There is no solution for the Cuban economy if they remain in power as they have done for 50 years. From time to time there are promises, but it is purely an attempt to soothe. It’s proven that the only function of of this tyrannical system is for them…

Any analog to Freshdirect around those parts?

In NYC, downtown try any branch of Porto Rico Coffee, Upper West Side both Zabar’s and Fairway have high turnover, so what you get is most likely freshly roasted. FreshDirect is also a good source. I’m not sure how often Starbucks turns over their inventory, so while they are certainly a convenient source of beans, you might be better off at any of the ones I’ve named (plus they are all significantly cheaper than Starbucks).

Happy Brewing.

The NYC coffee scene is blowing up! Check out 9th St. Espresso on 9th and Ave C, Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea or Greenpoint, Cafe Collage in the Village, or Gimme! Coffee in Williamsburg. Al good options for great coffee service and a pound of fresh whole bean..

I only very recently acquired a super-automatic espresso machine (Jura Capresso F7 - I’ve read some things about its espresso not being hot enough, but to my admittedly very inexpert eye the espresso seems pretty hot…), intending to kick the Starbucks habit.

It’s been great so far - but the one thing I’m stuck on is finding freshly roasted beans. (I’m in NYC, so there has to be a good source somewhere…) Also, due to my noobishness, I know I’m going to have some trouble figuring out what I should buy once I find the beans. But the posts are going a long way towards helping me make a vaguely informed decision about such things. Can’t wait for the next few!

The over-roasting plague is one of my major gripes with the Ever-Present Mermaid. The house coffees just plain taste “burned”. When in Seattle, I sought out Seattle’s Best Coffee just to escape that.

Don’t get caught up with the Fair Trade label. The certifying organization’s requirements eliminate plenty of growers who treat their workers well and pay them fairly. However, only cooperatives are eligible for the Fair Trade label. In conversations I have had with roasters, they assure me that for top of the line beans, they are paying top of the line prices - poorly paid workers generally aren’t producing gourmet coffees. A plantation owner could be paying his workers higher than average wages and still never be able to get this label, so it doesn’t offer any incentives to the vast majority of the owners to increase wages. All it really does is make a certain demographic of buyers (you know who you are) feel better about themselves.

And has anyone ever wondered why the only foods that people worry about being “Fair Trade” are coffee and chocolate? When you buy, say, frozen shrimp from Vietnam or Chilean wine, do you worry about how much the shrimpers and grape pickers get paid?

I’m ready to do what I can with this info just to make my “coffee achieving” girl happy. I’m digging this hand brewed Chemex stuff. I just don’t see how that can’t get a guy some brownie points, among other things in the morning.

Keep it coming.