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

[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!