Coffee Lovers

[Danny]

   I was browsing through the shelves at Goodwill yesterday and found a Bodum french press in perfect condition for $1.99. Gotta love it.

[GA-ME]

   I was browsing through the shelves at Goodwill yesterday and found a Bodum french press in perfect condition for $1.99. Gotta love it.

Sweet deal Dan! I have a nice quart sized Bodum and I am in the process of emptying the second press as I type...

[MC13]

I thought this was fun and worth sharing in the thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhdCslFcKFU

[Danny]

Sweet deal Dan! I have a nice quart sized Bodum and I am in the process of emptying the second press as I type...

I am enjoying some from the press right now. Mine is about 28ozs. So maybe they are the same thing. It sure works well.

[AgeOfEmpires]

One or two others have suggested home roasting - fun, fun, fun.  I use a heat gun and a stainless steel bowl.  sweetmarias is the way to go for green beans.  I've yet to perfect my roasting process, but I'm getting better.  Once I learn how to manual roast, I'm looking at one of the turbo oven based roasters (home built - google KKTO roaster).  

For ordering, Raven's Brew and Intelligentsia are my favorties, although Intelligentsia is significantly more expensive than they used to be (even factoring in the rise in cost of beans).  However, they KNOW their coffee.  They originated in Chicago, but now I think they are in LA and NY.  

Don't like Starbucks near as much, but I am a patron.  I feel they take their roasts just a little too far.  I look forward to trying some of their new Blonde roasts.  Enjoying Starbucks with GeeNorm makes it taste better though.

Great home roasting info in many places but an Aussie site - coffeesnobs - has a bunch of info on the KKTO and a Corretto (Bread Machine based) roaster.  Well worth reading the forums there for the adventuresome home roaster with grand ideas.

Brewing?  Press pot, Chemex and vacuum pot are my three preferred methods with the latter two being the most fun.  Drinking a cup of Chemex brewed coffee right now.

[AgeOfEmpires]

There is a "Rule of 15" we coffee geeks (www.coffeegeek.com) use:  
Use the coffee up to:

15 months after the beans were harvested,
15 days after beans were roasted,
15 minutes after the beans were ground.

If you are happy with your coffee experience, then just laugh at the rule.  But just like us guitar geeks talking Sitka or Englemann, RW or Hog, Lights or Mediums, Slot or Paddle, Bone or Tusq, Forward or Backward scalloping, etc., there is a whole 'nother level of coffee enjoyment.

Well, it's good to see another coffeegeek here.  That site has cost me hundreds of dollars though (but not as much money as this site has cost me   ).

Most "common" coffee drinkers don't really believe the rule of 15's, but from first hand experience, at least the latter two are very close to reality.  Not sure about the first because, although I know sweetmarias turns their beans fairly often, I really don't know the age of any of the green beans I've roasted. 

[Danny]

There are different levels of enjoyment for sure. Generaly if it's fresh brewed with good quality water I can enjoy a cup in most places. But I am real picky.

At home I grind my beans and filter my water. Even the carafe is never heated, that changes the chemical makeup of coffee drastically.

I have men who come over a few times a week in the mornings for prayer and bible reading. (sometimes I'll play a tune or two).
Anyway they really love my coffee. But in a group I go to once a week it's the worst coffee in the USA. I've had worse, but that was in Moscow, years ago. Nasty stuff.

 So on Thursday I bring my Bodum "GIVE UP BAD COFFEE FOR GOOD" cup. It has had a few comments

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[rwskaggs]

Try one of the Liquid Planet French Press Coffee Mugs - I use one several times daily for my 'fix' after roasting and grinding the "rule of 15's beans"....

http://www.liquidplanet.com/estore/product.php?productid=193&cat=0&page=1



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[rockstar_not]

There are different levels of enjoyment for sure. Generaly if it's fresh brewed with good quality water I can enjoy a cup in most places. But I am real picky.

At home I grind my beans and filter my water. Even the carafe is never heated, that changes the chemical makeup of coffee drastically.

I have men who come over a few times a week in the mornings for prayer and bible reading. (sometimes I'll play a tune or two).
Anyway they really love my coffee. But in a group I go to once a week it's the worst coffee in the USA. I've had worse, but that was in Moscow, years ago. Nasty stuff.

 So on Thursday I bring my Bodum "GIVE UP BAD COFFEE FOR GOOD" cup. It has had a few comments

I had one of these.  Be very careful of the hinge on the lid - it breaks VERY easily - it's a thin, perhaps 1/2mm wide piece of plastic on the spout cover that snaps into the lid.  I ended up throwing mine away because I kind of need the spout closed to 'stir' by swirl - well, without that spout being closed, it defeats that purpose.  I wrote a note to Bodum about it and never got any response back.  I won't be buying another one.

Also, the silicone rubber gasket that is supposed to keep the grounds in the bottom while pressing eventually wore out after a few months of time and it started letting too many grounds past it during press.  I need fiber in my diet, but I prefer to get it from grains, not grounds.

Here's hoping you have better luck with yours.

[Danny]

   I have three of the Bodum travel cups. I don't use them everyday and suppose they will last a long time. I really like them for making tea on the run. Throw some tea bags in add hot water and close the lid. It works extremely well for herb teas and I make Chia in them as well.
   These cups fit our console cup holders best as well.

[LeftyBlake]

My grandma got me a really nice French press for Christmas this year. I haven't used it yet because my dad always has coffee ready in the pot when I wake up in the morning, but I've been itching to try it.

As for coffee, lately we've been drinking Kona in my house. We get our coffee from a grocery store here in western Washington called Haggen, and the brand is Terravida, which is based out of Bellingham, Washington. It's really cheap compared to a lot of the other stuff and very, very good. They have an all organic coffee called the Sunrise Blend that is my favorite. If any of you guys live in Western Wa, I recommend going to Haggen/Top Foods and grabbing some of this coffee if you've never had it.

Time to go refill my cup! 

[Danny]

My grandma got me a really nice French press for Christmas this year. I haven't used it yet because my dad always has coffee ready in the pot when I wake up in the morning, but I've been itching to try it.

As for coffee, lately we've been drinking Kona in my house. We get our coffee from a grocery store here in western Washington called Haggen, and the brand is Terravida, which is based out of Bellingham, Washington. It's really cheap compared to a lot of the other stuff and very, very good. They have an all organic coffee called the Sunrise Blend that is my favorite. If any of you guys live in Western Wa, I recommend going to Haggen/Top Foods and grabbing some of this coffee if you've never had it.

Time to go refill my cup! 

You will really like the French press. I just made some in mine and drank it all down so fast, I may just have to make some more.
    I grind my beans course for the press and use a locally roasted bean "Ruta Maya". It makes a top shelf cup a jo

[GA-ME]

 

Must resist urge to make one more press...

[Danny]

Must resist urge to make one more press...

OK, that did it. Out with the press, for just one more fresh brew

[Caleb]

All this talk of press pots sent me to the store. I scored a lb of Peets French Roast for my press. Also got some whole whipping cream to mix in it. Can hardly wait till breakfast.

[ryler]

creature,
I assume breakfast has come and gone, so what's the verdict?

[rockstar_not]

All this talk of press pots sent me to the store. I scored a lb of Peets French Roast for my press. Also got some whole whipping cream to mix in it. Can hardly wait till breakfast.

I don't know if you have it in stores near you, but if you have a large hispanic community nearby you might have this:  Mexican Table Cream is outstanding as a coffee creamer.  Many brands available. 

[Caleb]

ryler, the verdict is that I've enjoyed (now two) of best pots of coffee I've had in a long time.  I think I'll start using my press on the weekends as a treat and use the perk the rest of the week.  

rockstar, I live in North Texas, so saying we have a large Hispanic community is a bit of an understatement.  I'll look for that cream next time I'm at my favorite Tex-Mex grocery store.  Thanks for the tip. 

[Danny]

ryler, the verdict is that I've enjoyed (now two) of best pots of coffee I've had in a long time.  I think I'll start using my press on the weekends as a treat and use the perk the rest of the week. 

rockstar, I live in North Texas, so saying we have a large Hispanic community is a bit of an understatement.  I'll look for that cream next time I'm at my favorite Tex-Mex grocery store.  Thanks for the tip. 

You mean like HEB?


  Gonna brew some press coffee now.

[Caleb]

  You mean like HEB?


  Gonna brew some press coffee now.

We have HEB around here, but I think there are more of them the further down you go on I-35, near where you are.  I heard Central Market is owned by HEB too.  There's a nice Mex. grocery store near my home called Elrod's. They have Mexican Coca-Cola and those big puffy shortbread cookies that you can only get at such a place.  I'm sure this cream will be there if it's anywhere around here. 

Man, that press coffee is rich.  You get all the oils and flavors.  Went very well with my pipe this morning.