Coffee Addicts Thread

[RichC.]

So I'm guessing that CrackBucks doesnt count as coffee?

I usually just get a black, mild to strong roasted coffee, throw in a small bit of sweetener and call it good.

[AZK]

My father brought me up with turkish coffee, but our preparation was a function of lack of time, so for us it consisted of throwing in a heaping scoop of turkish coffee, adding boiling water, stirring, let it sit for 5 mintues, then drinking it. It's not exactly the standard way of drinking turkish coffee but I still love it. Most places that prepare turkish coffee sweeten the [censored] out of it for western tastes, I hate the way they do this.

I fell in love with espresso a few years ago and it's primarily what I drink. I will normally have between 2-5 espressos a day, normally a double in the morning and then a 3 shot americano in the afternoon. I have been trying to cut back a bit, but I really see no reason why. The price/taste of starbucks led me to buy my own espresso machine, but I am pretty lazy so I bought a super automatic one that does everything. I add water and whole beans once a week and it makes all my coffee, I empty/clean it once or twice a week depending on my consumption. It produces good espresso, not AMAZING espresso, but consistently good with crema. It's good to the point where I am not going to buy a manual espresso machine and sit there and go through that hassle every morning/afternoon. I have tried various beans, but really got stuck on a Lavazza specific, so that is what I have been using for the last year. My Aunt/Uncle are huge espresso drinkers and absolutely swear by http://www.graffeo.com/ so I ordered some and I'll let you know.

When I was in Italy this summer, I primarily drank coffee made with the Moka express, which was really good, but not so much my thing. I like french press too but rarely drink it.

After drinking so much espresso it's nearly impossible for me to drink drip. I mean if I really need a cup of coffee I'll do it, but it just tastes so bitter and flat and gross...

[jba]

I'm a coffee addict that is also hopelessly lazy, and I drink 90% of my coffee outside my home - which means it's pretty tough to keep beans/grinds. I also live in the city which means a fresh hot cup is only a block or so away.

Then my girlfriend got me this nifty little machine for christmas. A fresh hot cup is always about 20 seconds away. It's obviously not as good as freshly ground/brewed, but it's good enough for my tastes.



link

[cbloom]

The best beans are generally something you can get close to home.

In Seattle, Cafe Vita is unbelievable.

In San Francisco, I like Philz or Ritual.

Trader Joe's has a big variety of beans for very cheap, some are good, some are not.

Never ever never ever buy beans from those bulk dispensers in grocery stores. Coffee beans go rancid very quickly because of their high oil content. Most grocery store beans are completely stale and rancid. Coffee beans should be stored vacuum packed. Once you break the seal they should be used within a week. If you don't use them that fast, then freeze them. You can grind them frozen and use them as normal (do not thaw).

When I went to Kona I bought a bunch of beans there, really delicious, and the plantation tour was fun. I never buy them normally cuz they cost 4X normal beans and it's not worth it.

[AZK]

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If you don't use them that fast, then freeze them. You can grind them frozen and use them as normal (do not thaw).

[/ QUOTE ]

I read somewhere that the freezing idea was a myth and that it's actually bad to expose beans to extreme temperatures in either direction. I was told to just keep them sealed as best as possible in a dark, dry, ambient temperature environment (i.e. the back of my cupboard). I'll try and dig up the link but I'm pretty sure the freezing thing isn't right.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you don't use them that fast, then freeze them. You can grind them frozen and use them as normal (do not thaw).

[/ QUOTE ]

I read somewhere that the freezing idea was a myth and that it's actually bad to expose beans to extreme temperatures in either direction. I was told to just keep them sealed as best as possible in a dark, dry, ambient temperature environment (i.e. the back of my cupboard). I'll try and dig up the link but I'm pretty sure the freezing thing isn't right.

[/ QUOTE ]

Regarding freezing:

First, there is something close to Cliff notes at the end.

In you don't mind having your eyeballs destroyed the following are links to the great coffee bean storage debates on various coffee forums (but mostly on coffeegeeks.com):

Very good thread on coffeegeeks:
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/questions/56936

From Coffee Forums:
http://tinyurl.com/2j5x29
http://www.coffeeforums.com/viewtopi...hlight=storage

More from coffeegeeks:
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/cof...estions/209728
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/cof...estions/271943
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/esp...uestions/12124

A link from one of the threads:
http://www.sivetzcoffee.com/newslett...agingJan01.htm

A link to a vacuum storage device:
http://www.all4coffee.com/0vacuum.htm
The coffeegeeks seem to find these devices problematic.

For more go to http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums
I keyed on +storage +freezing

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Semi-Cliff Notes:

I played four five table SNGs while skimming the links below.

There seems to be a lot of debate regarding the best practical way to store beans and the freezing option was including in the discussions. Obviously it’s best to buy fresh and in small batches but that isn’t easy unless you live near a quality roaster.

There was some support for approaches similar to my method of taking the bag from the roaster (the kind with the valve) making the first batch fresh then sealing what’s left and use a few more layers of wrap (in my case freezer bags with as much air sucked out as possible). When I take it out of the freezer I take out what I need for one batch then immediately re-wrap while slowly grinding in bursts (to avoid heat) using a blade grinder. I don’t defrost the beans.

Vacuum containers seem to have problems with effectiveness and reliability but would appreciate links to a good one.

I was astounded to see debates on coffee to approach the passion of debates on poker!

~ Rick

[BennyProfane]

[ QUOTE ]
Intelligentsia

And it isn't close. Unlike a lot of places, they buy directly from quality growers, not wholesalers. They roast in small batches. Their largest roast is 200 lbs. Starbucks smallest roast is 2000 lbs for their "special offerings".

If you happen to be in Chicago, you can take a very cool tour of their roasting works.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can also take a one-day coffee bar master class in which they teach you the secrets of making a great latte, coffee, capp, etc.

I use a French Press at home, and the best advice I received for it was from Peet's and is as follows:

Don't boil the water. It should be hot, but a tad under boiling. Pour the water into the press, over the grounds. Let it sit for exactly one minute then gently stir. Let it sit for exactly one minute again, then gently stir again. After a third minute, plunge and pour. Coffee does not need any more time to steep, and the additional time will hurt the quality of the brew.

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
Intelligentsia

And it isn't close. Unlike a lot of places, they buy directly from quality growers, not wholesalers. They roast in small batches. Their largest roast is 200 lbs. Starbucks smallest roast is 2000 lbs for their "special offerings".

If you happen to be in Chicago, you can take a very cool tour of their roasting works.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool to know this, thanks. For LA people, they've been open for a couple months in Silverlake (on Sunset, at the Sunset Junction). The coffee is great the couple times I went, looks like I'm gonna go back and get some of their beans for home.

I have the same question as AZK regarding burr grinders for french press - anyone got a good rec? My friend strongly recommends the Ariete "Macinacaffe" Burr Grinder - but like to hear any other suggestions <$200 or so.

-Al

[wet work]

I've always just used one of the small Krups grinders. No complaints. Looks like you can get one of their burr grinders for about $50 or so.

Also, for anyone in Annapolis who's looking for a great coffee spot check out Cafe Pronto. They roast their own beans.

[Maulik]

2p2'r "Terp" bought me a Delonghi, its one of the most thoughtful gifts I've received. No longer do I drink frozen coffee [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]