Plain Old Coffee

[Aleforge]

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.

 

[menschmaschine]

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:

 

[wildwest450]

Dude, all goths drink coffee...what are you, vamp?

What about gothapotamus?

 

[MMW]

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.

 

[Aleforge]

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.

 

[Edcculus]

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.

 

[Saccharomyces]

mmm, I like home roasted, super strong, black coffee almost as much as I enjoy zombie threads coming back to life.

 

[Tripod]

Cream only for me. It can be milk too but no sugar or powdery flavored crap...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

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.

 

[llazy_llama]

Thread rez acknowledged.

Yirgacheffe, black all the way.

 

[Turkeyfoot Jr.]

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?

 

[flyangler18]

Is it feasible to get at least decent whole been coffee at or near the price you'd pay for ground?

Yep - roast your own.

 

[HenryHill]

There was no 'doesn't matter'.

I am not too concerned with the adds, but I do like Kona the best.

 

[MMW]

Yep - roast your own.

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.

 

[McKBrew]

I'm at work drinking a cup of cheap axx Maxwell House. Good to the Last Drop.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I started my roasting career with a $30 stove top popcorn popper and a cheap thermometer.

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!)

 

[flyangler18]

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.

I use a SS bowl and a heat gun. Works incredibly well with very little outlay of equipment.

 

[jds]

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.

 

[MMW]

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!)

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.

 

[cronxitawney]

Like me some black DD coffee. They sell 2.5 lb sacks of it at costco

 

[TxBrew]

Can't stand sugar and creme in my coffee. Living in a college town we have way too many coffee shops so prices are cheap. I order a small Red Eye every morning and it's $2 after taxes. Nice way to start the day.

 

[no1likesme]

I usually drink a mild roast, kona. Brewed with either a french press, or a moka pot.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

90% of the time it's Black and Bitter. Usually home ground bean but occasionally Nescafe instant.

Every once and a while it's white coffe (Nescafe and Condensed Milk) or Vietnamese Iced (Chickory blend with cond milk).

We try to go to Msia once a year. I love coffee and there, it's dang near impossible to get a straight up black cup. Somehow, it just doesn't compute that coffee doesn't have to have half of a sugar grove mixed in whith it to taste good.

Just thought I'd share.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I love coffee. Black and bitter at work because I have no good options, but a crema coffee or proper espresso cannot be beaten. Soda and energy drinks are for the weak.

 

[purechaos]

I am a black and bitter dark roast, fresh ground whole bean.

occasionally i will shoot up a 6 shot espresso (At home)

most of my coffee is costco store brand (kirkland) that is roasted locally.

 

[The Pol]

I have 8 varieties of green beans. I roast my own... it is AMAZING!

 

[celestialparsnip]

Back in Oz, I always used to take my coffee with milk and sugar, but it's quite uncommon here in Norway (it's known as Swedish-style here). Now I usually take it black and straight up.

 

[MMW]

I have 8 varieties of green beans. I roast my own... it is AMAZING!

Holy cow...I took inventory this morning before my weekly roasting...I have 16 varietals (4 espresso blends) from 11 different countries totaling over 47 lbs. I think I'm sick :fro:

 

[Yeastie]

You don't have my favorite way as a choice, black with sugar.

 

[butterflygirl]

cream and sugar