no roast dates on any of their stuff. I'll be trying more of Archer Farms varieties, for sure. But first, I'm pining for a kilo of Black Pearl from CC, gotta try that!
Cerridwyn Senior Member Joined: 6 Jun 2010 Posts: 395 Location: Inland Empire California Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Wed Jun 23, 2010, 7:47pm Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
For inexpensive beans they are not bad at all. I bought... forget which one. It was pretty decent. One of theirs, again, I forget which, and not one of the Cup of Excellence ones actually got a decent rating in coffeereview.com
Posted Mon Aug 16, 2010, 1:58pm Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
I thought I'd give this a shot (pun intended). The coffee has a satisfaction guarantee, so there's no risk.
Best by date was 15 Feb 2011, with a code underneath it of 49500. The insert promises flavors of plum, cherry, & spice; crisp & balanced acidity; floral, jasmine aroma.
What I got using a clever coffee dripper with 18g coffee and 300g water was mild, sweet, and generally unremarkably pleasant. Definitely no fruits or spice. Aroma was similarly unremarkable.
Pulling a shot resulted in a slightly astringent cup with high brightness, but again, no forward fruits but a background sweetness. Crema was weak and lacking.
Considering the care that likely went into producing a #3 COE coffee, it is a disappointment that either (1) the coffee was roasted improperly or (MUCH more likely) (2) it had gone stale on the shelf. If the best by date is 9 months after roasting, it was roasted 3 months ago. I called the Target customer service people to see if I can find out how to decipher the roast date - they will call back and if they tell me I'll post it here.
I got my money back from Target, so no monetary loss. But still a disappointment.
Dana Leighton - Espresso hack and CoffeeGeek moderator
Posted Mon Aug 16, 2010, 2:19pm Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
I purchased the #2 Colombia Bellavista and the #17 Costa Rica El Cedaral COE in the past from Target/Archer farms and did like what I tasted from these beans. The roaster is Coffee Bean International and they do have a good reputation in the industry. I saw two versions in My local Target - the #3 Cafe Monterrey with a 91.62 cupping score and #18 Cafe Flor de Mayo with a 85.24 cupping score from the 2009 auction. I agree the inclusion of a roast date would be nice, but I would have bought some any way if I did not already have some good beans from the 2009 Bolivian auction.
I chew coffee beans with my teeth while gargling with 195 F water to enjoy coffee. What is this "coffee brewing" device you speak of?
Posted Thu Aug 19, 2010, 2:10pm Subject: Re: Target brand Cup of Excellence beans!
Got an email back from Target. It said the roasting date is 1 year prior to the best-by date. That will give us a good idea of how fresh they are in the future.
Dana Leighton - Espresso hack and CoffeeGeek moderator
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