 A revolution has been brewing in the workplace among coffee drinkers unwilling to settle for the break room sludge. For some of them, pod machines and single-serve cups provide the illusion of a superior product. Others swear by the French press method, which has traditionally reigned supreme as the alternative to automatic coffee makers. Now, more hand-brewed coffees from devices like pour-overs and the Aeropress are popping up in home kitchens and cubicles alike. Even in the CNN.com break room, the buzz of a coffee grinder has become a regular morning fixture. But why the fuss? "People are always looking for ways of reintroducing handcrafted arts into their lives as a counter to the convenient but often over-produced items that we so heavily rely upon," LaMont says. "Someone may not want to give up their kitchen stove in exchange for an open fire in the backyard, but they can trade up to a simple drip cone and freshly ground coffee without a lot of added headache or trouble." It's a skill set that casual coffee drinkers are seeking out with increasing enthusiasm. On a recent rainy Sunday at the 2012 Atlanta Food and Wine Festival, LaMont and three Atlanta baristas demonstrated the use of a pour-over, or a cone-shaped dripper in which coffee and water are slowly combined and drained through a filter. They talked up the benefits of buying locally roasted beans and grinding them yourself in order to yield a crisper cup of coffee. As they passed out wet filters for the ceramic drip cones, the quartet waxed poetic on the virtues of treating coffee like the fruit it is. As participants waited in between pours for their coffee to "bloom," LaMont politely urged them to ditch coffee pods, if not for the sake of quality then for the environmental and financial benefits. The politics of the office coffee pot "I find that once a person is willing to give a pour-over a try with all the right equipment, [he or she] always end up getting hooked," says Empire State South Coffee Program Manager Emily Letia, who coached participants as they slowly poured water from a kettle in a circular motion into the cone. "The key is having everything you need before you make a judgement on the pour-over. That's a good grinder, a pour-over device... the correct filters, and a kettle. I haven't met someone interested and willing that has gone back to their coffee maker after diving in to manual brewing." Pour-overs seem to be the most popular manual brewing method, second only to French press, which involves combining hot water and grounds in a special carafe, then pressing down a plunger to halt the process. But Letia finds interest in all kinds of forms is growing with the proliferation of venues dedicated to the science of brewing. LaMont has also noticed the upswing. "A few years back, the vast majority of the people we taught at the Counter Culture Training Center in Atlanta came to us to learn about espresso-making and barista skills. Now we get just as many if not more attendees interested in learning about the basic science of non-espresso brewing." Factors such as price, convenience and control tend to dictate which method people favor, LaMont says, and offers some words of wisdom: French press: The carafe and plunger combination is easily the most popular among the general public because it's easy to use and widely available. But, it tends to produce a silty cup of coffee with a muddy bottom that is often under-brewed, which is why many professionals and home enthusiasts look for alternatives. Pour-over: Many of today's hand drip cones are based on a simple 110 year-old design that originated with Melitta Bentz in Germany. Most cone-shaped drippers produce (arguably) equally great coffee, regardless of whether it's a $2 plastic Melitta cone or an $80 hand-made ceramic. From there, it's a matter of perfecting the technique using coffee of a coarse grind, a pre-wetted filter and a pour with the right kind of kettle. Aeropress: The Aeropress has morphed from its original design as a pseudo espresso maker into the most portable, unbreakable brewer around. It doesn't rely on a nice pouring kettle, making it one of the more approachable brewers. Chemex: Among American designs, few brewers hold the pedigree of Peter Schlumbohm's Chemex. Part of MoMA's permanent collection, it is one of the older and still most elegantly designed. It consists of an hourglass-shaped glass flask with a conical neck that uses a thicker filter than you'd find on a standard drip coffee filter. The coffee is made by placing the filter and grounds in the neck of the flask, heating water in a separate vessel and "blooming" the grounds with a small amount of water to moisten them before pouring the rest of the water over the grounds. Vacuum pots: There are a few die-hard users of "vac pots" or siphons. Most of the time, they are beautiful, two-piece brewers made of blown glass that require an extra degree of skill and knowledge to perfect. Used properly, they can quickly brew a clean, refined cup of coffee and impress dinner guests. Sadly, they are expensive, easily breakable, and a pain to clean. If someone is interested in testing the waters of home brewing, LaMont says to consider the following as an order of importance when it comes to purchases and investments: 1. Buy good, fresh coffee . Once you've got the tools, start brewing and drinking, LaMont advises. If the coffee tastes great, then sit back and enjoy. If it doesn't taste as good as the coffee shop in your area that brews on the same equipment, then drop in and ask them for pointers. Most shops, especially those that are preparing hand-brewed coffee, are going to be willing to share a lot of their tips and techniques and probably even diagnose what's going wrong with your brew. Got a favorite method or something that's stumping you? Pour out your heart in the comments and we'll do our best to help. Previously - Study says coffee makes you live longer and Pod people: tweaking office coffee |
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I use Chemex since I started drinking coffee.
Chemex for a looooong time
I use my Toddy Maker- It is the best tasting iced coffee around!
Other. I tend to use my Clever Drip of late, the lazy man's pour over. But a pour over when I'm not multi-tasking work and six kids.
I have used a Toddy for the past 18 months, I use filtered water, decent coffee (not top end), and let it brew 12 to 24 hrs for a weeks supply. I drink it hot and iced using skim milk to dilute at 1 part coffee to 2 – 2 1/2 parts coffee. Less bitter, less acidic, and much cheaper than a coffee shop for very good cup.
My dad and mother have been using the Chemex for decades. I always figured it was because dad was a chemist that they used this dinosaur. But for taste?
I went through a period of coffee pedantism that included home roasting, every extraction method imaginable, etc. I even bought a refractometer. 90% of the time though I just go one of two ways– Clever dripper, or shots from my PID-hacked superautomatic because it turns out most of the time I just want really good coffee versus the trouble of chasing "perfect" coffee.
Been using Chemex filters for over 20 years. Higher end and brand name coffee taste better with these filters. A regular part of my mornings including a thermos at work. I don't think we have had a drip coffee maker in use at our house since.
i always add a half teaspoon of chocolate powder to my cup of coffee – instant, perculated or brewed any way you like. it softens the bitternes and smoothens the flavor. Even at Starbucks, I use the chocolate powder and no sugar.
Ya know, I prefer homegrown tomatoes, fresh herbs, food cooked from scratch – but I really have trouble telling THAT much of a difference between coffee brewed one way or the other. Fresh ground is slightly better than pre-ground, but other than that, it's a cuppa coffee, fer pete's sake.
I'm glad I'm not that fussy about it because I don't want to have to do something complicated in the morning!
If you brew with pre-ground coffee, you're jeopardizing your immortal soul. DON'T DO IT!!
I steep the grounds in a small french press carafe, but then pour it through a Finum brewing basket into my coffee cup. Works for me better than the pour over/drip style because I prefer my coffee nice and hot. After going through a drip cone or Aeropress, I find the coffee cools off more than I'd like.
Aeropress and Clever Coffee Dripper are my favs for brewing.
I found Sweet Maria's home page and started roasting my own coffee. Well worth the very small investment and time.
"...I haven't met someone interested and willing that has gone back to their coffee maker after diving in to manual brewing."
He hangs out with snobs or liars (sometimes both). Most likely both. They do not want to admit they took his class and "back slid" from his "religion".
The author is a good shill for more expensive coffee making. Unfortunately, s/he ignored the most important ingredient. What ingredient constitutes the majority of a cup of coffee??? WATER – if you do not have good coffee, you are sunk. Once I got a water distiller my coffee was better than any coffee shop no matter WHAT method was used to make it.
The "environment" argument does not have to fit pod makers. You can repack the pods and/or get reusable pods for the machines. One does NOT need $30 a pound coffee or $120 grinders. Those are "look at me and how much I spend" items for those that need validation by the THINGS they own.
I would love to indulge my love of a good lb of Starbucks – Gold Coast preferably – but, alas, since I no longer work for them as a barista/shift super. and don't get a lb markout each week anymore, I have found inexpensive caribbean espresso a suitable alternative. El Caribe brand from Shoprite at $1.99 per brick, which lasts us almost a week, run through a regular auto drip is more than suitable. Occasionally my husband indulges my Starbucks habit, but el Caribe is a good alternative for those pinching pennies!
Exactly!!! One does not NEED to pay the outrageous prices to make good coffee. One thing to note. DO NOT USE BOILING WATER. Boiling water destroys tea AND coffee.
The best cup of tea that I've ever had was made by a Brit friend of mine – water was very hot (not boiling) and steeped for just the right amount of time – a little milk and sugar... heavenly. Nice change to coffee.
Too funny! Coffee has become so overblown as a consumer product! To watch people spend $300 a month at Starbucks is ridiculous! And we wonder why consumer debt is at an all-time high?
Buy a "Starbucks" reusable cup and fill it with McD's. How are the others to know?
I could care less about overpriced designer coffee labels. Silly.
I started off with a french press but dislike the grounds in the bottom of the cup. I got an areo press a couple of years ago and loved it. However, I recently got a cone/pour over drip and wow, it is amazing and easy. I also recently started grinding beans using a burr grinder with beans from coffee that had only recently been roasted. The difference is amazing.
McD's during the week; Starbucks instant from the grocery store on the weekends. Anything else is more work than it's worth. Find someone who makes coffee the way you like it at a price you can afford and you're good to go. For $1 a day, I get what I need and life is goooood.
We have a French press and have used various fancy drip coffee makers in the past, but we've been surprisingly happy with the Bunn coffee maker we purchased a few years ago. It keeps the water at the correct temperature, and even pre-ground cheap coffee tastes much better than it does in other machines. (We have a nice grinder, btw, but parenthood has a way of making pre-ground coffee attractive, at least during the week, when we use quality pre-ground coffee stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.)
Most of the comments here prove that Americans don't know coffee. What most people drink here would be unthinkable in other parts of the world. Maxwell House? Dunkin Donuts? Percolators?? You don't have to be a snob to enjoy a good cup of coffee. Learn how to drink coffee, people, and while you're at it, learn about cooking food properly as well.
So glad you come to add such a positive and enlightening perspective to the discussion.
gross generalizations add about as much to a statement as 1 would believe you to be capable of adding
Your stuffed-shirt comment proves that you don't know Americans. But that's okay because we don't want to know YOU!
btw – How's that Euro workin' for ya?
I'm probably 20 yrs. older than this guy. I used a chemex pour-through maker for years, but I'm happy with my Krups drip coffee maker these days: same great taste and less effort (especially if you want to make 10-12 cups). There's no need to make things more difficult than they need to be.
"I haven't met someone interested and willing that has gone back to their coffee maker after diving in to manual brewing.""
Do you think this a pour over would work on Crio Bru brewed cocoa?
I chose "other".
I commit two cardinal sins: I neither roast nor grind my own.
I call mine "Cowboy Coffee".
I put a measure of grounds in a Pyrex cup, add boiling water, stir, and wait about 4 min before pouring the sludge through a strainer into a coffee mug.
That's it. Suits me fine.
Try pouring in the water when it's just shy of boiling. It could help avoid some bitter flavor that sometimes happens with certain types of coffee.
For daily cofee, I have a Capresso with burr grinder that brews perfectly into a vacuum pot, storing at optimun temperature. When I have time, my pride and joy is my mint condition, all-glass, 1940s Cory vacuum pot that brews absolute perfection!
Properly roasted and fresh beans make all the difference. I have a commercial espresso machine at home. I buy my coffee from Dunn Bros, a coffe shop that roasts its own coffee about twice a week. It makes a huge difference in the crema if the beans were roasted a day ago vs 4 days ago. Anything that comes in a bag already roasted from a grocery store doesn't compare, since this stuff is weeks old.
My kids introduced me to this catchy little ditty from a children's group called, Trout Fishing In America....
All I want is a proper cup of coffee, made in a proper copper coffee pot. I may be off my dot, but I want a proper coffee in a proper copper pot.
Iron coffee pots & tin coffee pots they are no use to me...If I can't have a proper cup of coffee in a proper copper coffee pot, then I'll have a cup of tea!
They drove me crazy with this tongue twister song. The last verse goes faster & faster.
I really like cold brewing coffee. Takes a while (12-24h), but the results are great. Pretty interested in getting a pour-over type though for fast hot brewed coffee. I use a french press now almost exclusively for hot brewed coffee.
I just eat the coffee grinds, water and coffee makers are for wussies.
If you grind it dine enough you can snort it and spare your stomach the wear and tear.
Hahaha. Like.
Better watch it. That kind of stuff will make flowers grow out of your behind.
Techni Vorm Mochomaster. Manual yes, but way east to clean! Much too good to be called a lowly drip coffee maker.
yup, I agree. I've had one for 5 years and it brews perfectly every time. I hoem roast, too, so that's even fresher than getting coffee in the coffee shop, plus I roast it how I like it, not how some snob says I should like it.
Chemex. I've been using the same device since college days. Simple, effective, efficient, and tastes great.
You really can't beat automatic espresso machines such as Saeco. Best cup of espresso or Americano coffee you are going to get in an office environment by far – and it doesn't take a huge chunk of your work day to prepare.
Something I learned when I was a young pvt in the USMC about coffee " Coffee is like a woman always hot, fresh, and strong , sometimes sweet, sometimes blond and never bitter "... we have been using the pour over method for over 30 years and guests come over just for coffee. 2 or 3 pots every day before noon.
Simple hobo coffee is best. 2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of colombian coffee in a pot. Bring it to a boil while stirring the grounds directly in the water. When it boils up, take it off the stove top and flick a bit of cold water in to settle the grounds to the bottom. Pour it directly in your cup.
Doesn't it make far more sense to keep the water in direct contact with the grounds for a longer period of time.
Try it–you'll be blown away.
I had a friend who made Armenian coffee.......fine ground coffee, boiled on the stove top. It was allowed to rest a bit, and then poured into those shot type espresso cups.....it's was kinda nasty, but good. In everyday life I use drip and regular coffee......
The only way to make good coffee is cold brew.
Amazon.com: Toddy T2N Cold Brew System: Kitchen & Dining
My absolute favorite kind of coffee. No heat means no acid means very smooth tasting.
I think it's abhorrent to use any coffee maker, weather it be a machine, a cheap pour over, or the aeropress, that's made with plastic parts. all that hot water is leeching out highly toxic chemicals into your coffee. when you get cancer in 20 years, think back to that morning cup o joe.
Scientific studies say you are wrong. Coffee has been proven to reduce cancer.
you didn't read my post. it's not the coffee that's bad, it's the plastic of the coffee maker.
Think outside the box, Andrew. Coffee has been shown to reduce cancer and virtually EVERYBODY uses a commercial coffee maker of some sort or other. The plastic in a coffee pot doesn't hurt anything, although it will if used in a microwave.
Simple hobo coffee is best. 2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of colombian coffee in a pot. Bring it to a boil while stirring the grounds directly in the water. When it boils up, take it off the stove top and flick a bit of cold water in to settle the grounds to the bottom. Pour it directly in your cup.
Doesn't it make far more sense to keep the water in direct contact with the grounds for a longer period of time.
Try it–you'll be blown away.
I highly recommend anyone who enjoys coffee, to invest 25 dollars and to buy an Aeropress, It makes a fantastic cup of coffee. It isn't automated but its i definitely think its worth it. My Favorite thing to do with this is to make iced coffee. Make it nice and strong get 2 cups, one slightly smaller in diameter than the other Make your coffee; Toss in about 4-5 ice cubes, Force the Cups together ( like a martini shaker) shake it for about 2-3 minutes, make sure when you remove the top cup that the LARGE cup is on the bottom..You will have a Nice cold frothy iced coffee, add some creamer and milk and toss a couple more ice cubes in it and your set to go! ( If you make the coffee the correct strength, it will never taste watered down)
Stove top 6-cup espresso maker on gas stove. It is just the right size to make one regular cup of coffee and tastes great. I like my coffee strong and prefer Colombian blend.
Yeah, I use the same one (smaller though) on the stove. No paper filters, easy clean up. The electric espresso machine bit the dust, so I invested $15 and bought the stove-top one at Macy's.
If you don't use a percolator, you don't know how good coffee can taste.
Community Dark Roast BTW.
Coffee snobs don't want to believe it, but you are absolutely correct.
What a bunch of nonsense. The thing that most directly effects the taste is quality of the coffee beans, and grinding it to the correct size. Trying to argue that because you pour the hot water over by hand instead of having it essentially poured over by a drip machine is asinine. The only difference is in your delusional mind.
I highly recommend anyone who enjoys coffee, to invest 25 dollars and to buy an Aeropress, It makes a fantastic cup of coffee. It isn't automated but its i definitely think its worth it. My Favorite thing to do with this is to make iced coffee. Make it nice and strong get 2 cups, one slightly smaller in diameter than the other Make your coffee; Toss in about 4-5 ice cubes, Force the Cups together ( like a martini shaker) shake it for about 2-3 minutes, make sure when you remove the top cup that the LARGE cup is on the bottom..You will have a Nice cold frothy iced coffee, add some creamer and milk and toss a couple more ice cubes in it and your set to go! ( If you make the coffee the correct strength, it will never taste watered down)
The Above was not meant to be a Reply...
Aezel,
Unfortunately, most automatic drip machines don't get anywhere close to the ideal brewing temperature. They also do not adequately saturate all of the coffee grounds, leaving some parts of your coffee over saturated and others not adequately enough.
I usually make 'Cuban' coffee by using a little stove top pot that screws together or an expresso machine will do. Called 'Colada', the trick is in frothing the sugar with a small amount of coffee. It's incredibly fast and super-charged.
What I use too. Also called an Italian moka pot. I love mine, use it every morning for a great cup of Jo.
Most of the time I use a percolator. My favorite coffee come from a single pass gravity dripolator such those made by Wearever. I like Maxwell House Columbian coffee.
I picked other, and you asked me to share what that is. I like the Starbucks Via as a decent cup of coffee, which is a microgrind. I guess that should be considered instant, but it is not a pre-made coffee that has been dehydraded or freeze-drued; so I consider it as a different type of product.
aeropress or cold brew
I use a salvaged filter holder from a dead brewer & hand pour into an old brewer carafe. Use good 100% Colombian & be generous with it. Water must be purified or filtered & really boiling hard.
I DO NOT HAVE BLOOD IN MY VEINS I HAVE COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!
FRESH GROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE MY COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You might consider decaf . . .
three words: BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE
I swear by the french press. Silty-ness and underbrewing only happens when you rush things or grind the coffee too small. The french press requires a medium coarse grind and you need to clean the filter regularly. The grounds can be "bloomed" by pouring a small portion of just boiled water on the grounds and letting it stand a minute before filling the carafe. Or use a plug in model that boils the water first, shuts off automatically, then switches over to french press. The MINIMUM amount of time for the proper brew is 4 min. (Go get your computer turned on, or pack your lunch for the day.) The grounds usually start dropping to the bottom when they are properly water logged. Waiting for the grounds to drop not only reduces the pressure needed to push the filter, but helps keep the filter from getting bent up and producing a more silty product down the road. A properly used french press will result in a strong, aromatic, and fully caffeinated cup of pure gold. Enjoy.
Oh and ALWAYS grind your beans fresh.
Coffee and tobacco, two things that smell great and taste terrible to me. How can something that smells so good taste so bad?
Answer:
Coffee is an acquired taste. One earns it by having no fear of the bean. Plus, it is healthy for people to drink in moderation.
Tobacco is also an acquired tate. That, however, is all it has in common with coffee.
You may be a supertaster that has so many taste buds that you really pick up the bitterness of the coffee. Perhaps try a blend that is very low in bitterness.
I don't believe I'm a super-taster since these are the only two items. That, and I'm 50 so my taste buds are supposed to be less sensitive by now. Since smell is a major component of taste, I should like them but I don't. I love to step into a tobacco store (well, if one can be found these days) or smell the coffee aisle in the store or coffee at kiosks. There are other things in my diet that are acquired tastes, I just never acquired these two.
It may be sacrilidge to the big coffee fans but cream and sugar go a long way to damping down the bitterness....Irish creme....mmmm. Or light mocha? yum! Starbucks has an amazing french press :)
Had to laugh at the admonition: "Purchase a sturdy, NICE LOOKING drip cone or Chemex. Cuz' ya know, looks matter.
I use my husband. He makes the coffee with a Hario pour-over cone, using locally-roasted beans ground at home, as used, on a hand grinder.
I need a cup of coffee.
I go with the best of both worlds approach - Keurig machine, grind my own coffee, put coffee in an EkoBrew cup, put that in Keurig. Convenience of one-cup Keurig brewing, taste and freshness of time-consuming hand-prepared methods. Then I keep some of the K-Cups on hand for when we're hosting people, or for people that want one of the "instant" style lattes or mochas or something.
To the person who's drinking tea for health benefits - good on ya! Coffee drinkers live longer though. CNN's partner Time had a great article on it: http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/16/study-finds-coffee-drinkers-live-longer/
If the link doesn't show up, just Google this: "study-finds-coffee-drinkers-live-longer" time
As a real coffee junkie I tend to use four systems alternately: French press, espresso machine, pour over and my favorite for multiple cups, a Pyrex stove top percolator I got on Ebay. Love them all, but the percolator is probably my favorite all-around for the wonderful aroma it puts out, the volume of coffee per pot, and I can control the strength by letting it perk just a little longer. Probably takes me back to my adolescence when I was just learning to enjoy coffee, and my dad had a Pyrex perk just like mine. Takes me to 40 years ago, and the flavor is just as good as I remember.
I do the same w/Keurig...and also a sprinkle of salt on the grounds...
I make my own Turkish coffee..mmm. I buy medium roast Starbucks beans at Costco, grind them myself with a Krups grinder super fine like powder. The coffee is strong, thick, black and very, very tasty. You have to drink it slowly, you can't walk around because you don't want to disturb the sediment (the coffee is not filtered), so you have to sit, relax and enjoy. And no paper, plastic or mugs.. just small porcelain cups with saucers.
That really sounds good!
I buy the good coffee beans at Sams Club (it's cheaper) and put them in their grinder at the "dust" ,espresso setting. The finest grind makes the coffee go further since I use less. (Finer grind = more surface area). I use a automatic drip that gets loaded the night before. The ground coffee is stored in a airtight jar with a gasket and a metal clasp and put in the freezer. Sams 2 pounds of coffee lasts almost a month at 4 cups a day. (YUM!) I learned from Dunkin to use light cream not milk.
I store my coffee in an air-tight container. Everyone to whom I serve it raves about my super coffee. Air-tight storage is, in my opinion, the key to great coffee. I use an old-fashioned drip maker, and add a tad of salt to the ground beans before brewing.
Also, don't put coffee in the freezer. That's one "tip" that leads people to cruddy coffee. Airtight containment, for the win.
Tea > Coffee every time! Enjoy your muddy water folks! I will be enjoying a nice cup of tea which has actual health benefits!
http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/16/study-finds-coffee-drinkers-live-longer/
Mmm, health benefits provided by coffee. Nothing wrong with tea, just be careful that you don't fall off that high horse there, Harry.
The Melitta Mill and Brew was the best coffee maker around. It still is if you have one but for some unknown reason Melitta has discontinued production. You can find a M&B online for about $70 if you look hard but they're getting scarce.
The only con is that the latch on the lid breaks after a couple of years. Break a short piece of handle off of a plastic fork or spoon, then jam it in the crack between the BACK of the lid and the body of the coffee maker. It's an easy fix and works every time.
I use a vacuum brewer. It's great, wasn't expensive and easy to use and clean. It also provides the BEST tasting coffee I know. I have a perc, a drip, a press, a expresso (Machine and stove top),
i've done it all and the best hands down, is the vacuum brewer.
BTW, the WORST way to brew coffee is a percolator. WHY? Cause all that does is heat and re-heat and re-heat the same coffee over and over and over. Giving the coffee a burnt oily taste. Absolutely the worst method. I ONLY use mine when camping, since it's a camping percolator. Just warning people, don't go there, it tastes terrible.
I heartily agree! You can get a Yama 5 cup vacpot for around 30 bucks. It's very easy to use, gives you perfect control and brews a very clean cup. Yes the bowl is a bit fragile but, with care, lasts for years.
I roast my own beans and brew using various methods including French Press, Drip and Vacuum Pot.
I agree with D E White – Not fair. I use an automatic drip with a built in burr grinder somedays, a french press some days, and a vacuum pot 3 – 4 times a month.
Love the Chemex!!! I have not used a drip coffee machine in the last 3 years!
My good friends at Katz Coffee in Houston turned me on to this elegant and easy way to make my coffee.
As roasters of coffee, they also taught me I had a lot to learn about the beans I use. Of course fresher is better, local is the best! Great Article! Thanks CNN
Where does one find beans "local" to Houston? (or Los Angeles?).
Beans shipped monthly from La Colombe in Philadelphia; Baratza grinder; Cuisinart "Brew Central". Great! I'm one of those who find French press coffee to be silty-tasting.
If you use a standard drip style coffeemaker, be sure to remove the grounds basket as soon as the brewing is completed to avoid the bitter oils from dripping into the pot. You'll end up with a smoother cup of coffee.
Not Fair! I do instant, drip, AND a French Press – depends on the time I have and what else is happening.
Maxwell Hisouse Bitches
I'm thinking you probably should have included the methods mentioned in the article in the poll. Aeropress, vacuum pot and Chemex for instance.
Coffee is my favorite thing in the world, but I'm lazy in the morning. I have a moccomaster with the glass pot and use Dunkin Donuts coffee. Heat my milk, add the coffee then go back to bed for 10 more minutes and read the news on my laptop-HEAVEN. I have to try these methods listed on the weekends, the coffee sounds yummy.
While Dunkin Donuts coffee is good, you might want to try Gevalia traditional roast. Also, you don't mention if you buy ground or whole bean and grind your own. It is always better to grind your own, because once ground, coffee begins to lose its flavor. Grind enough to last about 1 week and store in an airtight container, as moisture and air are the enemies of ground coffee.
I like Dunkin and other donut shop style coffees on the rare occasions I sweeten my coffee with a flavored creamer. Most creamers are made with the expectation that they're being poured into burned, bitter drip coffee, and donut shop style coffees have the enough bitterness with those sweet undertones to balance out a strongly-flavored creamer (Lucerne Creme Brulee creamer, you shall be the death of me yet!).
I cold brew.
ME TOO !!! Love my cold brew system, given to me by my daughter & son-in-law who own a gormet coffee bar in austin, tx. Sure beats the $2.75 for a Starbucks Double Shot out of the cooler!!
For low cost and great coffee, it took me years to discover what just about every European kitchen has in it, a Bialetti pot. It's about as close as you can get to actual espresso without having to pay for an espresso machine.
Right on – stove top espresso maker! For iced coffee, I cold brew.
Not even Starbucks makes coffee strong enough for me. I buy the beans from a local mom & pop that roasts their own, grind it at home, and make a killer cup in my Krups automatic drip.
I "stole" an Alessi moka pot from my mom's cupboard of "wedding gifts for the kitchen she never used." Not a screwtop, it has an ingenious locking lever design. It makes one amazing mug of strong coffee. But then, I also do drive around town in concentric circles in my efforts to buy the Viennese blend from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf which always seems to be out of stock.
I too cherish the occasional purchase of Vienna Blend from Coffee Bean & Tea. Generally I buy whole beans at Sam's, use a Krupp's grinder. I brew with Mr. Coffee, electric percolator, and for the fine coffee flavor I use my French press, or for zing, my old stove top espresso maker. My dad tried all sorts of ways of making coffee, and encouraged me to just try something. He would even just boil the grounds in water and strain through a tea strainer. I learned to drink it black as a kid which I still continue, but I delight in choosing my brewing method. In retirement I now find I brew some in the afternoons. Enjoy!
I use a Mr. Coffee espresso maker, and as long as the coffee is good quality with a good grind, it's as good as any other espresso maker I've tried. I opened the cover to look at the innards and discovered it's the same as other espresso makers up to at least $200! Here's my secrets to perfect foaming: 1) Do not use too much milk. I use about an ounce for every shot. OTOH, more milk means less foam but whiter coffee. 2) The milk must be cold when you start foaming. 3) Starbucks uses 2%. I use plain almond milk. 4) Foam the top first until it reaches the top of the container, then dip the nozzle all the way down. 5) Turn the container while you continue foaming IOT "foam down" the frothy top and heat the milk evenly. 6) Continue foaming until the nozzle makes a "hollow" noise and the foam builds back up to the top of the container. The bottom of the container will be very hot to the touch. Enjoy!
I roast my own coffee first from green coffee beans, then brew it either in a french press or with a siphon filter. Unless the place where you buy your pre-roasted beans roasts them on site, you will never have better coffee than roasting it your self first.
Agreed James. I roast my own coffee, and I have to say that fresh roasted coffee through a regular drip coffee maker is way better than stale beans through a fancy coffee maker. Not to mention the price savings. A pound of estate grown, high quality beans is about 50% the cost of what you pay to a high quality roaster for the same product.
Moka Express from Bialetti with locally produced dark roast – inexpensive and really good (and I confess a pod for a single cup when in a hurry).
I've used a two-cup enamel French drip pot for over 35 years. I guess it's the original version of the "pour-over".
My parents have used the glass vacuum pots for the past (at least) 40 years. They make an amazing tasting coffee – and they really aren't too expensive if you buy them at estate sales, thrift stores.
Personally, I use a french press.....of course I've broken 2 of them just this year, so maybe I should look into an Aeropress!
Nothing' but Via from Starbucks for me! #fakeantihipster
I use an automatic drip or percolator when I'm feeling lazy – it reminds me of Mom – but other times I just go with the French Press. As long as I don't grind the beans too fine the coffee is always smooth and never silty. I'm no expert, but I think I do pretty well!
Funny they say the individual single serve cup brewer gives the "illusion" of a superior product. It's a tasty, tasty illusion, even if the coffee snobs don't approve. There's always someone who has to believe they have the superior idea or method.
used used to choke down Folgers, acquired taste. but one day my wife picked up a grinder and whole bean Starbucks from Costco. WOW night and day difference. we had some friends over one night and one drank an entire pot on his own. hes hooked. this is all with an auto-drip. they have the Folgers packs at work, its nastier than i ever remember it...
I tend toward vietnamese coffee done over my cup.
I use a vacpot or french press. I also roast at home in an air popper. I got into it because the mass produced office coffee was gak, and I'm limited to 1 or 2 cups per day. To paraphrase, "Life's too short to drink gak"
I love my 'old school stovetop' Corningware percolator!