A Proper Cup of Coffee

[garrett]

I don't get a proper cup of coffee often enough. I guess I'm a coffee snob by American standards. I didn't start drinking coffee at all until I was nearly 30 and living in Australia. They have a great love for espresso there and coffee shops everywhere offering up excellent cappuccinos, lattes, etc. Such is the quality that the Starbucks where I lived in Adelaide went out of business.

There's a great coffee house around the corner from home now, but I usually only drink coffee at work so I settle for Caribou or Starbucks most of the time. Every now and then I get to swing by the local place and it's so satisfying to drink a properly made cappuccino. I'm three years removed from Australia now, but it still bums me out that Americans settle for inferior coffee. Most Americans don't know what they're missing out on!

Who else among us is a discerning coffee drinker?


I'll go ahead and post this clip from The Bucket List to get it out of the way...

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Coffee snob here. I often give 100% pure, trellis-grown, Kona beans to my closest friends. At least to the ones who drink coffee.

 

[docbennett]

Absolute coffee aficionado here.

Grind my imported 100% Kona (never a blend!) beans or my Jamaican Blue Mountain beans when I'm in the mood for what Quentin Tarantino riffs on, in Pulp Fiction...which is clearly a slice of his life and I was totally able to relate to. 'Cept my wife is named Ginger, not Bonnie.

That being said....I drink about 36+ oz of Maxwell house original blend during the day, from the time I wake up through my work schedule.

I guess I don't qualify as a true snob, given the amount of sugar I use with each cup. I guess I have a "sweet tooth" since I can go through a 5 lb bag of sugar in less than 3 weeks on the average, to my wife and everyone else's chagrin.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

That being said....I drink about 36+ oz of Maxwell house original blend...

I can't do it. Maxwell house tastes like chemicals to me.

And the bean grinder? I use a KitchenAid mill.

 

[John Beef]

Most Americans don't know what they're missing out on!

Most Americans drink Budweiser, eat at McDonalds and shop at Wal Mart. They're fine with watery Folgers or whatever.

I love 100% Kona and will occasioanlly splurge for a can from Trader Joes, but at $20 for 12 oz, I think there's a line crossed there with diminishing returns.

By far, this is the best I have found for an all around coffee that tastes great and is affordable. We buy it at Costco for $16 for a 3 lb bag which lasts us around 3 weeks.

I prefer a darker roast but my wife doesn't like it as dark as I do, so we go with that which is middle of the road a far as roasts. I brew it strong and add a little milk. It's naturally sweet - not sugary, but definitely there's a sweetness to it.

 

[docbennett]

I save my Kona and Blue Mountain for special occassions. I hardly ever drink that before noon either. I consider them more "luxury coffees" but they are clearly superior to anything else I've ever had.

For the First AM cup.....I actually love Maxwell House.....I can tolerate Chock Full O' Nuts. None of the other production blends taste decent to me.

I also really like Dunkin' Donuts and 7-11 coffee. I have never had a cup of Starbucks that I enjoyed. I find their blend to be harsh and bitter.....like the aforementioned chemicals you attribute to Maxwell House.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

I save my Kona and Blue Mountain for special occassions.

I got news for ya, Ned. There ain't no java in hell. Every day you wake up breathing is a special occasion.

Life is short.

 

[t.shamone]

I visit Jamaica often and pick up true Blue Mountain coffee (not lower altitude mountain grown which is often passed off as Blue Mountain)
from the coffee farms and bring it home.
I also have relatives who bring coffee straight from Italy which is superior than what is exported here to the US.

 

[veinbuster]

I don't drink coffee very often, but when I do I grind the beans and do it espresso style. Maybe add some milk in some form or a few grains of raw sugar.

 

[justmund]

The keyboardist in the band is a coffee geek and likes to talk, a lot, which has turned me into a coffee snob. I don't drink much coffee, but when I do I like it to be good. I tend to buy my coffee from a barista, so the beans are usually at their discretion. I dig doppio ristretto half coffee/half water, you get some treacley goodness of a shortie, but it just lasts a big longer...

Did I say coffee snob? I meant coffee wan...

Does anyone use an Aeropress? I've been thinking about getting one. I've tasted a couple of coffees made this way and was impressed.

 

[Whitecat]

America has great coffee, you just need to know where to find it.

Intelligentsia is my favourite. If you're local in Chicago or LA then it's easy to get. They'll deliver elsewhere though if you don't mind paying.

Blue Mountain is my second fave, and peaberry Kona from a variety of growers is also delicious (I have McClure Farms here on occasion when I can get it).

Hard to get great coffee in the UK but not impossible. Union Coffee Co. is probably my favourite - the 'Revelation' blend is awesome.

 

[garrett]

My parents have been drinking Folgers or Maxwell House for as long as I can remember. Drip coffee generally has no appeal to me at all. My mom drinks that stuff black; I don't see how she can stand it.

I experimented with a bunch of different brews at Caribou, but found I always loaded it up with cream and sugar, so I stick with espresso based beverages. If the milk is steamed properly (almost never is, unless you go to a proper coffee house) I don't need any sugar at all.

I also like Caribou's cold press iced coffee. One of these days I'll get around to trying out cold pressing my own. It's not as bitter as the hot stuff, so I generally go no-sugar with that, too.

 

[docbennett]

I got news for ya, Ned. There ain't no java in hell. Every day you wake up breathing is a special occasion.

Life is short.

You are right. And there ain't no such thing as hell, 'cept the one people make for themselves. Trust me on that one.

And you know what....several people have contacted my on the forum...in various ways...email, PM...and a bunch of them think my name is "Ned". In one case, I told someone he could google me and find out some stuff. He came back and said that all he found was a "Bennett Oppenheim" and wanted to know if I knew that person. (There are 3 Bennett Oppenheims that come up in Google search...me, a lawyer real estate dude in Fla...and some Dr. of Sociology who retired from teaching at UCLA and now rides his Harley X-country. 3 of us. Can ya imagine? Wonder how many "Ned Oppenheim"'s there are????)

I think I have to visit the name thread again.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Only time I drink coffee is when I have the odd cappuccino. really hate the way all the tacky coffee shops have sprouted up just about everywhere!

I think before the rise of Starbucks and the like Nescafe Gold Blend was the coffee to get. I seem to remember there was always a jar knocking around for the non tea drinkers!

 

[László]

I think before the rise of Starbucks and the like Nescafe Gold Blend was the coffee to get. I seem to remember there was always a jar knocking around for the non tea drinkers!

Au contraire, my friend, I have been grinding fresh coffee at home for 35 years, and good coffee has been available at specialty shops since then, but it wasn't easy to find at first.

However - and I almost hate to admit this - I'm also a fan of the Starbucks Verismo machine and the little pods.

I tried the Keurig and thought the coffee tasted pretty bad (even the Starbucks stuff), the Tassimo was better, but the Verismo is actually palatable, and when I'm feeling lazy, that's what I use.

And I'm feeling lazy a lot lately.

 

[kingsleyd]

I grind fresh beans in one of these every morning and pour through a 1-mug melitta system. That's my cup for the day. Have been using the same mug-top Melitta and the same two mugs since 1983. I just finished a pound of Blue Kangaroo Brazil that my brother sent me -- he has a second home in Portland, OR. Lucky him. My every day beans come from a local coffee shop/roaster and they're good if not fabulous, my fave being their Sumatra. Summertime is hot here so I like something lighter like their Mexico. Jamaica Blue Mountain is great too if you can find the real stuff, as is proper Kona.

I drink it black, no sugar. Can't imagine putting sugar in good coffee. (although I like about 1/2 tsp of sugar in black tea, so there ya go)

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

You are right. And there ain't no such thing as hell, 'cept the one people make for themselves. Trust me on that one.

You're... [a'hem] preaching to the choir.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I worked for Starbucks (before they got to big to provide the finest coffees)on and off for what amounted to be almost thirteen years, during that time I learned a lot about coffee and met some incredible independent coffee roasters (and the most beautiful female baristas), but the most important thing I learned is: drink what you like, nobody else's opinion matters, but warm drinks make me go poop, so I stick with cola.


I will volunteer for barista duty at Experience this year if they want a Private Stock Coffee booth. I'm still friendly with some great local coffee roasters, but I will have to work on making a bird shaped foam motif.

 

[justmund]

I will volunteer for barista duty at Experience this year if they want a Private Stock Coffee booth. I'm still friendly with some great local coffee roasters, but I will have to work on making a bird shaped foam motif.

PRS bird latte art? I like it!

Closest I could find:

 

[Herr Squid]

I use the Keurig gizmo, usually with Starbuck's pods for quick, everyday, tolerable coffee.

I'm a philistine, though, and like it tan and sweet.

For the weekends, there's a regional roaster named Father Michael's (a Greek Orthodox priest) whose roasts are absolutely intoxicating. I grind the beans and brew 'em in a french press. That's my little slice of Saturday/Sunday morning heaven.