NGC fresh ground coffee

[Chuck in Indiana]

This is a plea for help. 

The Turnip farmer doesn't drink that foo foo stuff?  Surprise surprise..

[bmc5733946]

SCS!!! I am a coffee Luddite I absolutely hate strong coffee, Starf**** being the worst. My wimpy coffee of choice is Maxwell House Hazelnut flavored brewed in my not too ancient Bunn drip maker or made on the road with a collapsible dripper. If coffee shop coffee is the only thing I can get I get it mixed 1/2 coffee and 1/2 hot water, then it is almost palatable.  SCS = strong coffee sucks. 

Brian

[Chuck in Indiana]

[Dilliw]

SCS!!! I am a coffee Luddite I absolutely hate strong coffee, Starf**** being the worst.

Brian

Starbucks prides itself on over-roasting its beans.  That's one of the ways to ruin a good cup of Joe...

[bmc5733946]

I'm not the only one????!!!! I think the over roasting of coffee beans should be a crime! I mean, What did those little beans ever do to you??, beside give you heartburn when over roasted.

Brian

[smsw]

I almost hate to post this, but full disclosure is required.



Sure enough, "Dunkin Doughnuts" original blend "medium roast" whole beans at $9.50/pound.

We started out going to the next town to buy it so no one would see us, like a Porsche owner learning to read upside down so he could use the Volkswagen parts book at the counter without anyone noticing.

But now we've gotten over that, and have made peace with ourselves ....

Lannis

If you go to any decent supermarket, you will find at least half a dozen different brands (often a LOT more) and each brand will offer several roasts and up to a dozen blends of beans.  I did not go on as thorough a tasting trip as Lannis, but I did go through maybe a dozen different blends of half a dozen brands over the course of a year.  All made in a French press.  Yes, Eight O'Clock was very good, but I settled on two for my favorites - the supermarket's house blend and Dunkin Donuts.

Something to consider - all those varieties would not be on the shelves if someone did not like and buy them.  To each his own.  YMMV.

[bacongrease]

The freshness and grind are as important as the bean.

   Water!  Water!      Some people have grungy water that ruins any bean. My parents for one.  Wife's sister.

 But they are accustomed to the taste and it is neutral to them.

[Muley]

Bingo!   It's the water.  You can drink anything made with decent water.

My vote is for Twiggs County deep well water heated to pretty damn hot and "filtered" through Chock Full O' Nuts original.   Of course any coffee is good with our water

[oldbike54]

 We're serving Dollar Store Yellow Can at the Knotanational , seriously doubt if there is a coffee grinder within 100 miles .

 Dusty

[Nic in Western NYS]

Bingo!   It's the water.  You can drink anything made with decent water.

My vote is for Twiggs County deep well water heated to pretty damn hot and "filtered" through Chock Full O' Nuts original.   Of course any coffee is good with our water

(Cue the band!) Chock full o Nuts is the heaaaaavenly coffee, heaaaavenly coffee, heaavvvenly coffee.  Better coffee a millionaires money can't buy.

Grew up with that being the only coffee in the house!

[Chuck in Indiana]

We're serving Dollar Store Yellow Can at the Knotanational , seriously doubt if there is a coffee grinder within 100 miles .

 Dusty

Thanks for the warning. 

[oldbike54]

Thanks for the warning. 

 Maybe Nic will bring a 50 LB can of Choc full 'O nuts    The water is good in CV .

 Dusty

[LowRyter]

The Mrs just purchased a bag of 8 O'Clock. 

Maybe it's the coffee pot or the water but tasted no better than Folgers.   

[Aaron D.]

I never thought 8 o'Clock was anything special.

[LowRyter]

<shaking head and shuffling off>

Just an update.  We upgraded our coffee a few months ago with marginal results.

Yesterday, the Mr Coffee bit the dust and we sprung for a 10 Cup Brun machine that keeps warm water and brews a pot in 3 minutes.   Must say, wow.  The Brun machine does make better coffee.  I'll bet Folgers would taste good in it.

[Diploman]

Every morning I brew two cups of Lavazza Qualita Rossa in my low-tech Moka, then make big cups of cafe au lait.
Delicious, and I feel good about it.  The scientific/medical tide has turned, and coffee is now no longer regarded as a toxin, but has morphed into a health drink.....


http://time.com/5022060/coffee-health-benefits-heart/?utm_source=time.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-brief&utm_content=2017111412pm&xid=newsletter-brief

[kidsmoke]

6 months back I moved, now my water is from a well. I filter it through a Brita, boil it on the stove and make it in a french press from freshly ground beans. 20 years, always a french press. The 8 o'clock columbian whole bean was a surprisingly solid performer at my last residence.

Anyway point being that different water required a new bean. Love good coffee but I love being cheap too, and I want my beans readily available. Ran through a bunch of things at the Meijer, and currently use their house brand Sumatra Medium Roast, whole bean. Apparently pairs well with iron, as I canNOT get the rust out of my well water.

on the water front, for those of you with hard well water, what's the best filter solution you've found, short of an RO system on the supply line?

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks for the Meijer tip, Kip. Our well is 200 feet deep in limestone. Just in case there are farm chemicals, we have a 1 micron whole house filter, followed by RO. The RO water goes in a Brita pitcher.
I've been using an Aero press lately.. it gets rid of the cleanup of the French press. Good at rallies, too.

[Irn]

Aeropress Kirkland Signature Columbian Medium Roast beans $14.99 for 3-pound bag, decipher the expiration code to get the freshest brew.  The date sequence is reversed and one year later then roasting date.  If your suspenders are even tighter and you are using drip maker or french press you will be shocked at the quality of the Kirkland Supreme Columbian ground coffee in 2.5-pound tin, $9.99...In Costco we trust.

[Dilliw]

Aeropress Kirkland Signature Columbian Medium Roast beans $14.99 for 3-pound bag, decipher the expiration code to get the freshest brew.  The date sequence is reversed and one year later then roasting date.  If your suspenders are even tighter and you are using drip maker or french press you will be shocked at the quality of the Kirkland Supreme Columbian ground coffee in 2.5-pound tin, $9.99...In Costco we trust.

This chart helps with the freshness.  I like a lot of Guatemalan coffees but not this time of year, and I buy my one lb of Kona every November.

https://legacy.sweetmarias.com/coffee.prod.timetable.php

[Gliderjohn]

We also use a whole house filter plus a RO. Don't know any other good ways to filter difficult water. We also have to use a water softener.
GliderJohn

[malik]

Both at home & on the road I use freshly ground coffee (from conical burr grinders) in moka pots (I have a collection). At home it's electric, on the road, a hand grinder. It's best ground fresh. Definitely worth the effort.

Beans - usually single origin green bean (a quarter of the price - Guzzi content) roasted in a popcorn popper (more Guzzi content). On long trips, after the home roasted beans run out, I'll usually find some Aldi medium roast (roasted somewhere in Victoria) or some Lavazza bean at half price. The Aldi ones aren't too bad, as the roasting is still recent - that stuff doesn't stay on the shelf very long.

And yes, the quality of the water makes a difference.

[Chuck in Indiana]

We also use a whole house filter plus a RO. Don't know any other good ways to filter difficult water. We also have to use a water softener.
GliderJohn

Yeah, forgot. Whole house filter, water softener, RO, Brita. Gotta have a water softener when your well is in limestone.

[donn]

The freshness and grind are as important as the bean.

Or more important.

Right now I'm in a batch of some Ethiopian, with a little Philippines ilberica mixed in. 

Coffea liberica, another species like arabica, robusta etc., cultivated mostly in the Philippines where it's called barako.  I don't use it up real fast, so I roast it in small quantities as required, with an ordinary heat gun, a stainless steel bowl, a big spoon and a pair of good gloves.  Mail order some green coffee beans (lately I've been going to Burman's and Happy Mug Coffee, just for a couple alternatives to the usual), and if as very likely you already have the above items, all you need is some skill (I suck at heat gun roasting.)  Of course you'd need a coffee grinder too, ideally not one of those whirly-bird blade whackers but something with burrs, maybe a hand grinder.

[Perazzimx14]

Every morning I brew two cups of Lavazza Qualita Rossa in my low-tech Moka, then make big cups of cafe au lait.
Delicious, and I feel good about it.  The scientific/medical tide has turned, and coffee is now no longer regarded as a toxin, but has morphed into a health drink.....


http://time.com/5022060/coffee-health-benefits-heart/?utm_source=time.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-brief&utm_content=2017111412pm&xid=newsletter-brief

 :1: on the Moka pot. I bough one about a year ago and it brews outstanding coffee. Its amazing how the same coffee can taste so dramatically different from the brewing process.

Café Bustello:

Bunn auto drip = drinkable but weak/thin

French press = Very good getting more bold and flavorful

Moko pot = Amazing very bold and extremely flavorful.

[malik]

And if you like your coffee smooth, rounded & mellow, try a syphon.  The typical Cona-type makes a half dozen cups or so - good for an after dinner brew, but the japanese make one cup versions. Best with a mild roasted bean.

[JayDee24ca]

Waiter, waiter, this coffee tastes like dirt!!

(Waiter): It should, it was fresh ground just a minute ago.....

JD

[Moto]

I use my Aeropress every morning for a latte made with Steep and Brew espresso beans. It was Chuck who recommended the Aero on this site -- thanks again! Aside from saving the clean-up mess of a French press, an Aeropress removes all the fine residue that the former leaves in the coffee, and that really messed up my digestion from time to time before I switched.

The rest of the day I drink espressos or macchiatos (with just a dollop of milk foam) made with Caffe Borbone ESE pods (Miscele Oro) that I buy from Amazon for 40 cents a shot, in batches of 150. I have identical espresso machines at home and at my office (DeLonghi EC155's) and am a happy coffee addict. The pods are a great convenience and the espresso is better than Starbuck's, at least.

Espresso and Moto Guzzis -- two Italian creations, best in the world.

[Rough Edge racing]

 Organic Costa Rican whole bean from Wegman's, about 12 bucks a pound...And it seems to be less caffeine...

[Lannis]

Organic Costa Rican whole bean from Wegman's, about 12 bucks a pound...And it seems to be less caffeine...

Well, that's no good then is it?      

Lannis