Coffee

[iainmcphersn]

I was never much of a coffee drinker but have fallen into its clutches since there is free coffee here at work. The downside of the free coffee is that it is never as good as the after meal cup at a good restaurant. I've been thinking about getting my own stash to brew for myself. Any suggestions? What's your favorite?

The office coffee is made on an automated Bunn machine with the individual packets of Maxwell House.

Thanks,

John

[lmccrock]

Maxwell House may be the worst. I cannot imagine what the packets are like.

First, if you use the machine, you need filters to fit. Also, the machine probably does not have a user adjustable temperature setting, so what coffee is good for me may not work as well with your machine. That said, in AL, you may be able to get Community at the grocery. There are different roasts and the "New Orleans Blend" which adds chicory. Otherwise...taste is so personal it is hard to make a pick. Try different things, make sure they are ground for automatic drip makers, pick one, then use the rest for fertilizer.

At home I usually use a Bodum brand "coffee press", which works at an office if you have a way to heat water and clean up afterwards.

Lee

[ChrisStock]

Say what you will, but I do swing by SBucks once in awhile and splurge and grab a # of Sidamo and a # of Cafe Verona for after dinner coffee. I own 3 presses, 2 glass ones for the house and one plexiglass one for when I go hiking/backpacking. The Sidamo is so rich and is an amazing drink. You can have them grind it for an automatic drip as well, all you have to do is ask.

OTOH, I have 3 2# cans of Folgers that strongly resembles raw sewage, stored in the pantry. They changed something for the worst. NASTY. I was taught not to be wasteful, but damn, that stuff is foul and stinks up the house.

For the other 2 pots a day, I resort to a local generic store brand that isn't too bad. It's a shame prices for coffee have paralleled the price of lead over the last year.

[maineshootah]

I used to drink expensive coffee.. then I discovered 3 gun.

I rather save my pennies for match fees and ammo.

Maxwell House medium or dark roast. Blue tub at the shopping center is $6.

Plus, when it is empty, I use it for brass and ammo storage. Hell, the container even comes with a handle and lid!

Edited November 21, 2008 by maineshootah

[XRe]

If I hit Starbucks, its an Americano for me... they brew the stuff too strong inhouse... I get Starbucks for home, ground for press, but made in a flat bottom - this restricts the release of oils and stuff, and mellows it a bit. I also use less than the prescribed amount. For some coffees this works well - some need a bit more than my usual amount. YMMV I like Starbucks Kenya a lot, personally, and also Sumatra (wife thinks Sumatra is too dark) - of course, I drink it black, so I notice differences between different blends and such...

Folgers is flat out shit and shouldn't be drank by anyone heh heh...

[rrflyer]

I worked at starbucks for about 4 years off and on through highschool/college and tried and had about every coffee they made. At one time I had about 30lbs of unground coffee sitting in the closet because my sister and some friends worked there too and they would give me theres.

The coffee I prefer these days is black foldgers, the stronger the better.

[San_Esteban]

Some of my friends consider it sacrilege, but I'm a big fan of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. You can get it in one pound bags at the coffee shop and if you get addicted it's available at Sam's Club in the 2.5 lb bag.

Later, Steve

[XRe]

DD is good stuff, too - I get tired of it after about half a pound, though, so need something else to rotate in... Interestingly, its one of the few that seem to taste the same when I brew it at home

[dfwmiket]

Starbucks Sumatra and Verona for me when I can pick, but I'll even drink truck stop coffee in a pinch. Any good IT geek can tell you that coffee=life blood.

[Coolduckboy]

I don't like my coffee grounded already. so i bought a Grind-n-brew coffee maker that makes extremely good coffee. I buy Starbucks and Dunken Donuts coffee beans.

[gino_aki]

You can't get any better than Kona coffee...100% if you can afford it, but the blends are ok.

[JKSNIPER]

No one loves Java more than Marines.

Go to WWW.DEVILDOGBREW.COM

Order some of their "Snipers Brew"...."No shaky trigger fingers!"

Tell Major Salmans that John from Crosshairs sent you.

I sent some to my nephew's platoon when he was deployed in Iraq and it was a big hit with the troops.

OOH RAH!

JK

[DarkSmileyX]

Try this place, CoffeeBeanDirect they sell coffee and tea, very reasonable prices and the coffee and tea is excellent quality. If you can get together an order for 25 lbs or more the shipping is free. I used to organize a coffee buy at work and have ordered many times from them. Breakfast blend was a favorite as well as plain old Columbian Supremo. No affiliation just satisfied.

[Coolduckboy]

No one loves Java more than Marines.

Go to WWW.DEVILDOGBREW.COM

Order some of their "Snipers Brew"...."No shaky trigger fingers!"

Tell Major Salmans that John from Crosshairs sent you.

I sent some to my nephew's platoon when he was deployed in Iraq and it was a big hit with the troops.

OOH RAH!

JK

Nice. I might order a few bags.

[kframe_mike]

Being a traveling aircraft line mechanic,I've learned to live with some of the nastiest,foulest coffee know to man.I've come to prefer straight up old Maxwell House at home.IMO, its the best bang for the buck stuff out there.-mike

[Jim Norman]

Starbucks or "How to sell burned coffee and make millions off people that don't know any better"

I cannot understand paying $3 or more for a cup of coffee. I fill my Stainless Thermos every morning and have home brew hot coffee all day, or at least til my third cup, by which time the thermos is empty and I have had at least a day's worth of caffeine.

Jim

[Nik Habicht]

Dunkin Donuts coffee here most days --- the DD shop is consistently cheaper than Sam's/BJ's with their second lb. at a discount deal.....

If I'm splurging --- Kona or Kenya AA --- not so much while I'm in school....

[pmd]

In addition to being a beer snob I am kinda a coffee snob too

I buy my coffee from a local coffee distributor that sells mostly to restaurants and coffee shops.

They sell the "Kahve" brand - I am partial to their "Caribbean Blend".

I usually buy it by the case in 12oz bags and they ship via UPS.

Buying direct and in volume is about 1/2 the cost of retail.

[atbarr]

Maxwell House medium or dark roast. Blue tub at the shopping center is $6.

Plus, when it is empty, I use it for brass and ammo storage. Hell, the container even comes with a handle and lid!

We like the Maxwell House "French Roast", I make it fairly strong and add a pinch of salt.

+1 for the ammo storage.

Stay Safe,

A.T.

[Chris Martin]

I used to drink a lot of coffee. My roommate worked for a very good coffee shop ( http://www.greenberrys.com/ )

She used to get all the mistake orders and mis-grinds and such. It was incredible. $12.99/lb+ coffee for free. We drank it a lot. Once she moved out, I lost my connection for free good coffee and didn't want to pay for it, so I stopped cold turkey

I would recommend them highly. They roast their owen beans locally and will ship them out to you.

I like:

Sulawesi (indonesia)

Sumatra (indonesia)

Mocha Java (blends)

Mocha Java was my favorite.

Different regions coffee beans have different flavors and different levels of acidity. You will want to try different kinds. I personally would not bother with "Jamaican Blue Mountain" unless you are buying it in Jamaica. More Blue Mountain is sold in the US per year than is harvested in the entire country and they only export a small amount to the entire world. There is too much of a chance you will buy a blend and not the real thing.

The keep to good coffee, IMHO, is get it ground correctly for the filter type you are using and use a spoonful off grounds per 4oz of coffee (I use one heaping typical maxwell house tablespoon type scoop per line on the coffee carafe) this will give the coffee a full body, but not bitter. It's better to use too much coffee than too little.

I've always though that starbucks roasts their coffee too much, it always taste burnt to me.

[double_pedro]

It's not just the coffee, it's the machine as well. For quality and convenience, I highly recommend a super-automatc espresso machine (check out www.wholelattelove.com for a wide variety - I like Capresso and Delonghi). Push a button, it grinds and brews a single cup and is adjustable to your liking. The only downside is that the coffee beans can't be too oily (gums up the works) - a medium roast works well. My favorite is Miscela Bar Espresso from http://www.laprima.com/. They are a small roaster - if you ask, they will ship it to you within a day of being roasted.

[badchad]

For me coffee taste is 10% in the bean and 90% in my French Vanilla Coffee Mate.

[Coolduckboy]

For me coffee taste is 10% in the bean and 90% in my French Vanilla Coffee Mate.

++1

[kimel]

Go get a french press. If you have a source of hot (boiling or nearly so) water it is the simplest and best way to make coffee. We have a large french press here at home and when the high dollar coffee maker bit the big one two years ago we just went to the french press to get through a few days before we could get back to the big city for another high dollar coffee maker. Still haven't replaced it and have stayed with the french press.

Even Maxwell House, Folgers, etc. tastes better in a french press (not good, but better).

[atbarr]

Go get a french press.

The French press makes great coffee. Just a little messy in the clean up.

A.T.