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Exit_127 t1_iti3pju wrote

George Howell. Local chain and among the best roasters in the country. He invented and sold the frappucino to Starbucks. But don’t get ground beans unless he doesn’t have a grinder, if he does get whole beans. They’re top quality (and price).

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ceciltech t1_iti9db3 wrote

George Howell is not just any local roaster, he was the original gourmet coffee roaster on the east coast and a pioneer in the industry with his first Coffee Connection cafe in Harvard square in the early 1970's. If you want Coffee "from Boston" this is the one that started it all in Boston.

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Enkiduderino t1_iti72ib wrote

Seconding George Howell.

Also, if he doesn’t have a grinder, get him one 😁

Unless he’s an espresso drinker, in which case a grinder might be prohibitively expensive.

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brashnbold t1_iti8zxy wrote

They can grind the beans for you for whatever type of machine you need if you ask!

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Victor_Korchnoi t1_itkx5tl wrote

Yes, but they start to lose their flavor once grinded. People who want the fanciest coffee generally like to grind a serving of beans immediately before making the coffee.

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CoffeeIceCube t1_itj3de7 wrote

I’m also interested in branching out from my usual store bought beans. Any roasts from George Howell in particular that you would recommend, or are they always changing their offerings?

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oldboldmold t1_itjl5mu wrote

It changes a lot but there are tasting notes for each bean. They have a few locations. If you go to the shop you can taste some and, if you like it, buy a bag.

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Tacoman404 t1_itkqrou wrote

Grinders are dirt cheap too. I’ve been using the same $8 one for about 5 years.

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brufleth t1_iti82m1 wrote

They're good, but the price is bonkers. Like almost 2x a normal bag.

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Rough-Jackfruit2306 t1_itiy6q1 wrote

And more than 2x as good, if you know how to use them. Definitely not worth the money for the Mr Coffee crowd tho (I say this as someone that thinks of coffee as pizza- even bad coffee can be fine, but also I can appreciate the good stuff, not trying to be elitist).

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brufleth t1_itizonb wrote

I'm just seeing about $19 a bag online right now which isn't that bad. We bought a bag one day at the public market that was closer to thirty for some reason, which is silly.

You can get plenty of great beans for $15-$16 a bag.

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oneblackened t1_itjnwe3 wrote

That $30 bag was probably one of their super special limited roast Kenyans. That stuff is expensive for a reason.

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Rough-Jackfruit2306 t1_itjlz34 wrote

Oh wow yeah $15-19 is what I was thinking, vs $10-12 at the grocery store… never seen a $30 bag myself so that makes some sense

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