Help Madtown make awesome coffee (aka coffee-making tips)

[OneChipWarrior]

My father uses a french press and coffee grinder.

[Nottom]

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Whats up the the hating on cream and sugar... To each their own right?

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Just basic Coffee snobery, just like people who would kill you for not cooking your steaks medium rare or for owning a bottle of A-1.

[27offsuit]

TT,

I have this machine at my office and it is above satisfactory.

I was skeptical at first, but it sold me over immediately.

FWIW...

[fyodor]

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Whats up the the hating on cream and sugar... To each their own right?

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Just basic Coffee snobery, just like people who would kill you for not cooking your steaks medium rare or for owning a bottle of A-1.

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OP specifically asked about this: "Favorite blends, cream/sugar combos, whatever."

So some of the black is best people responded. As simple as that. I don't give a damn how anyone takes thier coffee (or butchers their steak) but if asked my opinion I will give it.

[gmrankin]

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Whats up the the hating on cream and sugar... To each their own right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Just basic Coffee snobery, just like people who would kill you for not cooking your steaks medium rare or for owning a bottle of A-1.

[/ QUOTE ]

OP specifically asked about this: "Favorite blends, cream/sugar combos, whatever."

So some of the black is best people responded. As simple as that. I don't give a damn how anyone takes thier coffee (or butchers their steak) but if asked my opinion I will give it.

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alright, well - I like some flavored creamer or half and half and 2 packets of splenda... but thats just me.

[*TT*]

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TT,

I have this machine at my office and it is above satisfactory.

I was skeptical at first, but it sold me over immediately.

FWIW...

[/ QUOTE ]
I was looking at the Nespresso machines similar to the Keurig. Although I love the idea of a single cup serving with no fuss, there are a lot of downsides as well. The brands are all main-line middle of the road coffees and teas, nothing very exotic or incredibly hearty (which is how I like my coffee). If Illy or Lavaza made single serving packets/k-cups then I'd reconsider. Also another problem is that the serving size is generally very small, which forces you to use two servings per normal coffee mug.

I hope I'm wrong because I'd really love to get one of these machines, but from my limited experience so far its just not good enough.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[Tony_P]

Two things I don't think have been mentioned:

-Don't keep coffee grounds or beans in the fridge or freezer, it causes moisture to form on the coffee when you remove it and scoop some out.

-If your coffee is coming too bitter, try brewing with a higher grounds to water ratio. This seems counterintuitive to some people, but If you have too little coffee grounds the water will extract all the flavor and then go to work extracting the more bitter oils, and having enough grounds prevents that.

[*TT*]

So I went back to the store with my crappy new Krups coffee machine for an exchange. Since the store has a great return policy (I used the Krups for 7 days before I decided to take it back) I decided to give one of the single serving capsule style machines a [censored]. I'm a single guy who is always on the run, it sounds like these things are made for people like me. So I buy the ultra-mod looking Tassimo from Braun because it got the highest ratings out of all the single capsule style machines on the market, and the salesperson guaranteed that the coffee would be the perfect temperature (she owns one as well).

So reluctantly I took the Tassimo home. I say reluctantly because the brands that are included with the package are all common grocery brands, they include Maxwell House and Twinings Tea, whereas I normally buy my tea as whole leaves and my coffee is commonly either Illy or Lavazza (I like very strong Italian style coffee that borders on espresso). When I put it on my counter top I still remained a skeptic, but since I had nothing to loose (two boxes of capsules come with the package for free, mine to keep even if I return the box) I decided to try Crema by Gevalia. It looks oddly out of place next to my espresso machine as I popped in the capsule while listening to the loud sounds of the water pump. Its not quiet like most drip coffee machines, probably because it needs to squeeze a lot of water into a tight little area. 1 minute later it was all done so I went for the taste test while it was still black (I prefer to drink my coffee with a drop of 1/2 & 1/2 and one Splenda) - wow. Its really good. So I add the above mentioned garnishes, and sit down to play the first round of poker I've played in almost a week online. I was so surprised.... Its really good! Now its not the best coffee in the world, but it was far better than the drip Lavazza I was drinking all last week. Suffice to say, the Tassimo is staying. I really like it!

PS: Invited guests for the Ed Miller Queer Eye night (we will be downing shots every time Ed says Faaaannnnntastic!) can give the Tassio a whirl.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[ElaineMonster]

OK, the key to good coffee is the grounds but you can also adjust a few other aspects:
-use a cone filter
-get a grinder, grind your beans up fine (not med or course)
-drink it right when it's brewed, the hotter the better

Also, almost everyone like medium roast Kona. But experiment. You might find you like a certain brand. Some to try:
Pete's (Californian)
Community (New Orleans)
Starbucks (Seattle)