Submitted by wacholderrose t3_ybrsuw in boston
I came to Boston for college and going home for winter break, I want to buy a gift for my boyfriend. He loves coffee so I’d love to bring him a pack of ground coffee that would be special to Boston or massachusetts area. I don’t know much about coffee personally, but anything nicer than the ones from Dunkin would do lol.
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.
Is he related to Thurston?
def not related to Thirstin Howl the 3rd
Holy shit, my underground rap and coffee world's collide
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.
They can grind the beans for you for whatever type of machine you need if you ask!
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.
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?
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.
TIL.
Grinders are dirt cheap too. I’ve been using the same $8 one for about 5 years.
They're good, but the price is bonkers. Like almost 2x a normal bag.
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).
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.
That $30 bag was probably one of their super special limited roast Kenyans. That stuff is expensive for a reason.
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
Recreo in west roxbury is owned by a family who grows their own beans in Nicaragua. Cool story parents tend to farm and children and grand children roast and sell on center street. They also have used some of their profits to help fund schools in Nicaragua.
Also their coffee is awesome.
Such a good suggestion and they have a cart at City Hall too
Came here to say exactly that! Recreo’s honey hybrid is an absolute winter favorite for us. They also sell gift sets like 3 bags of beans at a discount I believe.
please tell me they have a dark roast, and i mean real dark roast - not the dark roast label on medium roast beans 🙃
Dark roast just blasts all the flavor out of the coffee. Great way to cover up stale or bitter coffee beans, not a great way to experience the flavors of really good coffee.
Recreo is great! Love the staff there too
All the recs in this thread are good but my personal go-to is Atomic. They have a cafe in Beverly but they ship (free most of the time) and the beans are always roasted the immediate day prior to shipment when I get them
I've ordered from Atomic and really enjoyed.
Night Shift also roasts coffee, got some variety bags early in the pandemic and it was great.
Treehouse is good too. I get my daily coffee from Mystic Coffee Roaster.
This is the one. I’ve been exclusively using Atomic beans for 3 years now. Hands down the best coffee. So good that my family and friends ask me to bring some whenever I visit. Rocketeer is my personal favorite blend.
Seconded! The freshest coffee I've had and it's so good.
This was my recommendation. Their coffee is amazing.
A number of good options, but George Howell and Gracenote are two of the best.
Both excellent choices. Gracenote is also a great place for a visit. Takes a while to get your order and not much space inside but it’s a cute spot and amazing drinks.
Gracenote Coffee Boston https://maps.app.goo.gl/37w7hmMVitusqkfn7?g_st=ic
This is a local roaster, which leans on the fancier / more specialty side.
George Howell, Little Wolf (Ipswich), Broadsheet, Gracenote, Atomic (Salem) are all excellent.
Edit: totally forgot about Fazenda and Pavement.
Glad to see fazenda named here, they're tied for top local roasters with George Howell IMO
Agree with George, little wolf, broadsheet & gracenote, but not with the others.
Fazenda has shit decaf
Haha I just, unrelated to your comment, bought some tonight and I'm enjoying it. I don't typically love darker-than-light rosts, but their medium columbian and did a very eyebally aeropress method and am thoroughly enjoying it lol Nice rich body, not bitter whatsoever
https://www.fazendacoffee.com/products/colombia-decaf-sugar-process
Broadsheet coffee in Cambridge!
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Dean's beans. You can find them in most of the specialty grocery stores around the area.
Most of my favorite coffee places use Gracenote which is definitely a great choice
I love Dean’s Beans! Ring of Fire is my go-to for cold brew these days
Polcari’s Coffee in the North End.
Only correct answer.
Fazenda!
Polcari’s is the only answer. I don’t live in the area anymore and I still exclusively buy their beans
As a resident of the north end, I agree. Although I do like a bunch of the other shops mentioned.
Yes
This is a fantastic thread. Noting all of these for when I move up there.
Yea this is awesome! I didn’t expect so many responses, people here are so nice
Equal Exchange in West Bridgewater, MA isn't as fancy as these recommendations but they're pretty unique in that not only are all their products sourced through fair trade, but Equal Exchange itself is a worker-owned co-operative.
Pavement Coffee. Locations all over but their man roastery is in Brighton
Karma coffee!
If you're into light, fruity, acidic roasts, Flight coffee is my favorite. They're based out of New Hampshire, but ship in just a day or two. I think you'd need to grind the beans at a local cafe or grocery store though.
George Howell is my go to, because I live near one of the shops. Tiny Arms in Lowell is really good too. I also have a soft spot for Barismo.
Different idea, but Cometeer is in Gloucester and came out of MIT. Basically frozen coffee pods, but amazing quality. And they use some great roasters nationwide. Snapchill does canned coffee and is based in Watertown.
Second Tiny Arms
Clover in central square sells some local coffee roaster bean bags. I’m a fan of little wolf and speedwell which are both MA based roasters
Jaho and Pavement are my favorite personally - bought a coffee grinder this summer and have been trying local places whole beans.
Recreo in West Roxbury has fantastic coffee.
No. Six Depot I’ve been really liking lately. Particularly their blue velvet. They are in western mass in the Berkshires area but can be found at Whole Foods
Not directly in Boston but snowy owl out of the cape or kaha out of amesbury!
Cini Coffee is amazing, traditional, Ethiopian coffee, but it can be hard to find as it's a small family business running mostly at farmers markets and pop-ups. Their website is https://www.cinicoffee.net/https://www.cinicoffee.net/.
edit: link added
Not a huge fan of coffee but Cini is fantastic!
Honestly just having a conversation with the owner is worth it even if you hate coffee, she is so nice and is so passionate about what she does.
Polcari in the north end
George Howell 100%
People will get defensive about George Howell because it is local but the coffee isn't top tier but the prices are. I much prefer Broadsheet or Pavement if picking a locally based roaster.
I really like Slacktide. They’re down in Marshfield, but they ship.
Omg this is a sleeper roaster - under the radar but hot damn they're good. Their snapchilled canned coffee is outrageously good. Not to mention the food at their cafe is delicious and the staff are so pleasant.
Aero coffee roasters.…small family owned business. Roastery and cafe in Northboro but can buy beans on their website. good honest people who roast amazing beans.
I really like tiny arms in Lowell. That's a bit of a hike but they come to the Brookline farmers market on Thursdays! Probably my favorite roaster and I really love the owners.
Clear Flour Bakery in Brookline also sells Tiny Arms coffee bags! The owners also plan to open up a cafe next to the bakery sometime by the end of the year.
Del’s is a local coffee roaster in Waltham. I really enjoy their coffee. It’s a short drive from Boston and also accessible from the commuter rail!
The owner has a pretty cool story too! https://patch.com/massachusetts/waltham/somerville-resident-opens-del-s-coffee-roasters-waltham
JP Licks, in Jamaica Plain. Roasted daily.
This is super helpful. I have been looking for a local roaster. Who has the best dark roast? Just checked pavement website and I didn’t see much.
I’m looking for the same. I can’t stand light, fruity and acidic coffee. Fazenda has several good dark roasts but I’m always looking for more.
George Howell is the specialty coffee pioneer and (IMO) the best roaster in the world for that volume.
Get beans and a coffee grinder so its extra fresh
Fazenda Ethiopia is my personal favorite. I can not recommend their Ethiopia light roast enough, I've also tried atomic and they is quite good too
Fazenda Misty Valley Natural processed is one of the best coffees I've ever had!
In addition to all the suggestions, I’d also recommend a tin of LA Burdick cocoa (it’s one of my go-to Christmas gifts for my West Coast family).
Gracenote if you want actual specialty coffee. George Howell is the big name but he sucks and his stores are a lil overrated in my opinion. Render is a smaller locally owned one that’s pretty good imo, after that Pavement is very “Boston”
Genuinely curious, why does "he" (the actual guy) suck? I've yet to find any better coffees except a handful of roasters. He's definitely got a bit of a pretentious air about him from what I can see in interviews, but ive found his information wise and educational in addition to the exceptional coffee.
Extremely pretentious, thinks he’s the greatest thing to ever happen to Boston coffee and feels like he’s personally responsible for making Boston a renowned coffee city. Which isn’t entirely untrue, and he makes a great product I won’t lie, but I can’t stand him.
Fair enough, I could see that. I've never met him but I surely could see this being true. I'll still remain a sucker for the coffee, which I truly enjoy, but I appreciate the insight and will broaden roasters I otherwise less frequently bought from.
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Happy Bean Roasters, small operation but super nice guy. https://happybeansroaster.com
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Flat black, surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet
Redeye coffee in hingham and karma in Sudbury. Eagle hill in east Boston is also great. Snowy owl and three fins down on the cape are also fantastic. Along with previously mentioned by other users george Howell
https://www.intelligentsia.com/
Edit: They are in Watertown.
Not local, out of Chicago.
Not local, from chicago and available nationwide.
Yeah. Also all over LA.
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).