Coffee Addicts Thread

[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...

[bozzer]

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adsman: Thanks. I found a good link on the moka: Moka Brewing


Moka Pot stovetop brewers produce a dense concentrated cup that's something between espresso and Turkish coffee. Coffee is placed into a filter between the lower chamber (that you fill with water) and the upper chamber that will contain the finished beverage after brewing. Since the water is forced through the cake of coffee by pressure, the process bears more resemblance to espresso extraction that infusion (gravity-based) brewing.

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There is a store near by where I can get lavazza coffee beans and their espresso grind so I can also vouch for the quality of this coffee.

-Zeno

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This is my preferred method, and I'm actually using that exact brand at the moment two. Using almost 50% hot milk ensures a really smooth, strong coffee.

In the UK I think these stove top machines often get called espresso makers even though they aren't quite.

Otherwise, I think filter coffee is standard in the US, but surprisingly not so in the UK where cafetieres are mostly used.
If you're one of those people do yourself a favour and get a filter and some papers - much quicker to make a single cup, and much less harsh than the coarse taste of cefetiere coffee.

How many scoops do people put in their Mokas?

[AZK]

[ 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).

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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.

[Kintamayama]

Since I'm a former co-founder and co-owner, I may be biased, but IMO the best coffee can be found here, at Phoenix Coffee in Northeast Ohio. All coffee is fresh roasted to order.

I don't drink coffee any more, but when I did, my personal favorite was Sumatran Mandheling, which is a rich, smooth, full-bodied coffee.

It's been a while since I've been involved, but I've been around the coffee business for most of my life, so I'll be happy to answer any questions I can about the coffee biz, operating a cafe, etc.

[LetItBe]

The most important thing for coffee: bean storage! Do NOT PUT BEANS IN THE FREEZER. This is horrible for them. Why? There are 4 things that are bad for coffee: light, moisture, air, and time. Constantly taking coffee in and out of the freezer lets moisture build up inside the coffee. Not good. What I would recommend is buying an air-tight container, pouring the beans in there, and storing them in a cool, dry place. This will ensure that the beans are fresh and they will be fresher for longer.

As for beans, Starbucks isn't horrible, espcially when you consider how much they produce and roast. But I agree, you can find much better coffee. I just recently ran out of coffee that I brought home from Costa Rica...I love their coffee (Monte Verde coffee is fantastic). In Denver, go to Novo Coffee. Pricey but well worth it and they have a great selection.

Novo website.

[piradical]

the best I have had is distributed by Counterculture coffee in NC. in the DC area it is available at Murky Coffee in Arlington and Sparkys on 14th st. in DC. My favorite is the salvadorean ( not he one @ $65 for 12 oz.).

[adios]

One of my indulgences is coffee. I spend the dough for Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona for my home use. I also have a really nice esspresso machine which I actually bought at Starbucks when I realized it was a relatively good deal.

[cbloom]

[ QUOTE ]
The most important thing for coffee: bean storage! Do NOT PUT BEANS IN THE FREEZER. This is horrible for them. Why? There are 4 things that are bad for coffee: light, moisture, air, and time. Constantly taking coffee in and out of the freezer lets moisture build up inside the coffee.

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If you use them frozen they never get moist. Taking anything in & out of the freezer is bad for it. I don't believe that you can freeze bread & salmon but coffee beans are too delicate. Anyway, just use them quickly, I don't recommend storing them at all (I never do). If you don't use them fast enough, buy less.

edit : anyway the original point was, don't just leave it in the bag you bought it in (after opening) and have it sit in your cupboard for a month, it will taste like ass.

[cbloom]

BTW is anyone here an expert/advocate of using a french press? I've heard you can make great coffee with a french press, but I've never been successful with it. I've read some tips online but they haven't really helped. If I grind the beans course it comes out watery. If I grind them fine, I get tons of nasty sludge.

[Peter McDermott]

If my house was burning down, the first thing I'd run for is my Mazzer Mini.