what is the very best coffee beans and where would i get some?

Answer 1

Kopi Luwak is reputed to be the best coffee on the planet...however, it is for an andevturous palate...

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Coffee grows in dozens of countries around the world. Some varieties have earned a special reputation, often based on a combination of rarity, unusual circumstances and particularly good flavor. These coffees, from Jamaican Blue Mountain to Kona to Tanzanian Peaberry, command a premium price. But perhaps no coffee in the world is in such short supply, has such unique flavors and an, um, interesting? background as Kopi Luwak. And no coffee even comes close in price: Kopi Luwak sells for $75 per quarter pound ($300 lb).

Kopi (the Indonesian word for coffee) Luwak comes from the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), which are part of the Indonesian Archepelago's 13,677 islands (only 6,000 of which are inhabited). But it's not strictly the exotic location that makes these beans worth their weight in silver. It's how they're "processed."

On these Indonesian islands, there's a small marsupial called the paradoxurus, a tree-dwelling animal that is part of the sibet family. Long regarded by the natives as pests, they climb among the coffee trees eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. Who knows who first thought of it, or how or why, but what these animals eat they must also digest and eventually excrete. Some brazen or desparate -- or simply lazy -- local gathered the beans, which come through the digestion process fairly intact, still wrapped in layers of the cherries' mucilage. The enzymes in the animals' stomachs, though, appear to add something unique to the coffee's flavor through fermentation.

M.P. Mountanos (800-229-1611), the first in the United States to bring in this exotic bean, recently imported 110 pounds after a seven year search for a reliable and stable supplier. "It's the rarest beverage in the world," Mark Mountanos says, estimating a total annual crop of less than 500 pounds.

Try http://www.mpmountanosofsocal.com

Answer 2

Your question involves a great deal of subjective content - "best" involves not only quality, but also type and flavor, the way you make coffee, and much more.

Many coffee aficionados consider Jamaica Blue Mountain the most wonderful of coffee beans. it is extremely expensive (last I looked, around $35 a pound) and you'll have to either find an online source or hit a gourmet store specializing in them. But you have to be sure they have been properly roasted and stored.

Spider Ropbinson, a very funny science fiction author, avers that Celebes Karossi runs a close second to Blue Mountain. I have only found these a few times, but agree they make a splendid coffee. There are a few of the national chains of quality coffee beans that sell them - but not Starbucks.

As a rule, I buy beans at Starbucks and then grind them myself. Their Columbian supremo is a fabulous basic coffee. I usually add a small abount of Sarawak and either Ethiopian or Kona, to create a good solid flavor, relatively strong, and very aromatic blend.

Some of the grocery stores have been stocking "single source" beans from various African and Central American locales. I only found a bag of single source Ethiopian once at Albertson's, but it was absolutely the best bean of its kind ever. For some reason they don't offer it any more. Single source beans are obtained through a purchasing program that puts more of the price into the farmers' pockets.

If you really are serious, look into coffee grinders rather than coffee mills. The grinder does not use the swirling blades but instead reduces the beans through a pair of very fine cogged wheels, or burrs.

After your beans have been milled or ground, which should be to a medium finess rather than very fine, use one of the paper cone drip coffeemakers. For REALLY good coffee, get a Chemex glass coffee brewing carafe and the special filters. Instructions come with it - it's the most delicious way to make coffee but it is more work.

You can have an awful lot of fun looking up coffee - beans, roasting your own, how to grind them, equipment and much more - on the web.

Bon apetit!

Answer 3

See if there is a coffee shop in your area that roasts their own beans. Coffee is the best if the beans were roasted within the a few days. I have a coffee shop near me that roasts there own beans and it's spectacular.

Answer 4

There's a coffee shop in Chicago called Intelligensia that sells Hacienda la Esmeralda Geisha coffee for $51.95 -- per half pound. (http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-coffee23.html). They have a website.

Answer 5

The best coffee I ever had was smuggled out of Cuba. I'm not even sure what it was called, but dang it was fantastic!

Answer 6

I think it really depends on your tastes and how rich you like your coffee. my friend who loves dark, rich coffee, always buys Kenyan beans.

Answer 7

I don't know what the best is, but the best I can find at the grocery store is called "Ronnoco". Try the private estate blend.

Answer 8

Colombian but be sure to duck

Answer 9

hazel nut at starbucks

Answer 10

http://www.gevalia.com/gevalia/