Coffee Beans what's in your grinder ???
- Thread starter DanHoo
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JohnTak
TVWBB All-Star
It’s pretty good, doesn’t taste like dog or roadrunner! Rich and smooth blend!My cousin brought this to us from Seaside CA. The Packaging reminds me of the old Roadrunner cartoon.
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LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
So an update on the Member's Mark House Blend product I've tried using. While the roast and flavor profile is quite good (to my tastes) the quality of the either the handling of or the beans themselves is quite "suspect".
I realize there will always be "chaff" in a bag of beans. But, I am very alarmed at how much of a bag of these MM beans are just chaff. I've now tried them in my Breville grinder, my KA grinder, and now 3 different Baratza grinders (yes 3, FWIW I am looking at "branching" my business model a bit to include high end grinders). Anyway I have an Encore here, a Virtuoso Plus, (both of which are 40mm conical burr units) and now as of yesterday I was able to acquire a very nice Vario W (weight based) grinder with 54mm ceramic flat burrs.
All of these grinders are behaving the exact same way with the MM beans. Very inconsistent grinds because of all the debris and chaff. It seems these pieces of "waste" material simply pass through the grind chamber either untouched by the burrs or not crushed correctly.
Leaving a messy grind that is inconsistent. Looking in the 2 bags I bought, it seems the reason for the cheap price is I think they're sweeping the floor in the roasting chamber and packaging what's left. But, a bag of these is close to 40% broken little bits and pieces not whole beans.
So, the last bag I bought will be the last bag I buy and I will be leaving a review about it with Sam's on why I am making the decision to leave them on the shelf.
I also began noticing this with the Kirkland House Blend but nowhere near this extent. FWIW I have a bag of Kirkland Espresso Blend waiting in the wings. I will see how it fares in this dept.
But, IMO if I pay for a bag of "whole bean" coffee I expect "whole beans" not little busted up bits and pieces
I realize there will always be "chaff" in a bag of beans. But, I am very alarmed at how much of a bag of these MM beans are just chaff. I've now tried them in my Breville grinder, my KA grinder, and now 3 different Baratza grinders (yes 3, FWIW I am looking at "branching" my business model a bit to include high end grinders). Anyway I have an Encore here, a Virtuoso Plus, (both of which are 40mm conical burr units) and now as of yesterday I was able to acquire a very nice Vario W (weight based) grinder with 54mm ceramic flat burrs.
All of these grinders are behaving the exact same way with the MM beans. Very inconsistent grinds because of all the debris and chaff. It seems these pieces of "waste" material simply pass through the grind chamber either untouched by the burrs or not crushed correctly.
Leaving a messy grind that is inconsistent. Looking in the 2 bags I bought, it seems the reason for the cheap price is I think they're sweeping the floor in the roasting chamber and packaging what's left. But, a bag of these is close to 40% broken little bits and pieces not whole beans.
So, the last bag I bought will be the last bag I buy and I will be leaving a review about it with Sam's on why I am making the decision to leave them on the shelf.
I also began noticing this with the Kirkland House Blend but nowhere near this extent. FWIW I have a bag of Kirkland Espresso Blend waiting in the wings. I will see how it fares in this dept.
But, IMO if I pay for a bag of "whole bean" coffee I expect "whole beans" not little busted up bits and pieces
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
Yep - I was lucky enough to find myself in Kona, Hawaii about ten years ago, and downstairs off the hotel lobby was a little shop - and one of the things they sold were bags of imperfect Kona beans - meaning they were broken Kona coffee beans. At half price! Well, that's a deal, because who cares if the bean is broken, it's still good coffee, right? Wrong. But I was too naive to know. The normal Big Island beans I now buy are all perfect. At the bottom of the bag, there is nothing - no little pieces, no crumbs. Apparently, all the broken beans get picked out before the beans are bagged.
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
Check this review of Big Island Roaster's Ka'u Morning Glory
In the verdant embrace of Hawaii’s Ka'u region, there lies a coffee most wondrous—Ka'u Morning Glory. With each sip, one is transported to a realm of delight, where the rich essence of pecan dances harmoniously with the warm whispers of cinnamon.
This brew, a symphony of flavors, unfolds gently upon the palate, its nutty richness enveloped by the sweet spice of cinnamon, and the splash of citrus, evokes images of sunlit mornings and tranquil repose. The smoothness of its medium roast bestows a comforting caress, inviting the drinker to indulge in its sublime depths.
Thus, Ka'u Morning Glory coffee stands not merely as a beverage but as an enchanting experience—crafted with care by dedicated hands, it offers both taste and the spirit of the land. A treasure for the discerning connoisseur, it is indeed a cup of paradise to be savored with reverence.
In the verdant embrace of Hawaii’s Ka'u region, there lies a coffee most wondrous—Ka'u Morning Glory. With each sip, one is transported to a realm of delight, where the rich essence of pecan dances harmoniously with the warm whispers of cinnamon.
This brew, a symphony of flavors, unfolds gently upon the palate, its nutty richness enveloped by the sweet spice of cinnamon, and the splash of citrus, evokes images of sunlit mornings and tranquil repose. The smoothness of its medium roast bestows a comforting caress, inviting the drinker to indulge in its sublime depths.
Thus, Ka'u Morning Glory coffee stands not merely as a beverage but as an enchanting experience—crafted with care by dedicated hands, it offers both taste and the spirit of the land. A treasure for the discerning connoisseur, it is indeed a cup of paradise to be savored with reverence.
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Well today I filled the hopper on the Vario W with Kirkland Signature Espresso roast. It's pretty darkly roasted. A lot of glistening on the beans. So, I was not sure what I was going to expect. I recall trying this product once quite some time ago but no recollection of how it went. So, seeing how quite well roasted it is I'm amazed at how "mellow" a brew it made. Now maybe that is a testament to the high quality of the 54mm flat ceramic burr Vario W? Rather than the little Shardor inexpensive 40mm conical I'd tried it on? Also IIRC last time I tried it I did so in the Moccamaster that gave me so much trouble to get a quality brew out of. But I did this AM, an 80+ (IIRC 81.5) dose in the OXO 12 cup, and holy cow what an amazing cup! No harshness, very smooth, almost a little sweet. Honestly WAY WAY better than what I expected. Very happy!
Rick P
TVWBB Pro
Niiiiiice!!! I've been walking by that bag at Costco....I might have to reach for one next time I need coffee.
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
I was truly and honestly surprised how good it is. IDK who is supplying it though.
Rick P
TVWBB Pro
I just bought a bag of Mayorga Cubano roast, which rarely goes on sale at Costco. The price chafes my cheap-*** a little bit, (and it's only a 2lb bag to boot), but I only drink one cup a day, and the missus is a tea drinker, so I'll get by
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
That is one I have never seen locally. I think our Costco here being in the middle of a huge farming county has people who think we're all a bunch of backwoods dweebs out here. When I've gone into the Costcos nearer Chicago night and day differences in what is on display. Here not much variety of anything. Same at our local Sam's Club. I can count on one hand between both stores the amount of bean variety I see.
Rick P
TVWBB Pro
Yeah.....I get that. They might carry the Mayorga because they're a local company. Whenever we're out of town, and I see a Costco, we try to stop in because they have different stuff.
Rick P
TVWBB Pro
I believe it. They do those $5.00 off sales on coffee all the time. The brands vary, but I've snagged the Cubano & Muy Macho cheap a few times over the years. The Mayorga doesn't go on slale as often so, whenever I see either one on sale, I'll buy a bag, whether I need it or not. I like Starbucks French Roast too, but I'll only buy it when it's discounted, which happens a lot more than the Mayorga.
@LMichaels has me intrigued about the Kirkland Espresso Roast...so I see a visit to Costco in my very near future...
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
How is it? The one I pictured is quite nice. I have a fresh bag in the cabinet and I may grab one more tomorrow when I pick up my meds at Costco
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Going to try something a little "adventurous" for me. I've never seen this Blue Mountain product. Saw it today at Costco. It's a medium roast but I figure WTH, maybe next bag I open so I got one. Anyone ever heard of it or tried it? I usually buy dark or med dark roasts so this will be a first for a solid medium roast. I'll report once I open it a few days from now. Not sure why 3 are sideways. I saved them on my puter vertically but the web site insists on flipping.
Mark_E
TVWBB Super Fan
The same buddy I mentioned above, (a guy I grew up with whose name happens to be Richard) emailed me last week. Another sale at Costco. He wrote:
I just picked up 2 x 2lb bags of Mayorga at Costco $14.39 each. Had I known ahead of time I would have told Mark to let me grab some for him.. So much cheaper at Costco versus the plant or online.
I keep wondering how is it that Costco sells them for half the price of what they sell at the roaster in Rockville? After all, I had just paid $29.99 for a 2 lb bag of the same coffee. And he gets the same thing for $14.39??? I've always believed the coffee would be fresher straight from the roaster which is why I prefer to buy it there, but how much fresher?
So I asked him what was the roasting date? The roasting date is a five digit number at the bottom of the bag.
The roasting date on the coffee I bought of Mayorga Cubano at the roaster was "25205" which indicates the coffee was roasted on the 205th day of 2025. That works out to July 24th, 2025. What was his roasting date?
Turns out his roasting date from the Costco Mayorga Cubano was "25003" which indicates the coffee was roasted on the third day of the year 2025. That works out to Jan 3, 2025.
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Is this true of all coffee? (the coded roasting date)
Rick P
TVWBB Pro
Interesting. I didn't realize that there was a roasting date code on Mayorga. It's so damn good that I just go by the "Best if Used By" date. The bags that I just bought at Costco have a BB date of 06/03/2026. The roast date code is 25154 so...going by the formula from the roaster that would be the 154 day of 2025 which works out to June 3rd, 2025. I'd assume that a roasting date closer to the purchase date would be more desirable, but my taste buds aren't that finally nuanced when it comes to coffee...so I'm good with the Best By dates....