Just had the greatest cup of coffee eva

I have a lady friend who lives in Orlando and her father home roasts coffee. This stuff is exquisite.

I started drinking coffee 2 years ago when my morning commute went from walking to my downstairs office to driving 55 miles. I started out with the Folgers stuff until my fathers wife sent me some from her island in Hawaii. Since then I've been trying coffee from all over the world and sending my lady friend samples that started a chain reaction culminating in home roasting by her pops.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the vac-bag was how much oil was still present compared to a bean thats been processed and packaged. Oil is where the good stuff is. Thats why its better to use the gold mesh filter as opposed to the paper filters as paper absorbs much of the oils. The beans are a Guatemala Finca type, not sure what kind of roast it is but I'd say some where between dark and French.

Any one else a coffee freak?

And yes Starbucks is overpriced swill. :)

Love the smell and taste, but coffee tears me up inside so I can't have any. Glad to hear you found a winnar!

If you want some good coffee, try brewing with an Aeropress. It makes fantastic coffee and only slightly more work than a coffee maker.

http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK

I do a French Press, but I, too, can't have much or it hurts the innards.

Chuck uses the Aeropress and raves about it. It is easier to clean than a regular french press too.

That press looks interesting. I use a french press some times. Presses are much better than drip or percolators. The down side is they don't come with automatic timers that have a hot cup waiting for me in the morning.

Eastcoast I feel you on the digestion problems. If I have more than 2 cups I need to eat a few tums to kill the acid.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Love the smell and taste, but coffee tears me up inside so I can't have any. Glad to hear you found a winnar!

+1 on that..

I use coffee as a vessel to transport creamer and stevia into my stomach. If it were publicly acceptable, I would drink a hot cream and sugar slurry every morning.

Maroon92 wrote: I use coffee as a vessel to transport creamer and stevia into my stomach. If it were publicly acceptable, I would drink a hot cream and sugar slurry every morning.

This is me. I am trying to slowly use less and less additives.

Folgers? Huh?

I own a coffee shop... don't get me started.

And DON'T try to serve me Starbucks swill.

BTW- Finca means "farm" in Spanish. That's not a very useful name.

Beans vary EVERY season. The way the big players (like Starbucks, Duncan Donuts, Maxwell House) get a consistent product is to blend beans from all over the world. That's why smaller "snob" shops can usually do better.

Additionally, the coffee begins loosing it's flavor within about 10 days after roasting. If you see a shop with all those neat little glass canisters full of all kinds of varied beans, it will have been sitting on the shelf too long.

We serve every cup within 7 days of when it was roasted, and within minutes of when it was ground. That means a very small inventory that rotates extremely quickly.

Part of what makes a good cup.

I really enjoy GOOD coffee. We grind out own, but don't roast. Is this possible without expensive equipment? (Like in the oven?) We always grind our beans. Where can we find unroasted beans? Prilosec is my friend, so no troubles with drinking it strong.

Folgers instant is good enough for me. Mixed about three times stronger than recommended, about the color of used motor oil. That or whatever comes out of the Bunn maker at the office. Usually what is on sale at Sam's.

The good stuff is nice once in a while, but I don't go out of my way to get it. And yes, Starbux is nasty.

I brew my coffee Turkish style - no filters, very brief exposure time, and ultra fine grounds result in lots of flavor without lots of caffeine or acidity. The downside is that it does use a lot of coffee grounds relative to the amount of liquid coffee produced. Burr grinders are a necessity; when I get ambitious I pull out my antique Bosnian hand grinder - still works great.

Anyone ever use a vacuum pot? I've been tempted to get one for Chuck.

cwh wrote: I really enjoy GOOD coffee. We grind out own, but don't roast. Is this possible without expensive equipment? (Like in the oven?) We always grind our beans. Where can we find unroasted beans? Prilosec is my friend, so no troubles with drinking it strong.

You can roast in a frying pan on a stove top.

Not sure where to get green beans though.

Roasting coffee : williams coffee roasters

I did the table top roasting for a few years. You learn to appreciate the fine differences in the beans (and can roast them however you like). Makes a bit of smoke, but I had a downdraft stove (and back porch) so no big deal.

Also, the key to any good coffee is water. Get a glass of tapwater from a coffee shop & prepare to be amazed (if they do it right). I'm in the coffee epicenter (Seattle) and prefer Tullys to SB.

KJ

Best coffe I ever had was boiled. Coffee was put in a cloth bag and put in a pot of boiling water. I expect it takes a special bag. Don't even know if it is done anymore.

I'll just leave this here...

The Black Blood of the Earth

"By my calculations, I produced the equivalent of 145 cups of conventional coffee’s worth of caffeine in 5.7 cups of volume."

spent time in Costa rica and Panama... had some great coffee while I was there :)...

but to be honest i'd prefer a good cup of tea... in fact I think it's time for some right now :)...

A friend at works roasts his own coffee. He recommended this site for equipment and beans: http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJuhNDrX008

I have spent some time in Jamaica, where Blue Mountain coffee is so famous. First off, nobody in Jamaica drinks coffee. Secondly, a LOT of coffee labeled as Blue Mountain is counterfeit. Brought back a 5 pound bag, might as well have been 8 O'Clock. Very disappointing. SVrex, PM on it's way.

I absolutely love the way coffee smells, but haven't been able to develop a taste for it.

z31maniac wrote: I absolutely love the way coffee smells, but haven't been able to develop a taste for it.

More cream, more sugar.

I have started drinking coffee this past year and i like it. Its like tasting different beers to me but you can start before noon. Its been fun trying new stuff.

Just a few days ago i had a Holiday Blend from a local whole foods market. No clue past that as to what it was but it had a nutmeg/vanilla/hazlenut smell but tasted more of kaluha and hazlenut. Quite good.

SVreX, if i ever make it down that way i would love to stop by your shop.