I haven’t found an ongoing thread concerning “all things coffee” … so here it is - let’s see if it sticks…
My coffee journey started with the disire to leave the coffee-capsule world.
My first (mis)step was a cheap french press (didn’t really care for that at all) … so fairly swiftly I moved on to an - again - inexpensive mokka-pot (think Bialetti) … that worked fine for a year or so, but still I found the coffee somewhat lacking …
So about a couple of weeks ago, I got a rather entry-level espresso/grinder combo (mall brand) … that after a couple of quite frustrating dial-in days delivers me good espressos - which I mostly convert into americanos.
I also started roasting my own coffee (its easier and cheaper than you think) … and that is my journey.
I hardly go to coffee-shops, as I find the quality inferior to what I have at home (unless: social ocasions call for that).
So, how do you have your coffee? … Is it the same as it always was or do you “evolve”?
While coffee lovers can be quite snobbish, it seems that there is enough space/brewing-methods in the coffee community (french press, pour-over, V60, Mokka-pot, espresso, cold press, aero-press and what not) that nobody is looking down on other ways to brew the coffee… I like that alot.
My parents let me try their coffee when I was young. No cream and probably no sugar. Hated it.
Then I discovered iced coffee.
Dunkin is the only one for me. Cream, stevia and 7 mochas ( 4 is standard, extra squirts are 10 cents each).
I’m on my second one of these simple machines. It takes up very little space and makes a good cuppa. I take my coffee with sugar and half-and-half. Don’t judge. I drank black coffee for many years, but it’s too acidic without the milk for my aged gut.
As for coffees: I alternate between Pinon Coffee’s Biscochito, which is moderately priced and is warmly flavored, and the way more expensive Ethiopian Daye Bensa, which is a single source coffee from Coffee Bros.
For any here who want to help a guy out my GF loves a great cup of coffee but will not work hard to make it. Ease of use is more important to her than the result. Spending ten minutes farting around to make a cup of coffee is too much for her (she can do it, of course, she just does not want to every morning).
And, if it helps, she hates Starbucks coffee. She describes it as burnt water (which is why I think Starbucks makes money on all the added bits they squirt in). My GF only wants black coffee. Nothing else added so the coffee needs to stand on its own.
And while she will have an espresso here and there 99% of her coffee consumption is just the basic cup of coffee famous in diners everywhere.
ETA: She’ll go for an Americano though. If that is better than a basic cup of coffee I do not know.
Normally a medium roast bean from San Fransisco bay company ($20 for I think 2 lbs), a high speed rotary (non-bur) grinder per coffee making session and a cheap drip coffee machine. People try to overcomplicate this, but a good bean roasted well and freshly ground is 95% of it.
For nearly 2 decades I used a high end espresso machine with fancy burr grinder, and managed a godshot upon occasion. I still LOVE LOVE a truly great espresso but hate bad ones. But eventually I tired of the tinkering I had to do to give myself mostly OK espressos at home.
As a result I switched to cold brew, whipping up a gallon about every 3-4 days, and having that over ice with a generous amount of half and half. This really hits the spot! That has sustained the Mrs. and I for about 7 years now.
I still get espresso whenever at a coffee shop that I know makes decent shots. NOT EVER at Starbucks though. Ugh.
an americano is an espresso with added hot water (to taste … upping the 30ml espresso to normally 80-150ml total beverage) … This is different from making a loooong espresso (keep brewing until you reach your final desired ml’s).
If (reading between the lines) you are thinking of a x-mas present, you might want to look at the espresso solution from Ninja (Café Luxe Premiere ?) - it comes with the grinder (stops at programmed grams), then you move the porterfilter over and start brewing (can do both, espresso and “drip” coffee) … - hence minimizing fuss and so … this machine is recognized for high qual. coffe and is fairly affordable …
a good bean roasted well and freshly … and then freshly ground is 95% …
The easiest (and cheapest) way to improve the quality of your coffee-beverage is to purchase coffee that has a roast-date written on it. The best “window” for use is between 1 week and 6 weeks after roasting. This obv. excludes all those industrial coffees, even the fancy/schmancy italian ones (Illy, Lavazza,…) as they will be several months old before they are being purchased by you (and knowing this, have NO roast-date on the packaging).
So look around for local roastaries, chances are, you can find coffee there that will not necesarily be more expensive than fancy supermarket brands. That would be my first action-point (rather than purchasing an expensive machine.
Second step would be a grinder (possibly inexpensive burr hand-grinder) … and grind minutes before brewing the coffee.
There are def. tradeoffs w/ convenience … but there is quite a wide continuum between “convenience” and “great coffee” to slide along and find one’s personal place.
I have a handful of favorite audiobooks that I play in the background when I’m puttering about the homestead. Just now I’m into the umpteenth relisten of ‘Quarter Share’ by Nathan Lowell, wherein our protagonist signs on a galley hand on a solar clipper starship, and mesmerizes the reader with his descriptions of making coffee.
My coffee journey started with my dad. He’d buy 2-3 specific beans from some place like Cost Plus, dump the in a bowl, and mix it with his hands. The resulting coffee was pretty good as an intro, and this was before the emergence of Starbucks.
I decided as a young adult I like coffee and started just with a cone/filter and a few sample bags of ground coffee, until I found what I like. I eventually moved on to a French press, which I use now, occasionally retuning to the cone. My only real upgrade has been going from a blade grinder to burr - for French press having the coffee grind consistent and done right before brewing really helps.
I don’t mind spending on good beans, but I am hardly a common-sewer. Regular, bulk beans from the grocery store are fine for everyday use. The local roasters I have sampled are widely inconsistent, from great to absolute crap. I usually go for single origin, and typically from Central and South America, medium to dark roast, and usually just a cup, black, a day.
My favorite coffee lately is Boneshaker Colombia from Stone Creek in Milwaukee. It is a bright, light roast, so emphasis on the citrus and acidity. A friend of mine from Milwaukee sends me some every couple of months. I love the hell out of this coffee. I mostly drink it black, sometimes with a splash of milk in the morning. It’s smooth, lively, satisfying. I’ve settled on pour overs being my favorite brewing method; before I used to French press my coffee, but the pour over seems to result in a cleaner, smoother brew to me. I have a burr grinder that I’ve dialed into what I consider being a perfectly sized grind for a pour over, and I also use a Melitta filter even though my cone has its own filter mesh, as it slows down the pour, allowing for a longer brewing time (I aim for about 3.5-4 minutes from start to finish) The Melitta also makes cleanup a little easier.
