A Thread About COFFEE

[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! )

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!

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.

Vigano Espresso Maker - 12 cup.jpg Lavazza Espresso.jpg

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!

[Greg]

I like Starbucks

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.

Dos-Equis-Man-239x300.jpg

[trurl]

Dos-Equis-Man-239x300.jpg

Yeah, pretty much *lol*

[Amy]

Starbucks makes one hell of a caffe mocha.

[Don Arnold]

Starbucks makes one hell of a caffe mocha.

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:



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 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.

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]