I now have a good quality coffee grinder and French Press, where can I get good, fresh beans?
Also, what would be a good sampling of different coffees that I should try?
signed-
Longtime (Folger’s In A Mr. Coffee Basket) Coffee Drinker
Depends on what you are looking for.
Most bigger cities (and college towns) have a local roaster who roasts on site. This can be really fresh.
Or you can order coffee online. Caribou is good, and just had then enviable problem of being highly rated by Consumer Reports (they started in Minnesota, so I’ve been using their beans for years). My husband isn’t a Starbucks fan - to him even their “light” roasts are burnt - so you need to decide what you like.
Yeah, Starbucks coffee tastes burnt to me too - even the mild Colombian that I tried once.
I would like to try a fairly wide-ranging selection of rich, and especially fresh, coffees. An online source of beans would be good, and price is not really a consideration for this taste test.
I’m no gourmet, but I’ve found that the coffee beans in the grocery store are usually pretty good.
Hit some local coffee shops. Some of them roast on-site, and nearly all will sell you whole bean coffee. Visit a few, ask questions, and experiment until you find a few you really dig.
Hey Dangerosa,
If you ever get the opportunity during the summer months,
drop by the farmers market under I-94 in downtown Minneapolis on the weekend.
There’s a guy there that roasts beans daily and are the freshest I’ve found.
He’s very well versed on what he sells and offers quite a few varieties.
While not as fresh as local purveyors, Whole Foods carries illy whole coffee beans. They’re wonderful. I also pick up a can or two of Trader Joe’s whole beans when the opportunity presents itself.
Isn’t having a grinder great?
If you are in California, see if there is a Peet’s Coffee place near you. A bit expensive, but worth it. You can try it in the store to see if you like it–they usually have two types brewing at a given time. You also get a free cup if you buy a pound.
If price is a factor, I would second the nomination of Trader Joe’s.
Hey! UrbanChic stole both my suggestions! So lemme just add that my experience has been that dark roasts taste best in a press. Trader Joe’s French Roast is just dandy, and The Food Whole’s Extra Dark French Roast is just a little better, although it costs more than twice as much. I can be happy with either one, and I’ve been drinking the whole pot, black, every morning forever.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has a monthly coffee subscription where they will send you a different pound every month. It is a nice way to sample various beans and roasts. I haven’t checked but they probably have a website that you can order through.
I like Gevalia. We usually drink pre-ground Maxwell House out of pure laziness. But, when I have the time, I grind up a fresh pot of whatever Gevalia I have on hand. They have a new limited edition coffee right now which is REALLY good. I can’t find it on their website though. I only know about it because they called me.
10,000 Villages is a chain of stores that sell fairly traded goods from around the world. They sell whole-bean and ground fair trade coffee. When you buy 10 bags, you get the 11th free (they punch a card for you). Even better, when you buy on Wednesdays, each bag counts as 2 bags.
Fritz, hie you to Costa Mesa and find High Times Liquor. It’s tucked behind a mall on Ogle St. They have the best selection of coffee beans I have seen, and amazing things to put in your coffee, too! 
Thanks, silenus - too far away for me, though. What I really need is a good online source of beans.
Peet’s again:
Ah - sorry cher3, I didn’t check the first time you mentioned it, but I now see that they sell online. This looks like just the ticket. Thanks!
Actually, I was just thinking of the stores when I posted before. Then, when you mentioned you wanted an online source, I remembered that I’d had Peet’s delivered for a while when I moved from the Bay Area to the Boonies and was going through withdrawal.
Thanks again, cher3. Once I went to Peet’s site, I found that there was a store very close to me - I think I’m set now.
Couple things to be aware of in choosing beans…
First, flavored beans are gross. YMMV, but try coffee without space-age plastic “flavor” agents on it first, please. If you really like the flavor, then more power to you, but speaking as one who has actually flavored beans (back when I worked in a coffee shop in my younger days), I’d not put that stuff in my body.
Second, a key component of taste is smell. (duh) So smell the beans before you buy them. As Dangerosa mentions, I don’t like dark roasts. To me, they smell bitter and burned. If you like the smell of a dark roast, you’d probably like the coffee made from it.
Third, the variety of beans matters a lot. Experiment with different kinds of beans to see what you like. I recommend staying away from the blended varieties at first, until you figure out what kinds of flavor qualities you like.
Caribou is online at http://www.cariboucoffee.com/ – good stuff. One nice thing they do is offer descriptions of the flavor qualities of their beans. It gets a little over-the-top, but it’s actually fairly accurate, once you bend your brain around the idea of coffee having a roasted walnut or fruity quality.
I see several recommendations for French Roast coffee in this thread. Tread lightly with the dark roasts, for they are not at all subtle and quick to anger. 
I like [http://www.capitalcitycoffee.com/](that [url) is up ]this place. Small, privately owned, and nice people to boot.
Plus the coffee’s good. (The usual caveats about flavored coffees - bleeah. I’ve not found one I like from anywhere. YMMV.)