I think that Peets and even Dunkin Donuts beans have their fans . . . New England Coffee roasters sells in my local grocery stores. Our Whole Foods uses a local roaster who dates his beans, so in the rare case that I can't get to Shenandoah Joe for my bean fix, I still can get my stuff. If you have a Whole Foods, they may supply beans from a local roaster as well. Where are you? With the current coffee craze, I would imagine that a roaster isn't too far away. I also will say that as a new convert to burr grinders, try one if you haven't already - the difference is absolutely incredible. Teedup, if you love the coffee taste - one taste of real, fresh, well-ground . . . you'll swear off the instant for all but dire caffeine emergencies. If you buy Megabucks by the cup every morning, then paying $19 a pound for good stuff is cheap in the not-very-long run. I've read somewhere that paying $2000 for an espresso machine pays for itself in 2 years over going for your daily fix at megabucks. A pound of coffee lasts us (2 drinkers, 3 cups a day total) about 2 weeks - that's high math, for sure - but still only a little over a dollar a day. And I think my coffee is closer to $13 a pound. Cooterboot, sounds to me like you are in for a fine time tasting various beans! Cheers, and happy drinking'

I used to get a Sumatran coffee that I loved..switched roasters and didn't like theirs as much as I love their Brazil Dark Roast..so it's my "standard"... Here's the link to where I get mine..And I must say I love the coffee club of the month..You can switch it up, delay shipments, move them up..whatever..Everything I've tried I love...The Sumatran is not as good in dark as it is in medium roast. Some of my favorites from them are the Coffee of the Month when they blend roasts or beans. It's roasted the morning it's shipped out via Priority. Here is a link that might be useful: Camano Island Coffee

My DH buys different types every few days because he's always on the quest for the perfect coffee. He hates to grind too, so he just buys the 12 oz bags from supermarkets. The other day he found a brand at a local close-out store-it was around $4/12oz-he bought it for the kid who works for him, and I tried it-it was quite good. But given the source, I know we'd never find it again. I've found that McDonalds coffee brand is actually pretty good for a grocery store coffee. I do not like Dunkin Donuts or Gevalia. A regional brand, Seattles Best is pretty good, and I like Starbucks Blonde blends. I agree, the Tanzania Peaberry is a good coffee, but DH doesn't like it. My favorite is also from a local roaster, but I have to buy it in 5lb bags of whole beans.

Thanks homepro - I'll give them a shot. The prices seem reasonable. I like the Waialua coffee grown here on Oahu, just don't buy much Kona these days as all the stores (including Walmart) are overrun with tiny 6 to 8 oz. bags of 100% Kona, or a million flavored Kona blends, for the tourists. There are a couple of blends labeled as made for well known local restaurants which are OK - but they are 10% Kona only. Most the blends are only 10%. I want to use real beans and get real flavor! Sharon - just what I need, another gadget! LOL! Maybe I'll try when I'm retired. Too busy to start another hobby right now! Terri, this one could be promising. It could probably arrive from WA within a couple of days. Maybe the pachamama mentioned by arbenson too. I want to try a few over a period of a couple of months to try some new roasts. Then I can set up a standing order with the ones we like best.