Plain Old Coffee

SSBrew - 728
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How do you like your coffee?

  • Black and Bitter

  • Cream

  • Cream and Sugar

  • Made by a Barrista

  • No Coffee of any sort

Results are only viewable after voting.
One of the best things about the Pacific Northwest is the "over"abundance of small drive through espresso stands. The prices are better than Starbucks and 9 out of 10 times the quality is better as well.
 
McKBrew said:
One of the best things about the Pacific Northwest is the "over"abundance of small drive through espresso stands. The prices are better than Starbucks and 9 out of 10 times the quality is better as well.
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Lucky mf'ers. Finding a half-decent coffee shop is like pulling teef around these parts. We have one or two here in C-ville, but outside of that, your "best" choice is usually starbucks. Ugh. :(
 
I'm with the small minority of "I hate coffee" people. I used to drink Pepsi in the morning, but I quit doing that about a year or so ago. Now, I just have a glass of water, milk or OJ.
 
Black coffee, any kind, cheaper brands the best. 2 big mugs a day but i drink a pot if i am in the vicinity of a coffe maker.
 
No one has brought this up: hot or iced?

I like hot in the mornings and iced later in the day unless it is cold out.
 
Beerrific said:
No one has brought this up: hot or iced?

I like hot in the mornings and iced later in the day unless it is cold out.
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Ah...depends wholly on the method of brewing that was used. The correct cold-brewing method is to steep the grounds in cold water overnight. Many places, however, will take a shortcut and brew hot coffee, then chill it down. That's not nearly as good as the steeping method...and I'll ask the place before I order how they make their iced coffee. But yeah, when it's hot outside, a hot cup of brew in the afternoon is difficult.
 
What I used to make, that was pretty freakin' incredible, when I worked at a convenience store ten years' ago...

We had ice cream and a shake machine. I'd make a cup of coffee and chill it. Then, just make a "milkshake" using ice cream (chocolate and vanilla) and the coffee. Mix it up nice and smooth.... the sugar/caffeine combination would make me bounce off the walls. Good stuff!
 
Evan! said:
Ah...depends wholly on the method of brewing that was used. The correct cold-brewing method is to steep the grounds in cold water overnight. Many places, however, will take a shortcut and brew hot coffee, then chill it down. That's not nearly as good as the steeping method...and I'll ask the place before I order how they make their iced coffee. But yeah, when it's hot outside, a hot cup of brew in the afternoon is difficult.
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Ah, I agree completely. Have you ever had iced coffee from Caribou Coffee? That is some good stuff!
 
I'm a bio/chem student at the local community college, and I've picked up a reputation for carrying around a thermal coffee pot to and from class w/ my favorite mug in hand. On average throughout the week, I'd say I drink around 5-6 cups a day of black unsweetened coffee. We grind and brew our coffee every morning at my house, and I believe the brand is Seattle Mountain(?), from Costco.
 
Holy thread resurrection, Batman! :eek:

No good option for me...Black, but not bitter. Roasted within the previous week to 10 days, thank you.
 
david_42 said:
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.
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Kauai peaberry is really good stuff, dark roasted and brewed as the instructions state
2 TBSP per 6 oz

http://nisbet.net/mivastore/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=N&Product_Code=CTKAUPEAG01

And I do enjoy the red bag from Costco
71mlQoYDqzL._SL500_AA280_.gif

It is great for a afternoon pot of coffee


-Jason

 
I have a caffeine sensitivity so I don't drink much coffee at all. Each day I pour a half-cup with sugar ans cream and drink a little bit out of it. I also like the premium coffees but don't want to spend the $$ on them and just can't take the caffeine. So I do without.
 
I like my coffee hot, very strong, and with cream and sugar. Weak coffee is so disgusting!:cross:

At work, I'm stuck with Seattle's Best (brewed not-so-masterfully by Sodexo). At home, I drink a random variety of 1) home roasted, 2) Peet's, 3) some Colombian stuff from BJs.

Like DB, I too prefer a good, strong cup of black tea in the morning. But you're right bird, it's very acidic, and if I don't have something in my stomach, I will get nauseous.
 
Coffee gives me the ****s, I don't think much else runs through my digestive system faster. My wife LOVES coffee, but I only drink it now and then if I am falling asleep and need to clean my system out.
 
After my morning cup of Irish or British tea (currently Yorkshire Gold loose tea), I'll drink coffee with half-and-half. I grind the beans every morning and use a French press. If I had the drive, I'd probably roast my own beans, but I've got to stop somewhere with these hobbies.

I'm no coffee expert but I believe there are two main factors to consider: the type of beans and the method of brewing. (Roast is also important, as is where they are grown, but not as much as those.) Most pre-ground cheap coffee (Maxwell House, Folgers, etc... the BMCs of coffee) are Robusto beans. These are typically grown in SE Asia and are a cheap, high caffeine, poor flavor/quality bean. Arabica beans are the standard higher quality bean.

Many coffee maker contraptions are out there, but any device that retains the oils from the beans in the resulting coffee is going to be the most flavorful. Drip coffee (filters) leave the oils in the filter. So do percolators (and they can easily scorch the coffee). The French press (or "cafetiere" in Europe), is a relatively inexpensive coffee maker that leaves the flavorful oils in the coffee.

I prefer freshly ground, dark roasted Arabica beans with a little bit of half-and-half. Drinking soda in the morning is just plain crazy talk to me.:cross:
 
Good coffee is 100% beans, 100% freshness, 100% prep, and 100% roast. You won't have good coffee without any one of the 4.

Keep in mind for freshness that green coffee keeps for a year, roasted lasts a month (even in the fancy packaging...get some fresh roasted some time and compare), and ground lasts about a minute...after that it's stale.
 
What do you guys think of these,

Tassimo Home

That's we have, not sure about "oils" or stale grounds or any of that. It seems fairly tasty for coffee.
 
Black only as a rule for American coffee. If I'm in a coffee shop, I'll usually do a double shot of espresso. I prefer to get whole beans at local roasters and grind them fresh. I like a light city roast. Anything more than City+ just tastes burned to me. If I have to buy pre-ground, Dunkin Dounuts is a step above Folgers etc. If I'm in a rush I'll do conventional drip. For great tasting coffee, I like pour over since I can control the temperature of the water better than my drip machine. French press is my favorite. I've been contemplating pulling the trigger on home roasting too.
 
If I can't get my fav from a coffee house, I'll make it at home using fresh ground Sumatra Mandehling & dried mint leaves in a French press; add a little sugar & a little creamer, and I've got a damned fine cuppa. Regards, GF.
 
If the coffee's good, black. If the coffee isn't good, cream and sugar.

Anyone have a recommendation for a good yet cheap whole bean coffee? We have a Cuisenart (sp?) grind and brew coffee maker and for a time we were buying whole bean and grinding fresh every morning but we just can't afford to do that 7 days a week and the wife and I are both avid coffee drinkers. So, we're stuck with buying the pre-ground Folgers/Maxwell House/etc. and it just isn't the same. Is it feasible to get at least decent whole been coffee at or near the price you'd pay for ground?
 
There was no 'doesn't matter'.

I am not too concerned with the adds, but I do like Kona the best.
 
I'm at work drinking a cup of cheap axx Maxwell House. Good to the Last Drop.
 
MMW said:
I started my roasting career with a $30 stove top popcorn popper and a cheap thermometer.
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Are you still using the popper, or have you upgraded to a regular roaster?

Every time I order from Williams Brewing, I see their coffee roasting section and it gets me thinking. (Just what I need...another obsessive hobby!)
 
MMW said:
Yup. I buy my beans from here, many great beans delivered for 3-5 $/lb green. I started my roasting career with a $30 stove top popcorn popper and a cheap thermometer.
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I use a SS bowl and a heat gun. Works incredibly well with very little outlay of equipment.
 
I do love some home-roasted coffee from Sweet Maria's. A good Yrgacheffe or Harar is my favorite, roasted to city+ or a tad darker.

In the absence of time to roast my own, I buy coffee from a local Denver roaster, Daz Bog. Their KGBlend is dark, smooth, and intense. The beans are literally sticky with oils when you open a fresh bag.

I brew in a press, with water just off the boil (That's about 202F here in Denver, which cools to around 195 after hitting the beans) All of this is, of course, taken straight up, or cooled a bit with two or three ice cubes.

Looking at it that way, I take my coffee pretty much exactly like I take my bourbon.
 
BlindLemonLars said:
Are you still using the popper, or have you upgraded to a regular roaster?

Every time I order from Williams Brewing, I see their coffee roasting section and it gets me thinking. (Just what I need...another obsessive hobby!)
Click to expand...

Santa upgraded me to a Hottop last Christmas. I started with a popper from here. 46.50 + 8.99 shipping gets the roaster + 8 lbs of greens. All you'll need is a 500 degree thermometer and a good range hood or an outdoor burner to work on. Light roasts take some practice, but are possible.
 

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