Hayes Coffee

06/27/06

What a jem

by greenline74 at Citysearch

I discovered this jem by having the good fortune to move 5 minutes away. They only sell coffees and teas, but the quality and prices are an unbeatable value. When the site was operating, they described the family-passed knowledge of roasting from generation to generation, with an attentive eye to maximize the flavor of the bean in the roasting process. I have found Hayes' coffees to have more emphasis in the flavor of each different bean than the strength of the roast. (My palate opinion of many popular chains, nothing against them at all, is that their coffees are varying degrees of burned or near-burned roast, which do admitantly have more oomph! to them.) If you want to experience a genuine straight Kona coffee (none of these "blends" here,) Hayes is the place, and you won't pay $40/lb, but actually half that. Same goes for Jamaican Blue Mountain. The only kicker is that they only take cash, but for what they offer it is worth it. I have not checked out their South American or South Pacific coffees, but the Ethiopian Matari is definately unique. Hayes is my first and last choice for the liquid nectar of the gods.=)

• Pros: beans roasted with emphasis of individual flavors, good prices for premium beans
• Cons: cash only, must buy in-store