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- What is the difference between a burr and blade grinder?
- What is "specialty" coffee?
- What is "premium" coffee?
- What is "Conventional/commercial" coffee?
- What is "cupping"?
- Nelson, you have convinced me about the FreshRoast8. Now you need to convince me that the Hearthware Supremo burr coffee grinder (Model 42003) is reliable (not el cheapo). -Don
- Hello, I'm interested in the Z &D grinder, can you tell me who manufactures the grinder. Do you know the RPM of the burr's (is there a gear reduction from the motor)? Thanks, Steve Dec-16-05
- What's the quality like on this grinder? I don't expect it to be industrial grade given the low price, but does it hold up well assuming home use? Does it give a fairly even grind? Thanks, Sam A.
- What are the Nutritional Facts on your roasted coffee?
- How much caffeine does you roasted coffee have?
- I'm looking into ordering your Best Bolivian Coffee, I've been searching around and ordered some other coffees that sellers claim to be Organic Fresh Roasted Bolivian, but so far no luck, every one that I've tried aren't what a Bolivian will consider to be coffee. So, how is your coffee compared to Copacabana or Irupana brands (from Bolivia), I am hoping that you are Bolivian or have some experience with the taste of Bolivian coffee. I will appreciate a response to my "search for the good Bolivian coffee"
- What is the "Best use by: " date of your roasted coffee?
- Whenever I make coffee in the morning (grind, brew) in our Technivorm, I end up with a puddle of mud in the bottom (thicker, not very tasty). Whenever my wife does it, it's quite noticeably less. She says that I'm grinding it too fine - whirly grinder. Think she is right?
- What is the shelf life of your roasted coffee?
- Do you use a different packaging if I order with Invalsa.com and cafevalverde.com. both?
- I have a courier account and can I use my courier services?
- What is your shelf life of your Roasted coffee?
- I use Hand Grinder (Coarse) to ground my coffee, can I use this ground coarse coffee for Stove Top Brewer & Ibriks?
- How long should I brew the coffee using Stove Top brewer & Ibriks?
- Do you mix your coffee with other thing such as margarine or others?
- I did taste the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee from Mavis Bank which is Excellent Mild. Also Kenya, Colombia Narino Supremo, Guatemala Antigua and Sumatra which all these are from Starbucks. And Kona Coffee from Kona Mountain which the taste and aroma are quite similar with Sumatra Coffee. How is the Bolivian Coffee taste?
- Actually, your service of delivery was good. As for the quality of the beans or the flavor, it was not to my expectation. I've tried to roast in different ways to extract the kind of flavor I was looking for, but it's not to my liking.
So, I have still about 3/4 of the bag remaining. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to take back the remaining for an exchange for your other beans. I'd be willing to cover the shipping. Please let me know if this is a possibility. I'd want Sumatra
- What is the difference between a burr and blade grinder?
A burr grinder has teeth that cut the coffee beans in one pass, without overheating, or destroying them. A burr grinder has different settings and allows you to pick the type of grind (very fine to coarse) desired. This is what commercial coffee grinders do. A blade grinder has a rotating knife that chops the bean repeatedly (until pulverized, if kept on long enough). It heats the coffee beans causing flavor loss and the degree of grind is controlled by the amount of time the engine is engaged. It gets the job done, but it is not the best thing for treating roasted, high-quality coffee beans.
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- What is "specialty" coffee?
There are two major species of coffee, robusta and arabica. Robusta is grown at low altitudes, under full sun, has almost twice as much caffeine, and is the main ingredient of cheap, flavorless, "blended" commercial coffee available everywhere. Arabica, grown at high altitudes (4,000 to 6,500 feet) with abundant rain fall, warm temperatures, fertile soil and adequate shading develops superior coffee flavors. Picked by hand only at the peak of ripeness, these arabica beans are processed with care and meticulously graded and separated by bean size and density. All of the world's great coffees are 100% arabica, but only the top 10% have fine enough flavor to be selected as specialty coffee. The fine flavor is determined by the cupping score. To be considered specialty, the cupping score must be at least 80, using the SCAA criteria.
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- What is "premium" coffee?
According to the SCAA Standard Classification Method, arabica green coffee beans are graded according to Category 1 and Category 2 defect equivalents. Specialty coffee cannot have any Category 1 defects and may only have up to five Category 2 defect equivalents. Premium coffee may only have up to eight defect equivalents of either category. Graded coffee with more than eight defect equivalents is considered "commercial" or "below grade". After cupping, the remaining 90% of the fine arabica coffee, with still superb flavor, is considered premium coffee.
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- What is "Conventional/commercial" coffee?
The remaining coffee, the majority of which is traded in the commodity markets, is considered "conventional, commercial" coffee. It includes all robustas and the lower-quality arabicas.
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- What is "cupping"?
It is a professional technique for evaluating coffee's Fragrance/Aroma, Flavor, Acidity, Body and Aftertaste. To be considered specialty or premium, coffee must exhibit distinct attributes in these five areas. Moreover, such coffee must be free from odors, faults and taints.
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- Nelson, you have convinced me about the FreshRoast8. Now you need to convince me that the Hearthware Supremo burr coffee grinder (Model 42003) is reliable (not el cheapo). -Don
Don, that is easy. For the money, you cannot get a better burr coffee grinder as the Hearthware Supremo Coffee Mill. It is the best burr coffee grinder that we sell at the $40-price level(strong motor, well built, small foot print, sharp-looking, value-priced). Now, don't go comparing it with $200plus conical burr coffee grinders (which some people do and then say, look I found a better one....). For the money, you can't beat it. Now if you want to spend $200 on a coffee grinder, I have couple of suggestions (and some that I would not buy even if they offered them to me at $100, half price!) Am I enthusiastic enough about the Hearthware burr coffee grinder? Better question.
Are you convinced? -Nelson
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- Hello, I'm interested in the Z &D grinder, can you tell me who manufactures the grinder. Do you know the RPM of the burr's (is there a gear reduction from the motor)? Thanks, Steve Dec-16-05
Hello, Steve. The grinder is manufactured in China for Zach & Dani's, LLC (a Colorado-based company), which offers a one-year warranty for household (non commercial) use only. I do not know, nor could easily find out, the RPMs of the the electrical motor. The grinder has a continuos-spectrum grind adjustment from coarse to fine. This is accomplished by adjusting the distance between the burrs (just like any commercial unit). I do not believe grinders at this price level have a gear reduction in the motor. -Nelson
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- What's the quality like on this grinder? I don't expect it to be industrial grade given the low price, but does it hold up well assuming home use? Does it give a fairly even grind? Thanks, Sam A.
Hello Sam: The Z & D grinder is what I would call our "good" grade. It is nicely build, it is fine for home use, but I would have liked a larger motor (it is 75 watts).
I think any grinder under 100 watts is underpowered. I would recommend the Hearthware Supremo Burr grinder (its motor is 130 watts). It is a better grinder and certainly worth the
$10-15 extra. -Nelson
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- What are the Nutritional Facts on your roasted coffee?
Our Coffee's Nutrition Facts are as follows:
Amount: 20 grams or 0.72 oz. (enough for a large cup of coffee, 200 ml, or 7 fluid oz)
Calories 60
Carbohydrates 1g
Protein 1g
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Dietary Fiber 8g
Calcium Not significant
Iron 1.64mg
Sodium 0mg
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- How much caffeine does you roasted coffee have?
On average, Arabica (we only use 100% Arabica) beans have 50% less caffeine that the Robusta beans, which is what is normally sold as commercial coffee (with a small amount of Arabica beans mixed-in for flavor). Our pure, ground and dry (unbrewed) roasted coffee is 1.1% caffeine by weight. A seven ounce cup of our brewed coffee using the drip method has about 100 mg of caffeine. Our Decaf coffee is 99.98% caffeine-free.
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- I'm looking into ordering your Best Bolivian Coffee, I've been searching around and ordered some other coffees that sellers claim to be Organic Fresh Roasted Bolivian, but so far no luck, every one that I've tried aren't what a Bolivian will consider to be coffee. So, how is your coffee compared to Copacabana or Irupana brands (from Bolivia), I am hoping that you are Bolivian or have some experience with the taste of Bolivian coffee. I will appreciate a response to my "search for the good Bolivian coffee"
Si somos Bolivianos y de La Paz. (Yes, we are Bolivians, from La Paz), You ask a very interesting question. Both Cafe Copacabana and Cafe Irupana sell coffee in Bolivia that is roasted with sugar which makes the coffee sweeter but also cheaper. Sugar is about half the price of coffee. In specialty shops Cafe Irupana also sells pure-roasted coffee. I believe Bolivians roast coffee with sugar not for taste reasons, but because they want to lower the price. Bolivians have gotten used to that taste. If you are used to drinking Bolivian coffee roasted with sugar, then you will find our coffee different and perhaps not to your liking. Mention to any coffee expert about roasting coffee with sugar and they will immediately wince and will consider it heresy and a waste of any decent coffee. Just another cheap roaster trying to make a quick buck, they will tell you.
However, acquired tastes, like coffee, tend to be, er, acquired and soon you become used to it and think it is the best. I don't drink coffee roasted with sugar, even though when in Bolivia on a cold Altiplano night I enjoy a "tinto cargado" because I don't need (nor want) the extra sugar and enjoy our own coffee as it is without altering the pure-coffee roasting process.
We have received very positive feedback from Americans, Europeans, and Asians about the taste of our coffee. You can read the reviews on our site. A few Bolivians have also indicated that they enjoyed it very much, but we have not sold our coffee in Bolivia in any major way, until now. Early next year we will open a drive-thru, drip coffee shop (cafe al paso) in Obrajes, La Paz and we will then be able to tell you whether our coffee is liked by average Bolivians.
I strongly recommend that you buy a small bag of our coffee , try and then give us your honest feedback.
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- What is the "Best use by: " date of your roasted coffee?
Excellent question. Our small-batch, artisan roasted coffee is custom roasted to order. We do not keep any roasted coffee in inventory, just waiting to get stale. All our roasted coffee carries a hand-written; "Roasted on: " date. Not some arbitrary "best use by: " date, which is usually six months after the coffee has been roasted. We roast your coffee the day we ship it. Regardless on what you read on roasted coffee packages, or claims by coffee packaging manufacturers, it is widely acknowledged by coffee experts that roasted coffee packed in a foil bag with a one-way valve (the best way to package roasted coffee and the only one that works well) will lose its fresh-roasted quality after six weeks and the deterioration process will become noticeable in cupping tests after two weeks. So don't buy coffee that has been roasted more than six weeks from the day of purchase, and if you care about roasted coffee quality, do not buy coffee with a "Best use by:" date. It is most likely stale by the time you get it. Buy roasted coffee frequently and only buy the amount you will consume in one week. But don't just take our word for it. Read our coffee reviews. -Nelson
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- Whenever I make coffee in the morning (grind, brew) in our Technivorm, I end up with a puddle of mud in the bottom (thicker, not very tasty). Whenever my wife does it, it's quite noticeably less. She says that I'm grinding it too fine - whirly grinder. Think she is right?
I shudder to say this "man to man", but in this case, old buddy, your wife is right. Aye! ( I can't believe I said that!). Listen to our wife, man, she seems to know coffee! -Nelson
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- What is the shelf life of your roasted coffee?
Up to three months, if kept in the sealed one-way foil bags in which the coffee will be shipped. However, ideally our roasted coffee should be consumed prior to the sixth week.
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- Do you use a different packaging if I order with Invalsa.com and cafevalverde.com. both?
Our green coffee is shipped with invalsa.com packaging. Our roasted coffee is shipped with Cafevalverde.com packaging . Both are sister companies
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- I have a courier account and can I use my courier services?
Yes, there is a $5 handling fee per box. It also depends which courier you want to use. Couple months ago we had problems using a customer's DHL account in the UK. It kept giving us an "invalid account" error, when trying to print the label. The customer insisted the account was valid. We ended it shipping via Express Mail (EMS)
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- What is your shelf life of your Roasted coffee?
Our roasted coffee, packed in our one-way-valve, foil bags has a shell life of six weeks, in our opinion. Of course bag manufacturers claim that coffee stored in such a way has a shelf lif of six months.
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- I use Hand Grinder (Coarse) to ground my coffee, can I use this ground coarse coffee for Stove Top Brewer & Ibriks?
No, you need to grind it very fine for Stove Top Espresso (Mocha Pot) and extremely fine for Ibrik (Turkish/Greek)
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- How long should I brew the coffee using Stove Top brewer & Ibriks?
Follow the equipment manufacturer's recommendations. However, in general, with a Stove Top Espresso maker, coffee is done when brewed coffee stops moving from the botton water receptacle to the top coffee receptacle. Making Ibrik coffee is a family "secret" where it is used most. I make mine, following the Greek teachings, after three near boils of the Ibrik
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- Do you mix your coffee with other thing such as margarine or others?
Of course not! Why would anyone do that? We are coffee purists! Are you thinking of flavorings? If so, we recommend that you use the botlled syrups (e.g Torani) after you brew your coffee, and do not buy flavored coffee.
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- I did taste the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee from Mavis Bank which is Excellent Mild. Also Kenya, Colombia Narino Supremo, Guatemala Antigua and Sumatra which all these are from Starbucks. And Kona Coffee from Kona Mountain which the taste and aroma are quite similar with Sumatra Coffee. How is the Bolivian Coffee taste?
Bolivan coffe is a classical South American coffee, with natural sweetnes, great acidity, medium body and awesome aftertaste. Compared to the above coffees, it would taste closer to the Guatemalas and Colombians. If you what the best Bolivian coffee I suggest you purchase our #1 Cup of Excelence winner (http://www.invalsa.com/index.php?cPath=43_82_99&osCsid=72c69cbfdf69ab3b1f6e8d73892dfa8e), if price is not an issue or the National Winners, (http://www.invalsa.com/index.php?cPath=43_83&osCsid=72c69cbfdf69ab3b1f6e8d73892dfa8e)
for more affordabel beans. However our Production coffees are also quite good and very reasonably priced.
Here is a link to our own strict coffee grading: http://www.invalsa.com/coffee_grading.php
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- Actually, your service of delivery was good. As for the quality of the beans or the flavor, it was not to my expectation. I've tried to roast in different ways to extract the kind of flavor I was looking for, but it's not to my liking.
So, I have still about 3/4 of the bag remaining. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to take back the remaining for an exchange for your other beans. I'd be willing to cover the shipping. Please let me know if this is a possibility. I'd want Sumatra
We are sorry to hear that our Superior (AA) coffee beans did not meet your expectations. You are welcome to send back the unused amount and I will give you another grade beans and only charge you for shipping. However, if you like coffees with a lot of body (e.g. Sumatrans) we may not have something that will meet (or exceed) your expectations. Currently we only carry Bolivian coffees.
Bolivian coffees are distinguished by their bright acidity (citrus, chocolate,
floral) and light to moderate body. We do not carry Sumatrans. You can get more body from a coffee by roasting darker, using a Press Pot (French Press) brewer, or brewing more ground coffee to the same amount of water. Some of our high altitude beans can tolerate the added heat of the darker roasts and may generate more body, but none of them will come to the earthy body of a Sumatran.
Sumatran coffees are usually dry processed (the coffee cherry is dried on the floor of a concrete patio in full sun with the fruit flesh on the beans.
Bolivian coffees are wet-processed (the fruit flesh is manually removed and the bean is thoroughly washed and rinsed before drying the coffee beans on elevated wood tables in full sun). This is one of the factors that explains their distinct bodies
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