A Thread About COFFEE

[arabicadabra]

Having been told that I am an artist when it comes to brewing coffee, I'm just curious: to those of you who are specialty coffee inclined, what do you LIKE a lot and do you drink that on a regular basis or settle for something less spectacular?

[Hunnibee]

I prefer Colombian, a strong brewed coffe with a little kick. (I used to refer to "Juan Valdez" as my boyfriend, LOL!) At the grocery store, I usually choose Yuban's Dark Roast. They recently came out with a Pacific Coast blend which is pretty good, too. When the wallet is tight, I will buy Safeway's store brand Colombian, which is actually pretty good for generic.

Out on the town, I prefer Tully's or Peet's. I will try to find a local Mom and Pop coffee place in Portland, now that I've moved back. I try to avoid Starbucks like the plague, but sometimes, it can't be helped. I've been stuck in too many airports with Starbucks being the only option, and I simply MUST have my coffee!

I am no "coffee snob", though. I am pretty happy with anything strong and dark. No wimpy French Roast for me! (Not that there's anything wrong with France in general, of course!)

[trurl]

I just bought a bag of Moon Pie coffee. I mean- Moon Pie coffee!!! You can't not buy Moon Pie coffee.










Moon Pie Coffee.

[Duncan Glenday]

We had this conversation on the old site a few years ago - when you cocked a snoot at the fact that I confessed that I like Starbucks :p

LOL

I then asked you what coffee I should buy that is easily-obtainable and does not require a chef's degree to make. IIRC, the thread died and my question went unanswered.

Right now, I'm using a Keurig system at home purely for convenience. But the damned thing keeps breaking (had it erplaced under warranty 7 times - count them, seven), so I'm open to guidance...

[Seven8]

Just like my beer, the darker the better. My "go to" coffee is Pete's Major Dickason's Blend, but I usually but Starbuck's French roast in bulk when it's on sale at Costco.

There are some coffee shops in the bay area that serve killer 'custom' coffee, but I usually just make it at home using a drip automatic coffee maker. Two reasons: 1) it saves a lot of money compared to buying it made by someone else every day and 2) I really enjoy that first cup of joe (or two) in the morning as I'm slowly coming to life again. I think my Hamilton Beach coffee maker sucks the big one but I don't usually have time to make it cup-by-cup. Plus I like the fact that (as much as I hate my coffee maker) I can set the coffee maker on a timer so that it is freshly brewed and ready to drink when I wake up in the morning (usually after too little sleep).

[Chuck AzEee!]

I had my first cup at 6 something this evening. Prior to that cup my head was pounding! As I have mentioned elsewhere, Dunkin Donuts coffee is horrible! McDonald's is my favorite from the fast food joints.

[Hunnibee]

Oh, and I should mention that the best "gas station" coffee EVER is from the Terribles/Chevron chain in Las Vegas. :D

[roddenberry]

My current bag-o-caffeine at home is 500g of "tanzania Brazil black" I bought at Brulerie St-Denis in my neighborhood. LOVE IT! The aroma is so intense, and it tastes just like a little bit of heaven in the morning.

I've been buying this mix for a while, and I have them grind it up for regular paper filters. I keep the bag in a jar, as I was told that keeping ground coffee in the freezer is a myth and not the right thing to do.

[East New York]

Oh, and I should mention that the best "gas station" coffee EVER is from the Terribles/Chevron chain in Las Vegas. :D

Hahaha...so true re: "Chingon"! I love their coffee!

I'm not what some would call a coffee snob, as I used to be a devout fan of what might still be known to this day among New Yorkers as "coffee, regular": diner coffee, cream, two sugars. I'll wrestle any coffee down my throat now, as long as it's not dark/strong. The trick for me, now, is finding a true non-dairy creamer that works (the Coffee-Mate types still have casein in them, and they taste awful).

[East New York]

...although Indigo Coffee (out of Northampton, MA) is to die for.

[Chuck AzEee!]

G'Day Stacia!

Ugggh, I just had a horrible cup of coffe from our building lobby... I think I'm gonna be sick...:drool

[East New York]

G'Day Stacia!

Ugggh, I just had a horrible cup of coffe from our building lobby... I think I'm gonna be sick...:drool

Dollface! Howaya? You'll need a fifth of scotch to help that bad coffee along. :D

[Chuck AzEee!]

Dollface! Howaya? You'll need a fifth of scotch to help that bad coffee along. :D

AYE! The way things are at my job right now, that sounds great! Chivas anyone?

[Vic2012]

Mostly just regular coffee (no decaf). I have a little Mr.Coffee drip type thingy. I usually get a couple of bricks of whatever's cheap (usually the stores brand). Folgers and all that stuff has gotten expensive. At work I usually have a couple of Capucinos from the el cheapo coffee vending machine. I like strong, Cuban coffee (it's just espresso with a little too much sugar) once in a while too.

[East New York]

AYE! The way things are at my job right now, that sounds great! Chivas anyone?

:rofl

I'm flyin' back home in 3...2...1....!

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

I like the taste of darker roasts better but have recently switched to lighter roasts because it turns out they have more caffeine in them. Though I love my coffee it is first and foremost a caffeine delivery system.

[Duncan Glenday]

500g of "tanzania Brazil black"

Tanzania is now ... in Brazil? I was in Tanzania this time last year and it was in Africa. They must have moved it! :lol


The trick for me, now, is finding a true non-dairy creamer that works (the Coffee-Mate types still have casein in them, and they taste awful).

Here's another question:

This may be unusual - but I find that I hate half-and-half, and far prefer my coffee with milk. I've often poured 2 cups from the same batch and tried one with milk and one with cream - and the milk wins the taste-test every time.

Anyone else..?

[arabicadabra]

Duncan said:
> when you cocked a snoot at the fact that I confessed that I like Starbucks <

I apologize, Duncan. And to anyone else I might ever have given the "coffee snob" treatment/righteous indignation air to, please, I beg of you, forgive me. (except Amy :) )

I love Melissa's post about what she looks for and then what she sometimes will settle for that isn't as good but is still better than much of what's out there to her. We are ALL in the same boat - and even the stuff I currently buy wholesale for $13 to $16 per pound, at it's very best, is nowhere near as good as the $5.80 per pound wholesale coffees I used to get from 1997 till about 2007.

I only have two tips for immediate improvement of your home coffee experience that apply to everyone:

1) Heat of the brewing water - Bunn makes a home line that can be had for about $100 on sale that actually brews with water at about 205 degrees. Before that price tag causes you to rule it out, remember - it lasts between 5 and 7 years and is definitely "hot enough" - how often do you replace your $20 to $40 coffee brewers cuz they break or start losing heat when they have NEVER been "hot enough"?

2) Water - whether purified with added minerals (Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, etc.) or spring water (any EXCEPT Poland Spring) or even filtered tap (provided you always change the filter at the recommended intervals), your coffee's taste will be tremendously improved by NOT expecting it to overcome the inherent problems in the unfiltered tap.

Good will towards coffee drinkers,
Greg Jones

[Don Arnold]

...I'm just curious: to those of you who are specialty coffee inclined, what do you LIKE a lot and do you drink that on a regular basis or settle for something less spectacular?

I'll confess up front - I'm a Starbucks coffee guy. I like my one thermos full, consumed within a couple hours during the earlier part of my work day. I like dark and bold. I like brown or cane sugar, and cream. And it has to be perfect. I can easily wile away 3-4 minutes doctoring my coffee, adding diminishing amounts of sugar, stirring, taste-testing, until...it's ready to be uploaded to the thermos. Favourite blends would be christmas, anniversary, komodo dragon, verona, espresso, and french, followed by any other types within the bold spectrum. I really dug their limited offering "red" blend.

I do enjoy other brands, such as Kicking Horse & Salt Spring Island. My wife has similar tastes, but divides her drinking between caffeinated and decaf. She was delighted to discover Kicking Horse, which already had bold blends such as Grizzly Claw and Kick-ass, recently came out with a half caff / half decaf blend. They call it "half-ass"!

[Don Arnold]

Here's another question:

This may be unusual - but I find that I hate half-and-half, and far prefer my coffee with milk. I've often poured 2 cups from the same batch and tried one with milk and one with cream - and the milk wins the taste-test every time.

Anyone else..?

Just the opposite for me! In fact, though I typically use half and half, I sometimes splurge for the extra 30 cents and buy 18% coffee cream!

[East New York]

This may be unusual - but I find that I hate half-and-half, and far prefer my coffee with milk. I've often poured 2 cups from the same batch and tried one with milk and one with cream - and the milk wins the taste-test every time.

Anyone else..?

That's interesting! I've never tried coffee with milk, but I completely "get" that it would be tasty to many folks.

[proggrl]

Greg, you are not an artist - you are the master! The Bean Whisperer himself! Currently enjoying some Dallis Bros. I don't think I could ever go back. Usually I will have mine with creamer (Coffeemate) but with the Dallis I rather not distort the flavour so I've been more on a half/half kick and save the creamers for work coffee (blehhhhh) which need the extra flavour.

Can't do straight milk in coffee - too watery.

Oh and I like to enjoy it in my Marillion.com mug. :) Tho my Tigger mug and PT Deadwing or Incident mugs get some mileage too.

[proggrl]

1) Heat of the brewing water - Bunn makes a home line that can be had for about $100 on sale that actually brews with water at about 205 degrees. Before that price tag causes you to rule it out, remember - it lasts between 5 and 7 years and is definitely "hot enough" - how often do you replace your $20 to $40 coffee brewers cuz they break or start losing heat when they have NEVER been "hot enough"?

I don't have a Bunn - we have this guy (http://www.cuisinartwebstore.com/detail/CUI+CHW-12). How can I tell if water has been heated enough? We have our heater plate set to Medium.




2) Water - whether purified with added minerals (Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, etc.) or spring water (any EXCEPT Poland Spring) or even filtered tap (provided you always change the filter at the recommended intervals), your coffee's taste will be tremendously improved by NOT expecting it to overcome the inherent problems in the unfiltered tap.

At your suggestion, this we started doing since NEARfest. We use Zepherhills spring water. When we got our most recent bag in, I nearly 'purged' the grinder after a good clean, but felt I didn't want to waste good beans. :)

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

We have an older view of this (http://www.capresso.com/coffee-makers-coffee-team-gs.shtml). It has a built-in filter, built-in burr grinder, and a timer, so we wake up to a fresh pot of pretty darn good coffee (and hot) in the morning.

[trurl]

My brother roasts beans himself and has a $180 French Press. IMO if you're not willing to go that far you're not very serious.

[Duncan Glenday]

I usually take my coffee with milk but no sugar. But if I'll sometimes kick up a Starbucks coffee with


I like brown ... sugar


(I'm referring to coffee sweetener! :bad)



I can easily wile away 3-4 minutes doctoring my coffee

I'm also very pedantic about how it's put together, and like to do it myself. I don't take 3-4 minutes - but it needs to be just-so.

Dunkin' Donuts is the WORST - they ask if you want cream and sugar, and put it in for you. Blech !


Greg, you are ... The Bean Whisperer himself!

:rofl:lol

That's why I'm still waiting for his suggestion on the best coffee to buy.

[proggrl]

I do have a french press, but it was no $180!

[Duncan Glenday]

Duncan said:
> when you cocked a snoot at the fact that I confessed that I like Starbucks <

I apologize, Duncan. And to anyone else I might ever have given the "coffee snob" treatment/righteous indignation air to, please, I beg of you, forgive me.


NP - I was kidding. Seems almost everyone I know spurns Starbucks - yet the company keeps growing. (Brings Yogi Berra to mind: "No one goes there any more - it's too crowded".)



I only have two tips for immediate improvement of your home coffee experience that apply to everyone:

1) Heat of the brewing water - Bunn makes a home line that can be had for about $100 on sale that actually brews with water at about 205 degrees. Before that price tag causes you to rule it out, remember - it lasts between 5 and 7 years and is definitely "hot enough" - how often do you replace your $20 to $40 coffee brewers cuz they break or start losing heat when they have NEVER been "hot enough"?


Interesting. My Keurig won't go that hot - gotta see if I can find another way to heat the water.



2) Water - whether purified with added minerals (Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, etc.) or spring water (any EXCEPT Poland Spring) or even filtered tap (provided you always change the filter at the recommended intervals), your coffee's taste will be tremendously improved by NOT expecting it to overcome the inherent problems in the unfiltered tap.


I always used filtered tap water - and the keurig has its own filter as well. I agree that it makes a difference - and the same is true of hot tea. Much better with filtered water.

[arabicadabra]

> That's why I'm still waiting for his suggestion on the best coffee to buy. <

Duncan if you are looking for a recommendation for something that is on the shelf in the supermarket, I don't know the answer for you. If you're looking for something you can order by phone or via the Internet with a cc, then there are a few really good companies around that will roast fresh and UPS it - and my absolute favorite in terms of quality and consistency (critical!) is still Dallis Bros Coffee. I no longer work for them nor sell their stuff and I always try other roasters whenever given the chance but I can count on Dallis Bros more than anybody else (so far).

[mpoll]

I use Lavazza espresso in a 12-cup Vev Vigano stove-top maker. This is the closest I can get to the coffee I used to drink when I lived in Belgium without breaking the budget.

149 150

Note: First post on PE V3.0, so hoping the pics attached correctly.......

[Duncan Glenday]

...my absolute favorite in terms of quality and consistency (critical!) is still Dallis Bros Coffee.

Good information - thanks. Will look them up.

Any particular product you'd recommend?

[wideopenears]

Peets, in a French Press.....usually black, no sugar. Blue Bottle I also like.....
Starbucks, though, not so much.
I sometimes do add half and half.....I like black tea with milk, but coffee with half and half or even heavy cream--once in a while.

I like espresso in the afternoon--no dairy added to my coffee after the morning cup, if at all.

[Don Arnold]

.....I like black tea with milk,

Yes indeed, milk (not cream) with black tea! :good

[Greg]

I like Starbucks :p

Actually, Starbucks have come out with their light and medium roasts, which I don't hate. The big issue I had with their "regular" roast was that they charcoaled everything to death. If I want Espresso, I'll order Espresso.

Now, with the medium roasts, you can actually taste the coffee.

But, I'm still drinking a Vietnamese brand because I haven't been able to find anything I truly like in the supermarket since they stopped carrying my Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee--and, ordering that on-line is a bit more expensive than I can afford right now.

[Duncan Glenday]

I like black tea with milk

That's the only way to drink it!

[Duncan Glenday]

In my Keurig, I'm using Newman's Own. Surprisingly not-bad.

[Chuck AzEee!]

My brother roasts beans himself and has a $180 French Press. IMO if you're not willing to go that far you're not very serious.

157

[trurl]

157

Yeah, pretty much *lol*

[Amy]

Starbucks makes one hell of a caffe mocha. :p

[Don Arnold]

Starbucks makes one hell of a caffe mocha. :p

Okay, I'll contribute....my favourite Starbucks indulgence is....drum roll....

tall, decaf, half-sweet, double-blended, easy whip, java chip frapacchino |)

[Vic2012]

This is what I put in my coffee every morning:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2e/Coffee_Mate.jpg/220px-Coffee_Mate.jpg

works fer me.

[MissKittysMom]

We're lucky to have an artisan roaster in the town where I work. They do most of their business over the net or at local farmers' markets, but I generally stop by their office over lunch and buy whatever looks interesting and is freshly roasted. I have a number of favorites there, but their Old North State Melange is outstanding - two different beans, three different roasts. They have a number of single-origin coffees, too, especially from Central America; the owner does some of his own buying directly from the farmers. See Muddy Dog Coffee (https://muddydogcoffee.com/) for more info.

I generally go for medium roasts. My experience with dark roasts is that I taste the roast more than the coffee. There are exceptions, of course. I like my coffee very strong and black; no additives allowed! I've heard Turkish coffee described as "thick"; that sounds like my ideal cup of coffee.

The filtered water idea sounds interesting; I'll have to give it a try.

I avoid Starbucks like I avoid McDonalds. I hear they were good back when the mermaid had tits. That's been a while.

[spellbound]

Black. No cream. No sugar. No foofy flavors, in the beans or in the liquid. Medium-dark roast, usually, because overroasted coffee all tastes the same. That's why French Roast never tells you where the beans originate. Doesn't matter. You won't taste the difference. Some favorites: Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Sumatran. Kona is good, but the usual roast is a little light. Had some dark roasted on the Big Island once. Very good. Grinding the beans first thing every morning is part of the ritual.

Starbucks is in the milk business. And they burn their coffee beans. But, to each his own. Just because I'm Starbucks intolerant doesn't mean it's not someone else's favorite.

Want to try: Nicaraguan

[Progbear]

Fave local place is Berkeley Espresso, who uses a brand called McLaughlin Coffee. There’s a few other local roasters that are good, though I’m currently using stuff from Trader Joe’s which is...OK. I used to get Sark’s from Raley’s but they quit carrying it.

Like a lot of folks here, I avoid Starbucks and McDonalds. If I must go to a chain, it’ll be Peet’s or Tully’s (or The Coffee Bean if I’m in Southern CA). Round these parts (people in South Carolina, of all places, have ’em too, apparently) there’s a surprisingly good drive-through espresso chain called Caffino. They do a very good cappuccino.


Oh, and I should mention that the best "gas station" coffee EVER is from the Terribles/Chevron chain in Las Vegas. :D

Yikes! I remember getting a free meal at Terribles’ (an apt name) buffet in Vegas after I spotted a roach on one of their buffet tables. Really more of an explanation why I dislike buffet dining than anything else.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"It is not an obscenity to be free. It is a divine right." --Annette Peacock

N.P.:“Five Suns IV”-Guapo/Five Suns

[Duncan Glenday]

Okay, I'll contribute....my favourite Starbucks indulgence is....drum roll....

tall, decaf, half-sweet, double-blended, easy whip, java chip frapacchino |)

WHA- ?!?

I refuse to learn the stupid f***ing new coffeehouse vocabulary. I just say "Large coffee", or "Medium coffee".

[MissKittysMom]

WHA- ?!?

I refuse to learn the stupid f***ing new coffeehouse vocabulary. I just say "Large coffee", or "Medium coffee".

When Microsoft's development tools team was defining the C# language, they considered naming the different sizes of integers as short, tall, and grande.

[Duncan Glenday]

When Microsoft's development tools team was defining the C# language, they considered naming the different sizes of integers as short, tall, and grande.

That's funny - and since they're in Seattle, it's no surprise.

[Smörgåsbord]

I only choose high quality coffee, no matter the region or character. I do have a preference for low acidity. I buy the beans and grind them in my grinder.

[arabicadabra]

> Any particular product you'd recommend? <

But of course! I really enjoy one from El Salvador called Andelucia. It blew a lot of minds at the NEARfest Apocalypse including John Wetton's. If you prefer something African, they have a delicious Kenya called Kiambu - amazing.

[Duncan Glenday]

:up

[Don Arnold]

Okay, I'll contribute....my favourite Starbucks indulgence is....drum roll....

tall, decaf, half-sweet, double-blended, easy whip, java chip frapacchino |)


WHA- ?!?

I refuse to learn the stupid f***ing new coffeehouse vocabulary. I just say "Large coffee", or "Medium coffee".

I have some 'splaning to do. There is actually method to my insanity here. And it is this:

tall: obviously the size, which for my coffee treats...matters ;)
decaf: I indulge in these treats only on ocassion, typically in the afternoon, and after my morning caffiene, so...decaf it is
half-sweet: I have found all of Starbucks latte's and frapp's way too sweet at full strength; half-sweet gets me the flavour without it being oversweet and without it overtaking the coffee flavour
double-blended: this is critical...if they don't do this, the chippits can get stuck in the straw :lol
easy whip: unless you're a whipping cream fanatic, there's no one needs as much as they add to the top of these drinks; also, if you enjoy this frapp over an hour or so while working, the whipping cream gradually mixes in with the rest of the drink, with the potential of making it too much, well, whipping creamish

Case closed.

[Duncan Glenday]

I still prefer:

"medium coffee, please"

"Coming up, sir"

30 seconds later, I'm done :p

LOL

[markwoll]

Black, french press is preferred.
I was drinking Hula Daddy Kona for a couple of years. ( www.huladaddy.com ).
My mother in law got me started. The first ones always free....
It was good but expensive.
Now I get a couple of bags a month from http://pacayacoffee.com/.
They are a couple of blocks away and deliver freshly roasted ( within 24 hours ) coffee to my house.
Their Sidamo Ardi is wonderful, fruit notes without being 'flavored'.

When I go out to my favorite local shop ( http://www.groundedcoffeeshop.com/ ) I get 5 shots of espresso and their coffee of the day in a big cup.
Starter fluid.
I have found that I can get at least a raised eyebrow from the most jaded barista with that order.

mark

[Hunnibee]

Yikes! I remember getting a free meal at Terribles’ (an apt name) buffet in Vegas after I spotted a roach on one of their buffet tables. Really more of an explanation why I dislike buffet dining than anything else.

As a former resident of Las Vegas, I will state that the whole city is crawling with cockroaches, and you should always check your hotel room mattress for bed bugs, as the city is infested with those nasty critters. I worked at Golden Nugget, and the employee dining room had cockroaches crawling everywhere.

To be fair, I never saw a cockroach near any coffee machines at the Terribles gas stations. They did, however, invade my coffee maker at the apartment I had there. :mad Just another reason why I am a FORMER resident of that city!


When Microsoft's development tools team was defining the C# language, they considered naming the different sizes of integers as short, tall, and grande.

I wonder how big the Vente integer is! :O

[arabicadabra]

Mark: Thanks for sharing the link to pacaya - I may try some of that myself. Your post takes me back to my original post, though - if pacaya is a couple blocks away, why isn't THAT your "favorite local shop"?

[markwoll]

Mark: Thanks for sharing the link to pacaya - I may try some of that myself. Your post takes me back to my original post, though - if pacaya is a couple blocks away, why isn't THAT your "favorite local shop"?

Pacaya are just roasters. They live a couple of blocks away, so they don't have to ship to me.
They do set up at farmers markets in the area, and are carried retail by several local shops.

mark

[arabicadabra]

Pacaya are just roasters. They live a couple of blocks away, so they don't have to ship to me.
They do set up at farmers markets in the area, and are carried retail by several local shops.

mark

So does that mean they do NOT serve/sell brewed cups of coffee, nor espresso drinks? Is there a place to pick up retail coffee but NOT a brewed cup? If so, I'm stunned that they don't hook up an espresso machine and go for it.....

[markwoll]

So does that mean they do NOT serve/sell brewed cups of coffee, nor espresso drinks? Is there a place to pick up retail coffee but NOT a brewed cup? If so, I'm stunned that they don't hook up an espresso machine and go for it.....
It's probably something about the cost of retail space.
Actually, my favorite coffee shop, Grounded, does sell brewed Pacaya coffee and was the source of my first few bags.
They only sell free trade/organic/warm and fuzzy coffee.
No jaded baristas though.
mark

[Pangolin]

240It used to be about $2.00 in CVS and whilst it has gone up a fair bit in price it remains, for me, anyway, better than most of the alternatives, with the possible exception of a well-looked after, properly-stored Ethiopian harrar.

I may have to get the logo as a tattoo.

[arabicadabra]

When (and IF) I finish my book on coffee, it will be fun to talk about the early days of Fair Trade coffees, organic coffees and how they changed the arena in both helpful AND extremely harmful ways. I love your use of the phrase "warm fuzzy" to describe that.

[Chuck AzEee!]

Ahhh, my second cup of the day and if my supervisor decides not to show up, a GREAT DAY is in store! YES!

[Duncan Glenday]

...Fair Trade coffees, organic coffees and how they changed the arena ... AND extremely harmful ways

Interesting - what harmful ways..?

[markwoll]

I don't think this wikipedia article get into the 'extremely harmful ways' but it does cover the high spots, positive and negative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade_coffee
I would imagine the same arguments are valid with fair trade chocolate and other crops.

mark

[Duncan Glenday]

Just read those.

Interesting - thanks.

It's sadly very common for our "bleeding-heart do-good" actions to do as much harm as good, because we do not have an in-depth understanding of what's happening behind the scenes.

Anyway - I buy coffee that tastes good, not necessarily because it's supposed to do good. :D Though - if there's a good-tasting coffee that is actually doing good somewhere, I don't mind laying out a few extra $$...

[markwoll]

Well get the good stuff while it's still around cause Climate Change is gonna kill it:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=climate-change-threatens-legacy-cof-12-11-09
:yell
mark

[Firth]

My brother roasts beans himself and has a $180 French Press. IMO if you're not willing to go that far you're not very serious.

I received a small Christmas gift, a 1 cup press. I liked the flavor but the grit was a little too much. Then I tried the gold tone filter in my Cusinart maker with carafe, and coffee heaven was reached. Basically paper filters suck the flavor out of coffee. I have ground the beans, used the spring water, used a carafe with out burner, for years, but nothing compares to getting rid of the paper filter. Doesn't matter what kind of paper filter. My grinder is Cusinart too. I wondered why a coffee tastes better in the shop than when I get it home. Even if a shop uses a filter, they make such huge batches, that the filter sucks up a finite amount of the flavor, and after that, it passes thru. Some of the gold filters pass grit, but the one which came with my Cusinart is a very fine mesh and allows very little. It's also more environmental to not go thru filters, and just put the spent grounds back into the ground.|)

[markwoll]

With a press you need a coarse grind. A food processor style grinder is going to make dust not grounds.
A burr type grinder is the best. Or buy your coffee ground to that spec.
I use the gold filter in my drip machine, just so I don't have to stock paper.

[Greg]

I use the gold filter in my drip machine, just so I don't have to stock paper.

I wish BUNN or a third party manufacturer would come out with a gold filter for the BUNN series brewers. They use a custom size filter so I'm stuck buying the paper for my BUNN Phase Brew machine.

[Brian Griffin]

Starbucks Cafe Verona in a Keurig and some smokes is the weekend treat of choice

Folgers in an old school percolator is the weekday deal

BG

[Brian Griffin]

It just got even better with a small dish of Friendly's rich and creamy Coffee ice cream....

BG

[Firth]

When Microsoft's development tools team was defining the C# language, they considered naming the different sizes of integers as short, tall, and grande.

Wonder if bags of green which are now legal in Washington will also come short, tall and grandeX):) The everGreen state.

[Firth]

A burr type grinder is the best. The Cusinart grinder is a burr grinder, and you are correct the press I used with a coarse grind. The gold tone filter works well with a fine ground.

[Chain]

I use an Aeropress

[markwoll]

I use an Aeropress

Just because I have one, but have been underwhelmed with the process vs. the end product.
Perhaps I am doing it wrong.
What is your 'workflow' and grind?

mark

[Chain]

What is your 'workflow' mark

I use the "inversion method"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjqVuS3kx0o

[markwoll]

Hmmm. Somewhat coarser grind and flip it. Ok. I will give that a try Tuesday.
Thanks.
mark

[yogibear]

the idea that good filtered water makes for a better cup of coffee makes more sense than just about anything else. I used to buy pound bags of coffeee from "cost plus" imports in Concord calif. They had a cool section set up with a small tasting area of pre brewed coffee of featured coffees from locales around the world. don't know it anyone does this today but this was way cool back when i lived in NOr Cal.

tody i prefer what i've grown to love and thats French roast. I've tried the jamaican blue mountain and while good the cost was prohibitive. the Kona from hawaii is pretty good to me also. lots of the other coffees are pretty excellent and all seem a little different in taste and flavor.

in berekeley or just before was a area of buildings/warehouses where costco was built that had a small coffee roaster and pastry shop, this place was prefect as it was on the road to the costco store. get a cup and a croissant and relax before the crowds of costco customers did you in. lol

[Firth]

the idea that good filtered water makes for a better cup of coffee makes more sense than just about anything else.

Good water is the number 1 factor IMO. Actually some of the best coffee comes from a tap which doesn't need filtering. I was in the Blue Ridge mountains and friend had well water from a well drilled thru rock. NY city has awesome tap water. Some minerals are good and enhancing. Chlorine and Fluoride aren't.

Number 2 is the coffee.

Number 3 is the coffee filter, with a fine gold mesh being the best I've had.

Number 4 would be the fact that the coffee didn't sit on a burner, either a press or drip into a carafe is best.

[Vic2012]

240It used to be about $2.00 in CVS and whilst it has gone up a fair bit in price it remains, for me, anyway, better than most of the alternatives, with the possible exception of a well-looked after, properly-stored Ethiopian harrar.

I may have to get the logo as a tattoo.

There's a brand called PILON that is very popular in Miami. Bustelo is good but Pilon is better for making Espresso.

http://www.navarro.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/250x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/a/cafe_pilon_bag_image1_1_1.jpg

[Hunnibee]

Wonder if bags of green which are now legal in Washington will also come short, tall and grandeX):) The everGreen state.

Hmmm... I'll let you know! ;)

[ronmac]

Interesting thread. I am currently helping a local (Pittsburgh) roaster rebrand their business. They bought an existing company and need to rename it. In fact, I just presented some names last night and it looks like we have one. Still needs a bit of finessing, though. Tag line and logo come next.

We're lucky that we have a few masters roasters locally.

Oh, BTW, I hate Starbucks and their over-roasting. Seems that they've done a good job of convincing people that burnt coffee is a good thing, even though it masks the actual bean. I guess it doesn't matter much, once you add sugar, cream, chocolate, cinnamon and whip it. But at that point, it's not really coffee, IMO. I do, however, enjoy meeting colleagues there and checking out the women.

[Duncan Glenday]

...I am currently helping a local (Pittsburgh) roaster rebrand their business. They bought an existing company and need to rename it

Just so you know - the "Progressive Coffee House" has already been tried, and it wasn't a success.

PE member Ed sold his stripper-garb company "Clothes To The Edge", and opened a coffee house near a campus - it was called the "Progressive Coffee House", and he played prog all the time.

I believe he had it for a year or two before he went in another direction.

[arabicadabra]

The traffic in Pittsburgh should be busier than the traffic Ed was getting I believe....

[Greg]

I hate Starbucks and their over-roasting. Seems that they've done a good job of convincing people that burnt coffee is a good thing, even though it masks the actual bean.

My sentiments, exactly. Although their new medium roast is a step in the right direction. However, they dropped the ball on their "light" roasts which, even when using handfuls more grounds than is reasonable, just make cups of dirty water.

[Casey]

Love coffee, but it's a tricky thing. I typically don't ask for coffee in a restaurant because I've been routinely disappointed. Tastes like they've been using the same grounds over & over again.

I fell in love with a coffee house in Pittsburgh in the late 1980's: The Bee Hive. I got hooked on "Sumatra" &, when I moved away, I made arrangements with them to ship me 2 pounds every month. I discovered Starbucks in LA in the early 1990s & never looked back. Love their dark roast (Italian, French, & Espresso roasts).

When I was deployed in Iraq the bases had truck trailers converted into shops: Dunkin' Donuts, Dominos, Subway, & even Starbucks! Walking in, other than the cramped confines & the fact that everyone was in uniform & carrying a weapon, they looked just like home.

I'm getting on in years & my intake isn't what it used to be. My craving has diminished & my desire to spend time in the bathroom has curtailed my consumption. Still love it, though.

[Duncan Glenday]

[QUOTE=Casey;6585I'm getting on in years ... my desire to spend time in the bathroom has curtailed my consumption.[/QUOTE]

:rofl

These are the things that come with age.



















(Or so I've been told ;) )

[arabicadabra]

My sentiments, exactly. Although their new medium roast is a step in the right direction. However, they dropped the ball on their "light" roasts which, even when using handfuls more grounds than is reasonable, just make cups of dirty water.

The reason it tasted like dirty water? You were FINALLY tasting the "grade" of coffee that they use, which was, is and always has been sucky. The dark roasting was done to cook out defects, 9 to 23 of them actually, and by roasting lighter they all appeared. As for a new light roast, if history is any indicator, they'll do what they've always done: spring for slightly better quality in the beginning and then ease back till its more their thang. No knock whatsoever on anyone who likes it, though, cuz there are a LOT more of you than there are of me :)

[ronmac]

Just so you know - the "Progressive Coffee House" has already been tried, and it wasn't a success.

Well, that's a pretty weak name, IMO. These guys went for one of the names I suggested: The Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. It works very well with the store experience. They have more varieties than anyone, roast on-site, and you get to grind your own coffee. Burlap sacks of beans on pallets. It's pretty cool. I should add that this is not a coffee house; it's a retailer.

Now comes the hard part, creating a logo.

[Duncan Glenday]

There's a coffee house near me, which is very close to a big Catholic seminary - and most of the workers are seminary students.

the call it the 'Holy Grounds'

[markwoll]

. These guys went for one of the names I suggested: The Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange. It works very well with the store experience.

I sure beats Burnt Offerings. ;)

I imagine they will have a full time grinder cleaner, I hate ad-hoc blends.

mark

[ronmac]

I sure beats Burnt Offerings. ;)

Too easy. You'd be surprised how many names are already taken. The hardest part is finding a name that has an available URL. Every time I help name businesses or products, it's the same challenge.


I imagine they will have a full time grinder cleaner, I hate ad-hoc blends.

mark

Yep. Separate grinders for blends and non-blends. Here's a pic of their roaster:

[Firth]

the early 1990s

When coffee was good here in the DC area before Starbucks came. I could go to Dupont Circle and get a pound of Kona fancy for $14 from the daily Grind. The shit wasn't roasted out of that coffee, and it was rich and delicious, and low acid too. You can spend money for it now, but it is not the same. In 96, I found that one could get coffee grown on Kauai for much less cost, and outstanding for it's price. IMO, a darker roast is only good if milk or cream is mixed with it. BTW, I found Starbucks Latte's made with the older machines in Seattle had much more flavor than the automated machines of Starbucks machines here on the east coast. But basically, if it's not a good coffee when it's black, it's not good, IMHO.

[Progbear]

Possibly the answer is a vintage hand-cranked coffee grinder like the one found in the cartoon on this page (http://books.google.com/books?id=Wn9NAAAAYAAJ&dq=puck%20vol.%2033&pg=PA243#v=onepage&q&f=false). :lol

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria

N.P.:“Il carillon”-Pekka Pohjola/Flight of the Angel

[Duncan Glenday]

...The hardest part is finding a name that has an available URL..

QFT

I had to struggle to find a progressiveears, progressive-ears, progears, or prog-ears URL that wasn't already taken - for this site.

[Greg]

The reason it tasted like dirty water? You were FINALLY tasting the "grade" of coffee that they use, which was, is and always has been sucky. The dark roasting was done to cook out defects, 9 to 23 of them actually, and by roasting lighter they all appeared. As for a new light roast, if history is any indicator, they'll do what they've always done: spring for slightly better quality in the beginning and then ease back till its more their thang. No knock whatsoever on anyone who likes it, though, cuz there are a LOT more of you than there are of me :)

I completely agree on the grade of the coffee, but I thought the over-roasting was a Seattle thing, not just a Starbucks cover-up-the-crap-quality thing. "Pete's" is another Seattle brand that I just can't do for their over-roasting--no clue on that quality, either. The only thing I actually enjoy from Starbucks is a cafe-mocha on the highway when I have to stay awake through the merge on the Jersey Turnpike.

I was hopeful that the medium and light roasts from Starbucks would be something I could deal with as I just can't afford to keep myself in specialty-house beans these days, and the supermarkets near me carry nothing decent any more.

Wish I could order the Jamaican Blue mountain again, but that's out until I win the lottery.

Maybe I can find something on-line that's reasonably affordable. I really only drink two mugs of coffee in the morning, now, so I may not be breaking the bank if it costs me a couple or three extra bucks a month.

[wideopenears]

Peet's started in Berkeley, actually.

My understanding is that the French Roast started in France (duh) due to inferior beans. But Peets doesn't roast that dark--unless you order their French roast. I love Peet's coffee. Starbuck's is a poor imitation, using substandard beans, IMO. I believe Peet's beans are far better.

[spellbound]

Every year at this time (holidaze) San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee puts out its Holiday Blend. Locally, for me, it is available at Costco, but that may only be because the company that makes it is in California. The blend is different each year, but so far it has never been less than fantastic. They select a few of the year's best coffees and blend and roast them together. This year it is Rwanda/Guatemala/Mexico/Nicaragua. Despite the name "Holiday Blend," the coffee is not flavored. It just tastes like good, whole bean coffee. If you can't buy it where you are, get it here:

http://www.rogersfamilyco.com/index.php/2012-holiday-blend-coffee-now-available/

http://www.rogersfamilyco.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/holidayblend-2012.jpg

And, the company is socially conscious:

http://www.rogersfamilyco.com/index.php/making-a-real-difference-in-the-lives-of-coffee-farmers-workers/

[Progmatic]

I have question for coffee lovers...

I would like to buy a quality coffee machine for home....something capable to grind, brew and make cappucino...I am willing to spend $1000+ if it would makes sense
btw I am sucker for Starbacks brews....

Any personal experience, recommendations?

[Don Arnold]

Every year at this time (holidaze) San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee puts out its Holiday Blend. Locally, for me, it is available at Costco,

As some of you know, Starbucks comes out with a "Christmas" blend as their version of a holiday coffee. It's one of my favourite's of the Starbucks blends. And, it's also sold at costco, though renamed "Winter" blend.



btw I am sucker for Starbacks brews....

We need to stick together Progmatic. ;)

[spellbound]

As some of you know, Starbucks comes out with a "Christmas" blend as their version of a holiday coffee.

This one? Sounds like it could be good.

http://www.starbucksstore.com/starbucks-christmas-blend/VM_CHRISTMAS,default,pd.html?cgid=holiday-coffee

[ronmac]

This one? Sounds like it could be good.

http://www.starbucksstore.com/starbucks-christmas-blend/VM_CHRISTMAS,default,pd.html?cgid=holiday-coffee

Sure, if you take the manufacturer's word for it.

[Don Arnold]

This one? Sounds like it could be good.

http://www.starbucksstore.com/starbucks-christmas-blend/VM_CHRISTMAS,default,pd.html?cgid=holiday-coffee

Yup, that's the one! Probably on par with their Anniversary blend, which they bring out in the early fall.


This Starbucks post brought to you by the PE Starbucks Appreciation Group. We now return you to discussing other brands of coffee.

[arabicadabra]

[QUOTE=Progmatic;8321]I have question for coffee lovers...

I would like to buy a quality coffee machine for home....something capable to grind, brew and make cappucino...I am willing to spend $1000+ if it would makes sense
btw I am sucker for Starbacks brews....
---------------------------------------

I'm wondering if you mean grind, brew and steam and froth milk YOURSELF with some training - or if you want it all at the push of a button. If you're willing to learn to do it yourself, you can't go wrong with a Rancilio Sylvia espresso machine and the espresso grinder they usually pair with it. (I forget the name but it's a high end consumer standard espresso grinder). That will let you make not only second wave Starbucks style drinks authentically - but if you get a little training on YouTube or at a true specialty shop, you can learn the REAL way to steam the milk - where it's all one creamy consistency, tastes sweet ALL BY ITSELF (because the sugars in the milk fat molecules are brought to the surface where you can actually taste them) and, while it HAS to be ten degrees cooler to taste that way, makes any woman a SLAVE to your skills for life.

If you want it all at a push of a button, I'd search Tony Levin's Road Diary - he has a push button one he likes a lot (though he was a bit sheepish when admitting it to me LOL).

[Greg]

Peet's started in Berkeley, actually.

Ah... I also spelt it wrong.

For some reason I thought the bag has "Seattle" on it, but I could be remembering it wrong. Been a while since I decided I didn't like their coffee. The roast is still "too burnt" for me.



I would like to buy a quality coffee machine for home...I am willing to spend $1000+

Apparently, you have a job ;-)

[Progmatic]

Apparently, you have a job ;-)

well job is nice but also if you buy daily 2 venti cappocinos at Starbucks you pay around $7 plus driving the car and time...so let say all up you spend $10 of value ..then you do it let say 300x per year ..you are looking already at $3000 ...that is $2000 more than you would spend on coffee machine...obviously you have to provide ingredients and labour so let assume only $1000 savings in a single year....no bad huh?

[arabicadabra]

Excited for my next coffee order to arrive as it is 6 bags of the El Salvador and 6 bags of the Kenya Kiambu - had anyone asked me years ago if I'd EVER be drinking Kenya coffee on a daily basis the answer would have been a definitive NO! But with all of the maverick growers experimenting with every facet of coffee growing, harvesting and milling, some wild and wonderful "accidents" are occurring and there is no longer any definitive taste of a country or even a growing region anymore.

Viva le difference!

[Hunnibee]

Greg, your enthusiasm for different regions of coffee beans reminds me of some people who are obsessed with regionally grown wine! :lol

Not a bad thing to be an expert at something.

[Duncan Glenday]

Greg, your enthusiasm for different regions of coffee beans reminds me of some people who are obsessed with regionally grown wine! :lol


And regionally distilled scotch. (Different parts of Scotland = different tastes etc.)

[arabicadabra]

Thanks, Melissa! I spent this evening catching up with a dear friend I haven't seen since 1979 and watching him and his 21 year old son pour buckets of my coffee down their throats, extolling its virtues in disbelief.

[LighthouseKeeper]

Ever since spending some time on the Big Island I have had an addiction to Kona coffee. We usually get Greenwell's Full City Roast. And right now they are having free shipping. We will get a couple of 5 pound bags sent. :up

[meimjustalawnmower]

Two cups every morning for 40 years. Plain ol' diner brew in a plain ol' diner cup. Black. I might do Dunkin' or McDonalds if I feel like splurging. I drank that Seattle's Best swill when I worked for Borders because it was free.

[arabicadabra]

> I drank that Seattle's Best swill when I worked for Borders because it was free. <

You are correct, it was/is "swill".

[meimjustalawnmower]

^^^
Or the mud from Starbucks.

I appreciate a good cup of coffee, but I'm not gonna spend more than a buck fifty for a 16 oz take-out, because that's just stupid. I'd rather put that money towards something that will shrink my liver.

[Firth]

^^^
Or the mud from Starbucks.

I appreciate a good cup of coffee, but I'm not gonna spend more than a buck fifty for a 16 oz take-out, because that's just stupid. I'd rather put that money towards something that will shrink my liver.

McDonald's actually has a reasonable coffee less than a buck 50.

[Dave (in MA)]

McDonald's actually has a reasonable coffee less than a buck 50.
I think it's .99 for any size, and since they switched from whatever crap they used to offer to Newman's it's IMO about the best coffee around. I used to like DD's, but sometime about 15 or 20 years ago (maybe longer) they started making it too weak. The only way to get a good cup at DD's is to have them add a "Turbo Shot".

[Duncan Glenday]

...they switched from whatever crap they used to offer to Newman's it's IMO about the best coffee around...

I use Newman's Own in my Keurig. IIRC, it's supposed to be organic, and their profits are all donated to charity. (Someone might Google that - I'm at work right now...)

[Trane]

Greg, your enthusiasm for different regions of coffee beans reminds me of some people who are obsessed with regionally grown wine! :lol

Not a bad thing to be an expert at something.




And regionally distilled scotch. (Different parts of Scotland = different tastes etc.)

Indeed, the "terroir" idea is a very strong concept in gastronomy...

However for coffee, it's lost on me... plus the question of torrefaction intervenes as well... In Sweden they roast it almost blond, while in Turkey and Greece, they almost burn it

I've had coffee made from some of the most pretigious areas around the globe Blue Mountain from Jamaica and/or Costa Rica (both nearing 400.00/kg some 10 years ago >> doesn't matter £,$ or € ), like Bali beans...

I take a few (more like two) sips plain, then I add cream and sugar, coz I'm no fan of coffee unless I have that way.... so it's almost like throwing it away, these kind of coffees...

I'm defintely more of a tea fan, and I've tried a few origins... It seems that I'm more receptive to that art...

[markwoll]

Since I have been changing roasts and varieties more frequently I probably should clean my grinder more often.
It is a Breville BCG800XL conical burr.
I usually just take it apart and brush it out.
I have seen various posts about running alternate materials , like rice, through it to clean the burrs.
Any additional suggestions for keeping it clean?

mark

[Ursula]

Duncan said:

2) Water - whether purified with added minerals (Nestle Pure Life, Dasani, etc.) or spring water (any EXCEPT Poland Spring) or even filtered tap (provided you always change the filter at the recommended intervals), your coffee's taste will be tremendously improved by NOT expecting it to overcome the inherent problems in the unfiltered tap.

Good will towards coffee drinkers,


I forget sometimes how lucky we are with our water, I can use it straight from the tap and it never interferes with the taste of the coffee and the coffee still tastes good after an hour. I lived in places where that was most definetly not the case.

Other than that I use a plastic filter, filter paper and a heated mug or coffee pot and if I can afford it 625

Uschi

[Ursula]

And regionally distilled scotch. (Different parts of Scotland = different tastes etc.)

634

or more seasonal

633

You gave me an idea there,Irish Coffee! :)

Uschi

[Duncan Glenday]

:up

I haven't had one for years - gotta fix that this weekend!

[Ursula]

Oy, what happened to my lovely whisky pictures! Here are the links:

http://www.raredrams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Big-Peat-WWW-award.png

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/xmas-big-peat-revealed.bmp

Uschi

[Duncan Glenday]

Oy, what happened to my lovely whisky pictures! Here are the links:

http://www.raredrams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Big-Peat-WWW-award.png

http://www.whiskyintelligence.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/xmas-big-peat-revealed.bmp

Uschi

FIFY

[arabicadabra]

Last night I visited friends after church and they asked me to show them the right way to use their French press. They pulled out a whirly-blade grinder. Then they handed me a bag of Kona they had stored in their freezer. I asked for bottled water and a digital scale and they had both on hand. We boiled 32 ounces of water then removed the kettle from the burner and set it aside. I weighed out approximately 2.7 ounces of coffee beans out (their French press caraffe holds 32 ounces) and ground it coarsely to about the size of pencil shavings. Then we poured the water over the grounds, stirring to saturate at about halfway full and again after it was all full of liquid. Then we set a timer for 8 minutes, after which I plunged the press down.

These beans were 8 months old - and to my astonishment, the coffee was very good - not magnificent by any means, but way better and more flavorful than any restaurant in a 50 mile radius, with no apparent unpleasantness or stale taste.

[spellbound]

a bag of Kona they had stored in their freezer

I have heard many people swear by freezing coffee. I have tried it. I won't do it again. Store it in a cool, dark place. That works best for me. Freezing takes away some of the flavor.

[ronmac]

I have heard many people swear by freezing coffee. I have tried it. I won't do it again. Store it in a cool, dark place. That works best for me. Freezing takes away some of the flavor.

Indeed. Somewhere along the line, people began to store it in a freezer. I did, as well, because I read the same bad advice. Definitely in a cool, dark, dry place, seal airtight.

[meimjustalawnmower]

Indeed. Somewhere along the line, people began to store it in a freezer. I did, as well, because I read the same bad advice. Definitely in a cool, dark, dry place, seal airtight.

True, but really how long does a pound of coffee last anyway? 2 weeks, maybe? Treat it like you would a loaf of bread.

[arabicadabra]

Agree with you all, I'd never freeze coffee, let alone store it for 8 months! But the point of my story was that, with some thought given to the grind size and steeping time, even a compromised coffee under non-ideal conditions can yield something special.

Or else maybe I just have a brown thumb.....

[PeterG]

I can't brew coffee to save my life. Help!!! No matter what I try, it's always too weak or too bitter but never too strong. It doens't matter if I use a stove top percolator or a stove top espresso machine or an electric coffee brewer with filter paper. I'm seriously considering gettin one of those Nespresso capsule machines so I can have some good strong espresso. I wonder If i'm boiling the stove top cofffee too quickly? Are there any dummies guides for making real coffee. HELP!!!

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Re: Freezing coffee. I did that once. I noticed when I pulled it out of the freezer that some of the oils had frozen out of the beans. Never again!

[arabicadabra]

> I can't brew coffee to save my life. Help!!! No matter what I try, it's always too weak or too bitter but never too strong. It doens't matter if I use a stove top percolator or a stove top espresso machine or an electric coffee brewer with filter paper. I'm seriously considering gettin one of those Nespresso capsule machines so I can have some good strong espresso. I wonder If i'm boiling the stove top cofffee too quickly? Are there any dummies guides for making real coffee. HELP!!! <

I meant to reply to this sooner but work's been crazy. Okay - your electric coffee maker with filter paper won't get the water hot enough. The stove top espresso maker I haven't had enough practice with to expertly advise you on. But the percolator I can help with. First make sure you're using enough coffee. The correct ratio of ground coffee to water volume is between 3.5 and 4.25 ounces WEIGHT in ground coffee to 64 ounces VOLUME water. So yes - get a digital scale. Then make sure you grind it coarsely - maybe half the size of a Rice Krispy - and the speed at which you bring the water to boil isn't the problem, it's the fact that you don't slow it down a bit BEFORE it boils - you want to get as close as you can to boiling without ever letting it fully bubble. That way you can "ease" the water up thru the stem without having a severe burning of the coffee.

[R. Totale III]

I'm a coffee achiever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o94ij6KdBS4

[PeterG]

First make sure you're using enough coffee. The correct ratio of ground coffee to water volume is between 3.5 and 4.25 ounces WEIGHT in ground coffee to 64 ounces VOLUME water. So yes - get a digital scale. Then make sure you grind it coarsely - maybe half the size of a Rice Krispy - and the speed at which you bring the water to boil isn't the problem, it's the fact that you don't slow it down a bit BEFORE it boils - you want to get as close as you can to boiling without ever letting it fully bubble. That way you can "ease" the water up thru the stem without having a severe burning of the coffee.

Thank you very much, that does actually help a let because from what you've said I realise I was 1) using too little coffee 2) using a too finely ground coffee, and 3) I was just letting it come to a full boil and then boil away all the while it was percolating up through the pipe.

Back in the early 90s I was a coffee addict but I gave up almost overnight, then came back to coffee less than a year ago, and I seem to have forgotten all the basic tips & tricks. Thanks again.

[arabicadabra]

You're most welcome Peter. Actually, one fourth the size of a Rice Krispie would be closer than half - that's TOO large. My mind was fuzzy when I typed that and I'd hate to steer you wrong. Good luck!

By the way, if your coffee STILL comes out nasty, then you're probably buying nasty low-grade stuff without realising it....

[Trane]

Thank you very much, that does actually help a let because from what you've said I realise I was 1) using too little coffee 2) using a too finely ground coffee, and 3) I was just letting it come to a full boil and then boil away all the while it was percolating up through the pipe.

Back in the early 90s I was a coffee addict but I gave up almost overnight, then came back to coffee less than a year ago, and I seem to have forgotten all the basic tips & tricks. Thanks again.

Well if you got problem with cafeine, what you can do is let the first five or six drops percolating out of the coffee mug or pot... Cafeine is really volatile... and it (as much as 98%) goes right away in the cup/pot.... So by letting these drops out, you basically get a decafeinated coffee without having to buy it already treated so... This is very important in case you like origin coffees..


You're most welcome Peter. Actually, one fourth the size of a Rice Krispie would be closer than half - that's TOO large. My mind was fuzzy when I typed that and I'd hate to steer you wrong. Good luck!

By the way, if your coffee STILL comes out nasty, then you're probably buying nasty low-grade stuff without realising it....

That's kind of obvious... since cafeine is volatile, it can't be grinded too thinly (it then escapes during the grinding), but if you grind it too thick, uyou won't be able to get much essence out in the short brewing time (even with pressurized espresso machines)

One might also make sure about the quality of tap water, if he's getting nasty results...

[Garyhead]

Been drinking Raven's Brew for the past year. My current fav is Deadman's Reach....."Served In Bed, Raises The Dead!" Tried Bruin's Blend & Three Peckered Billy Goat....but Deadman's makes the best Mocha IMO. Roasted in Ketcikan, AK but recently opened a bigger roaster in Tumwater, WA to cover the lower 48. Order off the Website. Yes, yes, yes...Filter that tap water! It makes a HUGE difference!
As for Starbucks, yes I use it when traveling....It's a known quantity.
Remember 25+ years ago driving the 45 miles to Pike Place Market in Seattle to buy Starbucks beans......only One store back then.....
Add a bit of half & half to skim milk for steaming. Holds the foam without tasting "thick". This posts seems a bit disjointed....only had 1 cup this morning.....

[Garyhead]

Oh.....and another thing about Raven's Brew....Graphic artist Ray Troll is the coffee bag equivalent of Roger Dean! :)

[Dave (in MA)]

I got two pounds of MaryLou's (http://www.marylous.com/index.html) for Christmas.

[East New York]

Indeed. Somewhere along the line, people began to store it in a freezer. I did, as well, because I read the same bad advice. Definitely in a cool, dark, dry place, seal airtight.


I have heard many people swear by freezing coffee. I have tried it. I won't do it again. Store it in a cool, dark place. That works best for me. Freezing takes away some of the flavor.


Re: Freezing coffee. I did that once. I noticed when I pulled it out of the freezer that some of the oils had frozen out of the beans. Never again!

Yeah! Many centuries ago when I was a brand-new chef, front-of-house in the first restaurant at which I contracted stored their coffee in the freezer and would not change policy; it was then that I learned never to freeze it, as the resultant brew was pretty horrible!

[East New York]

Last night I visited friends after church and they asked me to show them the right way to use their French press. They pulled out a whirly-blade grinder. Then they handed me a bag of Kona they had stored in their freezer. I asked for bottled water and a digital scale and they had both on hand. We boiled 32 ounces of water then removed the kettle from the burner and set it aside. I weighed out approximately 2.7 ounces of coffee beans out (their French press caraffe holds 32 ounces) and ground it coarsely to about the size of pencil shavings. Then we poured the water over the grounds, stirring to saturate at about halfway full and again after it was all full of liquid. Then we set a timer for 8 minutes, after which I plunged the press down.

These beans were 8 months old - and to my astonishment, the coffee was very good - not magnificent by any means, but way better and more flavorful than any restaurant in a 50 mile radius, with no apparent unpleasantness or stale taste.

Kudos! I miss my French press (it finally shattered a few months ago, and I must get a new one when I'm able) and the process you describe is almost exactly the way I prepare my coffee.

[sdavmor]

I'm just an amateur coffee fiend. I like a coarse ground very dark roast, mixed approximately 50-50 with a coarse ground decaf dark roast. Doctor's orders to reduce my caffeine intake. I have a Mr. Coffee grinder and a Gevalia coffee maker that really kicks the water temperature up there. I have a Gevalia subscription so I'll try different coffees from round the world, but I generally buy from Trader Joe's. I tend to make it on the strong side using water out of the freezer filter that gets changed regularly so the taste is always good. I figure you can dilute the resulting brew if it's too strong, but you can't save weak-kneed dishwater!

[Duncan Glenday]

Has anyone seen the "Dangerous Grounds" show on the Travel Channel?

Pretty interesting.

[Greg]

"Dangerous Grounds"

I've seen a few of them--my DVR is supposed to be recording them, but I think the series is in hiatus at the moment.

I think it's really interesting, but I'm not sure how much of an actual expert the guy is on coffee so much as an addict and fan boy ;-) In each show he seems to settle for the first large farm he hits, but that could just be due to time constraints on the hour and editing. I would have expected him to pass on some or at least visit several farms just to compare quality before dumping $20k - $100k US on bags of beans.

I also like the show for the travel aspect. Always nice to see actual local areas in a more Tony-Bourdain-gritty style than you could ever hope to get with Samantha Brown.

[markwoll]

Just got a couple of bags of counter culture coffee (http://counterculturecoffee.com/) today.
Nice stuff. My brother-in-law and I are trading coffee subscriptions for the holidays.

Too many choices. Not a bad state, if I do say so.

mark

[arabicadabra]

My only problem with counter culture is that they put the "socially conscious" aspects of coffee buying ahead of the "how amazing does it taste?" factor - the socially conscious stuff has nothing to do with why I drink, brew and buy coffee, the quality of the taste is paramount to me. The fact that this type of thinking has overrun the coffee industry is why the overall quality and consistency has dropped noticably. I'm expounding on the merits of SOME environmental measures in the coffee book I've been writing forever as well as exposing the worthlessness of MOST of these knots that US imbecile earth biscuits are tying the hands of growers with.

[arabicadabra]

... I didn't mean any of you, though... and I've had some VERY tasty stuff from Counter Culture in the past... just illuminating a negative trend that has forced coffee growers AWAY from careful picking, milling and sorting only the BEST ripe coffee cherries into jumping thru hoops for the Organic Nazis....

[Greg]

After watching a few more episodes of Dangerous Grounds on NatGeo, I broke dowm and decided to order a couple of the single origin farm coffees from this guy's company. I thought the prices would be hugher, but they're actually pretty reasonable at $12 to 17$ for a 12oz. bag.

I've always had a thing against Colombian coffees... they seem to have am underlying sourness that I just can't get into, and the Colombian Pedregal coffee that was featured in the episode with the Arhuaco tribe was not much different. I had higher hopes for this one, although that sourness is not as prominent in this one, it's still not my favourite.

I also tried the Papua New Guinea grown Blue Mountain from the Ilokko village episode which, for only $12.95 a bag is actually quite good. I still prefer the Blue Mountain grown Blue Mountain, but I just can't afford it now.

Has anyone else tried this guy's coffees?

[chalkpie]

What happens when you smoke coffee beans?

[spellbound]

What happens when you smoke coffee beans?

Colombian, or Jamaican?

[arabicadabra]

You have good instincts when it comes to suspicion :) . In the early 90s the original estate coffees were farms that produced an exceptional bean - much better and more complex than whatever the high grade beans from that region or country tasted like. By lowering the standards of what true specialty is, coffee buyers the world over are just looking for any farmer with a half-decent crop they can make a deal with, then pushing their "story" as though just having a story made the farm special.

I notice you're from CT - any chance for the Prog On The Sound concert series to get you out to a show? Scott Corcoran the promoter is going to have to stop doing them if the turnout doesn't improve.

I think it's really interesting, but I'm not sure how much of an actual expert the guy is on coffee so much as an addict and fan boy ;-) In each show he seems to settle for the first large farm he hits, but that could just be due to time constraints on the hour and editing. I would have expected him to pass on some or at least visit several farms just to compare quality before dumping $20k - $100k US on bags of beans.

I also like the show for the travel aspect. Always nice to see actual local areas in a more Tony-Bourdain-gritty style than you could ever hope to get with Samantha Brown.[/QUOTE]

[Greg]

I think it's really interesting, but I'm not sure how much of an actual expert the guy is on coffee so much as an addict and fan boy ;-) In each show he seems to settle for the first large farm he hits, but that could just be due to time constraints on the hour and editing. I would have expected him to pass on some or at least visit several farms just to compare quality before dumping $20k - $100k US on bags of beans.

I also like the show for the travel aspect. Always nice to see actual local areas in a more Tony-Bourdain-gritty style than you could ever hope to get with Samantha Brown.

Exactly my feeling about the show. There have been a couple where he's passed on farms along the way, but it does seem rare; and, the show only has one tasting in it, so I have no idea if the farms he passes on are just due to the look of the beans, or if there are some tastings that are simply edited out due to time restrictions.

One thing that got me wondering if this guy is anything other than a fan boy is the Bolivia episode where he has an orgasm over some high-grown robusta, which he seems to denigrate in every other episode where he mentions the robusta variety.

One thing that seems impressive about Le Colombe is that they do seem to roast the beans "to order". Or, at least in small batches in response to customer order for the week/month/whatever. Or, the roast date on the bags of beans I got was just a ruse.


I notice you're from CT - any chance for the Prog On The Sound concert series to get you out to a show? Scott Corcoran the promoter is going to have to stop doing them if the turnout doesn't improve.

I had completely forgotten about this. I see he's got Tom Brislin, here, in B-port on the 29th---right smack in the middle of the afternoon--but, I'm not sure I can make it. We've got a two-month old that has been consuming most of our energy, and the wife gets a bit irritable if she can't take her frequent breaks from our co-dependent little princess ;-)

[Duncan Glenday]

...
In each show he seems to settle for the first large farm he hits, but that could just be due to time constraints on the hour and editing
...


I've seen him turn beans down in one of the shows.



...
I also like the show for the travel aspect. Always nice to see actual local areas in a more Tony-Bourdain-gritty style than you could ever hope to get with Samantha Brown.

Agreed - 'cept Bourdain and the coffee guy are ugly buggers, while Samantha Brown is cute! :lol

[Duncan Glenday]

(Greg and I were posting at the same time :lol)

[Greg]

Agreed - 'cept Bourdain and the coffee guy are ugly buggers, while Samantha Brown is cute! :lol

Sam Brown is cute as long as you can keep a sock in her mouth. MAN! can her voice get annoying ;-) More so for Rachel Ray.

Now, put either or both of them in a hard-core (I could stop the sentence here, but I won't) show about back country reality tourism in some of the world's least advertised and gritty nations, and I think I could withstand the self-torture of enduring their yappity lap-dog-style banter for a good series or three.

But, that, I guess, is off topic.



(Greg and I were posting at the same time :lol)

Why does it seem like you use this excuse a lot? :lol

[Duncan Glenday]

Sam Brown is cute as long as you can keep a sock in her mouth. MAN! can her voice get annoying ;-) More so for Rachel Ray.

Now, put either or both of them in a hard-core (I could stop the sentence here, but I won't) show about back country reality tourism in some of the world's least advertised and gritty nations, and I think I could withstand the self-torture of enduring their yappity lap-dog-style banter for a good series or three.


Have you seen Samantha Brown in a bikini?

Hot!!

Rachel Ray - probably not so much.







Now - back to your regularly scheduled programming...

[spellbound]

Have you seen Samantha Brown in a bikini?


I have never seen her at all. Never heard of her before this thread. Kindly post a photo.

[arabicadabra]

Borrowing from the thread about Frasier addiction, I'm curious how many of you have had authentically brewed 6 oz latte where the milk is 10 degrees cooler, all one creamy consistency rather than any "foam", and where the barista's skill has made the sugar hiding in the milk fat molecules come to the forefront so the milk tastes sweet without any sugar added and the espresso is a multi-faceted elixir you can taste in every sip. Heaven. Also, NOT about to become the standard in the USA cuz it can't be "Hot in a 20 oz cup to go!" Six ounces, people, made fresh in the cafe to be enjoyed on the premises.

[Progbear]

↑I can’t bring myself to order a “latte.” Just uttering the word makes me sound like a yuppie douche.

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

“It doesn't get any more...like this. Than this.” --Anders Lundquist

N.P.:nothing

[markwoll]

^^^ :rofl

[Shadow]

The shit smells good, but I don't drink it.

[JKL2000]

I have a feeling someone could substitute my morning coffee for some really good decaf and I wouldn't notice. I need the warm, unsweetened drink in the morning more than I need the caffeine. That said, time for another cup of tasteless crap - hey, it's free at work, and at my last job the free coffee was even worse.

I LOVE COFFEE!!

[Zeuhlmate]

I have changed to decaf, meaning I am grinding decaf'fed roasted whole beans.
It taste as good as normal beans, but I dont get the kick.
I changed because I had an intenstine problem last year, and the doctor said that coffeine might be the cause.
The problem somehow disappeared, and I dont miss the coffeine.
In Café's and at friends I drink the normal coffee again, but in less amounts.

I just love Niles & Frasier Crane's neurotic adventures into coffe land at Cafe Nervosa. It's hilarious! :)

[Duncan Glenday]

Interesting...

http://designyoutrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/espresso_field_guide_ISO.jpg

[arabicadabra]

That's great, Duncan - is there one with ounces instead?

[Duncan Glenday]

That's great, Duncan - is there one with ounces instead?

Yep - Google found one for me:

http://www.dekoffiethuiswinkel.nl/blog/images/espresso_field_guide.jpg

[spellbound]

Interesting field guide, Duncan. Especially for those of us who don't speak Italian or French. I have had espresso. Not bad, but too small a serving. And IMO, brewed coffee tastes better. I have no tolerance for dairy, so most of the illustrated drinks are out, but I would like to try a black eye sometime. If I order one, will I be punched in the face?

I never before knew the difference between caffe latte, caffe au lait and cafe con leche. And I always thought noisette referred to hazelnuts. Or a Soft Machine album.

[Duncan Glenday]

Useful guide, I agree.

I'd never quite understood the difference between a cappuccino and a latte.

Wanna have fun? Go to Starbux and ask the "barrista" for a Con Panna, a Cafe Con Leche, or a Ristretto :lol

[Rune Blackwings]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4XzUdTSnLo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5-WQqOu58

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

In a lot of places what is shown above as a black eye is called a "Depth charge."

[markwoll]

In a lot of places what is shown above as a black eye is called a "Depth charge."
I call it starter fluid.
The baristas I see most often know me well enough, 5 shots, top it off with medium roast drip and a little ice to temper the heat.

[arabicadabra]

That vacuum pot - I got to do some side-by-side tests in Philly years ago with a rep from the Vacuum pot manufacturer and he brewed my coffee at the right strength on his V.P. and I used the cafe we were in's Fetco brewer - and there was no comparison. The V.P. was okay but missed all KINDS of subtleties.

[Firth]

Caffe Americano looks like a joke. Who would add 3 oz of hot water to 2 oz of expresso?

[arabicadabra]

Also, the guy operating the vacuum pot is great - but the off-camera guy and girl talking with him? I would shoot her :) just for having that voice, and he's a smug annoying worm :)

[Greg]

Caffe Americano looks like a joke. Who would add 3 oz of hot water to 2 oz of expresso?

Probably invented when Americans thought Chock Full o' Nuts was as good as it got.

[Zeuhlmate]

Anybody here that have tasted Kona coffee with vannilla and crunched roasted macadamia nuts?

I got a small bag once from someone who had spend a week on Samoa and bought it there. I think the coffe blend was from Hawai (Volcano soil). I was amazingly good and different!
I searched the net for it (its not available in Denmark) and found it online, but it was way too expensive for me.

[markwoll]

I had a cup of coffee one day at Caffè Artigiano in Vancouver from a Clover 1.
That was a pretty smooth cuppa. Don't remember the exact bean that day, New Guinea perhaps.
Quite the machine. Not the elaborate ritual of the vacuum pot. Not too shabby though.

[Rune Blackwings]

http://www.slayerespresso.com/

[arabicadabra]

Thanks for the Slayer video. When he mentions how much service the existing machines needed, he's not kidding. The technicians I know who had to work on the first models hated them. Glad to hear that the loud angry mobs convinced him to go to a solenoid.

[spellbound]

Anybody here that have tasted Kona coffee with vannilla and crunched roasted macadamia nuts?

I've had plenty of Kona coffee, but never flavored. Flavored coffee is not my preference, although I like both vanilla and macadamias outside of coffee. Most exported Kona coffee is lightly roasted. The light roast does allow one to taste the subtleties of flavor that make Kona different from other coffees. If you can get a darker roast (not burned, but medium-dark) it is even better, IMO. You are correct in your assumption that Kona coffee originates in Hawaii. Many Kona blends contain only a small amount of Kona coffee. The remainder of the blend need not even be Hawaiian. The island of Kauai also produces coffee that is good, but not as world famous as the Kona coffee that is grown on the big island. 100% Kona coffee will cost you more than a blend will, but it is certainly worth trying.

[spellbound]

Thanks for the Slayer video.

That's not a Slayer video. This is a Slayer video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wDk6fvkEp2k

[Greg]

Anybody here that have tasted Kona coffee with vannilla and crunched roasted macadamia nuts?

I, too, am not a fan of flavoured coffees. But, I've had my fair share of Kona and Kona blends. 100% Kona is far cheaper in Hawaii, where they pretty much drink only Kona coffee (not even in blends). It was unavoidable when I was in Hawaii to have Kona. Not my favourite coffee, but still very good.

To me, there is a distinct difference between volcanic soil island grown coffees and what I'll just call "large continent" grown coffees. They seem to lack the underlying sour note that I dislike so much in Colombian coffee. But you can certainly taste the difference between coffee grown on two different islands.

I would stay away from the "Kona blends", as they really don't have enough Kona bean in them to make them worthwhile--for me, at least.

[Shadow]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p320x320/934987_586043038085891_330532161_n.jpg

[spellbound]

http://i.imgur.com/icOlCCP.jpg

[Rune Blackwings]

http://i.imgur.com/icOlCCP.jpg


http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6yinpz98L1qgs6gho1_400.jpg

[JKL2000]

Thanks for the Slayer video. When he mentions how much service the existing machines needed, he's not kidding. The technicians I know who had to work on the first models hated them. Glad to hear that the loud angry mobs convinced him to go to a solenoid.

I used to go to a place that used a Slayer - it was cool looking, and made great espresso. Best thing was they sold t-shirts that just said "Slayer" on them. I got one for my wife, and we thought it was pretty funny. I wanted to get one for our younger son, who was about three at the time, but they didn't have his size.


Hey, heard something on NPR this morning - it was really about internet addiction, but they talked about coffee addiction, and how it had to be decided if it should be added to the DSMIV - the document that lists the official criteria for mental illnesses, addictions, etc. They decided against adding it.

But I didn't know that "coffee addiction" was considered a true addiction. Although I love my morning coffee, I could easily skip it without any problems. Also, I'm pretty sure someone could switch my regular for decaf and I wouldn't know. It's really not about the caffeine for me - it's the warm beverage I like to have in the AM. It just feels like it helps get my innards to a good working temperature or something. More of a comfort thing than needing a caffeine fix.

[JKL2000]

Greg, I fell in love with Dallis Brothers' Brazil Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida coffee, which you had recommended a few years back. It's the best I've ever had, but I could only find it at Whole Foods, and ordering it from Dallis Bros directly, the shipping is high (over $10).
Do you know of any way to order it with lower shipping?

They're right on with the flavor notes they list:

"This lot provides a deliciously sweet, smooth cup laden with notes of honey, graham, milk chocolate and spice."

It's a bit like a liquid smore.

[Dave (in MA)]

Hey, heard something on NPR this morning - it was really about internet addiction, but they talked about coffee addiction, and how it had to be decided if it should be added to the DSMIV - the document that lists the official criteria for mental illnesses, addictions, etc. They decided against adding it.

But I didn't know that "coffee addiction" was considered a true addiction. Although I love my morning coffee, I could easily skip it without any problems. Try drinking several cups per day of caffeinated coffee 7 days a week for a few weeks, then quit caffeine cold turkey for a few days and let us know how you feel.

[hippypants]

Sometimes I have to fast to get blood drawn at the doctors--on those days I can really miss that morning cuppa joe, sometimes it gives me a headache. First thing I do is grab a cup after the blood work.

[Greg]

Try drinking several cups per day of caffeinated coffee 7 days a week for a few weeks, then quit caffeine cold turkey for a few days and let us know how you feel.

My habit was down from a few pots per day to a half pot per day for past ten years or so. When I recently had to cut it out altogether in an attempt to track down some new food allergies the lack of coffee was certainly noticeable: mild headache the first few days, general lack energy over th course of the day for about two weeks, constipation for the first month or so.

While I'd definitely say their is a "withdrawal" type impact on the system, it's still hard for me to see it as a true "addiction". Although I really do miss the taste of coffee, I haven't had the need for a "fix". But, I also quit--"cold turkey"--smoking almost four packs of filter-less cigarettes a day for numerable years without any problem, so maybe I just don't have an addictive personality.

[Zeuhlmate]

Most of the time I drink de-caffed at home. It took me just a few days to adjust, the taste is basically the same. And somehow the large quantities of coffe I inhaled, made me exhausted or tired later during the day. It not logical, I know but nevertheless... :)

I buy de-caffed whole beans and grind myself. Sometimes I blend with 'normal' beans, depends on if I need a kick, or a different taste, since there are only 2 brands with de-caffed beans available.

[spellbound]

Stop Buying Bad Coffee (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-thompson/do-me-a-favor-stop-buying_b_2573097.html)

[arabicadabra]

Greg, I fell in love with Dallis Brothers' Brazil Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida coffee, which you had recommended a few years back. It's the best I've ever had, but I could only find it at Whole Foods, and ordering it from Dallis Bros directly, the shipping is high (over $10).
Do you know of any way to order it with lower shipping?

They're right on with the flavor notes they list:

"This lot provides a deliciously sweet, smooth cup laden with notes of honey, graham, milk chocolate and spice."

It's a bit like a liquid smore.

Jed: I haven't seen this thread in MONTHS - so sorry not to have seen your query here till now (it's 2014!). Uh, the company that owned Dallis Bros and that Brazilian farm has sold Dallis Bros to an American coffee company - so the fate of that Nossa Senhora Aperacida is up in the air as far as I know. Also, I'm thrilled it pleased you, but each crop could taste wildly different from year to year, which means that the smore-like characteristics might have gone away. The only way I know to get the shipping down is to order it by phone and pick it up a day or two later in person. But, they're no longer in Queens.

[JKL2000]

Thanks for the reply, Greg. Never too late for coffee! Maybe I'll splurge and order the Dallis Bros coffee and try it again. Haven't really found anything to replace it and the Whole Foods we go to now doesn't carry it. Mostly relegated to drinking Peet's Major Dickason's Blend from whole bean. Not bad but not exceptional.

[Greg]

I am so depressed. I think my body has become allergic to coffee.

Up through last year I could drink it with no problems, but sometime during the year it seemed that my morning coffee started triggering my eczema, and I had to stop. I've tried a few times since, and it seems to have confirmed that coffee is a new trigger for my eczema.

So many coffees I wanted to try from everyone's recommendations, here. And, now I can't. Life just isn't same relying on Yerba Mate for my morning mug.

Please pray for me ;)

[ronmac]

^^ Well, that's a bummer. Are you a tea drinker? Could be a nice alternative. And there are plenty of great teas out there. ^^

[Greg]

^^ Well, that's a bummer. Are you a tea drinker? Could be a nice alternative. And there are plenty of great teas out there. ^^


Yeah, I do drink tea--have a lot of different loose Chinese teas--but it's just not the same in the morning. Coffee was my morning ritual. Tea is more of an evening thing, for me.

[spellbound]

Coffee was my morning ritual. Tea is more of an evening thing, for me.

I do the same. I drink tea in the afternoon and evening because it won't keep me awake when I eventually go to bed. But I need my morning jolt of coffee. There is no substitute. It's not all about the lift; I like the flavor.

Have you tried Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder tea? It is a blend of black tea and yerba mate. Not bad.

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/sites/default/files/styles/glamour/public/herb_v2_CS_3DBox_MorningT_0111.png?itok=ik7o1NM3

[Greg]

It's not so much the caffeine for me, actually. It's the taste of the coffee in the morning that I really miss. The loose leaf Yerba Mate that I drink in the morning has more than enough caffeine to get me started.

It's the psychological thing about the taste of coffee in the morning that kind of says "don't worry, things could be worse than having to wake up". Tea just doesn't do that for me. It's more of a winding down thing.

[arabicadabra]

Jed: The Dallis Bros type I'm drinking and enjoying at the moment is their Honduran. Still quite good, even under new ownership.

Greg: I can't help but suspect the colloids in medium-quality coffee as being potentially responsible for triggering your excema. Before you give up entirely on coffee due to this, try and find some extremely low acid coffees (India's Monsooned Malabar comes to mind) - and pay for the top of the line. George Howell Coffee Company has some great ones sometimes; Dallis Bros usually has an Indonesian Sumatra or Tanzania Peaberry that are both delicious and would fit the bill.

[spellbound]

http://i.imgur.com/VzroA1r.jpg

[Duncan Glenday]

I won't use the friggin' coffee-snob vocabulary.

I just say "small, medium or large", and always get what I want.

[ronmac]

I won't use the friggin' coffee-snob vocabulary.

No need to when you go to real coffee shops. The only time I go to Starbucks is to meet with a colleague and look at the women. It's amazing how much business those places do. Take all that crap out of the coffee and people would realize how utterly lousy it is.

[spellbound]

What Does "French Roast" Mean? (http://www.aldocoffee.com/2010/01/what-does-french-roast-mean.html)

[spellbound]

Using Sight to Determine Degree of Roast (https://www.sweetmarias.com/library/content/using-sight-determine-degree-roast)

[Greg]

I thought it was the point when the smell of the roast began to cut through the stink of their cheeses.

[Jvalvano]

A woman opened a little coffee shop in my town a few years back and roasts her own beans. Fair trade organic usually. This is by far the best coffee I have ever had. She explained to me one day that one size does not fit all when roasting beans. Beans from various regions need to be roasted differently to maximize their flavor. All I can say is that her coffee, regardless of what part of the planet the beans came from, is the tastiest I've ever had.

A couple of years ago my wife got me a Jura coffee maker. It's a put the beans in, water, push a button and it brews the coffee, type of machine. At first I was against it. I didn't want a machine that I felt I needed a PHd to operate. But once I set it the way I want to have the coffee made, its a push button and get coffee machine. It brews the coffee under high pressure so it comes out with the frothy foam on top. I go to Europe a lot and that's how I get coffee over there. Anyway, between the beans and the machine I've been drinking the best coffee I've ever had these last few years.

The woman with the shop has a website. I always see her staff packaging coffee up for shipment if anyone is interested.
http://www.aeroastery.com

That's my coffee story. Now back to bidding my May schedule. Looks like I'm going to be in Brussels for Mr Hackett's show on May 16. I've had some fun things just kind of happen on layovers in Europe. This one could move to the top of the list if I can make it happen. :)

[highaltitude]

Did you've tried the Malasian coffee?
It seems to be a total innovating event......

[PeterG]

Nescafe Gold Blend instant....it does what I want coffee to do.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Don't feed the energy troll.

[PeterG]

Occasionally I'll have an espresso at home or when I'm out. But brewed coffee at work usually tastes awful and I must say I'm no great shakes at brewing coffee at home, I either make it too weak or too strong, I can rarely get it to taste right.
For me instant has a good rounded taste & gives me the kick I want.

[Plasmatopia]

For a long time I was having a travel mug a day plus I'd usually grab another cup of coffee at work mid-morning. Been having problems with acid reflux so I'm down to just the travel mug. Sugar seems to aggravate the situation as well. I'd love to be completely free of coffee, but it's such an integral part of the morning ritual. Tea just isn't the same in the morning, hot chocolate is too sweet, decaf just seems wrong. And when I didn't get quite enough sleep, it's nice to have a little boost. Slooooowly weaning myself off the juice...

(I will really miss drinking "cafe sua da" - Vietnamese iced coffee.)

[PeterG]

Anyone know the name of the South American beverage that His Holiness drinks? I've heard the name but can't remember it. I'd like to try that, if it's good enough for il Papa then it's good enough for me :)

[PeterG]

Just found it, it's called maté http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)

[Greg]

Just found it, it's called maté http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)

The plant is actually called Yerba, which is a South American species of holly.

I've been drinking Yerba Mate since I had to quit coffee. I don't do it the traditional way, since I don't have a mate or a bombilla, and brewing it like I would any good Chinese tea works just fine. Although, I've found that people recommend wetting the leaves with cold water a minute or so before brewing as it is supposed to "protect the nutrients" in the Yerba.

The taste is a bit bitter, not like a green or oolong tea at all. It has about the same caffeine content as a green tea, but the tannins are vastly different. I can drink yerba on an empty stomach with no acid discomfort, but I can't drink green or oolong tea without at least something to eat before hand.

[PeterG]

Thanks Greg. What does it taste like then? A bitter Ceylon perhaps?

[Greg]

Thanks Greg. What does it taste like then? A bitter Ceylon perhaps?

Ceylon is a black tea, which has been cooked and fermented. Yerba is closer to a green tea, which is also cooked, but not fermented. Although, I don't belief Yerba is cooked at all--I think it's dried as comes off the tree. The bitterness of a Ceylon tea is distinctly different from the Yerba. The closes bitterness I can describe is to ampalaya, which is an Asian bitter melon, but Yerba is much more mild.

It's a bit difficult to equate with other teas. It's got more a hay/straw-like flavour, rather than a lawn-grass, green-leaf like taste as you'd get in some high quality green teas.

[Dave (in MA)]

On the low end of the coffee spectrum, I used to enjoy Beech Nut coffee. It had a smoother, more enjoyable taste than most of the other brands. Sometime in the last 10 years, I stopped being able to find it. Is it no longer being sold? Google didn't help much.

[PeterG]

It's got more a hay/straw-like flavour

Right, now I've got ya, I've tried various herbal infusions in the past with that type of taste.
BTW, have you ever tried Rooibos? I really like it, got a taste for it when I was in South Africa.

[Greg]

I've tried various herbal infusions in the past with that type of taste.

It's a bit similar, but not off-putting like the herbal remedy teas can be.


BTW, have you ever tried Rooibos? I really like it, got a taste for it when I was in South Africa.

The only Rooibos I've tried has been a Celestial Seasonings tea blend. Unfortunately, that company covers the taste of almost everything with high concentrations of Hibiscus, so it's difficult to easily pick out the flavour of the Rooibos. They have an Acai and blueberry tea that is nice, but it's still got that darned Hibiscus. Not that I hate hibiscus; I jut don't want it in everything.

I do still keep my eyes open for a good Rooibos tea, but I haven't exactly been on a mission to find it. ;-)

[Duncan Glenday]

BTW, have you ever tried Rooibos? I really like it, got a taste for it when I was in South Africa.

I grew up there - and (sorry to say) I absolutely HATE rooibos. (We used to call it "bush tea".)

When I was in the S.A. army, it was the only thing they'd serve us (no coffee or regular tea) - and they served the lowest grade available.

Then they discovered that the factory had a rat infestation, and the tea had traces of rat shit. So they did something about the rats, but claimed they could never get rid of them 100%, so they started irradiating the tea. I.e. it now had germ-free rat shit! The joke at the time was - not "decaffinated" tea, but "defecenated" tea.

And through all this, the f***ing army kept serving the shit to us.

This was almost 40 years ago and I'm sure those problems have been resolved now - but I cannot stand the taste or even the smell of bloody rooibos.


(Sorry about the rant ;) )

[Greg]

Well, the US FDA appears to allow an "Average of 1 mg or more mammalian excreta per pound after processing" of various leaf products. So, we're still getting some poop in our foods, whether we like it or not. And, it was the FDA that decided to mix metric and imperial weights in the same friggin' sentence--not me. ;)

I had found something on the internet suggesting that rooibos has anti-inflammatory properties, which is why I've been keeping an eye out for it. Not sure if I'll like the taste or not, but there are some things that I've gotten used to simply because there was a chance they'd help my recent allergic sensitivity to every friggin' thing in existence.

It was like that with the Yerba. The first few cups were not the most enjoyable things, but it seems to quickly grow on you. Now, I actually like the Yerba in the morning. I still really miss my morning coffee, though.

[spellbound]

The only Rooibos I've tried has been a Celestial Seasonings tea blend. Unfortunately, that company covers the taste of almost everything with high concentrations of Hibiscus, so it's difficult to easily pick out the flavour of the Rooibos.

The only Celestial Seasonings tea I like is Morning Thunder, which contains only yerba mate and black tea. I rarely care for herbal teas. I have no objection to hibiscus tea or hibiscus flavor agua fresca occasionally. But I don't need hibiscus in other teas as a flavoring. The hibiscus-flavor agua fresca is known here by its Spanish name. The Spanish name for hibiscus is Jamaica, which is just confusing, mon. I have tried the Celestial Seasonings Rooibos, the only brand I have run across. I prefer black tea.


(Sorry about the rant )

No problem. Interesting story I would never have known about otherwise.

Speaking of bush tea, around here there is a wild-growing plant referred to informally as Mormon tea. It is the ephedra plant, from which ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are derived. I know what the plant looks like, but I value my health and have no desire to ingest it.

[Dave (in MA)]

FDA appears to allow an "Average of 1 mg or more mammalian excreta per pound after processing" of various leaf products.

So I'm picturing an FDA guy picking through the pile of tea for turds and eyeballing them, and throwing the ones that look like mouse poop back in.

[Plasmatopia]

Not sure if it's the discussion here or the coffee I drank....anyone else need to poop now?

[Dave (in MA)]

Coffee (caffeine) can exacerbate acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause asthma.
Coffee is a good home remedy for asthma.
:huh

[Greg]

Coffee (caffeine) can exacerbate acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause asthma.
Coffee is a good home remedy for asthma.
:huh

Homeopaths believe that the "essence" of poison ivy will cure itches and rashes. Certain things are a whole lotta bullshit.

[hippypants]

I have a Bunn coffee maker too, and they are expensive, mine is about a year old. It stopped working some time back, and I called them, left a message, and they sent me a new one free, and only asked I box up the old one. A pretty good deal I thought. I usually just drink Folgers, but sometimes will mix it with some decaf so I won't get jittery. I drink Starbucks, and have tried the vanilla Seattle brand too (it's a little bitter, but good for a switch--when mixed with some Starbucks decaf it makes for a pretty good brew).

[hippypants]

My doctor said that a couple of cups of coffee was good for you, but decaf filters out those benefits, so he told me to just drink the regular. He stayed pretty current on such topics, course they can be subject to change over time.

[Dave (in MA)]

Homeopaths believe that the "essence" of poison ivy will cure itches and rashes. Certain things are a whole lotta bullshit.
OK, but there's nothing bs about what I wrote.

Coffee (caffeine) can exacerbate acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause asthma.
Coffee is a good home remedy for asthma.
Caffeine not only helps to dilate the airways to help relieve asthma; it similarly relaxes the esophageal muscles to cause acid reflux, and acid reflux can be aspirated and irritate your airways and cause asthma.

I like the skit on Homeopathic Emergency Room on YT where they treat a guy who got hit by a car by scraping bits of the bumper and diluting it over & over again in water to create homeopathic "medicine".

[Greg]

Caffeine not only helps to dilate the airways to help relieve asthma; it similarly relaxes the esophageal muscles to cause acid reflux, and acid reflux can be aspirated and irritate your airways and cause asthma.

I was commenting on the entirety of the logic, start to finish, which makes no sense: If caffeine causes acid reflux, which then causes asthma, caffeine is then a contributing cause of asthma. In the absence of acid reflux it may very well be beneficial as a remedy for asthma.

On the whole, low dose caffeine, especially in coffee (which has a lot of other constituents), has some health benefits; unfortunately, it also has many contraindications and side effects, as well.


I like the skit on Homeopathic Emergency Room on YT where they treat a guy who got hit by a car by scraping bits of the bumper and diluting it over & over again in water to create homeopathic "medicine".

That is a great video... really depicts both the "science" of homeopathy, and the conundrum homeopaths create by removing any trace of the thing they call "medicine" from the process. It is, however, a really profitable industry as there is next to no overhead from investing in actual materials that heal people. :D

[Plasmatopia]

I was commenting on the entirety of the logic, start to finish, which makes no sense: If caffeine causes acid reflux, which then causes asthma, caffeine is then a contributing cause of asthma. In the absence of acid reflux it may very well be beneficial as a remedy for asthma.

There is no one-size-fits-all reaction to caffeine. For some it won't cause acid reflux at all, so for those it could simply be a matter of caffeine being a benefit to their asthma. And of course lots of people don't have asthma...but they could develop an acid reflux problem. The logic only seems absurd if we assume caffeine always and invariably has the effects put forward in that seemingly illogical scenario.

[Greg]

The logic only seems absurd if we assume caffeine always and invariably has the effects put forward in that seemingly illogical scenario.

I was only commenting on the logic contained in the three lines that Dave posted.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Just got a new Capresso CoffeeTeam machine - the grinder on our old one died. The first cuppa this morning was excellent. I highly recommend this puppy.

[Dave (in MA)]

There is no one-size-fits-all reaction to caffeine. For some it won't cause acid reflux at all, so for those it could simply be a matter of caffeine being a benefit to their asthma. And of course lots of people don't have asthma...but they could develop an acid reflux problem. The logic only seems absurd if we assume caffeine always and invariably has the effects put forward in that seemingly illogical scenario.I wasn't saying that it always has these effects, but I have experienced all three.

[Progbear]

Well, the US FDA appears to allow an "Average of 1 mg or more mammalian excreta per pound after processing" of various leaf products. So, we're still getting some poop in our foods, whether we like it or not.

Speaking of poop in coffee, has anyone tried Kopi Luwak?

[Dave (in MA)]

Speaking of poop in coffee, has anyone tried Kopi Luwak?
Is that the $400lb stuff that they dig out of the turds of the civet cat? I usually buy what's on sale in a can.

[Greg]

Is that the $400lb stuff that they dig out of the turds of the civet cat? I usually buy what's on sale in a can.


Yes, and OH LORD, I'm horrified! Canned coffee uses the cheapest Robusta beans possible. Twice the caffeine as high quality Robusta and Arabica with a harsh and nasty flavour. If all you're looking for is the caffeine, I understand. But, there are cheap bagged coffees that are still better tasting than canned.

On the Civet Poop Coffee: I have no interest in trying it. It is very popular in Japan, apparently.

[Dave (in MA)]

Yes, and OH LORD, I'm horrified! Canned coffee uses the cheapest Robusta beans possible. Twice the caffeine as high quality Robusta and Arabica with a harsh and nasty flavour. If all you're looking for is the caffeine, I understand. But, there are cheap bagged coffees that are still better tasting than canned.
I find it smoother-tasting than, say, the hibachi-scrapings that they use at Starbucks, for instance.

[Greg]

I find it smoother-tasting than, say, the hibachi-scrapings that they use at Starbucks, for instance.

Well, I'll give you that. Starbucks basically uses the same cheap-o beans found in the cans, and then burns them to a crisp so it "tastes like strong coffee". At least the companies that produce canned coffee use more sensible roasting methods--unless you include the canned espresso blends, and those odd-ball brands you'd find in bodegas.

[IncogNeato]

Really late coming into this thread, but my favorite coffee is Cafe Du Monde coffee w/ chicory. Not as much caffeine as just coffee, but a much darker, "heavy" flavor. I love it. That's all I make at home anymore.

[PeterG]

An article on cat scat java!

http://world.time.com/2013/10/02/the-worlds-most-expensive-coffee-is-a-cruel-cynical-scam/




When I was a kid Blue Mountain was traditionally the best and dearest coffee.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Blue_Mountain_Coffee


But here is the current top 10:
http://www.therichest.com/luxury/most-expensive/top-10-most-expensive-coffee-in-the-world/


And if you thought the cat scat java was expensive, check out this uberexpensive panda poo cha!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/19/us-china-panda-tea-idUSBRE82I04O20120319

[arabicadabra]

Price isn't everything.....

[markwoll]

I would be lying if I said this did not make me throw up just a little
Unholy Alliance Of Coffee And Wine Unite In A Can
http://consumerist.com/2014/06/27/unholy-alliance-of-coffee-and-wine-unite-in-a-can/

mark

[arabicadabra]

Well I haven't looked at this thread in months - but I tried a new coffee that was so good I had to tell somebody. The company is called Nobletree Coffee (a FAL Company) in Brooklyn and the coffee I loved was their Nicaraguan. Truly exceptional.

[Progbear]

RE: canned coffee. When I was visiting my friend Dan (R.I.P.) in New York in 2007, he recommended Café Bustelo because, “it’s what all the Puerto Ricans drink.” Blech! That was the last time I ever had ground coffee from a can! I remember my dad used to drink Folger’s growing up. I wish I could find that link where contemporary coffee conoisseurs taste-test canned “old man” coffee. They were surprisingly positive about Chock Full o’ Nuts but their reaction to Maxwell House was hilarious. How could Cora the Coffee Lady lie to us?

I think my favourite local coffee comes from Highwire near the Rockridge BART station in Oakland. I rarely drink it, though, as there’s little place to hang out there and no free wifi. And the bagged beans are freakin’ expensive! Maybe I’ll treat myself one day, but in the meantime I’ll have the bagged Tanzanian beans from Grocery Outlet.

RE: Kopi Luwak. There’s a place in San Mateo that sells it for $40 a cup. I can’t justify curiosity at that high a price and besides, I just don’t want to drink poop!

Though, like Stephen Colbert says/sings, “The best part of waking up is drinking coffee pooped by a cat!” :lol

[3LockBox]

I know a few people who rave about Tanzanian coffee. I have some Kimemo brand Tanzanian bean coffee and its just ok. I was gifted it by my son who got it through some acquaintance of his. Meh. I'm fine with Tony's or Starbucks or whatever reputable purveyor of bagged coffee. Its is hard to drink brands life Folgers or Maxwell House after getting used fresh grind though, but will in a pinch. Never been much of a beverage snob. My fave style is french roast in any brand.

[spellbound]

the coffee I loved was their Nicaraguan. Truly exceptional.

I had heard maybe a year ago that Nicaraguan coffee was good, but it wasn't until recently that I had a chance to try it. Good stuff.

[markwoll]

I got some Rwandan coffee last week that is pretty nice.
Probably not worth the premium.
Had Nicaraguan before, had some sort of chocolate/cocoa notes that were nice.

My latest local roaster is Cervantes coffee (http://www.cervantescoffee.com/), local to Springfield VA and Sterling VA.
Nice folks with a quality product.

[JKL2000]

RE: canned coffee. When I was visiting my friend Dan (R.I.P.) in New York in 2007, he recommended Café Bustelo because, “it’s what all the Puerto Ricans drink.” Blech! That was the last time I ever had ground coffee from a can! I remember my dad used to drink Folger’s growing up. I wish I could find that link where contemporary coffee conoisseurs taste-test canned “old man” coffee. They were surprisingly positive about Chock Full o’ Nuts but their reaction to Maxwell House was hilarious. How could Cora the Coffee Lady lie to us?

I think my favourite local coffee comes from Highwire near the Rockridge BART station in Oakland. I rarely drink it, though, as there’s little place to hang out there and no free wifi. And the bagged beans are freakin’ expensive! Maybe I’ll treat myself one day, but in the meantime I’ll have the bagged Tanzanian beans from Grocery Outlet.

RE: Kopi Luwak. There’s a place in San Mateo that sells it for $40 a cup. I can’t justify curiosity at that high a price and besides, I just don’t want to drink poop!

Though, like Stephen Colbert says/sings, “The best part of waking up is drinking coffee pooped by a cat!” :lol

The exact phrase some of the ads used was "The favorite coffee of all Hispanics." I'm surprised they didn't get sued!

[JKL2000]

I want to make some of that Civet Cat coffee, but instead of a Civet Cat I'll use myself.