Coffee?

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I didn't drink much coffee before I was 30 and it was probably a few years after that that I had "the cup" that changed it for me. You'll know it when you have it.

Even though that same coffee shop where I had that 1st great cup is still around today (maybe 15+ years later), it seemed like the coffee started to move more toward "regular" coffee, and I was on a quest to find "it" again.

I've made some good coffee over the years but I finally had that religious experience again in that Woods Coffee shop I mentioned in the 1st post. So I'm reviving the quest - with a little more vigor - because I never really did stop pursuing it.
 
Frixxxx said:
My story is different: Was at my first duty assignment on night shift. They put me in for coffee maker detail immediately. First pot of the night got me noticed and I was a favorite from then on out. They made me the "senior coffeemaker in charge" - LOL - promotion. Got me Airman of the Quarter nomination (which I boarded and won). I grew up on crushed beans in a pot, filtered when served through a mesh colander.
I don't miss those coffee days and am now considered a snob.
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Damn! So that was the secret to making Airman of the Month/Quarter. 24 years and I never figured it out.

PO
 
I do prefer to grind the beans myself but today it's plain Old Folgers Colombian Dark and it's pretty darn good. :banana:
 
My current favorite is the Costa Rican from World Market stores, very smooth and good flavor, and a good price. It must be well liked because its always sold out on the shelves, it comes in beans but I grind it there because I'm lazy. I also had to get Death Wish from Amazon to give it a shot, its touted as the Strongest Coffee but it calls for double the dose of what I normally add to the pot.
 
That Death Wish is one of the highest rated coffees on Amazon, but is that just because it's strong?
 
My relationship with coffee got "complicated" over the past year. I love coffee. I stopped grinding and brewing a few years ago, but I enjoy Starbucks, especially the holiday blend, and a Baltimore coffee company called Zekes. I slid way down the aficionado pole into k-cups. Tried a few different brands I found on Amazon, but they were all pretty mediocre. Only k-cup I truly enjoy is Peets.

Here's where it got complicated - I was diagnosed with PVC, premature ventricular contractions. Basically premature heart beats. It's a freaky feeling and luckily it's benign, but I was advised to limit caffeine. Rather than jump off a tall building knowing full well life was over, I tried a bunch of different decaf brands and well, one of my favorite k-cups did a pretty swell job with decaf. Peets decaf brews a nice full-bodied cup of coffee. I can say I don't miss high octane all that much with this stuff, so I'm pretty happy about that.

If I'm at the Baltimore Farmer's Market, I'll grab a cup of Zekes, or if I run into a coffee shop I want to try I'll hit the regular brew, but it's decaf for my daily routine.

Another brand I had liked before the my switch to decaf was Mayorga. It's a small company based in the D.C. suburbs in Maryland. Pretty good coffee.
 
I'm in the coffee club here https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/. 100% Veteran owned and operated. 2 bags a month whole bean comes out to $25ish. You can get 1-4 bags I believe a month. As soon as it arrives I vacuum seal using my foodsaver into canister. Stays fresh until new batch arrives. I used to buy Kona straight from Hawaii but they raised prices last year to about $50 a bag delivered so I quit that.
 
SS and ak47 are my favorites. They do sell out sometimes but the coffee club always gets theirs. Do not get CAF, the caffeine is ridiculously high. I still have some at home from months ago. I rate these at a 3/5. Real KONA is a 5 for me for 3.5x the cost. Starbucks is a 1. I've had some real Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee this year and that was a 4. I prefer med roast and never any cream or sugar.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TSP Talk Forums mobile app
 
This thread sucks. I gave up caffeine three weeks ago. The first five days were killer. I’m over that now but man....

i usually had 1-2 cups coffee in the morning and iced tea for lunch. But my RLS. Restless leg syndrome was starting to go full crazy on me all night long.

Im still a little bummed. I really liked coffee.
 
rktect1 said:
This thread sucks. I gave up caffeine three weeks ago. The first five days were killer. I’m over that now but man....

i usually had 1-2 cups coffee in the morning and iced tea for lunch. But my RLS. Restless leg syndrome was starting to go full crazy on me all night long.

Im still a little bummed. I really liked coffee.
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If you don't mind spending a little, this decaf is very good. I have not purchased myself but tried some at work a few weeks ago. https://konadecaf.com/
 
I used to drink waaaay too much caffeine on a daily basis. not good. massive migraines that would be unbearable for a day if I suddenly went cold turkey for whatever reason. took me awhile and some research to figure out what triggered such headaches. so I taught myself that if/whenever my body gets accustomed to more than 2 cu caffeine a day, that I have to cut back half-cup at a time to avoid the headaches. I love coffee, so the way I taught myself to cut back was to find a decaf version of the caffeine variety/roast I had been enjoying, and start substituting 1/2 cup a day decaf for caf until I got back down to no more than 2 cu caf a day. I mostly do that with the dark roasts I also enjoy, mainly Peets has a couple varieties that also have a decaf version.

I like specific variety light roasts previously mentioned, so I tend to switch back and forth periodically when the mood shifts. Peets Uzuri is a light roast that comes closest to the Kenya AA I find so hard to find otherwise, and is regularly in my local store. It's caffeine, doesn't have a decaf variant, so I make sure I don't get too tanked up on it, that way I can still enjoy it and not worry about headaches.
 
All this discussion about the coffee beans with no discussion about the best coffee maker? Well, given that Mr. Coffee has already received a big RED X, we know that's not the best maker but what is?

Can anyone recommend a good drip maker for routine home use?
 
I bought a Technivorm Moccamaster a couple of years ago and love it. Expensive yet very simple (no timers or computerized stuff, etc.) but does a great job.

I also have a Breville burr grinder. It's very good but the coarsest selection isn't course enough for a French press.
 
tsptalk said:
For the last decade or more I have been on the obsessed side of finding good coffee. Most coffees are just OK to me. Starbucks? Not my favorite. McD's, not good enough. Beans bought in most grocery stores are already too old and coffee shop beans can get expensive, although if it's good enough, I don't mind paying up.

On rare occasions I come across a coffee shop that gets it right. I had that experience with a coffee shop chain in Northern Washington State last month called "Woods". I took a bag of their Woods Blend home with me and yup, it was almost as good as in their shop. They sell their beans online but the price to ship it is about the same as the price of the beans, so it's not practical.

This year I started to roast my own beans in an effort to make sure I have the freshest coffee. I have a high end coffee maker and grinder to help make that perfect cup at home. Unroasted green coffee beans actually last for years. It's the roasted coffee that starts to decline in quality after about 5 days.

I've bought a few recommended bags of the unroasted beans on Amazon and they were good, but not great. So my search for excellent coffee continues.

I actually prefer a light or medium roast where you can taste the subtle flavors. Dark roasted coffee masks those flavors in my opinion.

What say you? Any suggestions?
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Well I don't know if I particularl1y agree. I say a dark roast done right adds a bold touch to all the flavors.

Also, do you have a preference in how dense you brew the coffee? I waste coffee because I like it strong but don't drink too much. I could enjoy and last a bit on just one cup.
 
I just follow the directions on my maker and it seems to work out well, but I noticed that the coffee can be on the weak side if the grind is on the "flaky" side which makes it lighter and fluffier, so I don't think I'm getting enough grounds when I measure. That happens more with lighter roasts. Something I'll have to tweak.

Re: dark roast.... You drink Guinness too, so I think you're taste buds are getting dulled. :D
 
Nasa your coffee story was hilarious and reminded me of my own coffee story involving my wife. True story...

My wife has never been a coffee drinker, preferring tea or hot chocolate as her beverage of choice. With that said, early in our marriage I was the only coffee drinker. We had one of those old coffee pots you percolated on the stove and she would diligently make me a fresh pot every day. The coffee was good, but after a cup or two I had my fill and the rest went down the drain.

So with the best of intentions my wife declared she was tired of wasting good coffee and informed me that I would have to get used to instant coffee. She then produces a jar of Folgers. So to keep the peace, I agreed to give it a try. Needless to say that first cup was absolutely horrible, and not wanting to start an argument I reluctantly drank it down.

After about a week of this, my wife remarks that on our next trip to the grocery store, she needed to pick up more coffee because the jar of instant was almost gone. Much to my astonishment, she had been using the same amount of instant coffee in a cup as she used in the old percolator that made 10 cups. And her excuse; what do I know about making coffee? I prefer tea or hot chocolate.

Thank goodness they invented the Keurig so I can make my own...:D
 
Sorry- but 20 years in the Army, and all of it started each day with some of this- made in a 50-cup coffee maker, the old fashioned way.

army-coffee.jpg

I worked in a number of different occupations- including being an Army Signal Battalion staff officer, and the Battalion Operations Office, which meant 24/7 duty for days on end- laying down for a short nap from time to time in the corner, then jumping up to respond to something - where I would NEVER be caught with an empty coffee pot.

Drank so much coffee, it's now ingrained that I cannot go through a day without at least 10 cups.
 
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