Plain Old Coffee

I've drank the high priced mochas and stuff at Starbucks and similar places and I do like em, even have an espresso machine at home.

Quite often, I just like a cup of black and bitter, or I'll toss a little milk in.

It seems like less and less people out there drink regular brewed coffee. Especially in the Navy, where coffee is our fuel, the younger kids are more into soda's and energy drinks.

Who else is a regular coffee drinker (Black and Bitter, with milk, or with milk and sugar)? What types of coffee do you like (commercial, fresh ground)?

Answering the rest of my question. My favorite commercial is Maxwell House, I also buy whole bean once in awhile.

medium dunkin donuts w/ cream and sugar every morning, an essential part of my morning ritual

I like mine with a little 1% milk and Sweet'N Low .

I buy either Columbian or Kenya AA from a local market, about $6/lb. Sometimes I get the flavored stuff.

I won't set foot in a Starbucks or the like, but I love making espresso at home and at work, and always start my day with a double-shot. If I want a full-size cup of coffee, I'll just pull a double espresso and add hot water to make an "Americano." My drip machine is in storage, I'd rather have the counter space.

A few years ago, I was reading an article about small coffee producers, and they mentioned a place that was piling up awards from many different competitions. They gave the address, and I was astonished to see that this company was just a few blocks from my work! A friend and I drove straight over and went inside...they were surprised to see us, but after talking java awhile the owner took us on a tour of their warehouse and roasting facility. It was amazing to see and smell the beans in the roasting ovens/tumblers. I'll never forget the aroma when they dumped a batch out of the roaster and into the cooling drum. Then we were offered samples of several of their products, including the organic espresso. It was the best I've ever tasted, even the espresso I drank in Italy couldn't compare.

When I'm running low on beans, I give the place a call. In turn, they call me at work the next time they are roasting a batch of espresso..usually within a day or two. Then I run over and grab a few pounds, still warm from the roaster! I get a whole pound for about the price of 3-4 coffees at Starbucks.

At the time, they only sold to businesses, roasted to order with a minimum of 100 pounds. They were doing me a favor by tacking an extra pound or two onto somebody elses order. Now I see they are selling small quantities over the net.

Supreme Bean

Every morning, make some Maxwell House, cream and sugar. Never go anywhere to buy a cup, the hassle pulling off the road and waiting in the drive-thru isn't worth it. Rather spend that extra 15 minutes sitting at home before I leave for work.
Allan

Black & bitter or I'll have hot chocolate and triple the cocoa powder. Or maybe mix them. I buy my beans (Kauai) at Trader Joe's. Drank more (coffee and beer) when I had a regular job, they had a very nice machine and Pete's coffee.

I like lots of cream and lots of sugar. I like my beer bitter, and my coffee sweet. Usually just the regular foldgers, not a picky coffee drinker. However, SWMBO is and we got her a Tassimo in order to cut down on her coffee shop adiction. It makes pretty good lates and such, and its simple and fast. Plus a lot cheaper then any coffee house.

In the Navy, Black and Brutal is the only way to go. We spend all our dayz in a caffeine haze!!

Navy coffee, no fond memories there! We had a guy on the sub who was an amateur magician. He would draw a mug of coffee, pick up a spoon & stir in some sugar. Then pull a twisted, burned, half-melted spoon out of the mug and say, "Navy coffee, it's the only reason I re-enlisted."

On my first two boats we kept a coffee pot in sonar and just brewed the good stuff. My last boat actually invested in beans and a grinder, so the coffee was OK most of the time.

My favorite thing is the crusty guys who have the coffee mug they never wash. Got that nice black stain inside of it.

Straight Black Death here! Only exception is when I'm making Turkish coffee. Now THAT will put hair on your next born childs chest.

Black , Strong and just a little Turbinado sugar...

Get a Kilo of beans at a time (Columbian dark).
Grind them and then put them in a plunger thingy.
Every morning at work, sets you up nicely until lunchtime, then repeated.
Caffine is my friend.

We use the Costco roasted Columbian Supremo. The roast it here in Austin and sell it for $7.99 for a 2.5 lb. bag of beans. Good stuff!

We drink it Hot, Black, & Murkey, like coffee should be.

half & half and real sugar, when i drink it. i can drink it black, but not matter what, I'm not a big fan of coffee. i prefer black tea in the morning.

Drunkensatyr said:

Straight Black Death here! Only exception is when I'm making Turkish coffee. Now THAT will put hair on your next born childs chest.

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Have you ever had dark French roast with chicory? There wasn't enough cream in the container to take the edge off that.

More specifically, black, bitter and free.

We don't get much free stuff at the Corporate USA, but they do have a free coffee, tea and hot chocolate bar.

Whilst others are doctoring up their cups with sugar and cream and vanilla extract and bat droppings, I swoop in and pour a tall mug of black gold and make my escape.

All coffee is disgusting. I don't drink soda or energy drinks in the morning either. Just some water, or OJ, and I'm good to go.

I started mixing Italian and Columbian about 50/50.

A touch of milk to give it some creaminess, and a drizzle of honey.

Love a barrista (not Starbucks, though) coffee when I can get it. Usually a cappuccino.

I'm with you Bernie, except I do enjoy the flavor of coffee from time to time. Every Tuesday morning we have a meeting early in the office, so I'll usually have a cup since they make some pretty good coffee there. But I consciously avoid depending on caffeine to wake me up or keep me going. I've never even tasted any of those energy drinks. Mind over matter I guess... I'd just rather feel like I'm in control of my day.

sorry - double post

When SWMBO makes the coffee, it's usually some flavored Market Basket brand.

When I get tired of watery coffee (she likes it weak), I pull out the French press and go to town on the Trader Joe's coffee. Usually Kuaui, but occasionally Dark Sumatran or "Volcano" when I want something a little more robust.

EDIT: And to answer the question, when it's good coffee, I always drink it black. When it's garbage, cream and sugar to disguise the taste.

I like my coffee like my women, Cold, Black, and Bitter....
Oh wait that's my beer.
I've always been a Folgers guy fresh and straight up.

Wild

I prefer light and sweet!

My papa taught me long ago - before I ever drank coffee - that coffee should be drunk black, no cream, no sugar. That way, if someone offers you coffee and they don't have either, you can still accept their offer.

Of course, I'll often grab a packet of sugar when I get my coffee - but I'll just eat the sugar.

I also really love dark roasts, but I will not set foot in a Starbucks. Goddamn pretentious bastards. Dunkin' Donuts, baby! If I *do* have to buy coffee at a FourBucks (only at highway rest stops where there is no choice), I'll just ask them for a large cup of whatever they have that's dark. F*ck that goddamn "venti" or whatever bullsh*t.

Best goddamn commerical ever. John Goodman, They Might Be Giants, and Dunkin' Donuts. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1277028475103583370

I like mine black with a little sugar. I work night with a crew that also drinks a lot of coffee, so it became cost effective to buy bulk. Then I relized how easy and cheap it was to roast my own beans. Best thing I ever did! Now I have trouble drinking other's roasts. I will never go to Starbuck's again!

I voted "black and bitter" because it was the best option, but that's not entirely true. Black? Yes. Bitter? No. If your coffee is truly bitter, then it's old or stale, or just crap coffee. "Real" coffee is a sweet beverage---and anyone who has had a French Press of Costa Rican La Minita Estate, that was roasted 2-4 days prior and just ground 30 seconds prior, can tell you that it's anything but "bitter". This country is just so used to Folgers' bitter blend that real coffee is to them what Schneider Aventinus is to a BMC drinker. I like my IPA's bitter, and my coffee black and sweet. As I type this, I'm drinking a thermal mug full of freshly ground/brewed Kenya AA from our local roaster, Shenandoah Joe...who roast, quite simply, the most badassed coffee I've had (though, freshly brewer Peet's Coffee from the little coffee shop in Mill Valley, CA is a close second).

Yeah, I'm a coffee freak. My favorite is a "red-eye"---I brew up a pot of drip and then make a shot of Shen Joe's "Dark Horse" espresso, and combine them. Rocket fuel...but truly amazing stuff.

The only time I'll put stuff in coffee is when it's really bad coffee, like truck-stop-blend kinda stuff. Then...the best remedy is cinnamon. A few sprinkles of cinnamon will help to mask the stale-cardboard taste that most sh*tty coffee has. I don't have a big sweet tooth, and I don't like creamy coffee, so I don't usually add anything but maybe skim milk in a cappuccino (which I almost never have).

As for Charbucks...I'll go for them if there is no better alternative. They purposefully burn their coffee beans so as to ensure "uniformity" from batch to batch and store to store. The one time I was really impressed with their coffee was the xmas blend from last year that we got when we were travelling on I-95 (when faced with a choice between truck stop blend and Charbucks, I'll always choose the latter). It was actually really enjoyable. But that's very rare.

Fact of the matter is, I rarely get a cup of coffee anywhere that is as good as I make it (the exception to that rule is if I get it from Shenandoah Joe themselves). Most people get beans which they have no idea how old they are and how long ago they were roasted...then they grind the beans themselves days or weeks ahead of time, not realizing that ground coffee starts to go stale about 4 minutes after it's ground. Or worse, they get the pre-ground stuff, which is where the old "coffee is bitter" misconception comes from.

And before anyone bashes me for being a coffee snob, just remember: to me, Folgers is on par with Coors Light. And few of you have any trouble being snobbish when it comes to beer.

the_bird said:

My papa taught me long ago - before I ever drank coffee - that coffee should be drunk black, no cream, no sugar. That way, if someone offers you coffee and they don't have either, you can still accept their offer.

I also really love dark roasts, but I will not set foot in a Starbucks. Goddamn pretentious bastards. Dunkin' Donuts, baby! If I *do* have to buy coffee at a FourBucks (only at highway rest stops where there is no choice), I'll just ask them for a large cup of whatever they have that's dark. F*ck that goddamn "venti" or whatever bullsh*t.

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Word! My pops taught me black too.

Dark roasts are great, but they can get a little old after awhile. Especially French Roast. If I buy a pound of Shenandoah Joe's West Coast French, which is excellent French Roast, it takes me maybe half the bag before I start to get tired of it, because it's such a distinctive taste. I like to buy 2 pounds at a time...dark and medium roast...and stagger them.

The only thing to get at a Fourbucks (thanks, Seinfeld!) is black coffee, or a red-eye if you really need a pick-me-up. And you must, must, must ALWAYS order a small, medium or large cup. If you order a fuc*ing venti or grande or supremo or whatever other horsesh*t they're calling the cups, then the [coffee] terrorists win! Fight the power...and return "small-medium-large" to its rightful place on the menu board! Pretentious MF'ers is right.

Black and Bold like my ladies...

DeathBrewer said:

i prefer black tea in the morning.

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Go back to Jolly Ol Englund, you redcoated bastid!

I prefer "blacks eyes" (two shots of espresso) over "red eyes".

Cinammon is actually extremely traditional, as well - like, old-school, original Ethiopian coffee from thousands of years ago.

Evan! said:

And you must, must, must ALWAYS order a small, medium or large cup. If you order a fuc*ing venti or grande or supremo or whatever other horsesh*t they're calling the cups, then the [coffee] terrorists win! Fight the power...and return "small-medium-large" to its rightful place on the menu board! Pretentious MF'ers is right.

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Well said! I'm gonna order a small, medium or large, and they're gonna like it!

DeathBrewer said:

i prefer black tea in the morning.

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For some reason, I can't drink black tea, at least on an empty stomach. It makes me vomit, literally. I have no idea why, my body just rejects it (maybe it's pissed I'm not drinking coffee).

Gotta throw some props out to my boss, too. He had one of those single-cup Keurig machines at his house, he loved it so much he bought one for the office. We get some really nice coffees, too, and it's always fresh. I'm usually pretty jittery by 2:00 PM.... it's nice, too, since we can now offer clients decaf without having to brew a whole pot of that sh*t.

Trader Joe's beans (no particular favorite- I never buy the same stuff twice in a row), ground about 30 seconds before it goes in my french press for 4 minutes. I drink it black, but like Evan said, never bitter. I prefer it out of a regular mug because you can't really smell the coffee when you drink it from a travel mug.

I tried Dunkin' Donuts last week, as I just moved to the Northeast, and everyone from this end of the country raves about their coffee. I'll give them another shot just to be fair, and maybe I live near a bad Dunkin' Donuts, but it was extremely bitter- even though I got it at 8 in the morning, it tasted like it had been on the burner for hours. Clearly that was not the coffee I had heard so much about.

elkdog said:

I tried Dunkin' Donuts last week, as I just moved to the Northeast, and everyone from this end of the country raves about their coffee. I'll give them another shot just to be fair, and maybe I live near a bad Dunkin' Donuts, but it was extremely bitter- even though I got it at 8 in the morning, it tasted like it had been on the burner for hours. Clearly that was not the coffee I had heard so much about.

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You must have gotten a bad pot, it's usually pretty smooth.

I tell you what, though.... just like there's an occassional place for BMC in my life, sometimes, there's nothing better than a cup of smooth, watery diner coffee. If I'm having eggs and bacon at Denny's, I don't want a real dark roast.

elkdog said:

I tried Dunkin' Donuts last week, as I just moved to the Northeast, and everyone from this end of the country raves about their coffee. I'll give them another shot just to be fair, and maybe I live near a bad Dunkin' Donuts, but it was extremely bitter- even though I got it at 8 in the morning, it tasted like it had been on the burner for hours. Clearly that was not the coffee I had heard so much about.

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They're supposed to throw out the coffee if it sits in the pot for more than 15 minutes or somewhere close to that. You probably got an old pot. It's as if the stuff self destructs after that time... I love their coffee but always take a sip of it before I leave the counter/drive through, if it tastes scorched or nasty I ask for a cup from a fresh pot.

the_bird said:

You must have gotten a bad pot, it's usually pretty smooth.

I tell you what, though.... just like there's an occassional place for BMC in my life, sometimes, there's nothing better than a cup of smooth, watery diner coffee. If I'm having eggs and bacon at Denny's, I don't want a real dark roast.

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I'll happily give them another shot. It turns out that they sell doughnuts, too.

Agreed about the cheap coffee, too. When I'm at anything resembling a diner, only watery coffee in a small thick mug will do.

This might be blasphemy, but I may be the only Ma*shole who doesn't like Dunkin' Donuts. It used to be OK, but it seems to have gone downhill over the past 5 years.

However, whenever I'm flying out of TF Green Airport, I always make it a point to get the DD inside the airport. The line is always like 50 people deep, so you're sure to get a fresh pot.