The most insane coffee I’ve ever had was an espresso made by a french dude. Hardcore espresso made by a hardcore french dude. I actually had 2 ‘doubles’. They looked to be about an 1/8 [sup]th[/sup] of the size of what I considered to be a ‘double’. Wow, they were something. It was not the first time I’d tried an ‘espresso’ but it was the first time I got an inkling of why anyone would go ape over it.
When I camp, I bring along my trusty cheap-ass instant and a bottle of southern comfort.
It is actually possible to make a good tasting cup of instant. But certainly not on purpose.
We have a big bag of Hawaian espresso beans. But no grinder. Mehbeh I can use my trusty 20oz Estwing. Nah.
Even though we’re separated by a continent, I feel we’re joined at the hip. French roast (or dark roast, depending on the brand) and nothing but! Good cup of <b>strong</b> freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee: nothing like it to get you started in the morning. I usually buy in bulk at Costco (although Starbucks, at $20 CDN for a bit more than two pounds, isn’t exactly cheap) and store it in the freezer.
I think Americans, inventors of the bottomless cup, have made strides in that respect in the past decade or so. I remember that, during my first trips to California, in the early 80’s, I was simply stunned by the weakness and general lack of flavour of the coffee being served; it would probably have taken me some five cups or so to get the beginning of a buzz. Nowadays, at least in some restaurants, you can get a really decent cup. It’s like with the wine, I guess: some 20 years ago, generic table wine was almost <i>de rigueur</i>; today, you have varietals, <i>grands crus</i>, etc. People are more discerning. Which is a good thing.
I used to buy various coffees… as long as they were in a big bag! I used to get “Don Something-or-other”'s espresso beans, but the French roast was darker and made better espresso. Then I was at Trader Joe’s (an “organic market”-type chain) and found the French roast in the 1 lb 10oz/737g can for US$7.69. Nice dark, shiny beans! If I run out, I’ll drink instant; but I try not to run out! I’m pretty sure Seattle has Trader Joe’s, so it won’t be much of a hardship moving there.
BTW: Washington has drive-through coffee kiosks. How very civilized! Nothing like that in Los Hideous. At least not in my neighbourhood.
That is actually how he speaks !!! True story !! smile
Anyhow, I am going to be redesigning his site for him (as a favour for a friend) … you may see a posting in the Pit about some of the conversations he and I have had over that!!!
I am not a fan of Hawaiian Kona coffee - I find it quite weak. My favorite has always been Otis Spunkmeyer’s French roast - yum! I can’t find it around here, though. Since returning to MN I’ve become a big fan of McGarvey’s French roast, although Millstone will work in a pinch. I keep the beans in freezer bags in the freezer. For my “spare” coffee I keep a can of Folger’s dark roast in my cupboard - it’s probably pretty nasty by now, since I haven’t used it in at least a year.
dewt, you can grind coffee in a blender if you’re desperate - it works ok, but you can’t control the grind. I use an the spice mill of an old Kitchen Aid mixer my mom picked up for me at a garage sale many years ago.
And I am a fan of flavored coffee. I used to make Otis Spunkmeyer’s cinnamon hazelnut cream in my espresso machine - add a little sugar and milk and it’s heaven. And the Gloria Jean’s in Maine carried blueberry flavored coffee! Sounds weird, I know, but is also really good made as espresso with sugar and milk.
Oh, and I got turned on to espresso by some Cubans I worked with down in Florida - wow! A coffee cup of espresso at the start of a midwatch worked wonders. Kind of made troubleshooting electronics tricky, though
Would you believe I have never, in my 30-some years on this earth, NEVER had a cup of coffee!!! I have taken a sip of it, hated it, and never tried it again.
I would love to know what coffee does for people, I mean, how does it make you feel?
Coffee is just like coming home.
First you feel like there’s something missing…what could it be?
Ahh, yes. That warm smell emanating from Second Cup (Timothy’s, Tim Hortons, whatever turns you on and is available from your country). The first sip, giving you the warm snugglies, the smile creeping across your face…the sudden abundance of words in your vocabulary aching to be released via your mouth…the limbs that will not stay still…the ability to fly…
And then, the need for more. MORE. MORE COFFEE!
I thought good ole Otis made cookies and muffins and such. Didn’t know he was into coffee also. Goes without saying that, with a name like Otis Spunkmeyer - move over Smuckers -, it has to be good, right?
P.S.: I’m with you on the Kona; really overpriced, in my humble opinion. And the thing that struck me, when I went to Hawaii last year, is that they sell it the exact same price locally as they would in the continental U.S. Same thing with macadamia nuts, by the way.
I always have some coffee in the freezer that I didn’t like a lot, like Zaïrian, but it’s real beans anyway. That’s the nice thing about trying a lot of beans. There’s always leftover duds when you run out of the favorites.
Not sure why I didn’t think of this when I posted the first time, but another suggestion for those mornings wheh you have to do instant. Folgers makes a coffee bag ( looks like a tea bag) so you can make a single cup of brewed coffee by just adding hot water. As I recall they were a little expensive in the states (their outrageous here in the United Arab Emirates). But it is better than instant!
As much as I hate having to make coffee in the morning I would not even think of using the alleged, so-called, “instant coffee”. That crap is for lower life forms.
Imagine my horror when I wake up at 8:15 this morning and realize I am OUT OF COFFEE. So I have to get up, throw some clothes on, and GO TO THE STORE UNCAFFEINATED. It’s a good thing I only had to drive a very short way because I was nowhere near awake. Lord only knows what the cashier thought of me.
I love my French press. I like the coffee that comes out of it way better than I like drip coffee. Plus by the time it’s been sitting there for a few minutes steeping it’s cooled down to a drinkable temperature.
Instant coffee…pfft How they can DO that to perfectly innocent beans, I don’t know. I will only drink it if there is no other source of coffee around, but even then, I often make snide comments like, “Who’d drink this crap on a regular basis?” to my wacked friends who don’t have coffee makers. Don’t have coffee makers? What planet are these people from, anyway?
And don’t get me started on my grandma’s coffee. I love her dearly. Why she enjoys drinking brownish hot water instead of coffee that takes off hair where it doesn’t belong and puts it where it DOES is beyond me.
