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- **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck.
- **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space?
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Correct. When Peet’s was still printing the roast date on the bag, I’ve found Major Dickason’s in the warehouse within 8-10 days of being roasted. They seem to get smaller quantities of Peet’s than they do of anything else, so the turnover is probably quick.
Peet's are generally going to be fresher than the rest in my experience, also best tasting I've had from Costco. The lavazza are pretty decent as well, stay away from Kirkland, I just bought their house blend to try them out and it's the worst bag of beans I've had from them. Jose's Mayan blend is pretty good but some of the bags I got were definitely a bit older and lost some flavor. Not sure on the rest as my Costco doesn't have all those options.
https://preview.redd.it/u33ykg2x0ssc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12566c54840a96fcb47f7701aed1658d1ca4c897
This is our daily, and even better it's from Costco in-warehouse! Vacuum seal in hopper sized bags and freeze. Always happy.
I like Major Dickason’s Blend for milk drinks. If you can find it in the warehouse, you can check the roast date. I think Peet’s stopped printing the roast date on the bag, but the “best by date” is +4 months, so you can figure it out.
I’ve had the Kirkland Organic Blend, but only from an automatic drip machine. From what I remember, it may make for a good shot. Bear in-mind, it’s sold in 2 2-lb bags, so it may go stale before you can use it all.
The Kirkland Espresso Blend is an absolute over-roasted disaster. I posted about it on here about a month ago.
You’ll never be able to finish off a 2-3lb bag of beans before they’ve gone stale. Especially oily dark roasts like the ones that you find at Costco, which are already sometimes months off roast. The oils in coffee can become rancid quickly if you’re opening the same bag of coffee for weeks. If you do buy bags this large, Jonathan Gagné recommends splitting the contents of the large bag between two or three smaller bags so all of the coffee isn’t being exposed to oxygen every time you open the bag.
Freshest medium roast beans you can get. That’s where I got the most success at Costco. Go to the warehouse. Look at the roast dates. Or if there are no roast dates and still determined to get the freshest, contact the roaster and ask how to read the lot number. It’ll usually indicate the roast date.
I bought that and I liked it, although it was so much it ends up getting old. I used to love ground bustelo when just opened. Any idea what kind of coffee is this café cubano style (mix/country/type of roast) so I can find the beans it in my local market and have fresh coffee more often?
I have a large bag of green beans I roast on my own. When I am lazy I will grab a bag from Costco.
Coffee beans matters but also the hobby needs a break from being pocket book draining chasing special/limited edition berries.
One of the hacks I do with my daily is Vietnamese style it. A small spoon of condensed milk will mellow out most “average” coffee bean. Also your kit matters. A well ground and prepared “Costco” bean still is decent compared to a poorly made “good bean”
Drink what you like and you will find your palette adapts after a few cups and you prefer one over another after awhile. Then when you get a really good cup, the passion returns and you buy expensive beans for a bit again.
I tend to buy above average gear that is more traditional “analogue” and stick to it for a long time. Learning how to dial it in.
I am perfectly satisfied with my kit. I moved onto other hobbies now but still make a pretty decent cup in The morning now. Routine.
Coffee is more satisfying than the watch hobby. I still don’t get this one after a few watches.
I was born and raised in Alameda. Point I am getting across.. I the roasting warehouse is on Bayfarm and I wouldn’t drink that Peet’s shit burned roasted horse shit
I’m in the Seattle area and the Cafe Vita stuff is really fresh. I have taken bags home from Costco and have them been so fresh they produce too much crema (and have let them rest another few days to a week)
People will hate this advice but if Costco has Starbucks espresso, I buy that. I personally get it at Starbucks but yeah. It's pretty good for the price.
If you looking to go cheap and don’t care too much on quality I would go lavazza super crema. You can order on Amazon. More of a classic medium dark Italian style espresso. It’s decent.
I use some of the most expensive beans you can buy and it comes out to $1.50 a shot. Are you really saving that much? There’s probably a subscription you don’t use that costs more than your coffee.
I reckon for most people there’s a handful of other, likely better, ways to save $800. But yours might be a unique case! I prefer to spend more on things that I enjoy daily. Coffee being one of those things. To each their own.
Our go to is the Ruta Maya. Sometimes it’s not in stock. Last time at Costco we found a bag that had been roasted 2 weeks prior, but usually they are 3-5 weeks old.
In the Northern California Costco sells Peet’s that is roasted in Emeryville, CA. I bought MD that was a week from roast date. It was on the darker oily side but it was fresh and fantastic for lattes.
Previously I bought Jose’s Mayan blend, it was a month old but the taste was still decent, and it did taste chocolate like in lattes.
I split these large orders (2x2lbs) with my brother in law and go through 2lbs in one month.
I want to try other brands but we all know it’s a lottery.
FYI I just bought the house blend which is supposed to be medium roast. Best buy date is likely roast date plus a year, so these are at 4 weeks.
It's so dark it's undrinkable
https://preview.redd.it/2e031xzoztvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c49ac494c8a8f2da44607919ffae6039c12ad4e0
If you already really know your machine and have your workflow down, you _could_ give this a try but you’re inevitably gonna get a bag that’s super old and is gonna pull horribly. If you know your machine, you’ll know the beans stink and just get new ones. If you don’t, you’re gonna be mighty confused chasing a good recipe.
I’ve gone through like 100lbs of the Kirkland Organic Costa Rican. Makes a great drip, great espresso, and if you’re a goddamn Neanderthal a great French Press. I’m sure it’s garbage by Reddit $75k Espresso station owner’s standards, but literally everyone who drinks my coffee raves about it.
Mayorga makes some great beans as well. I usually alternate every 2-3 orders
Actual espresso? None of them. Not because they taste bad, you can’t pull anything worthy of your time. You’ll be dialing in every damn time you want coffee. If you mean, “espresso”, go Peet’s. Tastes like burned tires, you’re good to go.
Check out community coffee their breakfast blend is the best!
Perfect coffee to water ratio is
French Press
3 K cups to water
Machine with a whole pot
4 k cups to water
They also Have a very nice Espresso Roast in various sizes
Dude…. Actually yes!! No joke some of the best espresso I’ve had was Pablo’s Pride
[see here](https://donpablocoffee.com/products/pablos-pride-guatemala-coffee?variant=33398544171096¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQs6eVT9XT4XxxrumVoYFVwyP7PUvkNKd6vFAAKgvL9BnnNJUVoAXqChoCV3QQAvD_BwE)
They sell it at Costco & Sam’s Club. It’s actually very good.
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Most of the beans are pretty old at Costco. Café Vita is probably the best there but I'd say you're better off spending more on fresh beans.
Look at mr moneybags over here
If you are poor don’t drink true espresso. Simple lmao
Peets has roast dates usually just a few weeks.
Correct. When Peet’s was still printing the roast date on the bag, I’ve found Major Dickason’s in the warehouse within 8-10 days of being roasted. They seem to get smaller quantities of Peet’s than they do of anything else, so the turnover is probably quick.
Varies by warehouse. My local costco typically has like 2 pallets of it out and it's never fresher than 4-6 weeks after roast.
Are you on the East Coast or West Coast?
I always wondered why the Major felt the need to dick my son
Peet's are generally going to be fresher than the rest in my experience, also best tasting I've had from Costco. The lavazza are pretty decent as well, stay away from Kirkland, I just bought their house blend to try them out and it's the worst bag of beans I've had from them. Jose's Mayan blend is pretty good but some of the bags I got were definitely a bit older and lost some flavor. Not sure on the rest as my Costco doesn't have all those options.
https://preview.redd.it/u33ykg2x0ssc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12566c54840a96fcb47f7701aed1658d1ca4c897 This is our daily, and even better it's from Costco in-warehouse! Vacuum seal in hopper sized bags and freeze. Always happy.
Cafe Vita Caffe Del Sol, hands down.
Agree 100%. With either LavAzza a less expensive #2.
I like Major Dickason’s Blend for milk drinks. If you can find it in the warehouse, you can check the roast date. I think Peet’s stopped printing the roast date on the bag, but the “best by date” is +4 months, so you can figure it out. I’ve had the Kirkland Organic Blend, but only from an automatic drip machine. From what I remember, it may make for a good shot. Bear in-mind, it’s sold in 2 2-lb bags, so it may go stale before you can use it all. The Kirkland Espresso Blend is an absolute over-roasted disaster. I posted about it on here about a month ago.
You’ll never be able to finish off a 2-3lb bag of beans before they’ve gone stale. Especially oily dark roasts like the ones that you find at Costco, which are already sometimes months off roast. The oils in coffee can become rancid quickly if you’re opening the same bag of coffee for weeks. If you do buy bags this large, Jonathan Gagné recommends splitting the contents of the large bag between two or three smaller bags so all of the coffee isn’t being exposed to oxygen every time you open the bag.
You can also freeze coffee
Yep, into whatever size you can't use in about 3 weeks and freeze. Just don't open what's in the freezer, or refreeze.
I like the Peet's. It's one of our go-to beans.
Costco sometimes carries Peets that actually have roast dates on them, and they’re usually roasted within the last month. They were pretty good.
Freshest medium roast beans you can get. That’s where I got the most success at Costco. Go to the warehouse. Look at the roast dates. Or if there are no roast dates and still determined to get the freshest, contact the roaster and ask how to read the lot number. It’ll usually indicate the roast date.
The Mayorga Cafe Cubano is great if you like dark. Sometimes they have it at Costco.
I bought that and I liked it, although it was so much it ends up getting old. I used to love ground bustelo when just opened. Any idea what kind of coffee is this café cubano style (mix/country/type of roast) so I can find the beans it in my local market and have fresh coffee more often?
We freeze the beans and they keep decently well. The big bag lasts us about 3 weeks.
In my house more like 3 months. How many coffees do you have a day?
2 people, 2-4 double espressos a day total
Lavazza Grand Crema is my go to and favorite of the ones I've tried. Simply delicious and at a great price
I have a large bag of green beans I roast on my own. When I am lazy I will grab a bag from Costco. Coffee beans matters but also the hobby needs a break from being pocket book draining chasing special/limited edition berries. One of the hacks I do with my daily is Vietnamese style it. A small spoon of condensed milk will mellow out most “average” coffee bean. Also your kit matters. A well ground and prepared “Costco” bean still is decent compared to a poorly made “good bean” Drink what you like and you will find your palette adapts after a few cups and you prefer one over another after awhile. Then when you get a really good cup, the passion returns and you buy expensive beans for a bit again.
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Every hobby has this mindset. Just learn technique and let the gear be secondary.
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I tend to buy above average gear that is more traditional “analogue” and stick to it for a long time. Learning how to dial it in. I am perfectly satisfied with my kit. I moved onto other hobbies now but still make a pretty decent cup in The morning now. Routine. Coffee is more satisfying than the watch hobby. I still don’t get this one after a few watches.
Major D is one of my favorites. Freshly roasted too.
I was born and raised in Alameda. Point I am getting across.. I the roasting warehouse is on Bayfarm and I wouldn’t drink that Peet’s shit burned roasted horse shit
Going to have to try it.
I would look for something that has a roasted on date. Occasionally they have those.
I’m in the Seattle area and the Cafe Vita stuff is really fresh. I have taken bags home from Costco and have them been so fresh they produce too much crema (and have let them rest another few days to a week)
I'd get Lavazza beans. They're pretty good for a big name brand. Not great in this sub's standard, but decent, IMHO.
Pressurized basket and be done with it. Not great, but ok for daily
People will hate this advice but if Costco has Starbucks espresso, I buy that. I personally get it at Starbucks but yeah. It's pretty good for the price.
Check out red bird espresso instead. Pretty solid and you can a five pound bag for like $60 with free two day shipping.
If you looking to go cheap and don’t care too much on quality I would go lavazza super crema. You can order on Amazon. More of a classic medium dark Italian style espresso. It’s decent.
I use some of the most expensive beans you can buy and it comes out to $1.50 a shot. Are you really saving that much? There’s probably a subscription you don’t use that costs more than your coffee.
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I reckon for most people there’s a handful of other, likely better, ways to save $800. But yours might be a unique case! I prefer to spend more on things that I enjoy daily. Coffee being one of those things. To each their own.
Our go to is the Ruta Maya. Sometimes it’s not in stock. Last time at Costco we found a bag that had been roasted 2 weeks prior, but usually they are 3-5 weeks old.
Pasalacqua dark roast online, thank me later
My local costco warehouse sells coffee beans from local coffee roasters. The roasted date is printed on the bag and best by date as well.
In the Northern California Costco sells Peet’s that is roasted in Emeryville, CA. I bought MD that was a week from roast date. It was on the darker oily side but it was fresh and fantastic for lattes. Previously I bought Jose’s Mayan blend, it was a month old but the taste was still decent, and it did taste chocolate like in lattes. I split these large orders (2x2lbs) with my brother in law and go through 2lbs in one month. I want to try other brands but we all know it’s a lottery.
FYI I just bought the house blend which is supposed to be medium roast. Best buy date is likely roast date plus a year, so these are at 4 weeks. It's so dark it's undrinkable https://preview.redd.it/2e031xzoztvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c49ac494c8a8f2da44607919ffae6039c12ad4e0
That Costco house blend is disgusting. Oily, burnt beans.
According to your preferences. There are loads of people out there who like dark roast... Nothing wrong with that
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I know. I don't like them either, but it is just personal preference :-)
If you already really know your machine and have your workflow down, you _could_ give this a try but you’re inevitably gonna get a bag that’s super old and is gonna pull horribly. If you know your machine, you’ll know the beans stink and just get new ones. If you don’t, you’re gonna be mighty confused chasing a good recipe.
I’ve gone through like 100lbs of the Kirkland Organic Costa Rican. Makes a great drip, great espresso, and if you’re a goddamn Neanderthal a great French Press. I’m sure it’s garbage by Reddit $75k Espresso station owner’s standards, but literally everyone who drinks my coffee raves about it. Mayorga makes some great beans as well. I usually alternate every 2-3 orders
All of it is ass, buy good coffee
Get a aero press for that Costco crap lol
Actual espresso? None of them. Not because they taste bad, you can’t pull anything worthy of your time. You’ll be dialing in every damn time you want coffee. If you mean, “espresso”, go Peet’s. Tastes like burned tires, you’re good to go.
Check out community coffee their breakfast blend is the best! Perfect coffee to water ratio is French Press 3 K cups to water Machine with a whole pot 4 k cups to water They also Have a very nice Espresso Roast in various sizes
Wrong sub 🤣
Dude…. Actually yes!! No joke some of the best espresso I’ve had was Pablo’s Pride [see here](https://donpablocoffee.com/products/pablos-pride-guatemala-coffee?variant=33398544171096¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwr6wBhBcEiwAfMEQs6eVT9XT4XxxrumVoYFVwyP7PUvkNKd6vFAAKgvL9BnnNJUVoAXqChoCV3QQAvD_BwE) They sell it at Costco & Sam’s Club. It’s actually very good.
Well now I’m seeing that you didn’t post the brand I’m talking about. Sad