Thoughts on coffee

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

Definitely the Starbucks model. Dusty Ol Man is right that there is a fine line, and of course there is always subjective taste. I find any beans roasted to the point of being oily unpalatable (and also fouls up the grinder).

I am lucky enough to live in a city that has a great local roasting culture. Most of what I buy is roasted here in Portland (Stumptown, Blue Kangaroo) and probably not available nationally. Trader Joe's "Wake Up" blend is my go to for reasonably priced but flavorful coffee.

Try TJs Bay Blend. I drank that for years before I could afford to go all in.

[naturalistSean]

Wh

[Clawhammer]

Good coffee is grown on shady hillsides or in a field that receives only part sun. The beans grow much slower and absorb much more flavor from the cherry flesh that surrounds the bean. Cheap coffee is grown in full sun in fields; it grows much faster, but does not absorb as much flavor from the bean.

Most dark roast coffee is inferior beans because charring coffee to the point of dark roast eliminates the natural flavors and replaces it with charred notes. It makes sense to do this to inferior, less expensive beans, less flavorful beans.

Light roast coffee allows the natural flavors to shine and is mostly done on high quality beans for obvious reasons.

One more advantage to light roast = more caffeine. Caffeine is eliminated through the roasting process so dark coffee has less caffeine.

[TZ-Someplace]

Although I had had it before and liked it, I bought the Gevalia trad roast because it was the only medium roast on the store shelf at the time, and luckily was priced below the big brands around it. It is ground pretty fine and loses its flavor soon after being opened. When that happens I switch it over from making it with the press pot to my little stove-top aluminum espresso pot to concentrate the flavor.

Back in my school days the coffee-head grad students would use the lab's reverse osmosis water for coffee. This was long before R.O. water got cheap. I didn't think we had bad tasting tap water and couldn't taste a difference.

[TZ-Someplace]

Good tip on the oily=too far. Thanks

[Keysguy]

My wife and I are both coffee junkies and will only buy whole beans which we grind ourselves. We have even gone so far as buying green beans and roasted our own, blending several different types and roasting strategies.
Honestly, from a time and price perspective, the best store beans we've found are Sam's Club Members Mark French Roast and Breakfast Blend beans which we mix evenly before grinding.

If you've never watched it, 'Dangerous Grounds' was a very entertaining and educational TV series that was showcased on I think either Nat Geo or Travel channel several years ago. The show follows coffee guru Todd Carmichael as he travels the world in search of the perfectly grown coffee bean. Not sure if it's streaming anywhere but worth a watch if you find it.

[PlumCrazy]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

My wife and I are both coffee junkies and will only buy whole beans which we grind ourselves. We have even gone so far as buying green beans and roasted our own, blending several different types and roasting strategies.
Honestly, from a time and price perspective, the best store beans we've found are Sam's Club Members Mark French Roast and Breakfast Blend beans which we mix evenly before grinding.

If you've never watched it, 'Dangerous Grounds' was a very entertaining and educational TV series that was showcased on I think either Nat Geo or Travel channel several years ago. The show follows coffee guru Todd Carmichael as he travels the world in search of the perfectly grown coffee bean. Not sure if it's streaming anywhere but worth a watch if you find it.

I did enjoy that show. And I ordered some of the fancy stuff offered at outrageous prices from La Colombe online while the show was on the air. It was fantastic!! Now it's mostly commercial grade. Bought a few bags for my mom for Christmas for my mom. They were way cheaper, but also tasted like normal coffe. Also now you can find their nitro canned mocha in grocery stores. I definitely recommend that.

Anyway, I go for whole bean. Starbucks tastes way to strong/gritty for me. I buy Dunkin Donuts brand. Don't judge until you've tried it!!

[Dorchid]

Whole bean FTW! Light, dark, whatever you’re in the mood for. As long as it’s freshly ground and of good quality, it’s great. I know there’s debate on caffeine levels depending on roast but I believe the common school of thought is that light has more as it is denser than dark as the coffee expands during roasting. Caffein melts around 455F which is above the typical roasting temps from what I gather. All in all, I think the difference is negligible and really depends on the bean and its caffeine content.

[voyager]

I've been buying whole beans and brewing my own for over 15 years now.
I never buy a cup except sometimes when eating out.
It never tastes as good.
Guatemalan and Sumatran are my favorites.
As a general rule I try other Central and South American brands, and find them to be pretty good.
But, I still go back.

I use a 30ml measuring spoon filled to slightly heaping - probably about 35 ml in 10 cups of water.
I believe that gives us a medium-strong brew.
We use catchment, so we use rainwater.
We each drink 2 large mugs every morning, drinking all the pot.
Never drink it any other time.
If I miss my morning coffee, I will experience mild withdrawals.

I buy medium to medium-dark roast.
As a general rule the darker the roast - the stronger the coffee.
And, the strengths from roasting and from the quantity brewed are different.
Both have to be considered in deciding the brewing.

EDT:
I have drunk black coffee ever since starting as a teenager.
I'm on my second coffee grinder used in this period.
The finer it's ground the stronger it'll be.
Find a grind you like, and duplicate it all the time.
You'll know when you've ground it wrong.

[estación seca]

If you grind it too finely it will clog a paper coffee filter. But espresso calls for a fine grind.

Stovetop espresso pots work well if you don't have much counter space for a big machine.