[wheeledgoat]

Hey, everybody -

I haven't been on these forums recently (got back into video gaming since the wife bought be an XBox 360 for christmas! - most of my online forum time has been associated with that) but I logged on here to share with you a new find of mine;

I Have A Bean

I only mention the above to assure you that I am not am employee, nor do I have any other vested interest in the company (other than to turn fellow coffee drinkers onto it, and hope to see it succeed as a business so that I may continue to get my coffee from them!)

I found these guys because they set up tents at the weekend fairs in Wheaton and Naperville, IL. They don't have a storefront like Starbucks or Caribou, but they do let you pick up your freshly roasted (and still warm!) beans from the front office of their roasting facility. Of course they ship orders too. They roast every weekday, to order, and mark your bags with the roasted date!

I also like this company because it's a "second chance" company;

"...we hire and train former offenders so they can experience the joy of turning their lives around through meaningful, productive work and a community of acceptance. We use a holistic approach to "teach a man to fish," providing gainful employment, job training, and life skills..."

I've tried several coffees from this company, and each one has just been superb. Check out the "beans" section of the forum for my reviews of each type. But you really can't go wrong.

The last thing I'm going to mention is this: When you look at the prices ($12-$13/bag) it seems a tad expensive, until you remember that the bags you're paying $10 for in the grocery store aren't a full pound! These bags are indeed a full pound.

Getting my beans from I Have A Bean coupled with my new burr grinder I got for Father's Day has vaulted my coffee experience to a whole new level! I don't know if it gets much better than this.

Happy Brewing!

[havasu]

Sounds like a great concept. Thanks for posting this information!

[Mami's Caffè]

Great shop,

but how do they manage to roast the beans and than instantly packing it?
If you are packing the beans earlier than 14 days after roasting the packaging will explode even if it has got a overpressure valve.
Coffe gives off lots of gas for about 14 days after roasting!
You would be the first on the world without this problem .

David

[wheeledgoat]

How quickly are you talking about? I can't imagine the "off gassing" would produce gas faster than it can escape from one of those 1-way valves. Each one of their bags has one of those, just like all Starbucks (and many other brands too).

I'll definitely ask them about that next time I pick up a bag!