Coffee

[Remus West]

Anyone know anything about choosing a style of coffee? Grind your own? Buy store ground? How do you make it? French press? Automatic drip?

[hepcat]

I was addicted to Dunkin Donuts coffee for the longest time. Then I got a keurig coffee maker for Christmas and I'm hooked on that now.

Although I wish I wasn't after realizing I'm probably spending more on those damn non-recyclable k-cups.

p.s. if you ever get one, try to find one older than a keurig 2.0. From what I've read, they dicked over customers by adding a security device that only allows you to use "officially approved k-cups" (read: more expensive).

[stimpy]

p.s. if you ever get one, try to find one older than a keurig 2.0. From what I've read, they dicked over customers by adding a security device that only allows you to use "officially approved k-cups" (read: more expensive).

Freedom

[AWS260]

Anyone know anything about choosing a style of coffee?

Go to your local Starbucks or other coffee shop and try to taste a variety (well, maybe skip the decaf). Most places will have at least of couple of different types of beans brewed up. Take notes of what appeals to you, and ask the barista about it -- where it's from, what beans have a similar taste. As long as it's not the morning rush, they'll be happy to talk about it.

Grind your own? Buy store ground?

Buy store ground. You may decide to grind your own later, but I wouldn't invest in a grinder right off the bat.

How do you make it? French press? Automatic drip?

French press. Simple, effective, makes you feel fancy.

[noxiousdog]

French press. And there's a big discussion that took place recently. Even though it's title is espresso, we went around the coffee world.

[Remus West]

Should have been a bit more obvious I guess.

[tiny ogre]

We had a pretty good discussion in the espresso thread (noxiousdog beat me to it)

Some of us roast our own! It's actually easy and will make a bigger difference than all the rest of this list combined else for quality. If you have a place that roasts beans on site you can ask them what's freshest and achieve a similar effect. Probably for a lot more $$$.

Next most important thing is grinding your own. Coffee that's been ground goes stale fast. You should grind it right before you brew it. Burr grinders are better than blade grinders.

Next is finding beans you like. They don't have to be expensive. Trader Joes has some pretty decent beans (but only roasted ones, have to find other sources for green beans)

Finally brewing methods. I have an Aeropress at work and a Bona Vita pour over/immersion thing at home. The Aeropress is my favorite. It lives at work partly because I drink more coffee there and partly because it's smaller and cleaner for break room trips. This is last because there are dozens of ways to brew coffee, and you can make quality coffee with any of them.

[KKBlue]

Why isn't Carpet_pissr chiming in?

[Jeff V]

French press, course grind, usually I grind my own because buy coffee at Trader Joe's but once in a while if I buy at Starbucks, I'll have them grind it appropriately.

I understand the Keurig 3.0 will have an IV option for those of us who don't want to wait for our digestive system to put caffeine into our bloodstream. Until then, I'll wait the 8 minutes it takes to French press (4 minutes to nuke the water, 4 minutes to steep).

[J.D.]

Is the French press option viable for those of us who only need a travel mug portion of coffee in the morning?

[AWS260]

Is the French press option viable for those of us who only need a travel mug portion of coffee in the morning?

Absolutely. Just the appropriately sized French press.

[Jeff V]

Is the French press option viable for those of us who only need a travel mug portion of coffee in the morning?

Mine costs less than $20 at Target, it has the capacity to do 3 standard coffee mugs worth at a time. I make one travel mug (2 standard mugs) and one mug to have with breakfast each morning. The travel mug (sippy thermos) lasts the whole day.

[J.D.]

Is the French press option viable for those of us who only need a travel mug portion of coffee in the morning?

Mine costs less than $20 at Target, it has the capacity to do 3 standard coffee mugs worth at a time. I make one travel mug (2 standard mugs) and one mug to have with breakfast each morning. The travel mug (sippy thermos) lasts the whole day.

You wouldn't happen to know the brand name/model of the one you have, would you?

[jimbo]

You need an AeroPress, combined with one of these grinders. I started using this combination to make single cups of coffee at a time 2 years ago and it has saved me a ton of wasted coffee, and makes the coffee I drink taste much better.

I see that the grinder I linked to is not available, but you can find similarly-sized grinders easily by searching the Google.

It has become a pain in the ass when there are more people than me drinking coffee, but I still have a multi-cup brewing machine stashed away in the closet if it becomes necessary.

[Alefroth]

I roast my own beans and grind according to preparation method. Aeropress, immersion pour-over, and espresso machine get about equal time. Don't care for the French press as I can never eliminate the sludge that gets through.

This is a good article explaining the generalities of the main coffee regions. I used to favor Sumatran beans, but now prefer Java or PNG, and Central American and African beans.

If you get a blend that doesn't list varieties, you'll just have to choose by roast level. Beans with any oil visible won't be optimal as you want that still locked in the bean. Darker roasts you'll obviously taste more of roasty flavors and hide some of the coffee's natural characteristics. The lighter you go, the more acidic, but also brighter and more lively, the cup will be, sometimes to the point of pucker-inducing.

One word of brewing advice- It's always best to brew using a standard coffee to water ratio and diluting with hot water afterwards if you prefer. Using too much water to brew will overextract and make an inferior cup.

[noxiousdog]

Is the French press option viable for those of us who only need a travel mug portion of coffee in the morning?

Mine costs less than $20 at Target, it has the capacity to do 3 standard coffee mugs worth at a time. I make one travel mug (2 standard mugs) and one mug to have with breakfast each morning. The travel mug (sippy thermos) lasts the whole day.

You wouldn't happen to know the brand name/model of the one you have, would you?

Bodum makes a great one, and you'll find it many places including Amazon. I've had one for years now and it's perfect. It runs $20.

edit: It's just tempered glass with a metal filter. Pretty hard to get a bad one methinks.

[Archinerd]

I usually drink pre-ground Peet's Major Dickason's Blend (funny name because I'm immature) made in an automatic drip with mesh basket.
1 heaping spoon per cup of water & an extra spoon or half spoon per pot if I'm in the mood for a bit stronger.

For me it's the perfect balance of taste, affordability and pretentiousness.


I did try grinding it myself for a bit but I didn't care for the taste.
It may have been the cheap grinder I was using though.

[Bad Demographic]

You need an AeroPress, combined with one of these grinders. I started using this combination to make single cups of coffee at a time 2 years ago and it has saved me a ton of wasted coffee, and makes the coffee I drink taste much better.

I see that the grinder I linked to is not available, but you can find similarly-sized grinders easily by searching the Google.

It has become a pain in the ass when there are more people than me drinking coffee, but I still have a multi-cup brewing machine stashed away in the closet if it becomes necessary.

Ditto.
I was surprised by how many of you use the Aeropress. I've had one since, maybe, 2006 and love it. If I need a pot I'll just use my old drip equipment (what you guys are calling "pour over"), but I find the Aeropress coffee noticeably better.
For coffee itself, I buy whole beans. Usually Sumatran (and usually Cameron coffee brand) but will use other varietals and blends for variety. I've found that I also like a dark or medium roast Guatemalan - there's a Guatemalan guy at the St. Paul Farmers' Market who imports and roasts his own. It's a bit pricey but I like it more than "normal" (lighter roast) Guatemalan.
Whether I buy beans or pre-ground, I store my coffee in containers similar to this.

[Carpet_pissr]

Why isn't Carpet_pissr chiming in?

As tiny ogre mentioned, we had a pretty thorough discussion about this not too long ago. But I do love talking about it, I do, so let's do it again!

Coffee? Love it. More please.

[Scuzz]

I prefer to grind my own but usually M-F I use already ground. I make a large thermos mugs worth and take it to work, it will stay hot most of the day.

[Carpet_pissr]

You need an AeroPress, combined with one of these grinders. I started using this combination to make single cups of coffee at a time 2 years ago and it has saved me a ton of wasted coffee, and makes the coffee I drink taste much better.

I see that the grinder I linked to is not available, but you can find similarly-sized grinders easily by searching the Google.

It has become a pain in the ass when there are more people than me drinking coffee, but I still have a multi-cup brewing machine stashed away in the closet if it becomes necessary.

Ditto.
I was surprised by how many of you use the Aeropress. I've had one since, maybe, 2006 and love it. If I need a pot I'll just use my old drip equipment (what you guys are calling "pour over"), but I find the Aeropress coffee noticeably better.
For coffee itself, I buy whole beans. Usually Sumatran (and usually Cameron coffee brand) but will use other varietals and blends for variety. I've found that I also like a dark or medium roast Guatemalan - there's a Guatemalan guy at the St. Paul Farmers' Market who imports and roasts his own. It's a bit pricey but I like it more than "normal" (lighter roast) Guatemalan.
Whether I buy beans or pre-ground, I store my coffee in containers similar to this.

The only real drawback, IMO, for the Aeropress, is that it takes a TON of coffee. If you compare the grounds needed to make an equivalent cup of auto drip, it's significantly more. But given how much smoother the end result is over everything out there that makes coffee (IMHO obviously), it's worth it, and the slight mess and time it takes/makes.

We had some corporate bigwigs in the office 2 weeks ago, and at one point in a break in our meetings, I had them all circled around me in our tiny break room, watching me work my coffee bong. My co-workers already know what I freak I am when it comes to coffee, and one walked in during a 'demo', rolled his eyes as much as humanly possible, I think (probably damaged something), and walked out. Heh. Lots of "oooh!" and "ahhh!" going on that day.

Side note - whenever I introduce the Aeropress to someone, I usually start by asking if they remember the Aerobie, the kick ass frisbee like ring from the 80's that could go for like 2 football fields. 'Well', I plow on, 'the guy that invented that, invented the Aeropress. Cool, huh?'

Now maybe the Aerobie was not very popular everywhere, but I sure remember it being kind of a big deal back in the 80's, in my area. Anyhoo, not one damn person I have told that little anecdote to, had ever heard of the Aerobie. What the hell, people?! So zero out of about 10 people, if not more.

FYI, it's this:

[Turtle]

I'm lucky enough to have Portola's Coffee Lab next to me, a high end coffee place that does a lot of interesting things. Made by the guy who created Peet's Coffee before he sold it to Starbucks.

I usually get espresso there, iced lattes are a favorite in all weather. I also have the pour over, and buy beans for my grind and brew machine. They also make their own cold brews, either a 24 hours immersion, or an expensive 12 hour drip process that brings out an incredible amount of flavor. In all cases, I only like drinking coffee that actually tastes as good as it smells, and this place delivers on that.

Pour over coffee is better than standard brewing machines, you get a helluva lot of control and consistency. But I can't compare it to stuff like french press and so on. It also takes some time and special equipment.

[Remus West]

I had a couple of Aerobie's that I loved. I also remember being on vacation in DC and playing with one in the Mall with a couple girls that had one with them. Good times.

[Bad Demographic]

I remember the Aerobie!

I tried making my own cold press because I thought it would be ideal for taking on our occasional sailing weekends (apparently I'm the only coffee drinker in the bunch), less messy, no need for coffee-making paraphenalia. But I was never able to get the coffee strong enough that, after adding hot water, it wasn't kind of weak. I even let the stuff "brew" for 36 hours. Too bad. It would have been a good solution for sailing and also for when people come over. Maybe I should have let it warm to room temp before adding the hot water?

[gameoverman]

I think the cheapest setup that still allows great coffee is a French press/digital scale/hand cranked burr grinder. No replacement parts or supplies needed, except batteries once in a while for the scale.

You can heat your water on a stove or in a microwave, just take a bit of time to learn how to get it to the proper temp no matter which method you choose.

After that it's all about experimenting until you get your process down. X grams of ground coffee per X ounces of water for X amount of minutes brew time with the burr grinder set to X level of coarse. The scale is needed to verify the amounts, you can't just eyeball this stuff. It needs to be the done the same way every time.

For beans, freshly roasted is best, whole beans of course no matter what. As long as you don't live in the middle of nowhere, you'll have a coffee shop in your area that will sell you the freshly roasted beans they get from their supplier. You can tell when you have good beans. When you open the package do you, or anyone with you, say "MMM, that smells goood"? If so, good beans. If you open the package and get a vague whiff of coffee, not so good.

[YellowKing]

I recently ditched our Keurig after 2-3 years of constant use. It was our second and just died on us. I was getting kind of irritated with it for several months, however. My love for actual good coffee started outweighing my love of convenience.

Because the Keurig 2.0 got terrible reviews, we decided to just go back to a good old-fashioned coffee maker. I bought a really nice one and we juggle between pre-ground beans and grinding our own, depending on supply on hand and time.

So far I'm really happy ditching the K-Cups. The coffee's better, there's less trash, and it doesn't really take much extra effort.

[Grundbegriff]

French press.
Mill is a Hario adjustable ceramic burr grinder.

[Yog-Sothoth]

The only real drawback, IMO, for the Aeropress, is that it takes a TON of coffee. If you compare the grounds needed to make an equivalent cup of auto drip, it's significantly more. But given how much smoother the end result is over everything out there that makes coffee (IMHO obviously), it's worth it, and the slight mess and time it takes/makes.

This is spot on. My wife goes to Vegas occasionally and gushes about the coffee at some place called Buchon which has mystically good coffee.
I've long wondered about getting an AeroPress, so my wife decides to get me one. She thought it would just be a gizmo.
Four days later I come into the kitchen and find that our old coffeemaker (a Cuisinart, pretty good really) has been moved to the pantry.

It does use more coffee, and it takes a bit more time, but it is pretty awesome.

[Pyperkub]

For me - I have no problem grinding fresh beans in the morning and brewing a pot of coffee.

I always found the French Press to be too much of a pain in the ass. I don't like boiling water and I don't like trying to get a decent press, and I don't like how messy it can get and I don't like cleaning it.

I like a programmable drip coffee maker.

[wonderpug]

I always found the French Press to be too much of a pain in the ass. I don't like boiling water and I don't like trying to get a decent press, and I don't like how messy it can get and I don't like cleaning it.

The Clever Coffee Dripper sounds cheesy, but it gives you 95% of the taste of a French press but with a 5 second cleanup.



You put an ordinary #4 filter in it, put in coarse grounds just like with a French press, pour over your hot water, then wait the same amount of time. At the end, instead of pressing a metal filter through to separate the drink from the grounds, you place the contraption on top of your cup and a valve opens to let it drain through the filter. To clean, toss the filter and give it a rinse.

The filter will block some of the lovely coffee oils that French press coffee lets through, but the taste is almost the same.

As for the hassle of boiling water, an electric kettle makes a big difference for that. You can boil it quicker and not worry about leaving the stove attended.

[Jeff V]

Those oils are where the antioxidants are that make coffee such a healthy beverage.

[wonderpug]

Those oils are where the antioxidants are that make coffee such a healthy beverage.

If he's using a drip maker, he's not getting those oils anyhow. I'm personally more interested in the taste of the oils than the health benefits, but it's still hard to reach for the French press over the Clever Coffee Dripper when I think of the difference in cleanup time and effort.

[Roman]

I use my Keurig 1.0 daily. I'm not a huge coffee drinker is the reason behind it. Sure the hippies are all up in arms about the inability to recycle but:

I have one cup Monday-Friday while getting ready for work and 2 cups on the weekend. I will admit that I am challenged when it comes to standard coffee makers and getting the right ratio between coffee and water ALL for 1-2 cups . Keurig just makes sense.

When I want to jazz it up and impress myself and friends I also have a Nespresso https://www.nespresso.com/us/de/order/m ... sine-black for cappuccinos etc etc.

[Zarathud]

When I need coffee, preparation for taste requires too much concentration. Afterwards, I either have a freshly brewed pot that's good enough or I'll drink something else.

[Pyperkub]

I always found the French Press to be too much of a pain in the ass. I don't like boiling water and I don't like trying to get a decent press, and I don't like how messy it can get and I don't like cleaning it.

The Clever Coffee Dripper sounds cheesy, but it gives you 95% of the taste of a French press but with a 5 second cleanup.



You put an ordinary #4 filter in it, put in coarse grounds just like with a French press, pour over your hot water, then wait the same amount of time. At the end, instead of pressing a metal filter through to separate the drink from the grounds, you place the contraption on top of your cup and a valve opens to let it drain through the filter. To clean, toss the filter and give it a rinse.

The filter will block some of the lovely coffee oils that French press coffee lets through, but the taste is almost the same.

As for the hassle of boiling water, an electric kettle makes a big difference for that. You can boil it quicker and not worry about leaving the stove attended.

Check me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the drip coffee makers with metallic reusable filters don't have as much of a problem with the oils.

[Jeff V]

As for the hassle of boiling water, an electric kettle makes a big difference for that. You can boil it quicker and not worry about leaving the stove attended.

In civilized parts of the world, we use this new-fangled device called a "microwave" to rapidly heat water.

[wonderpug]

Check me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the drip coffee makers with metallic reusable filters don't have as much of a problem with the oils.

I think that's correct. It's paper filters that block the oils.

[wonderpug]

As for the hassle of boiling water, an electric kettle makes a big difference for that. You can boil it quicker and not worry about leaving the stove attended.

In civilized parts of the world, we use this new-fangled device called a "microwave" to rapidly heat water.

You can go down quite the little internet rabbit hole Googling "electric kettle vs. microwave vs. stove" studies and tests. Generally, people seem to agree that the microwave is a wee bit faster than an electric kettle, but the electric kettle is a good bit more energy efficient. Stovetop water heating falls to 3rd place for both speed and energy efficiency.

[The Meal]

As for the hassle of boiling water, an electric kettle makes a big difference for that. You can boil it quicker and not worry about leaving the stove attended.

In civilized parts of the world, we use this new-fangled device called a "microwave" to rapidly heat water.

And your mug (or whatever vessel you've put your water into)!

I was a µwave believer until someone brought an electric kettle into work. After using both the kettle is vastly preferred. I'm especially happy to not be grabbing a (sometimes molten) hot mug handle any longer (depending on the make-up of the ceramic in the mug).

[Isgrimnur]

µwave

If that were any more pretentious, it'd be French.

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