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Coffee: To Buy Bulk or in Bags?

Here in our grocery department we’d say a mix of both gives you the best results. Between our bins and our bagged coffees, we have a huge selection of locally-roasted, consciously-sourced beans just waiting for your espresso machine, Chemex, Aeropress, vacuum pot, French Press, or dripper.

In grocery proper, we have all the bagged coffees your heart desires. Lucy Jo’s Roastery in Hebron is particularly proud of its Single Origin Flores, a dark and earthy roast with deep flavors. You’ll taste dark chocolate and a little bit of caramel; the finish is pleasantly dry and recalls cinnamon. Perfect for your press-pot! Lucy Jo’s is passionate about your beans and offers a selection of single origins, blends, and decafs for any palate.

Recess Coffee of Syracuse offers a similarly delicious selection of carefully curated coffees. All their roasts use organic, fair-trade beans…so you can cup with confidence that your purchase is supporting sustainable, small-scale agriculture. The beans we’re most excited about? The medium Sumatra. Its creamy consistency and spicy finish leave you wanting more; this is great in a Chemex or any other dripper you may have. Play with the grind and you’ll constantly wrestle new flavors out of this all-purpose champ! Carefully small-batch roasted, of course.

Ithaca Coffee has some beans to throw into the mix, too. They roast exclusively in small batches and package daily to ensure you’re getting the freshest roasts available. Certified Organic since 2010, Ithaca Coffee’s goal is to eke the individualized flavors out of each bean using the proper roast for the proper coffee. We’re thrilled about their Bali Blue Blend. It delivers a delicately balanced body that tastes like a mandarin orange covered in milk chocolate. It’s chocolaty in the finish, too- who needs a mocha? We love putting this one in an Aeropress…it gives an espresso-esque consistency with a cleaner flavor.

If you’re waffling on whether to pick out some of our bagged selections above or see what else fits your fancy in bulk, Gimme Coffee is for you! Also in Ithaca, Gimme is the go-to for gourmet. After consolidating their roasting operation onto unused farmland, Gimme has guaranteed an absolutely stellar roast for each and every bean it puts out. Gimme roasts our coffee to order and makes sure it always go through rigorous quality testing by real people with real eyes and hands. No under- or over-roasting here! Gimme is available in bulk OR in bags; it gives you the opportunity to buy small amounts of different blends until you find the one you LOVE. Then you can either grab a bag for convenience or keep using our bulk bins…it’s up to you. Their signature blend, Piccolo Mondo, is roasted medium-dark, shade grown, organic, and fair trade. You’ll smell chocolate and caramel; the taste is nutty and bright with notes of meyer lemon (yum!). This one’s a winner for your espresso machine.

Whether bulk or bagged, we have a coffee that’s right for you. Come in and ask us what we think- we’ll let you know how we feel about our blends and figure out which flavors work for you. And whether you’re buying in bulk or off our shelves, we have grinders available for you to get your coffee to the consistency you need. Wake up and smell the coffee at Healthy Living!