Jan 23 2009
Gourmet Coffee Online
One of the great joys of the Internet is that you can now have easy access to products from all over the world with only a few clicks of your mouse. Finding and buying exotic, rare and gourmet coffee is no longer a difficult task that requires actually traveling abroad. It may be a bit less exciting to try new international coffee.
There are far too many online coffee sellers to possibly provide any lists for your shopping. A quick check with a search engine should provide you with more shops than you’ll know what to do with. There are major sellers who carry styles and varieties from across the globe, and can be a great one-stop-shop for any coffee whim you might have. Even so, you shouldn’t forget the smaller coffee suppliers that perhaps only specialize in their own local coffee regions. If you want to try some Hawaiian coffee, why not give your business to someone actually living and working there? Going closer to the source can also give you fresher coffee in the end.
And speaking of freshness, that can be the one big problem when buying gourmet coffee online. Whole bean roasted coffee will stay at its best for about 2 weeks, and then start to go stale. So the more hands your coffee goes through before getting to your kitchen, can take a bite out of that freshness window. Check roasting dates and shipping methods before placing your order. Granted, shipping several pounds of coffee via overnight express from someplace like Indonesian or Kenya might be a bit on the costly side. On the other hand, regular postal service won’t likely be fast enough to save your precious gourmet beans.
You can always order green (unroasted) beans instead, which will last quite a bit longer. You do lose some of that regional appeal if you do the roasting in your own home.