I've been to Paris, and I can tell you that the coffee there is absolutely to die for. Even Expresso, normally to harsh for me, was wonderful. Every cafe and restaurant has great coffee. However, I live in Boston. We are famous for throwing shipments of tea into the harbor! For coffee shops we have Dunkin' Donuts, which I have to say, although I enjoy it, it's not a very strong coffee. Seattle has infested our area with Starbucks which I detest. I am not a fan of the burnt beans. As a rule, I don't even go out for coffee any more I make it at home with my own Cuisinart Bean Grinder and Bunn coffee maker. However, one day in Boston, I did discover a coffee shop that I really liked, Peets! Peets, like Starbucks started in Seattle, and in fact the founders of each company apparently all knew each other, but Peets went one way, and Starbucks went for global dominination. We only have 6 Peet's in the New England area (Newton, Wellesley, Cambridge, Downtown Boston, Brookline and Lexington), but their beans and grinds are carried in several local supermarkets including Shaw's where I buy my groceries.


What is PEET'S?

Peets is a small high end coffee shop that features a variety of exotic and regular coffee brews. Peet's has a heavier aroma than Dunkin Donuts, but not that bleah coffee smell of burnt Seattle coffee beans. I'm not a fan of Starbucks! You will be happy when you buy beans ground or whole from Peet's, you can smell the caffeine! This will be my third review of a Peets coffee bean, it has become my favorite coffee bean.

French Roast Coffee Beans!

Want a rich coffee to start your day? I've had Peet's House Blend, Sumatra and Major Dickason's Blend beans. I recently tried their French Roast. Normally, I don't like french roast coffees because although the flavor is strong, it is also rather bitter. Peet's French Roast is a stronger blend than the other Peet's flavors I've tried; but not at the expense of bitterness. That is what I love about Peets! The flavor is a deep rich flavor and has a more powerful taste than their other beans. I like the flavor of the French Roast better than the Columbian (although I have only had the Columbian ground, I haven't found the whole beans). Peet's French Roast beans have a good strong flavor with no bitterness. Like all Peet's coffee beans there is no acidy taste either. I don't know how much of that is due to my Bunn Coffee Maker and how much is due to the Peet's Beans, but the combination of the two gives me an awesome morning cup of brew. I like Peet's French Roast better than others I have tried and it is much better than the Maxwell French Roast I used to drink.

Test Information

In writing this review, I used a Cuisinart bean grinder. Although I don't store my beans in the freezer (noted to be the best), I keep them in a cool dry place, and the beans I used have been purchased within a week. I always reseal the bag of beans when I am done. I pour in four cups worth of beans according to the marks on the grinder cup in my cuisinart and grind for about twenty seconds. The grind is fine, but not too fine. My cuisinart doesn't have settings, you have to do it on sight. It is a blade grinder, not a burr grinder. Next, I dump the ground up beans into my Bunn coffee filter. I don't store the beans after grinding, I grind just enough for immediate use. I add four cups of water, although with the Bunn, that just replenishes the water supply, the water actually used by the Bunn is water heated to 200 degrees. About three minutes later, I pour out a mug of coffee (which equals about 2 "cups" of coffee) add just a bit of Carnation French Vanilla Creamer and enjoy! (sometimes I use Carnation Amaretto or Carnation Irish Cream)

(the following are reprinted from an earlier review with minor revisions covering the same basic background on Peet's)

What is Peet's Secret?

Peet's is a coffee lovers coffee that is certain. It is hand roasted in small batches, and each bag comes with a guarantee that the beans have been roasted within the last 90 days. My only problem is I don't know what date that was exactly.

Value

Peet's is about the same price as Green Mountain and Java offered at Shaws in whole bean, perhaps a bit more expensive. It is usually 9.99 for 12 ounces whereas the other whole beans are 9.99 per pound (thats 16 ounces folks!) I got this 12 ounce bag of French Roast Beans on sale for 7.99 at Shaw's Grocery Store. My local Shaw's doesn't usually carry the French Roast whole beans, but sometimes I get lucky. All in all, it is still far cheaper to brew your own coffee than to go out to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts every day.

More Info

You can visit Peet's website at www.peets.com or call them at 1 800 999 2132 They have more than 30 different coffee flavors!

Summary

If you are a coffee lover, and have your own high quality coffee maker and bean grinder, give Peets a try! If you don't have a grinder, get Peet's ground coffee. I'll bet you will be glad you did, it's a great way to wake up!

Related Reviews

Bunn GRX Coffee Maker
Cuisinart DCG 12BC Coffee Bean Grinder
Peet's Major Dickason Blend Coffee Beans
Peet's Sumatra Coffee Beans




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 7.99