Lame Cuppa Joe

[plumtreeblossom]

I bought a bag of drip-grind Equal Exchange fair trade coffee for $8 (12 oz) at a non-profit gift shop in Central Square. I'm almost to the end of the bag, and the coffee has uniformly come out watery and flavorless in spite of increases to the coffee-to-water ratio. I have a drip coffee maker, and it doesn't have settings, so all I could do was decrease the water level. It's still like drinking weak broom straw tea.

This was my first try with fair trade coffee. At this point I'm disinclined to try it again, though I wish that wasn't the case. My usual brand is Maxwell House, which is about $5 for a standard size can, and it's always good (to the last drop, I might add). I'm not interested in buying fancy brewing equipment in this economy, and I'm not fond of espresso or steamer drinks made with it. I just like regular drip coffee. My thinking is that the Equal Exchange was just crappy quality coffee.

But my question: are there other brands of fair trade coffee that are better and can produce a good brew in a standard drip machine? I do have a grinder, if that matters. _{(Note: I don't shop at Whole Foods, so elsewhere will have to do.)}

Comments

[srakkt.livejournal.com]

Could it have been an issue of how you stored the grounds - Maxwell House is in a can rather than in a bag, yeah?

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

It might have been. But I've had bagged ground coffee before that was much more flavorful. In New York I got a free bag of Starbucks Christmas Blend, and although I am loathe to admit it, it was utterly delicious. I think the Equal Exchange I bought was just from inferior beans. I'd like to buy coffee and food in fair trade fashion, but I don't think that poor quality good keeps things truly fair on both the seller and buyer ends.

[beowabbit]

Given that you got it at a gift shop rather than a coffeeshop or a grocery store, another possibility (especially since it was ground rather than whole-bean) is that it had been sitting on a shelf (or in a warehouse) for six months.

Reminds me, I need to get coffee so I can wake you up on Sunday morning!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

That's true about it possibly being stale. My old boss Java Joe always said that ground coffee should be thrown out after 14 days if it doesn't get used, because the flavor is negatively effected by then. This store (10,000 Villages) might have had it on the shelf for ages.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I agree with Jay. I don't think your one sample should be considered representative. If you're in Central Sq, check out Harvest Coop.

[moria923.livejournal.com]

Christmas Blend rocks! I asked someone at Starbucks what was in that stuff, and they said it was mostly "aged Sumatran". I didn't know aging could improve coffee.

The first bag of Equal Exchange I ever bought, those many years ago, was also disappointing. But thorbol and I have had many bags since then, and we've liked most of them. You can get lots of varieties at Harvest, including French roast and Sumatran, which are my faves. I've found other kinds of fair trade coffee, but most are more expensive.

But your post is almost making us want to re-try Maxwell House!

[marius23.livejournal.com]

Caveat: I'm not a coffee drinker, so this is purely from a process engineering perspective.

Very limited conclusions can be drawn from a single data point. It could be all Equal Exchange coffee is bad, or it could be just that one batch, or even the one bag you bought. I would suggest a second sample.

Even a non-profit gift shop, being a gift shop is likely to skew the price/quality ratio toward the price side. Maybe find another place to buy?

If you've produced a satisfactory cup of coffee before using your own grinder, then maybe try buying whole beans so that there are fewer steps in the process that you have control of.

Good luck in your fair trade coffee quest!

[majes.livejournal.com]

(to the last drop, I might add

Ya see, I saw that coming a mile away, and I was still amused.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

Plums, I always get compliments on my coffee. I buy the 52 oz. Folger's Classic Roast, which lasts me about five months. I do not store it any special way, just on the cabinet shelf in its plastic original container, which has been opened, seal broken, and with a measuring tool left inside. I fill my 12 cup drip pot with water to the brim and pour it into the water well. I put a filter into the basket, add 1/2 of an empty eggshell (crumpled) - to cut the acid - two 1/4 cup measures of coffee and a small dash of salt. Then I put it through the brew process. The result? Cheap coffee that tastes (almost) as good as Dunkin Donuts. And believe me it is perfectly strong in spite of the fact that there are only eight tablespoons (1/2 cup) of grounds to more than 12 cups of water.
About Fair Trade stuff? I might -- IF I could afford the extra, and IF the product was as good as or better than what I already use.
I do not for a minute believe that if brewed coffee comes out tasting like tea that it is your fault or that you ought to take extraordinary measures to ensure a good cuppa. Only my opinion...

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

What *kind* of Equal Exchange did you get? It comes in about 15 varieties, all of which taste different. I absolutely swear by the French Roast and only the French Roast. You can get it at Harvest Coop, or possibly even Star/Shaws now, but Trader Joe's sells it cheaper as Cafe Pajaro (still marked as fair trade). I have tried dozens of other kinds and keep coming back to this as my one true coffee love.

As a gut reaction, I would be very wary of the quality of any coffee bought pre-ground in a gift shop (however chichi) rather than a food emporium.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

I'm with the people who say it was too old. I am a bit of a coffee snob-I buy whole bean, grind it myself, and then make drip coffee mostly, with occasional forays into french press. I've had Equal Exchange coffee be quite good, when bought and prepared this way.

I should also add that I hatehatehate Maxwell House. To my palate, it is "coffee" that's been used once already, dried and repackaged for the unsuspecting masses. *shudder* No, thank you.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

If you have a grinder, then start buying whole beans when possible.

I don't particularly like Equal Exchange coffee, but it's not been watery or flavorless when I've had it, so I'm in agreement with others that you probably just got a bag that had been on the shelf too long.

[heliopsis.livejournal.com]

When I drank coffee, I always bought Equal Exchange, and enjoyed it. I like my coffee strong, too. I got it at Harvest, where they go through lots of it so it's fresh. Usually, I bought a bag of whatever was on sale, and I only rarely found a variety that disappointed me. I recall that Sumatra was an occasional treat, because it was expensive.