I inherited a contract with Green Mountain coffee when I was the Ops Manager at a sports facility a few years ago.  Hated their coffee, could not find anything about it to make me want to continue the contract and as soon as I could, cancelled it!!  We had a DD at the end of our parking lot and I went back to getting my coffee there.  I did contract with another coffee for the machines in the facility and it was “better” than Green Mountain, but still wasn’t anything I wanted to drink.

I do go to Trader Joe’s (how far is the Nashua one from you??) in Burlington and Peabody but never got their coffee, will have to try it!

Obviously, the solution is to buy a month’s supply of beans at TJs so I don’t have to go back more than once a month. I am completely spoiled by their coffee now. I mean...completely. The best I have had in years!

And I’m all out!!!!

Nashua is a hike. I think Peabody is a little less than half the distance. Right now I’m not very motivated to drive that far, but that may change by tomorrow morning.

LOL. I am so sorry! Really. But was I right huh? I only have a couple of pots left myself so a trip is coming soon for sure! Oh and next time we trek all the way to Framingham, I am getting a whole case of white wines all for me, me, me! E has only gone through two bottles of wine so far. Me, um, gone, all gone! Hey, he drinks scotch and such and only a glass of wine with dinner. Wine is the only thing I drink
In the next coming weeks it looks like I might be (need) indulging a little more!

Dunkin Donuts?  Naw.  For all the coffee I’ve ever had, from little mom & pop coffee houses, to incredibly expensive restaurants (not on my tab, thankfully).  Best coffee ever:

Gulf Truck Stop, State Highway 35, Rio Grande, OH.  (And yes, they pronounce it ‘rye-oh grand’.  Ugh.)

So it’s not just me!  My taste buds have identical requirements to yours, and my palate has the same degree of sophistication.  Or non-sophistication, apparently.  Get beyond the roast and acidity bits and it’s all gibberish to brain and taste buds. 

Just as a matter of interest, I’ve discovered African coffees this year and am thoroughly hooked.  I’ve tried various blends and they’ve all been first-rate ... at least to my non-intellectual palate.  Slight variation in flavour from type to type, but definitely all smooth and mellow.  They also stand up well to being adulterated by a lashing of cream. ;) The best bit is that I don’t get a “zing” from any of the African stuff, even if I drink it in quantity.  Gentle invigoration, yes, but not a full-on assault to the nervous system.

I’m more of a blonde coffee drinker myself.  Give me coffee from Sumatra any day.
My favourite coffee being from Alterra.

A lot of that dark roast stuff tastes like sludge from the treatment plant, frankly.  I swear it’s burnt… What kind of discriminating palate enjoys burnt anything?  haha.

I believe one of the darker roast Green Mountain Coffees referred to a charred cedar aftertaste. Yum! Just use a burnt stick to stir your average coffee and there you are.

Thanks for the link, Chloe. I’m on a full out hunt for tasty coffee now.

Oh, you are so right, Dave. Truck stops have The Best coffee! And a couple good ones were somewhere between the PA line and Columbus.

Agree, Eleanor. Just good mellow (gentle) coffee without a lot of fancy words to describe it. I’m going to begin taste testing over the next year and, with luck, enjoy every sip.

J - wanto to make a run to Peabody this weekend? No wine there, but all the other good stuff. I still have 5 bottles of wine left. Just had the Pinot Noir which was as lovely as I rememembered.

I used to work for this outfit about 15 years ago.  At the time it was acknowledged to be the best coffee in the state.  It’s since been sold to a larger distributor; I don’t know if they’ve mucked with the formula or manufacturing process.  If not, it’s (puts on Boston accent) wicked good.

The Kona Mac and Kona Gold were my favorites, but that’s an individual thing.

What if you ordered it online?  Given gas prices (even though they have dropped significantly), the postage might be worth it.  And if you are like me, you might be better off, then you just get what you need instead of everything in the store that looks good, interesting, different, unique and so on and so on.......!!

Best coffee I ever had?  Ever??  My late brother in law made fantastic coffee--he put a dash of salt in it before he perked it and it was awesome.  An old roommate put an egg--shell on, but uncooked) in the bottom of the pot and hers was very good too.  I have tried both to no avail..........

Cyn, you mean order from Trader Joe’s? Can you do that? I hunted around their website this morning and all I found were general statements and an array of pdf files, but nothing about mail order. If I could, I’d order in a second.

Linkmeister, that was a very good Boston imitation.

I thought the Kona Gold Premium sounded really nice. Even the sweet malt-like finish sounded just right. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything Kona.

Alterra has on-line ordering.  THat’s the only way I’ve bought it.  (haven’t seen it in stores) My friend has ordered from them frequently & regularly, and has been very satisfied.

I like that euphemism “charred”. 
But then they actually used the term “after-taste”???  Jinkies, bad advertising.  The term “after-taste” doesn’t exactly have a positive connotation!  And with good reason!!
Man, I don’t want to need key lime pie after every cup of freakin’ coffee I drink.
Why not just boil your coffee, then freeze it for a month, and then thaw it & drink it.  haha!!!  It’ll be good & burnt-tasting then.  haha.

If you try it, don’t be disappointed.  They only sell one or maybe two varieties which are pure Kona; everything else is a blend.  Personally, I think that’s just as well; pure Kona is strong strong stuff.

The last time someone brought me some Kona from Hawaii, it was a blend. I like mild-ish coffees, so a blend would be great. The Kona Gold is no less than 10% Kona (probably not much more?)and offered as a mild and mellow blend. It sounds nice and goes on my list as a good candidate.

Maybe pure Kona is strong enough to dissolve the tarnish off silver spoons?

Or maybe strong enough for a spoon to stand up in unsupported?  It’s the antithesis of smooth, that’s all I can say.