Trader Joe's
I first got hooked on drinking coffee back in the Spring of 1994 while attending a Microbiology class at Pace University. Our class started way too early for me and our professor (can’t remember her name right now) was this tiny old lady who barely raised her voice over the decibel level that dogs can hear. The class and subject were very interesting and by the end of the semester I felt very confident about my laboratory skills (and developed a phobia about anything that was not coated with some type of anti bacterial product). But it was extremely hard to stay awake listening to that monotonous voice that early… so coffee became my best friend and probably indirectly responsible for the good grade I received for that class!
Once that semester was over I dropped my coffee consumption to zero and went back to obtaining caffeine from other sources, mostly from soft drinks. I didn’t really missed it at all and it wasn’t until I got to my last year and had to take Physical Chemistry that I became an avid drinker. Obviously, as a college student I’d drink whatever brand of coffee was being served at the cafeteria, but as time progressed and I became a bit more in control of my own expenses, I started “experimenting”. By the time I got married I had established a good relationship with Café Pilon Espresso. For a while it was the only coffee I bought for my house. I would every now and then buy a cup of StarBucks coffee, but Pilon was the one that day in, day out satisfied my caffeine need. I really enjoy a strong coffee, so I became fairly addicted to it. Now, don’t get turned off by the Espresso in its name, as this coffee is super smooth with a rich and flavorful taste that is sure to perk you up.
At work we usually drink Counter Culture, a brand I had never heard of until I moved here from Northern New Jersey. It was weird to me that most engineers would prefer that over the bag of StarBucks coffee sitting right next to it, but after having drunk Counter Culture for over 3 years now, I believe my StarBucks fetish is over.
With the recent economic recession I had to look for cheaper alternatives to Pilon for my house. Unfortunately not all of the alternatives I tried passed my criteria for a good coffee: strong, darkly roasted, not bitter and not acidic. That’s when my wife suggested we tried Trader Joe’s dark roast coffee, a couple of bucks cheaper and very promising with a great aroma. It didn’t take me very long to determine it to be the definite replacement for Pilon: the very first cup was enough to convert me to a Trader Joe’s coffee drinker!
After hearing some of my co-workers bragging about Peet’s Coffee and Tea, I waited until my coffee supply started to run low to have an excuse and ran down to the nearest Harris Teeter to snag a bag of their Sumatra coffee. At US$7.99 (discounted with a VIC card) I thought more than twice before paying the cashier, but my curiosity (and the delicious aroma coming from the bag) got the best of me in the end. It probably won’t be until Tuesday that I will try Peet’s Coffee as I still have a bit of Trader Joe’s left in the house… and at US$7.99++ a pop, chances are I will still be drinking Trader Joe’s for the foreseeable future. I do however hope that I won’t be disappointed at Peet’s Coffee… Maybe it could become one of those bottles of wine that you only crack open for special occasions and that you drink on tall, wide mugs and not on crystal glasses.
Interesting. I started out preferring dark roasted coffees but over time I gravitated to lighter roasts. I find the dark roasts burn out too much of the coffee’s delicious nutty, sweetness. I think Counter Culture is the best coffee on the market, but sadly, my local Whole Foods has stopped carrying it.
Thanks for the opinions on coffee, I should try some of those out, though I usually like light or medium roasts. A particular favorite of mine is from a small chain here in Seattle (and now Tokyo), called Zoka (http://www.zokacoffee.com/). Their Mexican Nayarita is fantastic (as are most of their coffees). But they usually run $10-14 per 12 oz bag (sometimes up to $25), so it can be expensive.
Do you have a preferred brewing method? I’ve been impressed by the Aeropress, but sometimes it’s good to use a French press or pour-over drip.
hmmm just talking about coffee makes me want to get a fresh hot cup.
Ever since I came back from South East Asia a couple of years ago I have been addicted to Trung Nguyen (or any good Vietnamese coffee for that matter). It took me a long time to find good Vietnamese coffee around where I live, but finally found an Asian Market that sells these for around 6 bucks for half a kilo. I buy 3-4 boxes at a time. I’ll have to bring you some next time im in NC.
Hey Michael, I’ll have to make a very convincing case to buy the Mexican Nayarita, but I will definitely not forget about the suggestion. I will be on the look out for Vinny and his Vietnamese goodness.
As far as my preferred brewing method, I’d have to say that I learned to enjoy French press… it almost that forces you to slow down a bit and wait for the right moment to push the plunger down… feels like a ritual actually. 
I started drinking coffee during an independent study course on existentialist literature with my college advisor. I tend to get all my coffee at Trader Joe’s these days. If I need a ready-made cup while in my neighborhood, I’ll stop at the Peet’s that’s in the same shopping center as our TJs. I’ve found their coffee to be just that much better than Starbuck’s. Trader Joe’s has a lot of good blends for pretty decent prices. My favorite of theirs though, is the Ethiopian. It’s a slightly lighter roast, but has a wonderfully floral aroma and taste.
Very interesting to read about your coffee experiences from a non-afficionado viewpoint. From what I know about the american specialty coffee scene, CCC and Zoka belong to a small group of very quality-focused coffee loving people and try to make a difference in this sad supermarket-preground-vacuumpacket-dulltasting coffee world (but not only for the consumer, their buying practices and long term relationships with suppliers in producing countries hopefully help them as well). What got me to write a comment on your blog (via pgo) was your remark about coffee that might become that special bottle of wine that you keep for special occasions.
In short: don’t! Please! A really good coffee, once roasted (and stored properly) keeps ‘fresh’ for about two to three weeks. After that, most of the aroma you get from the coffee is simply gone. Stored properly, you can have a nice cup of joe for about six months after roasting, but as soon as the coffee starts to get in contact with oxygen, the older it is the faster it will deteriorate. A fresh bag of coffee (a few days from roasting (coffee often needs some rest after roasting) to few weeks) can give you pleasure for a week or two, but if it is already half a year old, the taste will be much flatter and very much less aromatic – and a day or two after opening the bag, it will really quickly develop a rancid taste.
Well, that said, enjoy your coffee, and if you think coffee should taste even better than you know it, have a look at for example home-barista.com or coffeed.com and learn all about coffee extraction
nice topic!
I also developed my coffee “addiction” in high school, improved in college semester by semester. waiting for the new experience with Peets =)
thank you for sharing ..
I to love coffee,the smell,and flavor..I have used differnet brands.But I use a coffee that comes from Louisiana.It is called Commnity Coffee,different roast.from light to dark. I choose the med.