| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Good Coffee In 1980, I went to Kenya and was there for almost 6 months. While I was there, I really got to like the locally grown coffee. I wasn’t a big coffee drinker, I would usually have one or maybe two cups a day, and that would be at Breakfast. But the Kenyan coffee was one of the high points of my trip. Before I went to Africa and after I got back, I just used instant coffee. (I favored Taster’s Choice) I couldn’t be bothered to go to a lot of trouble to just make one cup of coffee. Plus, Instant was less wasteful. However, a few years after my trip, I wound up splitting a large apartment with three other guys. One of my room mates worked as a Meat Cutter for Bread & Circus, a local chain of organic foods. He told me that the store had whole bean Kenya coffee. So, I would go down to the store, fill a little brown paper bag with coffee beans, Dump them in the Grinder and bring home a bag of very tasty coffee. I discovered that coffee tends to lose its flavor over time when you grind it. After a week or so, the coffee didn’t taste quite as good as it did on the day I bought it. So I tended to buy smaller bags. This went on for a while and I was happy with the coffee, but then my brother Tony gave me a little electric grinder for Christmas. Now, the coffee tasted good all the time. I’ve been drinking Kenya coffee since. Over the years, I’ve tried assorted other varieties of coffee. Some were good, some I didn’t really care for, but no matter how good the different coffees tasted, I always preferred Kenya. Now, my Birthday was last week and I like to treat myself on my Birthday This year, in spite of being flat broke, I was pretty lavish. (ain’t credit cards nice?). I went down to the Whole Foods Market in Wayland and got myself a 14 oz. Grass Fed Rib Eye steak. I also got a Huge (18 oz.!) Yukon Gold potato (which I baked in the oven) Then I got an Alden Merrell Raspberry Torte which is a combination of 2 layers of very rich chocolate cake with a thin layer of raspberry jelly on top of each, with a layer of cheesecake in between the two and covered with a fudge frosting that requires a heated knife to cut. Each slice is about a brazilian calories, and tastes heavenly. Especially with a cup or two of good coffee. I had heard about a coffee shop that was owned by a great coffee aficionado, George Howell. They sell Artisan coffees, and they had two varieties of Kenya coffee, both priced exorbitantly. I’d been wanting to go there for a couple of months, but I couldn’t justify the expense. Since it was my Birthday, I said the hell with it and went over to Newton and decided to splurge on myself. I read the descriptions and I bought a 12 oz. bag of super duper wondrous hand picked and sorted extra delightful Umgwanakickbooty (Actually, it’s Mamuto AA) Kenya coffee for $28.00. I’m worth twenty eight bucks, and I figured it would be the topper for my Birthday celebration. I decided that I’d check out this Great Coffee the day before my Birthday. After all, I wanted to make sure of it, right? (Bullshit; I just couldn’t wait the extra day). So I brewed a small pot. To cut to the chase, it sucked. Maybe if I was a connoisseur of fine coffee, I’d appreciate it, but to me it tasted pretty lame. Now, I had the problem of what to do with it. After spending $28.00, I wouldn’t just throw it out; but it wasn’t enjoyable for me to drink it. So, since it had a very mild flavor, I started mixing it with my usual Kenya beans that I get from Starbucks. At about a 3:1 (3 Starbucks, 1 Howell) ratio it tastes pretty good. It smoothes the Starbucks a bit and it actually makes it taste better. I’ll be drinking that mix until the expensive shit runs out. Maybe if I were to get into blending beans, I could come up the perfect coffee? I don’t believe I really want to go to that much trouble, though and I don’t think that I’ll buy any more of it. Sometimes the more expensive stuff isn’t better. Sometimes it’s just more expensive. The steak, potato and cake were all worth the price, however; and they all tasted wonderful. (Message edited by Crusty on October 01, 2014) | ||
| Court |
I agreed. I generally use an Aeropress and, lately . . . , have been using HEART coffee imported from Portland. The other that I have in quantity . . . (it's the grandkids school fund raiser, so I buy like 20 bags and freeze them) is JONES from Pasadena. Both are dandy coffee. But . . . well, in my sunset years . . . I am lazy so for "daily consumption" (about 15 cups a day) I buy cases of Keurig Dark Magic from Costco online. I'm willing to gracefully (kinda) surrender a number of wonderful vices . . . but, alas, not coffee. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Fifteen cups a day! Court you must be permanently wired. For my daily morning coffee when I'm home I have a 1 cup filter machine and I use Grand-Mere that got smuggled in with the furniture. | ||
| 46champ |
So Grumpy how long does your stash hold out? Then what are you going to do buy Folgers. | ||
| Hootowl |
I drink Folgers decaf in the green plastic bucket. A coffee snob, I'm not. | ||
| Jaimec |
Tim Horton's, FTW! | ||
| Xdigitalx |
My new #1 morning go-to coffee is Emeril's Big and Bold. (2-3 cups) Then I switch between Newman's Own Special Blend Coffee, Sumatran Reserve Extra Bold Coffee or some Dark magic for the rest of the morning. Nothing after noon, but usually have a cup or two again between 5-7pm. I have too many coffee makers collecting dust... Kcup makes it too easy to enjoy good coffee. I try to grind and brew on the weekends but it doesn't always work out that way. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Stash should last awhile, got over a kilo. I'm the only one who drinks it & half the time I'm away. When I can't get the Grand Mere I use Lavazza Crema di Gusto as a very acceptable substitute. | ||
| 86129squids |
Good subject- as I type this, my honey is bringing me a fresh cuppa Joe! I went through the Starbucks whole bean thing for a while, actually found a grocery wholesaler who sold it half-price, pretty good deal there. We use a local roaster at the restaurant I work at, very nice flavor, with perfect strength. We've been using a Kroger house brand whole bean for years now, called "Spotlight", it's a French roast, and we drink it black. For a 12 cup pot, we use a little over 6 small scoops, and it brews great almost every time! For "cheap" coffee, it's pretty dang good. When I traveled through Nashvegas more regularly, there was/is a coffeeshop called Fido, over in the Hillsboro Village area- I'd make a stop there and buy a couple of bags. Plus, it had the added benefit of being right between Vanderbilt and Belmont universities, so there were LOTS of pretty college girls to look at... I'm with Court- I'd give up everything but my morning Java! | ||
| 86129squids |
Oh, and most of us have seen "The Bucket List", or have heard of Kopi Luwak coffee... allow me to take you to the NEXT level: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/20/340154 271/no-1-most-expensive-coffee-comes-from-elephant s-no-2 | ||
| Xb9er |
I'm a coffee snob. My brand of choice is "Jittery Joes." They're a local roasting company out of Athens, GA. Awesome coffee by awesome people (I know their head roaster). | ||
| Jaimec |
Two favorites: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Wish-Coffee-Strongest- Organic/dp/B006CQ1ZHI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8 &qid=1412187475&sr=1-1&keywords=death+wish+coffee http://www.amazon.com/Wake-FUp-Uncensored-Coffee-O riginal/dp/B00BECLJPI/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8 &qid=1412187515&sr=1-1&keywords=wake+the+f+up+coff ee | ||
| Brumbear |
Jacobs !!! | ||
| Crusty |
Jaime; if you like that coffee, you might like this hot sauce http://www.hotsaucedepot.com/One-Fking-drop-at-a-T ime-4oz-P563.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQjwzK6hBRCbzLz_r_f-3t kBEiQA-zyWsBnVRnHpTF4pTehwxUpQ8mi95ClKjOHw6aKRudX3 twoaAtAa8P8HAQ And, if you aren't in the mood for coffee, how about a good old fashioned Cola? http://www.amazon.com/Jolt-COLA-LONGNECK-making-12-Ounce/dp/B001IW05IQ (Message edited by Crusty on October 01, 2014) | ||
| Buellish |
I like my whole bean French Roast.I grind one scoop in this hand grinder and make one cup at a time in this Aeropress.Think I'll have one now.  | ||
| Fast1075 |
I was a coffee snob for years. Now I have a Keurig machine. I keep a good assortment of different kinds of K-cups for visitors. I use "café cup" reusable cups and New England Coffee breakfast blend for myself. I just can't handle strong dark roast coffees anymore. My parents drank French roast with chicory, or sometimes just roasted chicory, boiled in a percolator. I get reflux just thinking about it now. | ||
| Bob_thompson |
So how do all you, like me, drink you coffee; black, sugar, cream, hot toddys, etc.? I usually just have a couple of cups on the morning of my ride on the 1125R, usually Sunday for the caffeine pump. I'm usually a green tea guy myself; 6 mugs a day or so. | ||
| Buellish |
Black | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I used to buy Coca Cola Blak, which was a great Coffee-Cola but I've not seen it for sale for a long time. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Just found this, I'm going shopping tomorrow. http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Coca-Cola-Blak-Cop ycat-Recipe.html | ||
| Jaimec |
I LOVE Jolt Cola. Can't find it around here anymore, so I have to settle for "Monster." | ||
| Ourdee |
I use the Kuerig when I'm in a hurry. I don't know how many flavors I have. But when it is time to relax, the Aeropress is the ticket, water at 160 to 170 degrees. I heat half and half liquid creamer mixed with fat free milk to make up the rest of the cup instead of hot water, and use raw sugar. The coffee of choice is Colombian Supremo Coffee Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee I buy on Ebay through bluemacawcoffeeroasters. | ||
| Blake |
The French Press does make excellent silky smooth coffee. Coffee is a real blessing in our home. Wife brought home a Keurig machine a few years ago, at which I scoffed and ridiculed her. Darn thing won me over no contest. It's just too convenient. I make us our morning cup. Preheat the mugs with steaming hot water, Stevia and cream for me, just cream for her. Got one for the office afternoon cup, and share it with my associates. It's well used. Sumatran Reserve, surprisingly a Robusto bean, and Dark Magic, an Arabica bean, both bold dark roasts by Green Mountain Coffee, are my favorites. Wife likes regular strength medium roast, Nantucket Blend, also by Green Mountain. A friend and work associate recently brought some of that Kopi Luak (cat poo coffee) back from a site survey in Indonesia. It was very good with zero acidic aftertaste. Not worth the $8/cup home brew price. Neat to have sampled it though. No, it wasn't on my "bucket list." Espresso is my favorite. Thanks in part to Paul Rogers at Court's wedding reception. Anything short of the consistency of tar was insufficient for our Aussie friend. If/when Keurig comes out with an espresso machine that works as easily as their regular brewers, I'll likely get it. | ||
| Jaimec |
I can stomach most any coffee. I find Starbucks over-priced for what is essentially burnt coffee. McDonald's used to sell burnt coffee for a whole lot less but they've significantly improved the quality of their coffee and it STILL costs less than Starbucks. My personal favorite though (despite the fact it actually has less caffeine than most other brands) is Tim Horton's. "Discovered" them on many trips up north of the border in Canada, and was DELIGHTED to learn we have one right here on Long Island in Westbury. I usually go out and buy two pounds at a time. At one time there was an "Urban Legend" in Canada that Tim Horton's "juiced" their coffee with nicotine to get people hooked on it, but lab tests showed that not only did it not have nicotine added, it also debunked the rumor that they had extra caffeine (which is also addictive). It's just GOOD coffee. | ||
| Prior |
I like Eight O'clock Hazelnut (really light on the flavor), black, hand ground in an antique grinder and then brewed in an old school Presto percolator. I carry a thermos to work everyday, makes it easy to transport and keeps it hot, even for two days. | ||
| Jaimec |
Many years ago my girlfriend and I were staying at the Chateau Champlain hotel in Montreal. We had breakfast in their restaurant and we both marveled at how good the coffee was. Turned out it was just Chase & Sanborn coffee, but the waiter said they filtered the water before brewing the coffee. What a difference that made. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1, filtered water. I'll stand and wait patiently to fill the carafe from the fridge, unless I have the gumption to get things ready before bed, then regular tap water will do- the chlorine will disperse before we get up. Drinking some done like that right now! My Dominican honey also likes her Cuban coffee, done with Café Bustelo- every bit as strong as espresso! I add a little milk, then get ready for the jitters, yeehaa! Fun and relevant to this thread: TMCM!!! http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=too+much+coffe e+man&qpvt=Too+much+coffee+man&FORM=IGRE Shannon Wheeler's website is not 100% today, but it DID show that TMCM has an opera (!) which I didn't know about! | ||
| Aesquire |
8 o'Clock is probably the best supermarket coffee. A buddy is a Cardiac Intensive Care nurse. And serious coffee freak. He orders unroasted beans on the internet from individual plantations. Roasts & grinds them himself. He also makes it super strong and cuts it with milk, not my choice. When people take a survey on how they want coffee, the majority answer is "Dark Roast, Robust, Strong". When they taste test coffee, they LIKE medium roast, normal, you, know....coffee. I have a Kuerig machine in the kitchen for guests and hot chocolate. I have a regular old Black & Decker filter machine in the cabinet for when they want a pot ( with a bag of 8 0'Clock sealed up nicely in the freezer... reminds me, buy fresh ) and a French Press for when I want coffee, or a buddy who knows the difference asks. I LIKE Kenyan, Tanzanian peaberry, and will have a go at Sumatran or anything else that's good. But I don't drink it very often. Jamaican Blue Mountain acquired mythic status when the Japanese bought most of the plantations and the price went insane. It's actually very good, middle of the road, well balanced coffee. I consider it baseline good, not awe inspiring. Taste is taste. I will enjoy a good cup of turkish mud, ( but add sugar or honey which offends the purist ) I enjoy a Cappuccino... from time to time, and won't drink a Latte on a bet. Nor do I ever drink Starbucks. IM not so HO they burn their coffee and giving it a fancy name and overcharging me doesn't help. I also happily stop at a Dunkin Donuts for a heavy mug cup when on a cold night ride, and just wrap my hands around it until I can feel again, while contemplating the most chocolate of donuts on display. I drink coffee black, with 2 sugars. I also like honey, brown sugar, and raw sugar, ( my bike mechanic buddy's choice ) amount dialed to taste. Feel free to disagree. I'm not an aficionado, really, but a fan, and an occasional drinker... more and more as time goes by. You will not get me to change my mind on Starbucks, but I won't try and change your's either if you are a mutant or been fooled by high prices and an undeserved rep.  | ||
| Aesquire |
btw, when I get an urge for Really Good coffee, I go to a local coffee shop that roasts their own( Used to go to Java Joes, not even sure it's there today ) I ask what's good today, and try a cup. If I love it I buy a half pound, or a pound and give away what I won't drink before it goes stale. There have been days when sampling half cups before I find one I like had me vibrating all the way home.  | ||
| Ourdee |
My first task at work where I am now a liaison is to make the coffee. The deal is that the guy that makes the coffee drinks for free and doesn't have to clean up. When one of my bosses gave me the title of liaison, I asked so that means I still have to fix the cars. He smiled and said yes. |
