Local specialty ground coffee beans?

Submitted by wacholderrose t3_ybrsuw in boston

I came to Boston for college and going home for winter break, I want to buy a gift for my boyfriend. He loves coffee so I’d love to bring him a pack of ground coffee that would be special to Boston or massachusetts area. I don’t know much about coffee personally, but anything nicer than the ones from Dunkin would do lol.

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Comments

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Exit_127 t1_iti3pju wrote

George Howell. Local chain and among the best roasters in the country. He invented and sold the frappucino to Starbucks. But don’t get ground beans unless he doesn’t have a grinder, if he does get whole beans. They’re top quality (and price).

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christmaszeev t1_iti53uj wrote

All the recs in this thread are good but my personal go-to is Atomic. They have a cafe in Beverly but they ship (free most of the time) and the beans are always roasted the immediate day prior to shipment when I get them

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benck202 t1_iti5t1h wrote

A number of good options, but George Howell and Gracenote are two of the best.

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cmb2248 t1_iti5t7f wrote

If you're into light, fruity, acidic roasts, Flight coffee is my favorite. They're based out of New Hampshire, but ship in just a day or two. I think you'd need to grind the beans at a local cafe or grocery store though.

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fakecrimesleep t1_iti5tqy wrote

Clover in central square sells some local coffee roaster bean bags. I’m a fan of little wolf and speedwell which are both MA based roasters

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Evelyn11T t1_iti6xgs wrote

Gracenote if you want actual specialty coffee. George Howell is the big name but he sucks and his stores are a lil overrated in my opinion. Render is a smaller locally owned one that’s pretty good imo, after that Pavement is very “Boston”

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Enkiduderino t1_iti72ib wrote

Replying to Exit_127 (#193,164)

Seconding George Howell.

Also, if he doesn’t have a grinder, get him one 😁

Unless he’s an espresso drinker, in which case a grinder might be prohibitively expensive.

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spaceflower890 t1_iti7qmg wrote

Jaho and Pavement are my favorite personally - bought a coffee grinder this summer and have been trying local places whole beans.

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ceciltech t1_iti9db3 wrote

Replying to Exit_127 (#193,164)

George Howell is not just any local roaster, he was the original gourmet coffee roaster on the east coast and a pioneer in the industry with his first Coffee Connection cafe in Harvard square in the early 1970's. If you want Coffee "from Boston" this is the one that started it all in Boston.

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randomname3001 t1_iti9n5d wrote

Polcari’s is the only answer. I don’t live in the area anymore and I still exclusively buy their beans

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michael_scarn_21 t1_itiaaao wrote

People will get defensive about George Howell because it is local but the coffee isn't top tier but the prices are. I much prefer Broadsheet or Pavement if picking a locally based roaster.

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potus1001 t1_itibqb7 wrote

Polcari’s Coffee in the North End.

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rabton t1_itikqqw wrote

Dean's beans. You can find them in most of the specialty grocery stores around the area.

Most of my favorite coffee places use Gracenote which is definitely a great choice

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Separate_Match_918 t1_itilfme wrote

Recreo in west roxbury is owned by a family who grows their own beans in Nicaragua. Cool story parents tend to farm and children and grand children roast and sell on center street. They also have used some of their profits to help fund schools in Nicaragua.

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oneblackened t1_itirx57 wrote

George Howell, Little Wolf (Ipswich), Broadsheet, Gracenote, Atomic (Salem) are all excellent.

Edit: totally forgot about Fazenda and Pavement.

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Rough-Jackfruit2306 t1_itiy6q1 wrote

Replying to brufleth (#193,429)

And more than 2x as good, if you know how to use them. Definitely not worth the money for the Mr Coffee crowd tho (I say this as someone that thinks of coffee as pizza- even bad coffee can be fine, but also I can appreciate the good stuff, not trying to be elitist).

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bobby_j_canada t1_itiz08f wrote

Equal Exchange in West Bridgewater, MA isn't as fancy as these recommendations but they're pretty unique in that not only are all their products sourced through fair trade, but Equal Exchange itself is a worker-owned co-operative.

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brufleth t1_itizonb wrote

Replying to Rough-Jackfruit2306 (#195,349)

I'm just seeing about $19 a bag online right now which isn't that bad. We bought a bag one day at the public market that was closer to thirty for some reason, which is silly.

You can get plenty of great beans for $15-$16 a bag.

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jtcma23 t1_itj1e7e wrote

This is super helpful. I have been looking for a local roaster. Who has the best dark roast? Just checked pavement website and I didn’t see much.

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SaraSmilesssss t1_itj26p4 wrote

Recreo in West Roxbury has fantastic coffee.

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loranlily t1_itj2v0r wrote

I really like Slacktide. They’re down in Marshfield, but they ship.

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BeachMom2007 t1_itj323r wrote

This is a fantastic thread. Noting all of these for when I move up there.

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CoffeeIceCube t1_itj3de7 wrote

Replying to Exit_127 (#193,164)

I’m also interested in branching out from my usual store bought beans. Any roasts from George Howell in particular that you would recommend, or are they always changing their offerings?

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mtnfsh t1_itj5aid wrote

Replying to Evelyn11T (#193,355)

Genuinely curious, why does "he" (the actual guy) suck? I've yet to find any better coffees except a handful of roasters. He's definitely got a bit of a pretentious air about him from what I can see in interviews, but ive found his information wise and educational in addition to the exceptional coffee.

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mtnfsh t1_itj5fn6 wrote

Replying to loranlily (#195,734)

Omg this is a sleeper roaster - under the radar but hot damn they're good. Their snapchilled canned coffee is outrageously good. Not to mention the food at their cafe is delicious and the staff are so pleasant.

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bejonly t1_itj8e56 wrote

No. Six Depot I’ve been really liking lately. Particularly their blue velvet. They are in western mass in the Berkshires area but can be found at Whole Foods

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spoopidy2 t1_itja7jc wrote

Not directly in Boston but snowy owl out of the cape or kaha out of amesbury!

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DoubleCafwithaTwist t1_itjbhv0 wrote

George Howell is my go to, because I live near one of the shops. Tiny Arms in Lowell is really good too. I also have a soft spot for Barismo.

Different idea, but Cometeer is in Gloucester and came out of MIT. Basically frozen coffee pods, but amazing quality. And they use some great roasters nationwide. Snapchill does canned coffee and is based in Watertown.

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lynnesey t1_itjcrz4 wrote

Aero coffee roasters.…small family owned business. Roastery and cafe in Northboro but can buy beans on their website. good honest people who roast amazing beans.

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TheRealLonelyCheese t1_itje55g wrote

I really like tiny arms in Lowell. That's a bit of a hike but they come to the Brookline farmers market on Thursdays! Probably my favorite roaster and I really love the owners.

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Evelyn11T t1_itjgv63 wrote

Replying to mtnfsh (#195,935)

Extremely pretentious, thinks he’s the greatest thing to ever happen to Boston coffee and feels like he’s personally responsible for making Boston a renowned coffee city. Which isn’t entirely untrue, and he makes a great product I won’t lie, but I can’t stand him.

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microserf86 t1_itjj9f2 wrote

George Howell is the specialty coffee pioneer and (IMO) the best roaster in the world for that volume.

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stevienicksmademegay t1_itjq0p8 wrote

Replying to christmaszeev (#193,237)

This is the one. I’ve been exclusively using Atomic beans for 3 years now. Hands down the best coffee. So good that my family and friends ask me to bring some whenever I visit. Rocketeer is my personal favorite blend.

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Seaweed-Basic t1_itjxitn wrote

Get beans and a coffee grinder so its extra fresh

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bakgwailo t1_itk65pv wrote

Flat black, surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet

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mtnfsh t1_itkh1s6 wrote

Replying to Evelyn11T (#196,812)

Fair enough, I could see that. I've never met him but I surely could see this being true. I'll still remain a sucker for the coffee, which I truly enjoy, but I appreciate the insight and will broaden roasters I otherwise less frequently bought from.

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Ellarael t1_itllzzf wrote

Fazenda Ethiopia is my personal favorite. I can not recommend their Ethiopia light roast enough, I've also tried atomic and they is quite good too

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Pink-Jalapenos t1_itlz8lu wrote

Redeye coffee in hingham and karma in Sudbury. Eagle hill in east Boston is also great. Snowy owl and three fins down on the cape are also fantastic. Along with previously mentioned by other users george Howell

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sarahfm80 t1_ittuq6v wrote

In addition to all the suggestions, I’d also recommend a tin of LA Burdick cocoa (it’s one of my go-to Christmas gifts for my West Coast family).

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