# Coffee beans...to grind or not to grind? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 3, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037 "2002-11-03T00:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/21 "2002-11-03T19:36:45Z")
Kid\_Gilligan, Starbucks does roast their beans longer, which to some palates lends a burnt taste. My husband was a coffee roaster and says “Starbucks burns their beans.” But he perfers a lighter roasted coffee. Starbucks has gotten better, realizing that dark roast coffee doesn’t suit everyone and has added light and medium roast to their menu. It doesn’t mean it isn’t horrible, but there are different tastes (and better coffee available than Starbucks - which has the quantity problem). No one is saying Starbucks is Chef Boyardee (that label would belong to Maxwell House) - but it ain’t Wolfgang Puck either. (I find all black coffee bitter, and perfer cream and sugar with a little coffee added. And there is plenty of bitter in badly roasted or poorly brewed coffee. Try running about five cups of espresso through the espresso machine without adding beans - the fifth cup will be bitter and nasty. We have a Braun flow through grinder. Keep the beans in the sealed top, every morning turn the crank for 30 seconds, brew coffee. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/22 "2002-11-04T01:17:16Z")
This advertisement for Starbucks[sup]TM[/sup] brought to you by **Kid\_Gilligan** Back to the OP and sidestepping the painfully obvious self-promotion of a Starbucks owner, I grind my coffee beans once a week or so, I don’t really have the time to sit and compare the different flavors of freshly-ground versus week old. I too find Starbucks bitter and burnt-tasting, but I suppose that’s just my uncultured Folgers tastebuds talking. -foxy ---
**Author:** ![Pythagoras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@Pythagoras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pythagoras)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/23 "2002-11-04T01:44:09Z")
I really dont like starbucks, but have nothing against their coffee… I have grown used to drinking it black. I just hate the idea of something as sacred as a coffee shop being run by a multinational coorporation. It gives me a headache, I avoid them at all costs out of principle. I have a local coffee shop which roasts gooood coffee that I enjoy. (That isnt the one I work for coincidentally) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/24 "2002-11-04T02:17:21Z")
I really don’t think it was a shameless self premotion of Starbucks - it sounds like he is truely proud of the coffee that Starbucks serves. It’s not like he’s going to persuade anyone to try it in a thread where almost everyone has tryed it already. since you didn’t ask and it’s off the OP here’s my view of starbucks. Their coffee I’m sure is a high quality but has a certain flavor that I don’t really care for. As it cools that flavor (described as burnt) become more promiment. I think that the ‘our blend’ of green mountain roasters has a simular ‘burnt’ taste but not as strong and I can happly drink that as it cools. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/25 "2002-11-04T03:47:05Z")
I have nothing to add to this thread, except to say that I, too, really dislike Starbucks coffee. And no, it’s not because I don’t know what good coffee tastes like. Like others on this thread, I feel like Starbucks coffee has an unmistakable “burnt” taste and a bitter edge. I want my coffee to be very, very strong, but not bitter. I’ve never been able to make a strong flavored but not bitter cup using Starbucks beans, nor have I had it at their store. Lately I’ve been drinking some blend of Seattle-based coffee that our local coffeshop stocks. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the brand name right now, and I’ve thrown out the packaging after emptying it into my bean jar. On another note, I’ve been migrating towards more medium-roast coffees instead of the dark or French roast I used to like. It seems to me that a medium roast exposes more of the nuances of the coffee, whereas the dark roast is just Strong, with a capital S. Anyone else notice that? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/26 "2002-11-04T15:24:27Z")
I bought one of those coffee machines from Macys that grinds the beans for you & then makes coffee from them all automatically, it was discounted from about $179 to $79, but I read on the net it was so much work to clean it after each use that it wasn’t worth it to me. So cleaning the grinder is another thing I don’t like to do. But then there are people who use the best beans, grind them fresh & then use water from the kitchen faucet 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/27 "2002-11-04T15:29:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\* > But then there are people who use the best beans, grind them fresh & then use water from the kitchen faucet 🙂 \*\* Plenty o’ places in the world where tap water is just fine. When I lived in Colorado, the water came from a glacier in the mountains. It tasted as good, if not better, than a lot of bottled waters. Here in da UP, the water comes from Lake Superior, one of the most pristine lakes around. Once again, it tastes great, and makes wonderful coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/28 "2002-11-04T15:36:30Z")
The one change I made to my coffee routine that made the most difference was buying a [quality burr grinder](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004RGAF/qid=1036422949/br=1-1/ref=br_lf_k_1//103-4666467-4984600?v=glance&s=kitchen&n=289750). Since I bought this, my coffee has been more consistent and better. I grind just before brewing and use a fairly fine grind in a Krups drip coffee maker. The second essential is to get the brewed coffee away from the hot plate common to most coffee makers. I transfer my coffee to a thermos as soon as it finishes. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/29 "2002-11-05T14:49:09Z")
My husband is a Stewart’s man. Loves the stuff. And we make it with our rusty tap water. Everyone loves our coffee. I don’t drink the stuff. But here’s something the non-coffee drinker can do with coffee beans. Put them on a charger with vanilla scented candles. Mmmmmm…your house will smell wonderful!!! ---
**Author:** ![Stephi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stephi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/30 "2002-11-05T18:07:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kid\_Gilligan \* > \*\*Thank you for that link. It is truly a testament to the fact that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. > > With the exception of certain rare finds (We couldn’t serve Kona in all of our stores without exhausting the entire island’s supply of beans, and still coming up short.) our beans certainly are of the highest quality. Your corner roaster can show as much care as he wants in roasting the beans, but he probably only has a passing knowledge or general idea of where they came from. Our roasters have been on the plantation and met the growers, and have brought some beans to Seattle to roast before even deciding to buy them. The economics involved for a small company to do such a thing are staggering. > > As for bitterness, it is important to recognize that this is a word with a very specific meaning and it does not describe our coffee. [Here](http://home.dmv.com/~schaub/olf-gust.html) is a diagram showing where on your tongue bitterness is experienced. The cup of black Guatamala Antigua I am drinking right now does nothing to that area on my tongue. > > If someone doesn’t like our coffee that is their right. I enjoy Chef Boyardee canned pasta. I have tasted some well made italian dishes that did not excite my palate. I would not, however, try to convince anyone that my can of spaghetti and meatballs is of higher quality than the work of a talented chef. \*\* **Kid\_Gilligan** , I always thought that tongue taste map was a myth. A quick search on Google gave me [this](http://www.ifr.bbsrc.ac.uk/public/set99/map.html). I also dislike Starbuck’s coffee. It tastes too…burnt to me. And, this “french press” thing you all keep talking about, is that like a bodum? That’s what I use. It makes great coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/31 "2002-11-05T20:15:47Z")
Add my voice to the chorus of people who don’t like the taste of Starbucks coffee. It sucks. By far, my favorite coffee is [Peet’s coffee](http://www.peets.com). Truly, they rock. As for the OP, I store a pound of beans in a vacuum sealed container at room temperature, which I grind right before I make coffee. I store extra beans in the freezer, but take them out 24 hours in advance of use so they can fully thaw. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037/32 "2002-11-05T20:15:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stephi \* > \*\*And, this “french press” thing you all keep talking about, is that like a bodum? That’s what I use. It makes great coffee. \*\* Bodum is a brand name. A French Press is the glass carafe that you put the ground coffee into, pour not quite boiling water over, wait 4-5 minutes, push down the plunger thingy and pour out the coffee. Here’s [one](http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=114722). I have a 4-cup drip coffee maker, but I prefer the French Press. The flavor is just richer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-beans-to-grind-or-not-to-grind/135037.md?page=1)