I am beginning to wonder if the roasters extract the rich coffee aroma and essence from beans and ship the essence to Paris; then package the mugged coffee beans and sell them to Americans.

I just remembered that a few years ago, I bought a small coffee bean roaster but forgot about it and never used it. I’m usually a decent cook, but have never roasted my own coffee beans. Seems like a lot of expensive, hit or miss effort. What do you think?

I usually cook not because I love standing at the kitchen counter with back pain, but because sometimes, to get decent food, especially Chinese or SE Asian (where we live), we have to make our own. I don’t think I want to begin roasting coffee beans as well. I don’t even know where to buy green, raw coffee beans.

File under ”Is it too much to ask?”

We have a local coffee bean roaster in our small town on the outer Cape called Beanstock Coffee and they do make some flavored coffees. I especially enjoy their dark roast hazelnut. And I checked their website for seasonal brews, they have one called "Gingerbread Joy - Light-medium roast. Perfect for a cozy morning, this seasonal coffee is lightly sweetened with flavors of ginger snap cookie, brown sugar, and cinnamon." That doesn't tempt me. I've never had a pumpkin spiced beverage, either. It doesn't call to me for some reason.

We never buy flavored coffees. I don’t think that our roaster even offers them.

I love pumpkin, in pretty much anything. Pumpkin muffins and good pumpkin donuts are my personal weakness, I could eat nothing but pumpkin muffins or donuts for days and be in heaven.

Like it as a flavored coffee, usually. I use creamer and have tried it as a creamer or add in at Dunkin, my coffee dealer of choice. Yes I know serious coffee drinkers are now appalled, all I can say is we all have our things. 😆 Long way of saying, Dunkin's offerings in this area veer into too sweet for me. Would live to find a more palatable, easy coffee choice with pumpkin....

I've never had it...not especially interested either.

Ally, me too!

I’m not a serious coffee drinker, either.

Right now I’m hooked on pumpkin spice flavoured soft Werther’s caramels.

Try drinking a regular cup of coffee and letting one of these slowly melt in your mouth! Divine.

" to find a more palatable, easy coffee choice with pumpkin...". For me that would just be a good cup of proper coffee and a piece of pumpkin pie. Consumed separately, not as a mashup.

Black coffee no sugar drinker here. Never had a latte, never will.

Thanks, everyone. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Maybe too many reports of executions — the habit of getting my (talk about junk food) habit of including Network evening news. Would people just put the guns and knives down? Wear your appropriate badges and uniforms. If your a neighborhood punk in the city, try reading, learning a craft

That PSL — Pumpkin Spice Latte stuff has gotten a hold on me! 😋 I’m going to go order one — as soon as I can get free from my jammies, yank some garden weeds and drive down the mountain to get one.

floral_uk, we do get our coffee beans mail order and they are usually excellent. We discovered a local place that is almost there, but did not score high enough.

I drink coffee with just a bit of whole milk, no sugar. I want coffee to have a rich, deep, aroma and taste. The last few brews (DH makes it, he drinks his black) have seemed very washed out compared to the usual. I’ve convinced the mister to return the washed out coffee (beans). In the meanwhile, I am desperate for my Real Flavorful Coffee Fix (RFCF). I’d hate to have to start committing crimes.

Coffee is now a HEALTH drink. Take that, veganistics pushing your horrid ?carob juice over the decades.

Some article on coffee that one can buy in stores, voted for Trader Joe’s. But I’m not sure. Anyone?

The nearest TJ’s is 20 mins away.

I have some 8 year old jarred Medaglia D’oro espresso in a cupboard that I bought for cooking.

I doubt the years have improved it.

I’m getting an acid stomach. Should I book a flight to Colombia?

I thought I was the only person who had never had a pumpkin latte.

I hate anything pumpkin-y or flavored coffees, altho I will admit to getting hazelnut creamer on the rare occasion that I get coffee at Wawa, which has excellent coffee. Hate Starbucks' burnt flavor. I do like lattes, but it's been years since I had one.

I've never been a coffee drinker. Should I start a seperate thread about it? SMH

Oh, Pumpkin Pie, home made. So wonderful. I used to do that! I used to bake real delicious pies - apple, custard, pumpkin, wild Maine blueberry (wild blueberries — we have some here but the catbirds have raided every blueberry amd raspberry patch, wild blackberries as well.

We have cultivated blueberries i side a caged/fenced in area. Even so, the chipmunks and catbirds occasionally get in.

Want a good, easy bluberry cake recipe? Online search for <Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins> recipe. Bake it in a cake pan (I think I use 8” square).

Looks like a 9”X7” Pyrex pan. Maybe I doubled the recipe?

I like coffee-flavored anything too. Coffee, espresso, latte - all good stuff. Coffee or espresso ice cream, also heaven.

My dad used to make the best pumpkin pies. Happy memories there.

Roxsolid - have not seem the pumpkin Werther's, but will be on the hunt now. Thank you!

LoneJack, my husband has never had a cup of coffee in his life. (That I know of)

You’re in good company.

Sushi - Wawa coffee drinker here too. Surprisingly good coffee....but many will point out my apparently unrefined palate, so consider the source. 😄

“Roxsolid - have not seem the pumpkin Werther's, but will be on the hunt now. Thank you!”

You’re welcome, Ally.

There’s also these.

Wonderful, as well.

I love the taste of traditional pumpkin pie. That is the flavor I would like in those other products.

But alas, pumpkin spice does not do it for me.

I do mind TJ’s pumpkin ice cream.

I never drink the fattening lattes, smoothie type drinks ever.

Never had PSL either and no desire to try it, but I used to put a little cinnamon in my coffee back in the day. FWIW, 'pumpkin' is not really a flavor - it's pumpkin pie SPICES - i.e. cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc.

When I was a kid, a local ice cream shop had pumpkin pie ice cream and it was one of my faves.

I buy organic whole bean coffee @ Aldi - it has wonderful flavor, IMO, and costs significantly less than anywhere else too.

No pumpkin spice latte for me, either.

Rox, I saw the Werther’s Caramel Apples recently. Gotta try some!👍🏻

My quasi craving for a PSL is waning. I’m too lazy & busy to start the car and roll down the hill. The bathroom scale indicated a few pounds less, so why mess with a good thing.

The cost of the car trip and PSL is nearly the cost of a much preferred lobster. I hate to see autumn weather rushing past so quickly.

❗️Black bear right outside — mid Oct 2020, I think. Not good. It wanted the bird seed, BOS.

Edited

I've never had a PSL either. Pumpkin isn't a particularly appealing flavor to me in sweet iterations. I don't mind it as a savory dish if it isn't mushy like a mash or puree. I don't drink coffee either, so double whammy on the PSL. I do enjoy some things that have coffee flavoring, like gelato, but it's never my first choice.

I remember the first time I tried it. I was visiting family in VA and it had just come back for the season. My SIL was so excited about it, sort of describing it as a dessert experience. It sounded so yummy that I ordered one.

You had to see my face as I tried it. To be honest maybe I was expecting whip cream or something. I could barely swallow it. LOL It was just coffee with milk and sugar and pumpkin pie spice flavoring. I drink my coffee black so it was just too much for me.

I love a good pumpkin muffin with my black coffee. I even like the little gluten free pumpkin cranberry muffins in the freezer at Costco. Now that I type that, it sounds like my lunch for today.

I had a really really good cup of unadulterated coffee in my 20's at a restaurant (long gone). I kept trying to find another one, and after awhile gave up, so no PSL. ;)

I can understand spiced coffee, like spiced tea or mulled wine, and as I understand it, a lot of these products are the spice from pumpkin pie, not the pumpkin and the spice. I love pumpkin and make both sweet and savory dishes from pumpkins. Most canned pumpkin is butternut, which is technically a pumpkin, but less complex--less acid and bitter notes, therefore sweeter--as well as being quite consistent in flavor, fruit to fruit. Personally, I find "pumpkin spice" or "pie spice", as it is sold in blends, to be rather cloying, OTOH, a pumpkin pie made from a jack-o style pumpkin, with a more nuanced spice profile, goes very well with a ribbon of caramel and/or a ribbon of chocolate in it. I think the same might be true in PSL! If you have a light, smooth coffee, the milk, sugar and spices might be equally cloying, but if you have a bitter dark roast, they could take the edge off more than just cream(er), and add complexity.

You’ve given me ideas.

I could try a strong coffee (got to find one!) with some of the PSL spices and milk.

I, too, shun almost all flavored coffees and especially pumpkin spice. I am a dedicated black coffee drinker; I tried a hazelnut flavored coffee once and could hardly choke it down. Never had pumpkin spice anything and never will. I resent the forceful sales campaign designed to literally force it down our throats.

Once in a very great while (usually when on vacation), I have a French vanilla latte. Everybody knows that calories consumed on vacation don’t count.

I love good coffee, but the thought of ANY flavor in it (except maybe chocolate) makes me gag!

For me, coffee should taste like coffee and nothing else. And be fresh, freshly ground and strong. Different equipment using different processes produce all the variety I'm interested in having. IE, drip or press and espresso.

Although I'm an adventurous eater who enjoys just about anything (including plants of all kinds), pumpkin and other kinds of squash never enter my mouth. Not in any form.

Never eaten zucchini or other squash even out of a baby food jar? I highly doubt it but go ahead and tell yourself that.

I didn't say never once. Don't you think as an "adventurous eater" I would have tried these things before deciding I found I disliked the flavor?

I think you can grasp this concept. I've said before many times that it's puzzling to me that some people decide they dislike a food they've never had and refuse to even try. You don't need to have remembered my saying that but I have.

I don't remember what my mother gave me out of a baby food jar. Do you?

'"pumpkin and other kinds of squash never enter my mouth. Not in any form"

So you lied.

The comment used present (and implied to be ) future tenses.

Are you having a bad day? Or does cocktail hour start early for you, now that you're retired?

Too funny.

I'm having a great day Elmer, thanks for your concern. My alma mater is beating Texas, A&M and happy hour starts in about an hour.

carolb — Re those Aldi coffees:

Is there one variety which is more robust, richer than the others? Are they ”fresh” — meaning within a few weeks of the roast date? (Of course in Outer Swampsonia it might be a year after the roast date.

I prefer medium— medium dark roast that is deep, full bodied, richly aromatic.

Thanks!

Hmm - good question - I never paid any attention to a roast date. The one I just bought the other day has a 'best by' date of June 2028, and I also just noticed it's now 'Espresso Blend', not 'Honduras', which is what I usually buy. Not sure if either is the same now as in the photo - I did find the Peruvian to be a little bit stronger in the past.

Funny, the shelf was bare for weeks before restocking, so I'm guessing something changed. It does say %100 Arabica, and 'packed in Germany'.

FWIW, I take my coffee with half & half, and brew it by the cup with a little 1-cup cone. I remember the Chock Full O' Nuts restaurant in NYC had really, really good coffee back in the day.

There have been a lot of disruptions in both the chocolate and coffee lands. Aldi is German, and mean to be a value brand. So the whole world of commerce is involved. It wouldn't surprise me if they changed their coffee offerings depending on trade conditions.

Thanks a lot carolb for taking time to respond. That Honduran/espresso mix sounds worth a try. Or maybe the Peruvian.

I read somewhere recently that Aldi is upping its game — presence, offerings. And another article touted their steaks.

plllog, Exactly my thoughts. They seem to be dynamically accommodating market realities and demand. Maybe our local store is still open. I am so coffee deprived, I am almost dangerous.

Wish coffee would grow on my windowsill. Here is what does:

I’ve never had a flavoured coffee and never will. I can’t see the point. I like coffee as it is.

Do you have similar smell issues with other foods? I ask because loss of sense of smell can indicate mild Covid.

Hi Colleen,

I am with you— I don’t like flavored coffees. However, the thought of the PSL appealed to me…. at least to try.

No covid, but I have read about it dampening the sense of smell of those who have it. I believe Parkinson’s Disease can also diminish one’s sense of smell. I can detect those darn stink bugs, minty antacids, chocolate bar, cashews, tacos, parsley, shampoo. I think I’m good. But that is a very interesting phenomenon. I am curious how that is. I have known people who have lost their sense of smell from injury. That can be depressing as well as dangerous. Thanks for bringing that up.

“Here is what does:”

petalique, looks like a Mandevilla? Lovely! They’re a favorite of ours.

I bought it two years ago, and last winter kept it over inside. Zone 5, so it would have died outdoors. I should have repotted it. It is way too pot bound, but seems to have nice foliage. Aren’t they beautiful? I love the pink.

I never bought one, thankfully, but my daughter stopped by the house a couple of years ago with one of those iced PSL lattes. I don't really like my coffee cold and I don't care for Starbucks coffee generally. I remember Renee here who had the coffee shop in Kentucky called it "Charbucks". Anyway, I tasted and I did not like it. At all. There are some flavors that just don't "go" well with coffee for me, and pumpkin is one. Peppermint is another, but that's me.

I mostly drink coffee black and hot. I buy green beans from Burman Coffee in Wisconsin, roast them myself, grind them daily and I prefer to use the Chemex pour over although Elery has a MochaMaster that he's fond of. I'll drink either because, well, it's coffee. I prefer Costa Rican or Brazilian, some Columbians but I'll drink others and be satisfied enough. Not the flavored ones, I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to coffee I guess.

Annie

”Aren’t they beautiful?”

They really are! We have pink and red. Pink are my favorites.

Annie1992! So great to see you again. I was just looking over your delicious coleslaw recipe you shared with me. So delicious.

Yes, a lot of people dislike flavored coffees, and the idea of pumpkin spice coffee. If I ever get one, I may well dislike it. I am not a Starbucks fan either. There used to be, several decade ago, a famtastic coffee roaster (George Howell) with a good handful of coffee shops in the Greater Boston area, ”Coffee Connection.” The coffee and the shops were well loved. Fantastic coffee and George used to run coffee tasting sessions and educated people about coffees.

Well, Starbucks came east with the over roasted coffee but market skill, cash and cachet. Howell could see the writing on the wall. Starbucks gobbled them up. G. Howell also used to dubbed Starbucks, Charbucks. I still call it that. They seem to blast the dickens out of their beans.

Thanks for reminding me of Burmans in Wisconsin. I’ll buy some green coffee beans from them and try to roast some. I may call on your experience when I get ready to do so. I have more coffee makers than Amazon — French presses, espresso units from thrifts, Chemex, … But we use a simple pour over with the inexpensive but all one needs Melitta cone, filter and carafe.

I am envious of Elery’s Mocha Master. I wanted one for the longest time, but $$$ and now we only make morning coffee with the simple pour over. We grind our coffee beans daily. DH got this grinder that is a tank - peobably commercial grade, heavy, but does a great job.

I love coffee. Simple but I want good rich coffee with a bit of whole milk in it. DH has his black.

Good to hear from you, Annie1992.

For the heck of it, I entered < charbucks > into a search engine and got mostly Starbucks links. And, a scattering of what appears to be dodgy site, not private.

I also found this:

▪️ https://www.mandourlaw.com/starbucks-loses-charbucks-trademark-dispute-to-underdog-coffee-seller/

Note: For the purposes of discussion, the following.

STARBUCKS LOSES “CHARBUCKS” TRADEMARK DISPUTE TO UNDERDOG COFFEE SELLER

Los Angeles – A federal appellate court ruling handed down last week shut down Starbuck’s efforts to try to stop Wolfe’s Borough Coffee Inc., a small New Hampshire coffee seller, from producing “Charbucks” drinks. Filed in New York District Court, Starbucks’ original complaint detailed how Wolfe’s coffee brand and its subsidiary, Black Bear Micro Roastery, had infringed upon its famous trademark and diluted its brand. Writing for the three judge panel, Circuit Judge Raymond Lohier held that Starbucks did not meet its burden in proving that there was a “blurring” of its brand in the minds of consumers.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2001 before finally landing in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after twelve years. As a focal part of its argument, Starbucks presented the results of a phone survey of 600 consumers conducted by Warren Mitofsky, which concluded that “the number one association of the name ‘Charbucks’ in the minds of consumers is with the brand ‘Starbucks.'”

[Snipped section, available at link above]

The panel of judges dug deeper, Snip snip]

The defeat likely comes as big surprise for the Seattle-based coffee giant, which has grown since the early 70s from one small shop to over 18,000 retail locations across the globe. Black Bear Micro Roastery, which is owned by Wolfe’s Borough Coffee Inc. and sells the Charbucks coffee at issue, was started in 1991 in New Hampshire. While its website only includes information for one retail location, the company ships its products nationwide, which consist of 20 coffee varieties, including, of course, its Charbucks Blend. Starbucks, for its part, recently responded to the finality of the years long legal saga by simply stating, “We are respecting the court’s decision.”

▪️ https://www.mandourlaw.com/starbucks-loses-charbucks-trademark-dispute-to-underdog-coffee-seller/

~~~

For discussion purposes.

Isn’t this interesting? To me it is. More at link.

It is interesting, I know a lot of people who call Starbucks "Charbucks", and I know businesses guard their trademarks and names zealously.

Thanks for the welcome, I'll try to get here more often but it's gardening and farming and canning season and there's not nearly as much cooking and baking going on since I've been relegated to the "heart healthy" diet.

Annie

Yes, fall and spring must be crazy busy for you. I get it.