First of all, there is no relation between any member of my family and this company. My name is Beane, and their company's name is "Bean's." I get the same discount from Bean's as I get at L.L.Bean's - nothing. And that's not a complaint! All I'm doing is pointing out that this isn't my company, nor am I related to anyone at Bean's. As "Michael Bolton" says in Office Space - "It's just a coincidence."
I just really love their coffee!
We in New Orleans savor our java! During the War (Between the States), New Orleanians stubbornly continued our coffee habit - especially by stretching supplies by mixing chicory with the arabica - a custom carried on by our famous Cafe du Monde (which has been selling chicory-laced cafe au lait 24 hours a day almost without interruption since opening in 1862 when it was established during military occupation). In war, peace, and hurricanes, coffee has always been a big deal in the Crescent City! In fact, New Orleans is one market Starbucks struggles in, because we have a plethora of top-quality local coffee shops, both franchises and "ma and pa" establishments. (We treat Starbucks as "corporate carpetbaggers" and only frequent them in dire caffeine emergencies...)
Coffee is also nearly sacramental in the Hollywood home - as the matinal cappuccino ritual is carried out with the precision and reverence of the Japanese tea ceremony and with the temporal regularity of the whirr of the central air conditioner in a South Louisiana Summer. Coffee is the one luxury the Treasury Department (Mrs. Hollywood) approves and insists upon (we are Gevalia subscribers - though our orders have dwindled considerably since discovering Bean's).
We know and love our coffee.
But keep in mind that Bean's is not a coffee house. Rather they are purveyors of exquisite (and yet affordable) coffee. They set up just about every Saturday at the Gretna Farmers' Market, and Mrs. Hollywood, Lion Boy, and myself probably pick up a pound about every other week from the Daldegan family, the proprietors who faithfully work the market themselves. They are really nice folks, and are always cheerful and dedicated to giving excellent customer service. In fact, they hand deliver orders of their coffee to locals.
Our favorite (and I mean favorite) is their Tanzanian Peaberry. We use it both in its fine-ground form for espresso and cappuccino (both hot and iced), as well as course-ground for regular hot coffee (which we make in a low-tech flavor-maximizing French press).
But whether you enjoy espresso or American-style coffee, hot or iced, and even if you make your coffee in an automatic drip maker instead of a press - this coffee will simply blow you away. It's the finest we've ever had. It is so fresh, so recently roasted, and of such quality, that the beans are literally wet with the natural oils. The smell that wafts from a little bag fills the house and is heavenly. There is no other way to describe it.
Bean's will ship to your home. You can order right from their webpage, and your order is roasted after you order it! This is just unbelievable, and explains why it is so good. They sell eight different varieties (including the Tanzanian), and explain all the characteristics of each.
Give Bean's a shot, and let me know what you think!
10 comments:
Very interesting...thanks for the reference. We are Gevalia drinkers, too. Our favorite is Mocca Java...a blend of Harrar beans from Ethiopia and Sumatra beans from Indonesia. And Kona...but we only get that occasionally due to the cost. We have tried Tanzanian peaberry from another coffee house and it had an after taste that didn't suit us. However, I am willing to try again and will order some from Bean's. Any other variety(ies) you would recommend?
Always glad to hear about great coffee. I was among the originals to hang out at Peet's Coffee and Tea in Berkeley. Peet's still maintains a high quality bean unlike its frappocinoed competitor from Seattle.
Unfortunately, your link to Bean's generates a 404 error.
I ordered yesterday and the guy from Bean's said the website order didn't provide to him the whole bean / grind selection nor did it add the shipping charges on to my order so he was taking the website down until it his webmaster could fix it. That may explain the 404 error you got.
I ordered some Peaberry and an Ethiopean coffee which the roaster says his wife likes...and something else but I don't recall.
We had some Starbucks beans this week because we ran out of Gevalia...better than nothing, but not by much!
I called them, and they said the website should be back up Saturday.
Meanwhile, their phone number is: 504-237-6760.
I wonder how their service is to Canada? :-)
Check out my blog - I tagged you - via a tag from Wil Weedon. I am curious to read your response.
Dear Dixie:
Mrs. Hollywood just got back from the Farmer's Market, and the Daldegan family mentioned your order, and your link to Father Hollywood. They said they knew something was up when they got a sudden spike in orders!
They reported that they got the website fixed up right away, (it became a high priority in a hurry) and are busily shipping orders.
I've tried a few of the other blends at the Market (they have samples), and they're all top-notch. It just depends on your individual taste. The best way to figure out what you like is to come to New Orleans, take the ferry to Gretna, and hit the Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning (it's very cool - we even have a band playing everything from folk, rock, country, jazz, and cajun while you sample salsa and sausage, pick out peppers, and even get your scissors sharpened (with lots of happy dogs and children scurrying around).
But, if that's not practical, I would take a look at Beans' website's description of the various coffees and take a risk. It will be a safe risk, though.
I hope you enjoy your coffee! If you like, as you sip it, put on a little jazz music, turn the heat up, hang a fleur-de-lis on the wall, talk like you're from Brooklyn (but be sure to say "y'all), and toss in a French word now and then - and you can experience a little New Orleans vicariously, dawlin.
Father H,
The order arrived this morning and I had a couple of cups of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Exquisite...smooth, rich, with a little bit of a highlight at the end of each sip.
I am looking forward to trying the others and will certainly be reordering.
Jazz...yep. French...oui...which sounds a bit like "way" in the the South (of France, that is).
But I am afraid it will only be a shadow of the real thing. Nonetheless it will have to do until I should experience it all first hand.
Thanks again for the recommendation and happy to hear others are ordering.
Dear Dixie:
Cool. I'm really glad you're enjoying it!
Agreed. I was part of the ordering fiasco. I'm not ready to order a few pounds to keep the shipping to a minimum but they sent me a free half pound of Yigarcheffe. It was roasted perfectly (not too dark). Peaberry is probably great too.
Thanks for the reference. They outdid the local roaster here in the Fort.
Well I've become quite a coffee lover and drinker, and remembered this posting. Unfortunately, the links don't work and there was no answer at the phone number...also no avail when googling. Are they still in business? Let me know if there's been a takeover (hostile or otherwise) of the roaster! :-)
Pax, Jon
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