mr_bunny: I love my franch press.

Is that part of the international language?
You know, the international language?

Love. Love!!!

StrangeQ: /seriously, you guys are like the wine snobs that have been shown to be unable to tell the difference between a $1000 bottle of 100 year old vintage and a $5 box just pulled off the shelf the day before.

The really good guys (i.e. the ones that get paid for that) can. Us Joe Schmoes? Not so much. I've discovered my wine ceiling is around 20-25 bucks. That amount of cash will bring you anywhere between great to superb wine in this country. I've had 100 buck bottles, and all I've been able to say is "this is damn good, but I can't tell it's better than the 20 buck one, only that it's different". A good thing to know about oneself :)

Starbucks doesn't make coffee.



/obscure?

shivashakti: But if you're just going to put milk and sugar and flavor syrups and make some sort of a latte, it's a waste to use really good coffee. Really good coffee should (in my opinion) be drunk black. Why? Because milk or cream or soy milk changes the flavor of coffee. Flavor syrups do as well. You wouldn't go to Ruth's Chris and cover your $50 piece of steak with A1 or ketchup, would you? Same principle. It's not about being snobby. It's just a matter of being able to experience a higher quality of coffee. That doesn't make you a better person to experience it or a worse person to miss out. Like I said, coffee shouldn't be a status symbol.

I mean, if milk and sugar is the way you like your coffee. That's awesome. Enjoy what you enjoy. But I personally don't understand why you'd want to take a higher pr ...

There are multiple schools of thought on this. The purists of course think that it should be black, but some experts think that the real coffee flavors are actually brought out by adding sugar and cream (in reasonable amounts). Some advocate creamers only, some advocate sugar only. Same thing with tea, except there's a lemon faction in there.

It's like a cigar salesman told me once, the best cigar you'll ever have is the one you enjoy the most. And it cost $3.75. Maybe I have pedestrian tastes. Who the fark cares? I eat/drink what I like, you can keep the high end guys in business, and everyone is happy.

AbbeySomeone: Mr Tumnus: It's better than that. There are whole beans everywhere in the first two pictures. Then once he pushes down the plunger on the french press, the beans are gone. Did he put them in his cup? Did he eat them whole? Where did they go?

I think it's asinine that Starbucks charges $12-20 for a pound of coffee and the CEO tells people the bag goes bad a week after opening. What normal household can go through a pound of coffee every week?

Um, we do but I don't buy Starbucks. I get an organic French Roast that is 11 per lb. French press is the only way to make a decent cup of coffee.

While I might take issue with the last sentence, we also go through somewhere around a pound a week of French Roast (Papanicholas).

StrangeQ: kidgenius: StrangeQ: JWideman: It's the grinder that's the expensive part. You can't really get a good one for under $100.

Really? Because I bought one for $15 at walmart that seems to work just fine.

The poster you linked was referring to a burr grinder most likely. And a burr grinder will give you a far more consistent grind than that bladed model you picked up at walmart for less than a Jackson.

And yet, when I pour it in the filter, fill the resevoir with water and push the "on" button, I still somehow manage to end up with a black, oily liquid in the pot that smells and tastes like the substance known as "coffee".

/seriously, you guys are like the wine snobs that have been shown to be unable to tell the difference between a $1000 bottle of 100 year old vintage and a $5 box just pulled off the shelf the day before.

Notice I said consistent, not better. I'm not a coffee drinker actually.

French presses really are great. I have an 8 cup Bodum too and I'll never go back to a machine. They're cheap and easy to clean. I don't use my espresso machine nearly as often, good thing I bought it used for $40.

Also, I highly recommend microwaving the milk for about 45 seconds before you add the coffee, it makes even lowfat milk seem richer.

AbbeySomeone: Fizpez: I'm guessing he would be unimpressed by me using those huge cans of pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell house in my Mr. Coffee. Probably takes at least 2 weeks to a month to use a can from opening - oh and I use artificial sweetener and Coffeemate French Vanilla in their as well. Then again I don't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks about how I take my morning caffeine delivery device.

You sound poor and bitter.

I like my women like I like my coffee: poor and bitter.

That's pretty much exactly how I brew my coffee, except:

Let your filtered water reach a rolling boil before you pour it in.

After it boils I let it cool down for about 20 seconds before I pour it into the press. If the water is too hot the coffee will taste acidic.

Also, I use a hand crank burr grinder to get the coarse grind.

Kicking Horse Coffee (new window)

All you will ever need.
There's a great "how to make good coffee at home" tutorial as well that makes Mr. Schultz sound like a putz.

It's a cup of coffee, not a Kama Sutra position.

Mr Tumnus: I think it's asinine that Starbucks charges $12-20 for a pound of coffee and the CEO tells people the bag goes bad a week after opening. What normal household can go through a pound of coffee every week?

You don't have to buy a pound a week. Go to Whole Foods and buy as much or as little as you want -- you can scoop it yourself. I usually go with half a pound. And in general, Whole Foods offers the best bang for your buck. New beans are put out daily, they date when the beans were put out, and prices range from $8.99 to $14.99/lb.

AbbeySomeone: French press is the only way to make a decent cup of coffee.

Agreed. Those Bialetti stove top things are good as well. I personally don't like drip coffee all that much unless I'm having it at a diner alongside a greasy hangover breakfast. We all have our preferred methods. Heck, my dad drinks Foldger's that is brewed so weak it looks like tea. But, dammit, he likes it that way.

AbbeySomeone:
Um, we do but I don't buy Starbucks. I get an organic French Roast that is 11 per lb. French press is the only way to make a decent cup of coffee.

Do you eat your steak well done too?

Pick: I probably should not give this away, but I have found some of the tastiest coffee for a buck a bag at the local Dollar Store. A bag makes about 3 pots.

mr_bunny: Yeah, but it is 30% sticks, leaves and dried bug parts by volume.

CSB ... I came back from Jamaica a few years ago with bags of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee for several friends. They were all happy about it until a few of them f#cked up their coffee grinders with the rocks that had been mixed in with the beans for added weight.

My coffee grinder doubles as a weed grinder. It gives the beans a skunky richness.

ChubbyTiger: thorazine.

Ooh, does that come in sugar-free syrup with a pump? How do I request that in Starbuckstalian?

Fizpez: I'm guessing he would be unimpressed by me using those huge cans of pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell house in my Mr. Coffee. Probably takes at least 2 weeks to a month to use a can from opening - oh and I use artificial sweetener and Coffeemate French Vanilla in their as well. Then again I don't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks about how I take my morning caffeine delivery device.

Life is too short to drink crappy coffee.

If you're brewing your own coffee, it's a pretty cheap habit. A mug is about 12 oz of water, which only requires 3 to 4 tablespoons of beans. So there are about 75 tablespoons of coffee beans in a pound of coffee -- a 10.99/lb pound of coffee would yield 25 mugs at $0.44 each. One mug a day would be $160/year.

DJ_Swammi: Perfect coffee you say?

Try one of these:

[a248.e.akamai.net image 200x200]

/Turkish coffee FTW

Aw, yes. Turkish coffee is so damn good. There used to be a little cafe in my hometown that served the best Turkish coffee. Now I have to find a place that makes it around here.

EvilEgg: Let your filtered water reach a rolling boil before you pour it in.

No, if you do that you over extract and the brew becomes bitter and nasty.

I.E. Starbucks coffee. All makes sense no don't it?

AbbeySomeone

What is the likelihood of Folgers drinkers that think white zinfandel in a box is wine?

It is, bad wine is still wine.

Secret Polish Boyfriend: Plissken: I've been a coffee drinker for decades. My favorite by a good margin is called a Peaberry coffee which is a trellace grown bean from HI. Not a blend; it's just a high quality Kona coffee. I use the French press when I have this stuff in the house. It's quite expensive per lb, but worth it if you're not wasteful. Smoothest, yet richest, coffee I've ever had. I suggest every serious coffee fan at least tries a well-brewed 100% Kona.
Second favorite for me, outside of a couple of nice coffee house brews, are the nice K Cup roasts. There are a few , and if you don't mind clearing out the little cups, the plastic is recyclable (at least I have heard it is.)

Just switched over to a Keurig ("Elite", if it makes a difference) as my beloved Senseo pods are not readily available anymore. Any suggestions? I've really enjoyed Green Mountain's Newman's Own Special Blend (biatch of a name, though), but overall remain unimpressed with the coffee. I tend to like medium roasts, or relative to Starbucks, unroasted, probably still on the tree.

The Keurig is great, but the Senseo was superior IMHO. I've thought about getting a real espresso setup (burr grinder and decent machine), but I don't want to encourage my already horrible caffeine dependency (I'm not an addict, it's cool, I feel aliiiiiive).

Try Coffee People's Tree Hugger. Dumb name, but a fine cup of coffee.
Buy a half lb of 100% medium roast Kona from someone like Bong Bros or Kona Joe for your French press for the weekends. Considering your taste preferences, I think you'll be most pleased.

StrangeQ: JWideman: It's the grinder that's the expensive part. You can't really get a good one for under $100.

Really? Because I bought one for $15 at walmart that seems to work just fine.

Dust and boulders. It's alright if you don't mind the first sip being weak and the last being full of grinds.

Starbucks burns their beans and grinds them too finely. Therefore, their coffee always tastes burnt and there are fines in the bottom of the cup. I can do better, so I do.

GOB: thamike: Y

I actually like Starbucks and I will order small medium or large instead of venti or whatever simply because I know what that means, and the cashier knows what that means. That's sort of the point of speaking a common language. There's no need for me to use a different language at Starbucks than I would at any other coffee shop.

This is a fun thread :)

I also like Starbucks, although not so much that I seek them out if there's something else closer (I do have a soft spot for Tim Hortons). It's a moot point for me most of the time since my stupid little town only has a DD, or if you want to go in, Wegmans has a decent coffee counter. Mostly I just make it at home; even if we did have those others, I'm on a strict budget right now since the ebay business hasn't done much.

I'll agree that the French Press method makes a good cup, but I only do that when camping or traveling because it also makes a MUCH stronger brew, and if I have too much caffeine in a day I start getting headaches. So the normal method is fine and I have 2-3 cups of that a day. Back in my early 20s it was a different story but I got sick of the annual detox after the Christmas retail season.

As for coffee brand at home, years ago I got suckered into trying Boca Java coffee club - you might recall seeing them as one of those offers you sign up for to get a free laptop etc. Well anyway, I've been a loyal customer for over seven years now. I don't know what it is about their flavored roasts, maybe it's just the 100% Arabica they say they use, but most other coffees can't measure up. And no, I'm not a corporate shill or anything like that; I was quite upset when they suddenly went out of business for about two months due to bad management. Long story short they were bought out and the head roaster moved to Denver to work for the new owners, so my coffee supply was only briefly interrupted.

While I do normally like some half & half in my coffee, the only other thing I use is a small amount of maple syrup, and not every day. Boca Java is pretty much the only coffee I've ever enjoyed black, also, although it's not my preferred method.

Someone else mentioned Community Coffee; my FIL gets that every so often but he always gets the stuff with Chicory which is drinkable but slightly more bitter than I like, so we usually cut it with some Arabica or just try to burn through the pound he gives us every Christmas. It's still a pretty good cup of coffee though.

I really do apologize if that sounds like a massive pitch for the coffee club; when I was researching their weird disappearance I came across a lot of angry people who'd had trouble cancelling their memberships or something - but it seems it was their overlord company that was causing a lot of the problems. In all seriousness I've been getting regular orders since 2004ish and only once had a problem, which they fixed with a new bag of coffee. I'm also a fan of their 'million cup' program - they send coffee to the troops in Iraq and Afganistan.

If anyone actually read this far, say 'kumquat'...

stainpouch: Starbucks burns their beans

They've come out with a "blonde roast" for people like you who can't stand the taste of stronger coffees (weenies).

and grinds them too finely

No they don't. If you get a cup and there's grinds at the bottom then the particular store you went to has issues, not the company itself. Of course you can still take your business elsewhere if that's an issue, or you can approach them and say "Hey I paid good money for this and I don't think I should have grinds, may you make it better?", or you can go to a different store. But don't pretend like it's a company thing.

Babwa Wawa: thamike: Yet another thread about how awful Starbucks is, consisting of the six guys who have been to the six Starbucks that serve scorched coffee (if there are that many), and who think they are Real 'Merkin for saying "large" or "small" to the "cashier." Go to the gas station and eat a churro in the bathroom, you potatoheads.

Yet another thread about people who care way too much about an inane topic.

Hi, welcome to Fark. Have you been here before?

No, that's not the case--it's the same in every starbucks I've ever visited--including the original Seattle store. They burn the beans and grind them too fine. Their coffee is burnt and muddy.

wyltoknow: They've come out with a "blonde roast" for people like you who can't stand the taste of stronger coffees (weenies).

Burned is burned. There's nothing "strong" about burned beans. Tell you what, serve up someone burned ribs and tell them it's "Strong BBQ" and see what happens.

Peets makes shiat 10x stronger than anything at SB, and amazingly it doesn't taste like charcoal.

Good beans, roasted to between a City Roast and Vienna Roast.
(shows "origin character" of beans, along with "roast character")
Good water, between 190ºF and 200ºF
French press.
Serve at 165ºF to 185ºF


Not crappy overburnt "3rd crack" beans, stewed in the ballsweat of a bitter French street poet, served at the temperature of nuclear reactor core steam...

Came for references to Gale Boetticher's coffee.

thornhill: Fizpez: I'm guessing he would be unimpressed by me using those huge cans of pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell house in my Mr. Coffee. Probably takes at least 2 weeks to a month to use a can from opening - oh and I use artificial sweetener and Coffeemate French Vanilla in their as well. Then again I don't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks about how I take my morning caffeine delivery device.

Life is too short to drink crappy coffee.

If you're brewing your own coffee, it's a pretty cheap habit. A mug is about 12 oz of water, which only requires 3 to 4 tablespoons of beans. So there are about 75 tablespoons of coffee beans in a pound of coffee -- a 10.99/lb pound of coffee would yield 25 mugs at $0.44 each. One mug a day would be $160/year.

I got a lot of play out of my post (as I knew I would) but I really do drink it that way - my morning mug or two is a way to 1) Inject caffeine into my system and 2) wash down my peanut butter and butter toast with something that tastes "good" to me.

As far as the cost goes, I agree with you 100% but the way I sweeten and flavor my coffee would probably be a crime in some other peoples minds and (honestly) it probably would ruin perfectly great coffee. I view my coffee habits the way some people view drinking alcohol. That 15 year old single malt scotch is great (if you like that kind of thing) for sipping straight but if you're dumping it into Mountain Dew any old swill will get the job done at a fraction of the cost.

Mr Tumnus: It's better than that. There are whole beans everywhere in the first two pictures. Then once he pushes down the plunger on the french press, the beans are gone. Did he put them in his cup? Did he eat them whole? Where did they go?

I think it's asinine that Starbucks charges $12-20 for a pound of coffee and the CEO tells people the bag goes bad a week after opening. What normal household can go through a pound of coffee every week?

The same household that can afford to pay $5 for a cup at Starbucks.

The office my company had me at a few years ago for some reason had me order their coffee. At first they had the K-cup machines, so everyone and their mother wanted their own special order flavor. I had a supply closet full of the garbage my predecessor bought. Mountains of K-cups, all different flavors. I didnt order much after I took over I just used what we had because I knew when the office moved they were not taking the machines with them. They were swiching over to filters and some generic blend of coffee. All after the move was coffee or decaf, they had a vanilla creamer and hazelnut plus the powder cream.
I swear the most complints I got were about the coffee all damn day emails "Is this it?" "where are the flavors". IT was bad enough listening to them tell me how K-cups arent "real coffee" . They flipped their shiat when we went to the generic stuff. Funniest thing was some people found out about the K-cup machines going bye bye so they got into the supply room and liberated as much as they could carry. The person who was in charge of me was pissed and put me under the 3rd degree about 4 times asking me what I did with it. Glad I am out of there.

moralpanic: The same household that can afford to pay $5 for a cup at Starbucks.

I don't know what you're buying, but my aforementioned large vanilla double shot over ice is only $2.85 each morning including tax. That's 5 shots of espresso, syrup and half and half.

ZureaL: I don't know what you're buying, but my aforementioned large vanilla double shot over ice is only $2.85 each morning including tax. That's 5 shots of espresso, syrup and half and half.

And my favorite tall drip coffee is $1.79 at starbucks. I tip a buck because I'm a nice guy and still don't scare the $3 mark. Yeah, you can get a $5 cup of coffee at starbucks if you want, but I don't know why anyone would. It's just something people say to be obstinate I guess.

I grind cacao nibs with my coffee beans (don't care, long as it's strong) and boil it on the stove with my butter melting pot.



/hot like my coffee coco boiling around 200°
//oh yeah. blade grinder. I'd hate to think what the cacao would do to a burr grinder.
///slashies! (new window)

Is this the thread where people talk about how bad Starbucks coffee is and how they're content to drink coffee that's $.50-$1.00 cheaper.

Way to show them guys! Everyone really cares about that!

KrispyKritter: Fizpez: I'm guessing he would be unimpressed by me using those huge cans of pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell house in my Mr. Coffee. Probably takes at least 2 weeks to a month to use a can from opening - oh and I use artificial sweetener and Coffeemate French Vanilla in their as well. Then again I don't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks about how I take my morning caffeine delivery device.

but if you don't use lots of expensive equipment which requires multiple steps and lots of time, plus pricey beans you can brag about as well as a PITA method you've perfected you lose the entire dooshbag factor. what good is a cup of morning joe without the doosh?

A French Press is expensive? $10-$30 tops!

abadabba: Just make sure you grind your own beans right before brewing that will bring your coffee to a whole different level. After that you can split hairs over how to make it.

Word

Aeropress ($30)

I prefer this to a French Press because you use a finer and more even grind of the beans. This results in a more evenly brewed cup with less acid and bitter tannins.

I keep a log of water temps for different beans. Most are within 177-190 degrees. Steeping time and water temperature determine the balance of bitterness to body of flavor.

First week after roast is the best week. The Whole Foods near me roasts their own pretty well, and very importantly, puts a roasting date on the bulk container. Beans over a week old have lost the best and most volatile flavor oils to evaporation. I do not drink that much actually, so I only purchase a small scoop at a time.

The most expensive thing to own a grinder. Cheap grinders don't grind evenly and are difficult to clean - you don't want to mix old grind with fresh.

For you French Press fans when your bodum mesh filter craps out...Oxo French Press...love it, highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Grips-8-Cup-French-Press-34-Ounce/dp/B005LXOIY0 / ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334596840&sr=8-1

We have a Keurig machine at work, and I've been buying Paul Newman blends. Green Mountain is pretty good, too.