Coffee

EvanB wrote: Try an Aeropress for great coffee, much better than the french press and easier to clean. http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/8e3a/?rkgid=275668648&cpg=ogpla&source=google_pla&gclid=CJLa49DP9LMCFegWMgodA2AA8A (no canoe)

I still prefer my French press; I usually just use the Aeropress to make a mock cafe con leche.

To anyone considering a French press, I highly recommend the brand Planetary Design. Their presses are made of stainless steel rather than glass, so if you're clumsy like me, breakage is a lot less likely. They are also insulated, so it will hold coffee warm a lot longer than one of the glass urns.

I don't have a sink disposal, so when I'm cleaning mine, I fill it halfway with water, swirl it a few times to suspend the grounds, and dump them out in the yard.

As far as the quality of coffee goes, the stores may have settled for lower quality beans, or they may have held the urn on the burner longer or used less grounds for the amount of water used.

1988RedT2 wrote: Truly, I do not understand. Even here, where most have a very positive DIY mentality--people trust their coffee to someone else? Would you take your treasured E36 M3 (the BMW, not the excrement) to Jiffy Lube for an oil change? C'mon people! Good coffee is easy to make yourself. Buy a coffeemaker of your choice--even the fancy ones are generally under a hundred bucks--buy some quality whole bean coffee from Costco or Sam's, and grind yer own beans!

I don't argue with that. And when I have time and the inclination, I do so. Sometimes even enjoying the weirdly scorched taste of percolated coffee.

But at 4:30 in the morning, I don't want to get up earlier to brew a cup of coffee. I want one to magically appear in my had somewhere between my bed and my desk at work. And, I want it to taste reasonably good (which Wawa's did).

Cripes, I'm up before the guys at Dunkin Donuts are.

I do agree McD's has a decent cup of basic coffee. And pretty good fru-fru coffee as well.

foxtrapper wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: Truly, I do not understand. Even here, where most have a very positive DIY mentality--people trust their coffee to someone else? Would you take your treasured E36 M3 (the BMW, not the excrement) to Jiffy Lube for an oil change? C'mon people! Good coffee is easy to make yourself. Buy a coffeemaker of your choice--even the fancy ones are generally under a hundred bucks--buy some quality whole bean coffee from Costco or Sam's, and grind yer own beans!

I don't argue with that. And when I have time and the inclination, I do so. Sometimes even enjoying the weirdly scorched taste of percolated coffee. But at 4:30 in the morning, I don't want to get up earlier to brew a cup of coffee. I want one to magically appear in my had somewhere between my bed and my desk at work. And, I want it to taste reasonably good (which Wawa's did). Cripes, I'm up before the guys at Dunkin Donuts are. I do agree McD's has a decent cup of basic coffee. And pretty good fru-fru coffee as well.

I'm at about 75% coffee snob, but dammit, sometimes I just want a McDonalds Frappe. 500 calories of caffeinated milkshake goodness.

I guess on that note, what's a good AND cheap Burr grinder (yeah, impossible combo right?)? I'm fine with hand-grinding or electric.

I already have the super-Bunn at work and a French Press at home. Might as well grind them fresh too!

I have one of these, it is awesome:

http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Bistro-Electric-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0043095WW/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1354228441&sr=1-1&keywords=bodum

I also have one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CBM210-Stainless-Grinder/dp/B001306640/ref=sr_1_18?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1354228526&sr=1-18

It is pretty terrible compared to the Bodum so I don't use it anymore. It is passable for the price though and better than a blade grinder IMO.

Cuisinart or somebody had a decent burr grinder at Sam's Club a while back. Like an idiot, I didn't buy one, and now it looks like they don't carry it anymore. I think it sold for 50 bucks. Now it looks like they run about twice that.

kylini wrote: I guess on that note, what's a good AND cheap Burr grinder (yeah, impossible combo right?)? I'm fine with hand-grinding or electric. I already have the super-Bunn at work and a French Press at home. Might as well grind them fresh too!

My other forum's resident coffee aficionado recommended periodically checking out Baratza's refurb page. Supposedly these are the cheapest, least compromised models available on the 'net. Whenever an item has replacement parts available, I consider it a good sign. Ever since I moved to a quality grinder (I posted a thread about it), I have realized how much of a difference a quality grinder makes, especially in a French press. There is a huge difference in the coffee's quality, because the grounds are actually uniform.

I want to like coffee, I really do.

If it smelled 1/3 as good as it smells............you'd likely see me on the street corner, jobless, begging for a cup 'o joe.

After your thousandth cup, it's really not so bad. I actually enjoyed it from the beginning... I started drinking coffee as a youngin; maybe I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

z31maniac wrote: I want to like coffee, I really do. If it tasted 1/3 as good as it smells............you'd likely see me on the street corner, jobless, begging for a cup 'o joe.

ftfy

I was the same way for a long long time. Then in my senior year of high school I was playing hockey, in 3 AP classes, and 2 honor classes, and I had to pull all nighters fairly regularly. I got to where I could tolerate it.

Then, starting my 2nd semester sophomore year, I had 4 semesters in a row of 17 hour courseloads. That ain't easy when you're taking 300 level math and econ classes. And you often find that you need to stay awake. And I could get a LOT of coffee for $10 (making my own), which was WAY cheaper than coke/redbull. And sometime during that deathmarch, I realized that I was drinking it because I actually liked the way it tasted. I love the way coffee tastes now. Never would have believed it if you told me in high school.

Klayfish wrote: I'm surprised no one has said to you "What the hell is WaWa?" Having spent my entire life here in PA, I'm very familiar with it. But it's a mid-atlantic thing.

They are preparing to invade "The South". A couple of years ago I saw one in Richmond, VA and over our Thanksgiving travels we saw several in VA Beach.

I buy 8 o'clock Columbian and grind it fresh. Reasonably cheap and pretty tasty if you like coffee instead of burnt crap (Starbux tastes like burnt turds to me).

Secretariata wrote:

Klayfish wrote: I'm surprised no one has said to you "What the hell is WaWa?" Having spent my entire life here in PA, I'm very familiar with it. But it's a mid-atlantic thing.

They are preparing to invade "The South". A couple of years ago I saw one in Richmond, VA and over our Thanksgiving travels we saw several in VA Beach. I buy 8 o'clock Columbian and grind it fresh. Reasonably cheap and pretty tasty if you like coffee instead of burnt crap (Starbux tastes like burnt turds to me).

The invasion force is in full attack mode. They are building one right now adjacent to the credit union. Since I buy 95% of my gas at Sam's, which is right down the street, and I don't buy their convenience items, I'd lump it in with all the other suburban blight. Ugh.

This is the second location near the RIC airport, maybe a mile and a half from another one.

Back when I was in foodservice DD was the benchmark for coffee in the industry. I believe they still are. Whatever you do, avoid Farmer Bros. coffee if you're eating out.

Huh, I thought DD was closed. This morning I actually pulled into their darkened lot,only to discover they actually are open.

Bought a generic cup of coffee, with faint hope, based on ya'll praise.

Happy happy, joy joy! It was a good cup of coffee. Quite good in fact. Little more expensive than the convenience stores, but worth it I'd say. Still under $2.

Thank you one and all!

stroker wrote: Back when I was in foodservice DD was the benchmark for coffee in the industry. I believe they still are. Whatever you do, avoid Farmer Bros. coffee if you're eating out.

Your comment about Farmer Bros. has me wondering if you reason for avoidance is somehow related to the concept of "clean food" in Fight Club.
PS: I have never heard of Farmer Bros.

A friend of mine got me started on Cuban coffee a year ago. Now after months of drinking espresso, most normal coffee tastes like dishwater to me, and I can't imagine going back.

ddavidv wrote: My wife swears by Dunkin Donuts coffee. There must be opium in it or something because she can't pass one without stopping for a hit.

Used to love it, but we got a brand new one on the way to work (which I was thrilled about,) and the coffee tasted like it was a week old. REALLY REALLY REALLY bad. I'm giving 'em a month to work out the kinks, and I think I'll go inside next time.

Secretariata wrote:

Klayfish wrote: I'm surprised no one has said to you "What the hell is WaWa?" Having spent my entire life here in PA, I'm very familiar with it. But it's a mid-atlantic thing.

They are preparing to invade "The South". A couple of years ago I saw one in Richmond, VA and over our Thanksgiving travels we saw several in VA Beach.

For every new Waffle House north of Virginia, WaWa gets to build one south of Virginia. Pretty soon you'll be able to drive from New York to Atlanta within line-of-sight to one or the other.

foxtrapper wrote: Which was one of the things I loved about Wawa. Honey there for you, and darn good coffee. Then they switched to those urns, and then the quality of the coffee went down, and down, and down. 7-11, Sheetz, Jiffy, all the same musty dusty yech taste. Maybe it's the urns, as much of it tasts like unwashed equipment. But it's just bad.

I hadn't thought about it since I don't buy coffee at WaWa very often, but you might be right. The coffee does seem different after they switched from glass carafes to those plastic pump things, despite being glass lined.

Of course, we have an old fashion Bunn maker here in the office and the coffee is terrible. One of my coworkers has a Kuereg in his office. I usually make tea.

foxtrapper wrote: But at 4:30 in the morning, I don't want to get up earlier to brew a cup of coffee. I want one to magically appear in my had somewhere between my bed and my desk at work. And, I want it to taste reasonably good (which Wawa's did).

Umm... you know they make coffee makers with these things called timers. You set it the night before and wake up to nice hot coffee.

Duke wrote: For every new Waffle House north of Virginia, WaWa gets to build one south of Virginia. Pretty soon you'll be able to drive from New York to Atlanta within line-of-sight to one or the other.

So perfection then?

Secretariata wrote:

Klayfish wrote: I'm surprised no one has said to you "What the hell is WaWa?" Having spent my entire life here in PA, I'm very familiar with it. But it's a mid-atlantic thing.

They are preparing to invade "The South". A couple of years ago I saw one in Richmond, VA and over our Thanksgiving travels we saw several in VA Beach. I buy 8 o'clock Columbian and grind it fresh. Reasonably cheap and pretty tasty if you like coffee instead of burnt crap (Starbux tastes like burnt turds to me).

Virgina is in the south?

93EXCivic wrote: Virgina is in the south?

Robert E Lee would say yes.

logdog wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: Virgina is in the south?

Robert E Lee would say yes.

And kick your ass for saying otherwise!

nderwater wrote: A friend of mine got me started on Cuban coffee a year ago. Now after months of drinking espresso, most normal coffee tastes like dishwater to me, and I can't imagine going back.

Cafe Bustelo and a stove top 6cup espresso maker, FTW.

Recently I've been enjoying some Italian espresso coffee from Ville, and Italian company. Kroger was selling it for $12 for 12 ounce (!!!!) but it had hit the manager's sale cart for $4. It's freaking fantastic. It's easily the finest ground coffee I've ever bought, like flour. It comes in these brushed aluminum finished cans that are heavier gauge sheet metal than my car and have a metal screw on top that is plastic lined for a positive seal. You open the can by unscrewing the lid and lifting the tab on the the pressurized metal inner top that then peels away.

damn shame I bought the last two cans they had for $4.

I am slorking on a pint of fresh ground Wegman's Expresso Roast, piping hot and black as the bitter, angry core of my own heart. If this day gets any worse I might add a jigger or 3 of burbon to sweeten it up a bit.