Roaster quality issue

Thanks for reaching out via our questionnaire. 

I understand your brewing routine, and I agree to some extent. It is quicker and easier to use auto-drip in the mornings when we’re trying to get off to work and in a hurry. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to cultivate a slower routine in the morning that allows me to take the time to do all manual brewing, and I enjoy that ritual. Your Chemex brew on weekends and holidays is more up my alley. 

Though I will say, you must be having a heck of a time getting that Chemex to flow using a blade grinder. Blade grinders produce either completely pulverized coffee or wildly different grind sizes, if you’re trying to grind for drip or French press. Chemex brewers tend to flow a lot slower than other drippers because they don’t have any ridges for water to grab onto and run down. The surface area is completely smooth, so it creates a lot of drag for the water trying to go through that restricted opening at the bottom. Having a lot of fines in your bed of grounds is going to exacerbate this problem and clog up the filter considerably. You’ll have the same issue with auto-drip, but I’d be willing to bet you’re using a brewer with a flat bottom brew basket, so it’s alleviating the issue to some extent. 

Couple things about coffee itself. You mention La Minita is your favorite. That’s good taste. The roaster in New Orleans you buy from sells a lot of blends, which indicates to me that they aren’t sourcing excellent single origin coffees. Blenders are lower quality. You also said as they’ve gotten bigger, the quality has decreased. That could be from growth, but it could also be from the tariffs and C market craziness over the past couple years. There came a point where coffee was so expensive that most roasters made the decision to buy lower quality coffee to insulate themselves from that price spike. I struggled with this, but at the end of the day I felt like I had no choice but to raise my prices and pay the market rate for top tier coffee. So it’s tricky. You really just have to find a roaster you trust, learn as much about them as possible, and make sure they continue to sell high quality, fresh coffee. 

Also, get a burr grinder. Thanks Frank!