I’ve been trying various local or smaller batch coffee roasted lately. I’m too lazy/disorganized to grind my own beans. I end up giving my whole beans away to friends that grind their own.
I have to give props to my favorite local coffee roasters - Armeno in Northborough, MA (west of Boston). I was introduced to them by a former coworker and now order a few pounds of beans at a time (they ship!) since we’re rarely nearby. They roast on-site and the place smells amazing. Right now I’m drinking a blend called Black and Tan, but my favorite is the Tanzanian Peaberry.
I’ve been using dark roast beans from Graffeo Coffee in San Francisco often lately. They are roasted very dark. I would call it Italian style but I haven’t had enough coffee in Italy to make that comparison. They make a great espresso.
Just found this thread! I’m trying out a new coffee, Cerutti Milano. 70% arabica - I don’t like full arabica coffee as I usually find it somewhat bitter. This is good though not as good as some of my usual ones like Passalacqua. I paid 22 euro for a kilogram (beans).
If you like fresh ground, but don’t want to deal with the added step, you can try a grind and brew machine. The good ones can be a bit spendy, but it can give you an above average cup of brew at the push of a button. It doesn’t remove the need for weekly or monthly cleaning though, depending on how often you use it.
I stopped grinding fresh for the same reason you cite. Morning is not the time to add more steps to my routine… so I went the Nespresso route.
As for beans, I am a big fan of Intelligentsia coffee (note that I prefer dark roasts). For super local to me, my favorite are barismo and Gracenote. To be fair, I visit coffee shops that serve their coffee, and have never bought their beans to make directly at home (Nespresso…) so I don’t have a recommendation for a specific bean.