Recently in Coffee Category

Kris and I were visiting Lukas and Annika recently and we frequented Sapore, the local coffee shop. Sitting there got me to thinking about all the good coffee shops -- not chains -- local folks visit, and how hard those baristas work to produce a nice cup of latte or coffee for us. 

Good stuff, this Red Barn coffee. We are drinking Red Barn Espresso, dark roast, and it has a nice taste and great aroma. It's bold and zesty with just a hint of a smoky taste. It leans toward the burnt side, but just barely ... and I don't like the burnt stuff and I really like this one. Good crema.... just right.

What's the best coffee you've had of late? Who has tasted this fine stuff from Red Barn? (If you're in Boston, you can get it at Faneuil Hall.)

I brew this stuff in a Rancilio Silvia, and the crema was nice. A friend was over and I asked him to smell the beans and try a cup and he wanted more.

This stuff is roasted in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. When you can get those New Englanders out of a Dunkin' Donuts and roasting their own stuff, they know what to do -- and Red Barn does it well.

Tim Soerens, a missional follower of Christ in Seattle, stopped by recently and we shared lunch. To my delight, he gave me a batch of Caffe Vita coffee, an exquisite coffee from Seattle. We're drinking Organic Peru Chaupe, and this stuff is very, very good. Smooth, creamy, and makes me want to drink a second cup. It gives a nice crema; has a nice sweetness to it.

I'm about to wonder aloud again what are the best coffees, and it's hard to top Chicago's Intelligentsia or Philly's Chestnutt Hill or Asheville's Dripolator, but this Caffe Vita bean makes up one fine coffee.

Do I hear a witness? What do those fine folks from Seattle know about Caffe Vita?

Nope, forget Tim Horton's. The finest Canadian coffee I've had is Second Cup. We first tasted this coffee in Edmonton, we've got a bag or two of the beans, and I have to say that this stuff rivals some of the better coffees I've had. Ours is the Ethiopian Limu -- smooth, creamy, and a great aroma. Indeed, so good one does want a second cup. Great lingering aftertaste.

Someone needs to stand up and call a halt to this silliness. Perhaps I should be the one. Okay, now that I've got your attention, here it is: Throw away your drip coffee machine and your French Press and buy...

Recently Kris and were in a coffee shopped owned by an Italian family and they served one fine cup of LavAzza. So, we bought a big bag of what makes LavAzza's family proud. Great crema and taste and the aromas...

I've recently been brewing a few different coffees, including Strada coffee from Africa and some wonderful new stuff from the great place called Burnsville, Minnesota. They have a fine coffee and coffee shop -- my kind of place --...

I brew coffee at home and at the office, and at home I use a Rancilio Silvia and at school I use an AeroPress Coffee and Espresso . The most recent coffee at home is a fine cup Rwandan coffee:...

We had a post last week on [evo] coffee. It drew a very interesting letter that deserves public, civil conversation. The letter is below. What do you think? Should we buy fair trade coffee as a form of justice?...

Not long ago a package of [evo] coffee arrived on my doorstep. "Evo" coffee means "coffee evolved." It's a serious fair trade coffee group in Grand Rapids that ... "Evo. It’s coffee–evolved. It’s an upside-down take on the value of...

When we were in Franklin Tennessee, we grabbed a cup of coffee at the Curious Gourmet Cupcake Cafe where we were introduced to Stone Cup Roasting Co. Very tasty, even if I'd prefer a barista plying her craft with a...

Hey: Karen will be on the radio in Seattle. (KGNW) A barista wrote me and asked if I heard of the AeroPress. I had not. He said, "We [at the coffee shop] can't believe how good the coffee is from...

Ah, a subtle return to Italy in a cup of coffee. While in Italy Kris and I often stopped mid-morning and mid-afternoon for a cup of coffee, usually a latte. As often as not we were served one of Italy's...

Last week I got two 8oz packs of coffees from The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. They sent me two kinds: Dark Horse Espresso and Zen (I don't see it on their website). OK, I was...

The good folks at One Village Coffee, ahem Mike Manney, sent me a package of one of my favorite coffees in the world -- and it is ecological, environmental and all that -- Colombia. Colombia has a wonderful crema, a...

Laura and Mark cashed in some miles, flew to Hawaii, and while there bought me a pound of NickyBeans Kona Coffee. My, my, is this stuff good. It's some expensive stuff, but if you are in Hawaii drink a cup....

I'm biased. Mugg and Bean coffee, a South African coffee, got is idea in Chicago. Which explains why I like this coffee so much. My first cup here had a rich crema, an aroma that filled the room, and a...

We bought some coffees in South Africa, and the first batch I have brewed is Limu Arabica, from Ethiopia. Limu is a region in Ethiopia -- some consider Ethiopia to be the original birthplace for coffee beans and drinking coffee....

On our trip I bought some coffees, including a few packs of Douwe Egberts in the Amsterdam airport. I've seen Douwe Egberts in a few places, had a cup or two, but a few lattes of this stuff brewed in...

OK, I posted the Ictus Fair Trade coffee near the end of my supply of their beans, and I've already got a new coffee brewing -- and it is one good brew. Metropolis. We are brewing some Samba ... roasty,...

We are now brewing a wonderful tasting and richly aromatic coffee, a fair trade coffe, called Ictus Fair Trade Kaffe, Cafe de Chiapas....

My friend and one of our seminary students, Chris Ridgeway, gave me a pound of a new coffee: Espresso Royale. I ground it just right on the first try -- which is not common for me with a new bean...

A very kind reader of Jesus Creed sent Kris and me a package of Waialua Coffee from Hawaii (north shore), and we are now brewing and drinking it. [I couldn't find the home site; this site sells Waialua.] Waialua is...

I am now brewing, as a gift from Billy Kangas (one of our readers), from the Ugly Mug Cafe, a coffee called Ill Dorado. Fantastic stuff. I now have it up there with Intelligentsia, Chestnut Hill Coffee Company, and Doubleshot....

Doubleshot 2 coffee company, out of Tulsa [Oklahoma], has a splendid company. I'm brewing Ambergris Espresso Blend. Good stuff. Here are Doubleshot's words about Ambergris: This is a blend that I worked on over the course of two years. It...

I am now brewing Drew's Brew, a hand roasted coffee from Nashville, TN, and the particular kind is the Zappia Family Espresso. I'm on official record for saying the benchmark for me is Intelligentsia (Chicago) and the second best is...

Milwaukee's equivalent coffee, and I can't say this lightly, to Chicago's Intelligentsia must be Alterra Coffee. Mild, deep good coffee; nice aroma and a tasteful crema. No sign of oils that make the taste bitter (or make it hard to...

Phil Bauman, pastor at UCC Medfield, gave Kris and me a gift as we left. A reader of this blog, Phil knew we liked coffee so, sure enough, he gave us 12 oz of Blue Moon's Microroasted Coffee, Brazil Santos...

Out in the City of Rain (Seattle), our friend Eugene Cho at Q Cafe (and pastor at Quest Church), there is a coffee blend you just might want to try. It is called Zoka, 2008 Coffee Roaster of the Year....

We are now brewing one of the finest coffees one can find -- and winner of all kinds of awards -- Intelligentsia, Chicago's own and best coffee. We are drinking Black Cat Espresso. It has that hint of chocolate and...

We are now brewing, after a kind gift from the good folks at Doubleshot, Colombia Narino Reserva del Patron (without the tildas). And what a cool website they have! The brew is bold yet not too much so for my...

Scott Hackman and the good folks at One Village Coffee have shaped a missional business of fair trade coffee. Here are their words: "One Village Coffee has partnered with Opportunity International to support micro finance projects in Indonesia. 10% of...

Ah, the taste and aroma ... of Aloha Island Diamond. A friend encouraged me to branch out, and so recently I decided to try some of the coffees with reputations of excellence. Exquisite....

At the suggestion of more than a half of a dozen of friends, I decided to try the famous Jamaica Blue coffee. So now we are brewing some Jamaica Blue. And we got our Zassenhaus hand grinder. The big advantage:...

We're interested in purchasing a burr grinder for our coffee beans. I need some expert advice....

Now brewing at our home, Ictus Fair Trade coffee -- Cafe de Chiapas. Great aroma and taste. Anyone else know this coffee? We got it when we were in Denmark, and -- yes -- we've got a holding pattern on...

One of my students brought to me for the first day of class a pound of that fine, wonderful, flavorful and aromatic blend: Chestnut Hill Coffee Company's espresso blend. If you ever get to Philly, try it -- they make...

Deans Beans Oromia Blend. Fine stuff. "The best Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Jimma make for a smooth, strong and floral roast." OK, now a question: I was having coffee the other day with a friend, Mindy Caliguire, and she commented...