Last Vienna question- Coffee

Sacher sells bulk coffee:
https://shop.sacher.com/original-sacher-selection

Coffeehouses in Vienna are renowned for their atmosphere, not the quality of the coffee. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee is good, but that’s not what it’s about. As a result, the traditional coffeehouses do not produce their own beans. Most use Meinl coffee, which is a Viennese product. Julius Meinl has a wonderful gourmet food hall at the end of the Graben, which I highly recommend. Get your coffee there. Any coffeehouse selling coffee in house should be viewed as a gimmick. I would add that Third Wave coffee is a growing thing in Vienna, so if you want high quality coffee from a non-traditional place, check these out - https://www.viennawurstelstand.com/guide/13-cafes-where-to-get-your-specialty-coffee-in-vienna/. Again, these are not true Vienna coffeehouses in the UNESCO Heritage Site way, but their coffee is superb.

On one of our final days in Vienna last month, I had an outstanding Einspanner in the back room at Sluka on Kartner Strasse. I inquired about the beans used, and they directed us to the Meinl store Emily refers to above. At that Meinl store, they have a coffee expert who sold us a large bag of Meinl "Cafe Expert Bristol", which is not the same as the beans used at Sluka but similar.

Now that we've been back a month, the bag is getting low, so it must be time for another visit to Vienna!

The best way to store the beans once the bag is opened is to decant into a sealed lock'n'lock or tupperware and put on the shelf in the freezer.

The grinder won't care if they are frozen.

I can buy Meinl coffee, whole or ground here in my hometown. Probably on Amazon too. But its just not the same. Its the atmosphere that makes the experience.

PS I think I remember seeing Meinl in decorative containers at the airport gift shops, and Sacher too.

Stan , are you in Chicago ?

@steven, no, I'm in Kansas City. We have an Austrian restaurant in town, Grünauers, that sells Meinl coffee. In fact, the restaurant is decorated in vintage Meinl posters. The gulasch is pretty good too.

Stan , I thought it might be Chicago , since Meinl's opened a store there a number of years ago . I used to buy their coffee directly from Vienna and then Chicago until the price rocketed from about eight dollars / pound to the current thirty five dollars / pound . Fortunately , here in New York , Zabar's in Manhattan has a great Vienna Roast for ten / pound , so I needn't do without . The only thing missing here is authentic viennoise pastry .

The receipt for the 500g bag of beans I purchased at the Meinl store in Vienna on Oct 11 is for €23,50. My Visa statement shows that as $35.57 CDN. I would happily purchase it again at that price from Amazon.ca but no Meinl coffee is available. And there appears to be no Canadian suppliers.

Peter , go to the Meinl website here - https://shop.meinl.com/default/ you will find all the details for purchase . Keep in mind that the prices in Vienna are lower than what they charge for foreign buyers . If you are interested , this is what I drink at home ( whole bean and made with a thirty five year old Olympia espresso machine ) https://www.zabars.com/zabars-vienna-roast-coffee/111001Y.html?cgid=Coffee_By_Roast#start=7

Also perfectly ok to buy Meinl coffee in any Vienna grocery store, such as Billa, Spar, Merkur. Billa has Meinl coffee on sale right now for Euro 6.98/kg. https://shop.billa.at/marken/julius-meinl

That's a better price. About what I pay (for a different brand).

I have spent a lot of time in Vienna. It is one of my favorite cities in Europe. The coffee houses are a pleasure to visit and as someone that lived in Europe, I fully appreciate a good cup of coffee. I would go as far as to call myself a bit of a coffee snob.
So, with that in mind....when someone suggests buying coffee from Meinl, which one? There are many types and roasts available. They offer several blends as as is typical in Europe, these are generally Aribica blends...they use beans from multiple sources including South America....frankly, there is nothing particularly unusual about what they offer. The roasting is important as is freshness...
I buy my coffees from a very excellent roaster in the Bay Area and have them shipped as I need them. I mill the beans when I brew them and NEVER freeze coffee beans...ever.
This McLaughlin Viennese roast is a good starting point if you are enjoying Meinls medium roasts:
https://www.mclaughlincoffee.com/collections/products/products/zviennese-roast
If you want espresso, try Maximo...or the Italian, or the Celebes.
Save your taste for Viennese coffee for when you visit. You cannot replicate the experience even with the exact same ingredients.... have you ever made a spritz that was as good as one from a street cafe in in Venice??? It can't be done.

Zabars coffee....oh the horror....

Mack is pretty much on target. The really big key to coffee is how fresh is the roasting? And then the grinding. Some of the best coffee I have had is from a local roaster within the hour of roasting. Actually the beans will be slightly warm when they go into the grinder. By the time you carry home roasted beans - regardless of source - the quality will have gone downhill. Now the psychology of that bag of bean you bring home is another whole discussion in itself.

A caffeinated THANKS to Steven for his recommendation on Zabar's Vienna Roast , our new favorite coffee.

Matt , I'm glad you are enjoying the coffee . Make sure , though , to serve it on a silver tray with a small glass of water , and the spoon lying across the top of the glass , in the classic Viennese manner . A happy New Year to you !

Consider a visit to Brno in Czech Rep., for excellent 3rd wave coffee! I agree that none of Vienna's traditional coffee is good enough.