Faced with thinner wallets, fewer of you head to coffee shops for a daily fix. As a result, you’re buying coffee from supermarkets and local roasters, then trying to duplicate the experience at home.
“Sales at supermarkets are way up,” said Ryan Beckley, a co-owner of Mavericks Coffee House and Roasting Co. in Visalia, Calif. Maverick’s sells its roasted coffee at some Save Mart supermarkets in Fresno and Tulare counties, as well as at Whole Foods Market in Fig Garden Village.
www.fresnobee.com
  Tazzaria Coffee & Tea in downtown Visalia also sees the trend. “Our bulk bean sales are way up,” co-owner James Jessen says. “People are taking the beans home and brewing their own. The economy has kind of driven that.”
The trend comes at a time when more folks than ever are picky about coffee. “They used to say, just give me drip or French press,” Jessen says. “Now they say, I want this single-origin coffee.”
To help these coffee lovers get the most out of their home-brewing experience, some roasters are holding classes.
Jo Ann Sorrenti, owner of Sierra Nut House in Fresno, Calif., does not charge students. She plays a video about coffee cultivation, then walks students through the process of making a great cup – from roasting to serving.
By JOAN OBRA – McClatchy Newspapers