NERD'S GUIDE TO BUYING GREAT COFFEE

[@LanceHedrick]

Make sure to hit the like button if you enjoyed the content! Let me know if you have any questions! Hoping this serves as a guide to best practices and a good educational resource when approaching buying coffees in this evolving world of a multiplicity of options! Cheers

[@CoffeeAndSmoke23]

I really need help finding a medium (ish) roast that has a nutty flavor that will work well for lattes..I just received my Eclipse from Onyx and I really do love it and will order it again,but every since I tried this malawi peaberry (is all I can remember about it) awhile back I cant stop trying to find something similar..If it helps I use a Vario W and Rancilio Silvia and only drink lattes..Really wanting to hear some suggestions!

[@kylereich404]

-Big trouble from counter culture coffee. Really consistent

[@robb1estr]

Any recommendations for roasters in the EU to check out?

[@trueblueaussie7997]

G’day Lance. could you please share a link to the roaster in Japan that you mentioned. I’d love to give their beans a whirl. This is an awesome vid with tons of info. Love ya work mate

[@BrooklynLabCoffee]

Give us a try Lance! Great video :) 🥰

[@Viniter]

I'd really encourage people starting out with specialty to seek out local roasters first. Not in order to get the absolute freshest roasts, like Lance said, that isn't so much the concern. But along with supporting local businesses, it really helps you to connect with the coffee community around you. Most local roasters also operate a café, where you can meet them, ask about the coffees, about the roast. I guarantee they'll be hyped to talk to you. They might organize cuppings and competitions. And you might be surprised with the quality. I visited local roasters in some pretty small towns that made incredible coffee, that you'd never find on the internet.

[@rh9909]

Definitely agree. And the best thing about having a cafe in these roasters is that people can try before buying what they might or might not enjoy!

[@ampererg7404]

Definitely agree, also - they're much cheaper as they haven't been imported, and its also so much better for the environment!

[@rxonmymind8362]

Yup. Being in the Capitol of California and Bay Area, I'm fortunate to have SO many roasters. Some are better than others. Enjoy.

[@110welding]

Drinking specialty coffee is straight coffee with no cream and much more flavor ??? I would like a good sweet flavor taste with a kick. Any suggestions ??

[@akiotatsuki2621]

Sadly my local roasters only have Medium Roast and i prefer Light

[@michaelarighi5268]

I've been drinking coffee--mostly espresso--for about 60 years, starting in Berkeley, CA, during high school. When Al Peet started Peet's Coffee in 1967, I started buying from him, even carrying it to Florida when I was in grad school (what a revelation to folks there!). I did my research in Central America where, among other things, I visited a coffee finca in Guatemala. My memory of the processing was that they pulped the cherries and put them into a large "swimming pool" (that size, anyway) to ferment. I don't know if this was a "washed" process or something different. The coffee was quite good. I also had a chance to try some 30+ year old Guatemalan coffee in Seattle. It had been stored green in what were probably 1/4 kilo, sealed aluminum containers. I roasted it in a cast-iron frying pan (following instructions from a then-pretty-new Starbuck's in downtown), ground it in a hand grinder, and prepared it (probably in a Melitta filter, but that was almost 50 years ago). It was still quite drinkable. Acid was low, like a cold-brew, but I don't remember any off-notes. Just...faded. Your video was an excellent "introduction" for an old coffee drinker to the newer innovations. I still tend to prefer darker roasts, usually ground in my Baratza Sette 270 and made in my La Pavoni Europiccola. But this helps me make some sense of other possibilities, including what my local coffee shops serve (I'm lucky to live in an area where you couldn't swing a cat without hitting a coffee shop)(which would probably be a little hard on the cat).

[@The_Catman_Dont]

Random third party interlocutor here, but I quite enjoyed reading your comment. Wow, you've seen a ton, and that's if we're ignoring all the non-coffee events and changes in your life! Thanks for sharing!

[@rxonmymind8362]

I'm in Sacramento and commute to the Bay Area regularly so my choices of roasters are nearly infinite. I'd make a list but have forgotten more than I'll remember. A novice for sure but visiting these roasters and drinking their coffee at the shop has given me wisdom in selecting coffees and it's that experience which has lead me towards buying a nice set up this Christmas. I have to be careful on hobbies which take years to see if I like it. If I do then I pull the trigger. Looking forward to a spectacular retirement with a new set up.

[@MACTEP_CHOB]

Ah, I want La Pavoni so bad, even though I am a light drinker, one cup a day.

[@DonKangolJones]

Not gonna lie, this a damn college course on coffee! I’m trying to wash dishes and listen and it’s not enough. I’ll have to go back over this and take notes. I don’t buy already roasted anymore, I buy green and roast my own, but this is still so helpful.

[@mibber121]

based fellow hazel subscriber

[@karigrandii]

Imagine a course with lectures with all about coffee. Going from the plant biology, farm ecology and sustainability practices to the economics, social sustainability, culture and even the physics and chemistry of growing coffee. Would be so interesting

[@toneadk46er46]

Best overview of coffee process and roasting for the buyer that I have encountered. Thanks, Lance!

[@Jacob011]

Lance is the man! Really comprehensive info dump, just the way I like it.

[@pnchedFrax]

Lance, this video is insane! To think that you get this information compacted in 30 minutes and for free is mind boggling. Thanks, i'll def be using this as reference for years to come!

[@2s_company_]

This will become sort of a reference video for me that I will watch time and time again for the years to come!! Great video Lance! Thanks for making this. :)

[@garyFollowerOfTheLamb.Rev14.4]

Thanks!

[@emieljosef8944]

Fantastic! I learn so much from watching your videos. Given a lot of this information is available online, but it’s the way you deliver this information, your humor and sincerity. It’s unmatched. You deserve to be in schools and university curriculum and teach about espresso machines, grinder, beans and roasting. I can watch your videos for days. Well done Lance and thank you for taking the time to create these videos. Legend!

[@xllvr]

Having watched the Hoff’s video and been in the coffee world for quite a while still learned some new things and refreshed some old things with this video. Very great work putting this altogether!

[@smalle]

Fantastic video! I would love to see a video solely going over all the different processes, what they are, and their characteristics; especially more modern fermenty processes.

[@HauntedSheppard]

Exactly this, I know james hofmann has a book and everything but a video ould be nice during travels

[@JezzaN1]

Same here, I’m a big nerd for that stuff.

[@eeroth42]

You really have an incredible depth of knowledge on the subject, it reflects countless hours of study and experimentation I'm sure.

[@nolanscott9870]

This is such valuable content. I would really love to see more content discussing regions, yearly harvests, varietals, etc. I love gear reviews, but this is more likely to produce better coffee experiences than a new grinder (even if I love watching every single grinder video haha). Specialty coffee buying is really opaque from a consumer standpoint.

[@fd1053]

As easy as it seems the choice of coffee is something a lot of people underestimate... Great video!

[@robwhitmore3040]

Man, I feel so validated. I have always felt like I was doing something wrong because all of my favourite roasts for espresso have said they were for filter.

[@SantiagogranadosR]

Lance, you just have made a classic.. Congratulations for the video. From now on, if anybody asks me, I will share this video to them. Congrats.!!!

[@mikev1766]

Relatively new to your channel, but I have to say I JUST experienced what you talked about at 19:05. I bought a bag of medium roasted extended ferment natural beans from Columbia (I enjoy natural processed beans). I opened the bag and was worried at first b/c I thought these beans were darker than what I've come to expect as a medium roast...there were even some oils on the beans. That coffee grinding and brewing experience was very aromatic and made a very tasty cup. Fascinating

[@zeltwood...]

So helpful! Thanks! Always come to you for Coffee knowledge.

[@scott29kelly]

"Buy it, boom, no." 😅 Lance, this was super helpful. Love your content; I've learned so much from it!

[@joanmorera7452]

I really LOVE LOVE LOVE and LOVE these videos from you! You are gold Lance!

[@fateswingman3006]

I love how you cut right through the marketing speak and real world it for all of us Lance. As always, great job!

[@tom9836]

That... Was.... Awesome! the part about processing was mind boggling, the bonus parts are important and are essential in this video. Thank you Lance, brewing something tasty right now

[@GeelongVic7140]

Lance, Thank you for a most informative video. This is one of your best videos so far.

[@TheGroundedCoffee]

This is the video I've been waiting for a long time, Lance! 🙌 very much appreciated. This is one of those I'll be coming back to a lot of times.

[@CantonSecurity]

Phenomenal video! You have really made specialty coffee so much less intimidating and more approachable. You explained everything so well and I feel much more confident in exploring the world of coffee thanks to you, thank you.

[@Alex727Pasco]

Genuinely the best video on this topic I've seen. Well done! Impressed how you managed to squeeze all that info in there

[@SantiagogranadosR]

So generous of you to share your knowledge. Thanks again!

[@FreeYourMind12345]

Very well explained, and with classic Lance flair! Especially liked how you say go ahead use filter roasts for espresso and vice versa....will be keeping that in mind. Thank you.

[@The_Catman_Dont]

Great vid Lance - especially liked the discussion on freshness and resting. As always, quite a bit of nuance in there that I hadnt necessarily heard before, so thanks!

[@Robinzorz]

Dont have time to wacht right now but already 'liked'. Going to watch as soon as possible and this is the type of content that I really want from you and miss on KZbin generally!

[@BluebirdCoffeeRoastery]

This is awesome Lance! It is a privilege to work with producers like Pepe Jijon and we appreciate your work in making specialty coffee more accessible. Legend!

[@jurgensdelange9589]

So cool to see @BluebirdCoffeeRoastery featured!

[@BluebirdCoffeeRoastery]

@@jurgensdelange9589 🤍🤍🤍

[@Supperrman]

Ham video Big nordic representation too. Feel lucky to be in an area with such a wide selection of creative roasters.

[@GianniPhat]

EXCELLENT video! Liked, subscribed, and saved this one to send to any fellow nerds looking to get a grounding in coffee!

[@LukeMochizuki]

Super awesome and informative video especially to folks newer to the real coffee scene! I have just started making pour over coffee at home and researching all of these things. Just wanted to say kudos to you and thank you for putting out videos like this!

[@miles611]

Standart's latest Orange Wush Wush from duck-rabbit was my 1st introduction to crazy natural flavours

[@BennySchindelhauer]

yes! same for me, that was so good and I still have very vibrant memories of that coffee - so good!

[@coreybritton8823]

Awesome video! Going to need to watch this one at least a couple more times. Thanks Lance!

[@markharrison1404]

Thanks Lance, looks like you have some really great coffees there. Processing is huge!

[@BrokenHangar]

Wow, this video is packed with userful infomation! Thanks!

[@McKullinLuikaus]

Finally coffee man talks about coffee, awesome!

[@N1kolajen]

this is amazingly helpfull...I have been going through several origins very blindly from a single coffee roaster.. This made me realize that the beans that I have liked the most have been neutral processed..seems like light roast is preferred but i really liked an anaerobic neutral medium roasted Nicaragua. from alle the sampled coffee I like coffee with "fun" notes in the aftertaste the most with some acidity.

[@wallypez]

Nice job Lance. Thank you for the knowledge.

[@ericdur2108]

This was extremely helpful, thank you Lance!!

[@alexjj231]

Your best video yet! 👌👌👌

[@davida7586]

fantastic fantastic fantastic video! I learned a lot! thank you so much!

[@kerrycoyle8930]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us today... I enjoyed this video and I believe I learned several things from your comments.

[@billeterk]

Thank you, a very clear overview that helped organise / consolidate my haphazard experiences and lucky accidents :-) Nice to see the Manhattan coffee. I work at the State Library Victoria, Melbourne and was lucky enough to get served coffee by Ben Morrow on my lunch breaks!

[@unneomexaenlacocina9380]

Lance please , can you make a turkish coffee video. I really love your explanation process and science based info. Ibrik is kinda mystical in every KZbin video and i want just pure cold science

[@LanceHedrick]

I will work on it! I've never really gotten into Ibrik. Maybe i'll try to get Aga in a video with me to do one!

[@ondrejmitas3325]

I second the request. Even better if in there or in a separate video you could cover the type of coffee I associate with ibrik, namely light roasted robusta, a very caramelly/vegetal profile

[@hendrikm9569]

​@@LanceHedrick Uh, thats incredibly cool, thank you, Lance. I have been interested in it for a while but as I don't have enough time to really experiment right now, the lack of reliable information from someone who is into speciality coffee has been holding me of it. The Ethiopian and arabic coffee preparations / ceremonies might also be an interesting topic.

[@Mandragara]

​@@LanceHedrickThere is speciaty Turkish ibrik gear out there.

[@orenisraeli-841]

Looking forward to it!

[@Lamylamylam]

Thank you Lance for this great video!! 🙏

[@duffyrides]

Super video ! You keep knocking these out the park man.

[@BrianQuan]

woo for showing the back of the Apollon's Gold bag! TFW you buy Apollon's Gold and you can't even touch it for 2 months 🙃

[@shawnregan6301]

I don't know how i got down the coffe rabit hole, but I'm into it. So many things to learn about coffee

[@pisaniadam128]

This is great, and some info on sourcing a roaster would be great too!

[@56phil020244]

Very helpful. Thank you, Lance.

[@ict5126]

Saw a coffee a bit ago that said the process was "multi-day wine barrel ferment." It was super berries - loved it

[@diganta2329]

Love the new hairstyle 😊

[@JezzaN1]

This was a fantastic video, thanks Lance!

[@GarrettWease]

Thank you for such a valuable resource! This is fantastic information.

[@mikedonovan9783]

Thx for the video . I know most of the roasters whose packs you showed in this video . Consequently, It would be really useful If you could point out 3 to 5 of your favorite roasters . Personally, I buy mostly from friedhats, dak, apollon’s gold , substance and nomad .

[@JohannesFH]

Last year's geisha from Takesi is my favourite coffee of all time. And it was so exciting when I saw that Kian competed with it and you were coaching - and Marianna was even present for it. I even was lucky enough to meet her and show her around our bakery when she and her mother came to Copenhagen this summer. Such amazing people!

[@stephene.2096]

I am quite late to the party here. Super helpful video. Thanks so much!

[@nat2world]

awesome vid! big thanks - truly enjoyable and helpful :)

[@rodneypelsy]

This was very informative! Thanks!

[@vi4724]

Another great video by Lance. I would like to see you discuss organic bean farmers who refrain from using insecticides, and even comparing organic and non organic beans for evidence of insecticide residue. Pubmed has some studies but would love to hear Lance's take.

[@celticdr]

Lance! Another great, and very helpful guide! The only other thing I can think of that might be a factor (for me at least as a home roaster and someone who also buys from specialty roasters - what can I say, I love coffee and drink a lot) is : The roaster - themselves and the machine used to roast, say the difference between an experienced roaster on a drum-roaster like a Probat or a less experienced roaster using an air-roaster like a Loring, yes you won't find this information on a bag - however a quick chat with the person selling the beans and they should have those answers. I also like to consider altitude, which affects bean size and density and has a huge effect on how to approach the roast itself (I can tell from personal experience) which can easily trip up inexperienced roasters - I had a local roaster botch up some smaller sized Ethiopian that you could tell was out of their comfort zone. Keep on trucking Lance!

[@coenwouters6808]

Awesome video Lance, absolutely loved it!!

[@GabrielGGabGattringer]

Awesome video Lance, thanks!

[@Hammi4Real]

This was extremely helpful. I will refer to this while I explore varieties. Gonna drop by Tim Wendelboe the upcoming week and test it out.

[@louisburley1597]

Lance might not push Onyx coffee but I will xD. Coffee from Onyx is always exceptional and I really like the transparency grade of each coffee. But support your local roaster too!

[@CarlosVargas-js8qz]

Agree I buy from them and good stuff

[@karigrandii]

I wish all things we buy had a qr code to scan where it came from, how it was made, how much they pay the people and overall just how ethical and ecological the practices are. Coffee is so much ahead in this sense as you can know the person who owns the farm and everything they do to the coffee AND how much they are paid.

[@megametallifan]

Appreciate the effort and detailed explanation!

[@matthewwilson9749]

Well done sir. I enjoyed this video a lot. I’m sipping on a nice Ethiopian somewhat light roast from Kyle Rowsell’s Roastery called September. Definitely worth a try if you haven’t tried it yet. Be well.

[@richardosborne8570]

Excellent once again. Found myself mouth wide open, hanging off your words of wisdom. Thank you for all the work you do, to help mere mortals like me choose. From France

[@JaimeZX]

Such a great video, thanks Lance!

[@TheMangoDeluxe]

Illustrating your point with tattoos is surely the future of education

[@ockidocki]

12:28: [natural processing] "is going to entail like more perceived acidity". I thought that natural processing, in general, leads to less perceived acidity than washed processing? And a quick google search seems to confirm this. @LanceHedrick, could you elaborate a bit on this? Thanks!

[@Kai-n7i]

I think it depends a Lot on the environment and process. As a producer, I disagree that naturals just "rot off in the Sun". Naturals have their roots in the dry climate of Yemen, and can be thick while also clean, sweet, and fruity. In humid climates, they get funky. In My own experience, efficiently drying naturals in dark electric dryers doesnt allow for fermentation and hardly even oxidation. I am experimenting with a "wild" collected white fruited bourbon mutation right now that when dried as a natural has an exceptionally clean white wine aroma on bright sweet fruit flavors. Like sniffing a wine cork while drinking a dark, sweet, floral rosé wine.... But its coffee. Naturals, at their Best, just lock in all the flavor of both Bean and fruit imo. At their worst, they do the opposite by fermenting away the Essence of both fruit and Bean and adding defective beans & contaminants.

[@im_Spade_]

I've been making espresso for a couple of years now (and now getting into aeropress), but for the life of me, I've heard dark roast is great if you're looking for a more earthy, nutty, caramel-ly tobacco-ey flavor. That SOUNDS better to me than floral/fruity, but I've still been leaning towards lighter to medium roasts...haven't come across something I like better than Tanzanian peaberry light-medium roast.

[@Kai-n7i]

I really apareciate your focus on better resource distribution to the growers. My Focus is to try to profitshare directly to the laborers, not just the land owner. As an aspiring regenerative specialty coffee grower, I wonder how much of the market is shifting towards "roasted at origin". I'm a couple years from full production still, but with modern day global shipping, It seams to me that the bulk of wealth distribution on coffee supplychains has no reason to stay in the "first world." Growers should know their beans better than roasters, and be able to vertically integrate all the way to consumers. It's not like cocoa beans to chocolate, where You ruin your end product if It goes on a road for a few hours with daytime temps above 40°c.

[@AdventuresofCarlienne]

definitely learned sooo much from this video. thank you for all the information!

[@RufusTheRuthless84]

I was just passing by once and went into an independent coffee bar, got a latte and it had a sort of liquorice taste, best coffee I ever had, can’t remember where the cafe was and have no idea what beans they were

[@viewsfrompedroeyes]

Super useful video (as always!)

[@scottscottsdale7868]

A medium roasted Bourbon Pointu from Lake Itasy région in Madagascar. Really nice coffee.

[@Faades]

Thanks for the thorough overview! Do you have a roaster list that you would be able to share? Would love to check out the sites for all the coffees you have on your table.

[@cricocoo]

Never settle for specialty arabica, if you can have fine robusta at a better price point :p Amazing how much content you got in this video!

[@teirminator23456]

Would love to see your thoughts on exciting new roasters around the world and why!

[@gld3gld3]

This was so helpful!

[@The_Coffee_Rabbit_Hole]

For God sake stop all those beautiful information, my head cannot take it anymore 😂😂... very very good épisode Lance !

[@kennethnguyen9367]

Super informative video Lance! Noticed you have quite a bit of coffee there, wouldnt mind helping you test out if theyre peaking after a month post roast 😏

[@trystanjames2687]

Thanks again Lance! Was really heartened to hear you mention yergacheffe. It was something that I'd enjoyed on the regular here in Australia almost a decade ago, but seems to have fallen out of fashion. Clearly not completely, so will just look a little harder. Cheers :)

[@billeterk]

If you’re in Melbourne, I regularly have Yirgacheffe from locals at work or home.. say Padre roasters / League of Honest Coffee in Little Lonsdale St or from Nuts about Coffee Blackburn.

[@billeterk]

Actually.. nuts was possibly years ago. Bugger these plague years :-). Padre is definitely current and deliver.

[@SecurityDivision]

Try and taste many coffees - it will open up the knowledge you have. Many roasters have small bags, try them, you might find something unique. Google for coffee events, tastings and workshops in your area and participate there. There might me some local and guest roasters with their coffee, there might be some coffee companies you never heard of presenting their coffee and ideas why that coffee is interesting. That's really good way to experience coffee, talk to the roasters directly, taste some coffee. And for the coffee you might like best - find a roaster that has similar taste to yours. And you will know the stuff they make will kinda always work for you.

[@pdxrunner]

I would love to see a tasting comparison using the same coffee prepared as a cupping, pour over and espresso. I fond it very interesting with the variation in flavor with the same bean. I'm sure the grind has a big effect. There is so much intetest in cupping to taste beans and roasts. How does that translate to actual tastes when prepared as a pour over or espresso m

[@scott29kelly]

This video is legendary. I predict people will be going back to it as a reference for a long time. I know I will. Thanks Lance; you're truly one of the greats in this business.

[@LandsoulFFXI]

I only drink specialty coffee. I still find my favorite profile to be chocolaty, nutty slightly fruity, maybe like orange. I tend to enjoy medium the most, but I've also tried some light roast. I'm not into fruity coffee, for example I tried some light roasts with really fruity flavors like pear or other fruity notes. I will say I do find them interesting. Finding the best been to your taste buds is a never ending journey, but it's a journey of discovery. It's personal, as everyone has different taste buds. I think the best tasting coffee is usually the region of either Brazil or Colombia for me. Personally, I found that Colombia has the best tasting coffee for my taste buds. I have still tried different roasters and not all Colombian from specialty roaster are as good. Some are also lighter than other roasters on the medium roast spectrum. I recently discovered a new roaster with even better Colombian coffee.

[@ChristianJosephs]

@Lance thanks for the great informative video. It's funny I just tested roughly 10 different beans / roasters the last months and my favorite coffee came from one where the roast date was 1,5 months old :D Just have to try them and see what you like.

[@petervansan1054]

I keep switching between specialty and old school italian roasts because both have great taste to me

[@sebanajeraurriola623]

Hey, Lance thank you for this video and you’re detailed manner of speaking. I was wondering if you could do a guide on finding specialty coffee shops worldwide. I’m going on a long trip to europe soon and i’m worried I might miss out on some crazy shops just bc of a cultural barrier. Again Thank You For Your Passion!

[@mlmontalvo]

I roast my own one pound at a time. Fair trade/organic from Ethiopia or Kenya. Been very happy. Roasting your coffee how you like it is game changing.

[@pierrex3226]

Really? What gear do you use, how bulky is it and how much does it cost? And where do you get green beans and how much is that?

[@mlmontalvo]

@@pierrex3226 , my method is low tech. I use a stainless steel wok and a wooden spatula. It’s labor intensive and has a learning curve but it’s how coffee has been roasted for ever before the invention of 5 thousand dollars roasters (there are cheaper options that do a decent job). I get my coffee from “Sweet Maria’s Coffee”in California. They’re on the web.

[@davidtriune8028]

you are the lamp to my feet and the light to my path.

[@Java_CM]

thanks this was very informative.

[@HappyAccidentVideos]

One thing I’ve noticed about Kenyas that no one really talks about is the vegetal note I always get in them. They kinda taste “soupy” to me. But I always only see the fruity notes paired with the packaging.

[@ende421]

Some of these vegetal notes may disappear when to beans are rested for longer. Sometimes even up to 8 weeks. Mostly really light roasts.