The Coffee thread....

Grind your beans fresh

Use a tablespoon of ground coffee for every six ounces of water. This is probably the most important thing, in my opinion.

Don't use boiling water. 

That's about it, for me.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

How do you brew?  French press?

And anyone here use old school percolaters?

I've swapped out my french press for a pour over with filters... mainly to make clean up easier, and I can't get our disposal fixed right now so I'm trying to limit coffee going down the drain.  Our electric grinder would wake up sleepykid#2 from naps, so I've even gone to hand grinding now.  I heat my water with a dedicated electric water heater kettle.  I usually use closer to 1.5 tablespoons of grinds per cup.

IIRC, There's three things that will most impact brew (outside of the method FrenchPress/PourOver/espresso etc):
- Grind Freshness and Composition (course vs. fine which should be matched to how long the water is interacting with the grind)
- Water 'purity' (some minerals are good, but have fewer will impart fewer odd-tastes into the brew)
- Amount of Coffee

My parents use a perculator - it makes a lot of coffee in a hurry, but the results are pretty bitter.

I recently bought a cheap Chinese copy of an Italian moka. Gives pretty good, strong, rich coffee, but it won't brew enough to fill my favorite mug.

And yes - freshness of the grind makes a difference. I currently don't have a coffee grinder at home, and there's a big difference in taste between a newly opened package and one that's been open a month.

I'm a big fan of the Aeropress.  This was developed by the same guy who invented the Aerobie Frisbee (world record-holder for the farthest "thrown" object).  The founder got sick of drinking bitter coffee and did  a full root-cause assessment.  Turns out, coffee gets bitter and acidic because of too much heat.  He realized you can substitute heat w/pressure and developed this device you can buy for $25 online.  Professional Espresso machines use loads of pressure, so this makes sense.  You can use hot (but not boiling) water and this cheap plunger device to make espresso.  Add water more water after you brew and you have an Americano.  They even have competitions for the "best brew."  I've seen some boutique coffee shops offer these.

I keep this at work for when I need extra caffeine. It's kind of a pain if you're rushing out the door in the morning...and you're bound to screw up at least once and dump hot water all over yourself.  Make sure you research the "Inverted Press" method.

I keep a Moka pot at home and use it on the weekends.  They're also cheap, made in Italy, and make a nice espresso, as long as you keep an eye on the stove and don't burn it.  My one gripe is that the design requires you to hand-dry it.  There are lips and recesses inside that trap water if you leave it  upside-down on a drying rack.  I'm not an engineer, but this was a lazy design is almost annoying enough to make start looking for another brand (almost).

Getting the amount of fresh grounds is probably the most important thing. Fresh ground makes all the difference.  I'd also recommend that for people who like strong coffee (me), it doesn't have to be dark roast.  Lighter roasts can have just as much flavor, as long as you use enough grounds.

I use a regular drip coffeemaker on most days. It has a single-cup feature w/ a wire filter, and also has a regular 12-cup function.  It's OK, but I used to have a 4-cup Mr Coffee machine that made the BEST cups...tough to duplicate and the replacement I bought just wasn't as good.

As far as brands go...I buy 8'O Clock whole beans whenever it's on BOGO at my local grocery store.  Their Highland blend is OK, the others are passable. It's not great, but it's better than the pregrounds stuff, and the whole-bean selection at my local grocery store is almost non-existent (gripe).   Lots of people complain about Starbucks "burning" their beans...but I like most of their darker blends.  Based on the amount of coffee I drink, buying from a boutique roaster regularly would be cost-prohibitive.

I've been contemplating roasting my own beans, but I was a bit surprised to learn that unless you're buying in bulk it's probably cheaper to buy your beans from a professional roaster.  The per lb. prices for raw beans is pretty  close to retail. Unless you're buying dozens of pounds at once, there can't be much of a margin in that business.

As far as brands go, Trader Joe's was my go-to for years.  The nearest one adds at least 30 minutes to my commute, so I rarerely buy it anymore.  Their Ultra Dark Sumatra and Ethiopian Yourgashef (Sp?) blends used to be great. 

I've wanted to try an Aeropress for a while.  Weekdays is a Cuisnart drip coffee maker.  You can set it to grind right before it turns on to make coffee.  It has three "strength" settings, but no matter how you set it, it won't make strong enough coffee unless you pour in less water than it calls for.  Weekends we use a French press.

We have Lucky's market pretty close to home.  It was walking distance from our old house.  Their bulk coffee is pretty good, and much cheaper than anything comparable that I've found.  Lots of variety too.

Ovid_and_Flem said:

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

How do you brew?  French press?

And anyone here use old school percolaters?

I have the drip machine at home. I have the French Press at work. I refuse to use the Keurig machine there- the waste factor seems too large, and the reusable K-Cup attachment doesn't hold enough coffee for a good sized mug.

Percolators are neat- I've not used one in forever, though. My grandparents used one. 

If you want to really get into it go over to CoffeeGeek dotcom those guys are WAY picky about how to brew their joe. I’m more picky about it than most people are but then I go over there and find out I ain’t very geeky yet 

Brett_Murphy said:

I have the drip machine at home. I have the French Press at work. I refuse to use the Keurig machine there- the waste factor seems too large, and the reusable K-Cup attachment doesn't hold enough coffee for a good sized mug.
 

The regular K-cups don't hold enough coffee for a good sized mug either.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

I used to french-press at work and on weekends. The challenge w/French press is that cleanup can be a pain.  I've grown too many science projects by being lax with cleanup.  

One of the nicest things about the Aeropress is that the rubber plunger wipes it clean when you press.  Cleanup takes less than 10 seconds after you brew. 

The other disadvantage to the french press is that paper filters actually remove some potentially harmful chemicals.  I've read a few academic papers that show coffee made without a paper filter (french press) undergoes a chemical reaction creates some known carcinogens once it sits at room temperature. My sister is a scientist and chided me about my french press habit.  I used to press a pot and sip it throughout the day.  

Cleanup is a pain with the French Press, I'll give you that.

Now you have me wanting to try an Aeropress.

That stuff has been my go-to "American" coffee lately. It's really good and you can find it pretty much anywhere.

I have two methods of making coffee: a dreaded Keurig 2.0 (more on that thing in a few) and a decent sized Bialetti Moka pot for when we have my relatives down or the occasional Espresso.

Growing up in a very Italian household means that Espresso was the standard. Hell, we didn't have a drip machine until I bought one as a teenager! My dad had an old-school wood and cast iron crank handle coffee grinder that he used to grind up beans, or he would buy Medaglia d'Oro in the can at the grocery store. He would always say that it was "just ok", and not as good as the stuff that was available in Italy. Any time he or a relative would go to Italy to visit family, they would bring home bricks of this:

Before the internet and eCommerce was a thing, that was basically the only way to get this. Now, he orders cases of this stuff when he needs some! It's hi-octane, old country Espresso. Another funny thing: my dad still doesn't have a drip machine. He upgraded from the old Moka and wooden grind box to some crazy $1000 automated Espresso machine that grinds beans for every cup you make.

Back to that Keurig 2.0... It sucks. It's the product of creating DRM for coffee, and was super annoying to get pods for it at first. It has all sorts of fancy modes, and makes a decent cup if you use pods, but making a travel mug of coffee with a refillable pod has never tasted quite right. When it dies, it will be getting replaced with a drip machine again, maybe one of those Ninja ones or a Bunn.

I’m rocking an old school krups Espresso market for daily use.  With 6 ounces of hot water it is a very nice cup of normal coffee.

 My weekend go to is a French press.  Consume, clean, repeat.  I have similar sleeping kid issues so I do grind ~1/2lb each week into a zip lock for use all week.  

In reply to secretariata :

So how'd ya like it??

In reply to Jay_W :

Not a fan of the dark roasts, confirmed that medium roast is more my speed.  Haven't previously drunk much dark roast other than *bucks burnt coffee...

I made a few pots of the Costa Rican and gave the rest to a coworker.  The Columbian and Signature Blend were/are very nice. I wound up mixing the Columbian with the Lake House blend to tone the Lake House down a bit and that mix was also pretty good.  I kind of wish I had kept some ot the Lake House to see how it works mixed with the Signature Blend, but I finished the Lake House before trying the Signature Blend.  Might order some more Lake House to try that mix before I finish the Signature Blend.

Nice. I have gotten a great deal of entertainment experimenting with different beans and their different roasts....

Im quite happy to see that nobody is defending starbucks in here. That stuff is non-potable. 

In about a year went from drinking about 60oz of coffee and a few teas in a day to dropping caffeine completely. Been off it completely for close to a year now. Feel MUCH better but i do get a bit sad when i smell fresh roasted coffee, soooo gooood. Dont miss the jitters and short fuse it gave me. 

I did 8 oclock for years, was good.  Spent a lot of time in Louisiana and got hooked on Community Breakfast blend. So good when made right. Used to fly home with a suitcase full of it before it was available at local stores. Their decaf is very good too. Accidently got a cup of it once and didnt notice it was decaf until i went back for more. 

Aldi’s morning roast is good. Great cheap standby. Currently what i brew for my wife. She digs it.

always drank black and hot. 

I definitely prefer light roast. But i also preferred the lighter flavors of coffee over the flavor of roasting(over-roasting/starbucks)

In reply to Aaron_King :

Not sure which one you're referencing, I've been pleased with their German Free Trade Regular.

Late to the game (as usual), but how did I miss this thread?  My Instagram name is even whyisthec0ffeegone.

My usual go-to is Dunkin Donuts Turbo (regular with a shot of espresso), I always keep a second bag for variety.  Usually either Hazelnut or Highlander Grog.  Sometimes I go with Starbucks of some flavor, especially if Meijer has it on sale (they seem to rotate every week).

But sometimes I have Cafe Dumonde New Orleans style coffee (has chicory in it).  If you're unfamiliar, make the coffee, put almost half mug of 1/2-1/2 and heat, then add the coffee.  It's a bit foofoo (the term SWMBO coins for her cream and sugar with a side of coffee) without being too foofoo.  Just made some before I head out to a vintage toy show in Fairborn OH.

She tried to get me a Keurig, but I told her I never drink just one cup.  Ever.  So a regular Mr Coffee will do.

sleepyhead said:

I blame this thread for my accidentally buying a pouch of Jacobs instant.

for some reason the "around the corner" market has instant, and ground coffee... and 1 brand of whole bean.  But, crucially, no filters.  At all.

Fortunately, I can now tell you why I don't like instant... or at least Jacobs instant: body and aroma.  There just isn't any body, and the aroma... I can't place it, but it doesn't smell like coffee to me.  It's coffee flavored water, and with the green Jacobs pack, it comes out with a burnt middle-of-the-tongue flavor.  I think the gold is more mild flavor-wise, but still has the lack of body, and same odd aroma thing.

Not to knock Toyman01's taste.  To each their own.  I understand that my own taste isn't for everyone... Afterall, coffe making is just one in another litany of differences I have with sleepywife's father.  

Late to reply. 

What most people call coffee is pretty weak to me. I like extremely strong coffee so I use twice or more of the amount recommended. That adds to the body and flavor. The Gold doesn't get bitter when you double or triple up on the dosage. While it does lack for aroma, I only drink coffee at home on the weekends and don't want to deal with all the paraphernalia before getting on to whatever I have planned for my day. 

At the office we have a Bunn commercial maker that spits out strong coffee quite nicely. Lots of aroma, and stronger than most people can stand. Luckily my business partner and I have similar coffee tastes. 

I'm not what you would call a coffee coinsure. Just give me coffee, strong, heavy cream or at least 1/2 and 1/2, with a touch of sugar and I'll be happy. 

TJL said:

Im quite happy to see that nobody is defending starbucks in here. That stuff is non-potable. 

In about a year went from drinking about 60oz of coffee and a few teas in a day to dropping caffeine completely. Been off it completely for close to a year now. Feel MUCH better but i do get a bit sad when i smell fresh roasted coffee, soooo gooood. Dont miss the jitters and short fuse it gave me. 

I did 8 oclock for years, was good.  Spent a lot of time in Louisiana and got hooked on Community Breakfast blend. So good when made right. Used to fly home with a suitcase full of it before it was available at local stores. Their decaf is very good too. Accidently got a cup of it once and didnt notice it was decaf until i went back for more. 

Aldi’s morning roast is good. Great cheap standby. Currently what i brew for my wife. She digs it.

always drank black and hot. 

I definitely prefer light roast. But i also preferred the lighter flavors of coffee over the flavor of roasting(over-roasting/starbucks)

I don't know if I'd go that hard on Starbucks, but all I ever get there is a large, black House Blend.  I'd definitely call that drinkable.  I just can't afford $3 for them so it's damn rare I cough it up.  I'm somewhat surprised nobody has mentioned Chick Fil A's coffee.  If I'm driving somewhere early in the morning and can be certain of getting a fresh-brewed cup I stop there as I think think it's pretty good.  

Fueled by Caffeine said:

costco kirkland brand roasted by starbucks..

That's what I drink, plus, with a username like that you've got to listen.

I'm probably the only person here who makes and drinks Turkish coffee almost exclusively. Brewed in a larger pot for breakfast (2 ~4oz cups), and smaller for lunch (when I'm home) and after dinner (2 demitasses). I can drink French press if it's made strong enough, and good espresso is fine (and harder to find than you'd think - too many places don't run or maintain their machines properly), but most other coffee is just disappointing and unpleasant.

For beans I've used a bunch of stuff over the years. Fresh ground (burr grinder) is mandatory. Lately I've been buying Coffee Beans Direct Super Dark Espresso and and Medium Roast Espresso and cutting them 50/50. Turkish uses a lot of coffee, so big bags go quickly (airtight storage for the beans, ground immediately before brewing).

purplepeopleeater said:

In reply to Aaron_King :

Not sure which one you're referencing, I've been pleased with their German Free Trade Regular.

 

ALDI has a certain sense of patriotism about their home country. Usually if they have a regular and a "German" version of something, the German version is their higher quality variant.