Help! i'm becoming a coffee snob and i don't wanna' be one!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

okay, it’s mostly my co-worker’s fault, i started off as a standard coffee drinker with standards, i.e. i wouldn’t drink anything less than Green Mountain Coffee, and i thought GMC was the best coffee on the planet…

then one of my co-workers brought in a batch of beans from a local micro-roaster, freshly roasted “Dover Soul”…

i opened the bag, and the beans were still shiny with oil, GMC was never shiny, i took a whiff, and it smelled great, tried a cup and it was awesome, blew GMC out of the water

so now i know that the local micro-roaster is the way to go, there’s 3 of us at work, so we go on a rotating schedule as to who buys coffee when we run out, D’Argo and I (Names Farscaped to protect the innocent :wink: ) both buy the good stuff, the problem is, Rygel tends to buy the cheap crap (starbucks or dunkin’s) by the metric ton as it’s “cheaper” and a “better value”

problem is, since he buys the cheap stuff, it takes us longer to burn thru the stuff and we’re stuck drinking substandard swill for longer than we’d like, i’d like to enjoy Ryg’s coffee choices, really i would, as all coffee really is is a hyper-efficient caffiene-delivery vehicle, so the type of coffee shouldn’t matter…

but once you’ve tasted fresh-roasted microroaster beans, the major brands (yes, even GMC i realize now…) pale in comparison, icky, nasty swill that makes me wonder how i ever liked coffee to begin with

it’s also not fair to us that “D” and I spend the extra money on the good stuff (because we can see that quality is worth paying for), yet Ryg buys the cheap stuff and still gets to enjoy the good stuff at our expense…

so, how do i;

A; stop myself from being a coffee snob and enjoy Rygel’s revolting swill…

B; get Rygel to see the logic in paying more for better beans, he obviously enjoys the good stuff, he’s just not willing to pony up for the good stuff, he actually likes starbucks and Dunkin’s…

(Dunkin’s i can tolerate, but i can’t stand 'bucks over-roasted beans)

“D” and i both hate 'bucks, Ryg is the only one that likes it…

how do you stop being a coffee snob, is there any hope once you’ve tasted microroaster beans?

2

For my money, any coffee that is brewed with a typical drip coffee maker is immediately downgraded. The paper filters soak up a lot of the nice oils that contain much of the flavour.

Coffee doesn’t have to be expensive, just brewed right.

My preference is for a good 100% columbian. Can be bean form are preground and sealed for freshness. Add four full tbls to a 32oz bodum. Pour freshly boiled water over grounds. Let stand for a couple of minutes and push down the plunger to extract grounds to bottom. Enjoy hot. :slight_smile:

3

I’m no expert but I’m often complimented on my coffeemaking, so I’ll share my secrets with the world.

I go to the supermarket, buy about a half-pound of the darkest, oiliest beans I can find (usually French Roast, and I prefer organic), take them home whole, and transfer them to a glass jar with a rubber seal. I never buy beans to last more than about 3 days.

When it’s coffee time I grind the beans and brew in my Capresso drip coffeemaker with a gold filter. When I lived in Pennsylvania I needed to use filtered water, but in Seattle the ordinary tap water seems fine.

In short, my materials may be a bit snobbish (my own grinder + expensive coffeemaker/filter) but the initial investment means I can afford to be less snobbish about beans. Even when I’m stuck with a bad batch, the coffee usually turns out OK.

4

Okay, just so you know how the beans are treated/stored…

we only buy whole bean (even the Dunkin’ and 'bucks crap) coffee
the coffee is stored in an airtight canister (GMCR Christmas tin)
the beans are ground in a burr-grinder moments before brewing
the coffeemaker (a high-end Mr.Coffee 12 cup drip machine) has a permanent gold filter, a timer, brew strength selector (regular, strong), burner temp. control, 2 hour analog-digital clock/timer thingy, it’s a nice drip machine, ironically purchased by Rygel…

the good stuff lasts about a week or so, so the last beans thru the grinder are just as oily as the first…

5

As QuickSilver alluded to, it’s gotta be a French Press. Even medium quality beans are better in an FP.
I like medium-dark roasts, always in the beloved Bodum.
There’s a world of difference in taste between drip coffee and french press coffee, IMO.

I have two, in fact, and use one for making tea with loose leaves.

6

And a french press is the best way to withhold good coffee from people who insist on buying the cheap stuff when it’s their turn. Just switch from buying it together, buy it for yourself and brew in a teeny press.

All right, not conducive to workplace love, but which is more important? Your coworker, or your sweet, sweet coffee fix?!

7

Is it wrong that i heard the above in the voice of Zapp Brannigan-a? :wink:

8

Coffee snobbery is not a thing to be ashamed of!

If you are not able to convert Rygel to the bliss that is real coffee, is it possible for you and D’Argo to pitch in and purchase a seperate coffee maker (preferably a french press) and enjoy quality coffee every day? It is what I would do. I am extremely picky about my coffee, and even with the best beans, I generally drink only the first cup out of the pot, fortunately my husband drinks coffee by the quart!

Once you have tasted heaven in a cup, there is no going back to the mundane!

9

It’s a very sexy French press!

10

OTOH, go out partying midweek when you know it’s Ry’s turn. Show up sleep-deprived, slightly hung-over and jonesing for some “good” coffee and sit at your desk with a paper cup of water congratulating yourself on your refined taste.

Think about the warm roasty goodness you’ll have next week when it’s back to the good stuff.

Have another slug of that lukewarm tapwater.

Continue working, pretend you’re not missing it, ponder the beginnings of the withdrawal headache twinges, but stand firm in your fight for all that’s right and holy.

Refill the tapwater.

Tremble and cave and g’wan and get a cuppa swill, addiction triumphs taste, problem solved! :smiley:

11

How could you possibly like the coffee of somebody who farts helium?

Besides, if you’re not roasting your own beans, immediately before grinding & brewing, well, then, there are definitely greater steps towards coffee snobbishness still to be taken.

12

I have a $200 Cuisinart drip machine with its own grinder and a French press that was $4 at Target. I haven’t used the Cuisinart in four years. I usually grind by hand now in a coffee grinder that belonged to my great grandmother.

Yes, it’s Jamaican Blue Mountain. No, you can’t have a cup.

[Obligatory Reference]
I don’t need you to tell me how fucking good my coffee is, okay? I’m the one who buys it. I know how good it is. When Bonnie goes shopping she buys SHIT. Me, I buy the gourmet expensive stuff because when I drink it I want to taste it.
[/Obligatory Reference]

13

You might consider changing the way you guys get the coffee. Have everybody just put in a set amount of money per week or whatever and then buy the good stuff.