tch1337 Senior Member Joined: 5 Sep 2006 Posts: 17 Location: USA Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Oct 8, 2006, 12:34pm Subject: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
Well after an article in the Lansing State Journal mentioned The Coffee Barrel in Okemos is roasting fresh and selling out of their mysterious blue building on Jolly Rd. I was intrigued.
I had driven by the place a few times, but I had no idea what they did exactly, as there is no sign in front saying they have a retail operation going. I was initially kind of worried since the article mentioned they carry a wide variety of flavored coffees, but I was willing to give it a shot.
I walk in and ask how fresh the beans were, they answered , "They are roasted right here." well , I was really wanting to know how many days old, but anyway i wasn't going to press the issue. I asked the guy working there what he drank (fog cutter blend) I lost my menu so I forgot what the blend was of. But anyway, took it home. And wow! Great coffee, finally the coffee I have been looking for. So bottom line is they have a huuuuge selection and reasonable prices and the coffee is good and fresh, so I highly reccomend.
Posted Sun Oct 8, 2006, 6:11pm Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
Wooo! This guy... right here... I'm pretty excited, not gunna lie. I will be heading up to visit Great No. Roasting Company here pretty soon to do some work on a Cyncra and a Clover (also very excited about that) and so I will probably stop in up there and see what they have going on.
Did they have a good selection of SO, and were there any CoE coffees? Just curious. And also, do they have a website that I'm not seeing? A quick yahoo search gave me nothing, and I'm just wondering if perhaps I'm not seeing it or something.
Thanks for the info!!
-Bry
Bryan Wray
"I just hope that people realize that coffee is not just a caffeine delivery service, it can be a culinary art." -Christopher Owens
Posted Wed Oct 11, 2006, 8:24am Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
Thanks for the info and additional links!
FYI: SO=Single Origin (not a blend, but just from one farm or region in a country)
CoE= Cup of Excellence. If you are unaware of what CoE is all about here is their site.
Yeah, here on CG (that's coffeegeek) we can get a little trigger happy on the abbreviations. Everytime you get confused, just ask and everyone is happy to help, and there is no judgement. When I first started it took me a long time to get used to all of the abbreviations on this site. LM=La Marzocco, PP=Presurized Portafilter, NP=Non-Presurized Portafilter, the list goes on and on. Give it time and you will start to be able to read over the threads and understand all of our geekdom.
Have a great day and again, thanks for the info
-Bry
Bryan Wray
"I just hope that people realize that coffee is not just a caffeine delivery service, it can be a culinary art." -Christopher Owens
tch1337 Senior Member Joined: 5 Sep 2006 Posts: 17 Location: USA Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu Oct 12, 2006, 9:32am Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
OK, I'm back - I went again to the Coffee Barrel to pick up some more beans, and this time got a menu to take with me.
I'll name the most expensive coffees from the menu here with description -
Hawaiin Blend - Hawaiian beans blended with mild Central American so the light, mellow, sweet taste is not altered. Like our 100% but a little less pricey ($10.26/lb)
Hawaiin Roayle - The only coffee grown in the U.S. Light and mellow with a nice sweet overtone. 100% Hawaiian from the island of Kauai. $14.90/lb
Jamaican Blue Mountain - $35.35/lb
Kenya AA - $9.85/lb
Celebes Kalossi - Similar to sumatran although not as rich but full-bodied with a bit more acid and flavor. $9.48/lb
Altogether they have about 35 varieties of regular beans. And 80 varieties of flavored coffee if you like that sort of thing.
I bought some Kenya AA this time, we'll see how that is.
Posted Thu Oct 12, 2006, 3:48pm Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
Thank you again for the very informative post. It sounds like they have some good things happening. I think that you will like the Kenya AA very much. I'm not sure what kind of coffee you like, as in what you look for in a coffee, but sometime, if they have it, try some other African coffees such as Ethiopians. I am just starting to really explore Ethiopians, and I am really starting to enjoy them. Either way, thank you so much for the information that you have given me, and I will plan them into my visit when I head up to see Jack at Great No. Roasting Co.
-Bry
Bryan Wray
"I just hope that people realize that coffee is not just a caffeine delivery service, it can be a culinary art." -Christopher Owens
Lifestar Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2005 Posts: 217 Location: Howell, MI Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Grimac Mia Grinder: Rocky, KAP Drip: FP, TV, Aerobie, Sock Roaster: HotTop P, I-Roast2
Posted Wed Oct 25, 2006, 4:24am Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
I mostly roast my own but I will definitely make the trip from Howell to check it out. I loved the fact that the LSJ article also put a plug for Coffee Kids at the end.
Posted Mon Sep 1, 2008, 2:59pm Subject: Re: Finally! Good Beans in Mid-Michigan (Okemos)
Just to put my 2cents in, quite a while later. I had more of a hit or miss experience there. I got a few different samples (that I payed for), and it was pretty obvious some were very fresh, and some were not very fresh at all. I even had a couple that were a little burnt. But, I also had some that were quite good (unfortunately, they were also the ones that weren't all that fresh). I took a little trip to Ypsilanti and managed to find a great coffee shop by recommendation called Ugly Mug, they also roast their own beans, and seem to be very passionate about the stuff. They were even cupping some new coffee while I was there. I have yet to try it, since I bought it right out of the roaster! It sure did smell good though. It was also the best cup of espresso I've had in Michigan.
Hope this helps anyone thats looking for some coffee around Michigan.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 