Bean Heads, what's your top coffee?

[Deeko]

Sigh...I miss college, when I drank Maxwell House for practically free. Living in Seattle did bad things to me.

Anyway, if we're talking larger brands you can probably all find, Tully's is my favorite (although they're more west coast). Seattle's Best House Blend is surprisingly good for Starbucks' "cheap" brand - I actually like it better than real Starbucks.

If you're on the east coast (or not I guess), La Colombe is very good: http://www.lacolombe.com/. This place is owned by a friend of mine from college, it's also very good, I'm drinking it as I write this: http://www.reanimatorcoffee.com/

I saw others mention the AeroPress - I have one and I love it, I keep it at work. My office brews some seriously undrinkable swill, so I'm stuck making my own, and the AerePress is perfect for that. Makes a nice single cup of coffee, easy to clean, just use the hot water I can get out of the coffee maker there. At home I use the same basic French press everyone has. Does the job.

 

[Ksyder]

The problem with recommending brands of coffee is that coffee is a commodity and a crop. A brand of coffee is usually a blend and can be coffee from anywhere, and in cheaper coffee it is a blend of arabica and robusta varietals. Better coffee is all arabica. When buying coffee on a large scale it would be based on origin and price such as brazil arabica. It would be considered commodity grade. Robusta coffee doesn't taste as good and is used in your coffees that say "100% pure coffee" which is a giveaway that it is a robusta blend. Better coffee on the shelf will say pure arabica. The roasting and blending of different coffees would vary depending on the producer. Coffee is all about branding. Packaging and marketing are more important than the particular beans they use because the beans can't stay the same all of the time on a massive scale. Contrast to specialty coffee, the emphasis is on particular farms. This is what single origin beans are and they are graded on taste and quality among other factors.

Also, the freshness of the roasted bean matters big time! They don't put roast dates on supermarket coffee usually. Which means it could be a year or more old. It is still coffee and it is fine to drink but the taste is majorly degraded. Also the lighter roast will bring out the natural characteristics of the bean better but it has to be freshly roasted and whole bean to maximize the flavor. Pregrinding also degrades the flavor by increasing the surface area of the bean and then the volatile aromatics are gone quickly, perhaps in hours unless using some special packaging process.

Hope this makes sense, trying to keep it brief. Bottom line is if you want consistenly great coffee it needs to be roasted recently and ground before brewing with a burr grinder. The easiest way to get fresh roasted beans is at a local roaster. The darker roasts will hold their flavor better for long periods because the roast character doesn't dissipate quickly like the more delicate flavors in light roasts do. The lighter roasts are more sensitive to freshness and brewing quality in my experience. As people have mentioned above, the kenya and ethiopian coffees at a light roast are really good, but quite different from the average coffee.

 

[dandruff]

My current daily :

http://www.revocup.com/store/craft-blended-coffee-genesis-espresso-blend

 

[dandruff]

and listen to Ksyder ... agree 100%

 

[MongGrel]

this guy cracks me up... first time with a vacuum coffee pot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SJ9d7dVYYw

He he, yeah is interesting.

I thought the thing cracked at first with that pop.

 

[Ksyder]

^^thanks dandruff, appreciate it. My little rant about coffee, take it for what its worth. I've been on a hunt for consistently good coffee for years and the supermarket stuff was never consistent, although sometimes good. But not as good as the fresh roasted stuff, brewed by pour-over, espresso, french press, aeropress, etc.

It gets expensive to buy coffee from roasters though. Home roasting is definitely the ticket but that is a whole new hobby to get into. Things like the behmor roaster have made it much more accessible though.

 

[MongGrel]

I know it's not a burr grinder, but I still have one of these little things I even used for grinding black and red pepper and making rubs that is 30 years old now I think and works like brand new.

Yeah, it's not top of the line.

http://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Electri...429377875&sr=1-5&keywords=burr+coffee+grinder

Handy little thing though.

It's just press and grind, you have to get the hang of stopping if you want coarser.

The thing will decimate anything you put in the little ah heck pretty fast.

Light fast taps on it and not going full speed usually works well for coffee.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I know it's not a burr grinder, but I still have one of these little things I even used for grinding black and red pepper and making rubs that is 30 years old now I think and works like brand new.

Yeah, it's not top of the line.

http://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Electri...429377875&sr=1-5&keywords=burr+coffee+grinder

Handy little thing though.

That's what I have. Mine's about 30 years old too.

 

[irishScott]

The problem with recommending brands of coffee is that coffee is a commodity and a crop. A brand of coffee is usually a blend and can be coffee from anywhere, and in cheaper coffee it is a blend of arabica and robusta varietals. Better coffee is all arabica. When buying coffee on a large scale it would be based on origin and price such as brazil arabica. It would be considered commodity grade. Robusta coffee doesn't taste as good and is used in your coffees that say "100% pure coffee" which is a giveaway that it is a robusta blend. Better coffee on the shelf will say pure arabica. The roasting and blending of different coffees would vary depending on the producer. Coffee is all about branding. Packaging and marketing are more important than the particular beans they use because the beans can't stay the same all of the time on a massive scale. Contrast to specialty coffee, the emphasis is on particular farms. This is what single origin beans are and they are graded on taste and quality among other factors.

Also, the freshness of the roasted bean matters big time! They don't put roast dates on supermarket coffee usually. Which means it could be a year or more old. It is still coffee and it is fine to drink but the taste is majorly degraded. Also the lighter roast will bring out the natural characteristics of the bean better but it has to be freshly roasted and whole bean to maximize the flavor. Pregrinding also degrades the flavor by increasing the surface area of the bean and then the volatile aromatics are gone quickly, perhaps in hours unless using some special packaging process.

Hope this makes sense, trying to keep it brief. Bottom line is if you want consistenly great coffee it needs to be roasted recently and ground before brewing with a burr grinder. The easiest way to get fresh roasted beans is at a local roaster. The darker roasts will hold their flavor better for long periods because the roast character doesn't dissipate quickly like the more delicate flavors in light roasts do. The lighter roasts are more sensitive to freshness and brewing quality in my experience. As people have mentioned above, the kenya and ethiopian coffees at a light roast are really good, but quite different from the average coffee.

This I can confirm. Best coffee I ever had was some Kona Peaberry coffee that my dad brought back from a Hawaiian vacation. He got it straight from the plantation, as fresh as you can get.

 

[NutBucket]

The problem with blade grinders is the results are inconsistent. With a burr you can set the grind size and have repeatable results every time. It's an important aspect of a good brew.

 

[MongGrel]

The last drip coffeemaker we bought is dying all ready, the wife said she was taking it back.

I'm just buying an Aeropress finally and a teapot to put on the stove.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5X826/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Why fight things when it's that simple

I seem to be reverting a bit these days, I like the new Merkur DE razor also.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2397956&page=2&highlight=

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ8wvUKa35E

 

[Black Octagon]

A lot of you think you know what good coffee is, but you really don't.

Why no, I cannot be assed elaborating, thank you very much.

Here's a hint: if you're in the US, find an Intelligentsia Coffee bar and order something black (no sugar). If you're regularly drinking something as good then this post doesn't apply to you. If you're pretty much anyone else, prepare to finally understand why coffee is one of the most popular drinks of all time.

 

[NutBucket]

So it's hipster coffee. Got it.

*the opinion above is based on the locations in LA.

 

[MongGrel]

A lot of you think you know what good coffee is, but you really don't.

Why no, I cannot be assed elaborating, thank you very much.

Here's a hint: if you're in the US, find an Intelligentsia Coffee bar and order something black (no sugar). If you're regularly drinking something as good then this post doesn't apply to you. If you're pretty much anyone else, prepare to finally understand why coffee is one of the most popular drinks of all time.

Here's a hint: you're being a bit of an ass atm.

Have been on many cruises etc on many major international cruise lines that make very good espresso etc over decades.

 

[zmaster]

nespresso
espresso macchiato
1/2 pod rosabaya (lvl 6 pink)
1/2 pod voluti (lvl 4 gold)
1 whole shot of awesome!

 

[NutBucket]

You lost me at nespresso...although it is supposedly the best pod machine. But that's like saying Caliber is the best Dodge

 

[zmaster]

fair enough.
some of their limited edition flavors can rival kopi luwak...and as someone who loves coffee yes I tried it...
personal preference, when it takes you under 60 seconds from the moment you switch on the machine to the moment the coffee touches your lips, it throws elitism out of the window.

 

[NutBucket]

I'm not terribly elite. I just love fresh beans. Grind and drip brew is plenty good for me.

 

[MongGrel]

You lost me at nespresso...although it is supposedly the best pod machine. But that's like saying Caliber is the best Dodge

My step sister has a Keurig, the wife even has one they bought where she works, I still wouldn't want a pod thing in the house IMHO.

The guy that even built and sells them doesn't care for them much, go figure.

Keurig recalls 6.6 million home brewing machines

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/23/news/companies/keurig-brewer-recall/index.html

 

[NutBucket]

From what I've been told there are a few problems:

1. Beans are old
2. Water isn't hot enough
3. Coffee isn't strong enough
4. Pods are expensive!

Apparently 1 and 3 are not solved by using your own beans in the refillable pod which means the machine itself has inherent design flaws.

As for 4; I usually spend between $15 and $20 per pound of coffee so it's not because I'm cheap. I just expect the quality to match the price!

 

[Deeko]

A lot of you think you know what good coffee is, but you really don't.

Why no, I cannot be assed elaborating, thank you very much.

Here's a hint: if you're in the US, find an Intelligentsia Coffee bar and order something black (no sugar). If you're regularly drinking something as good then this post doesn't apply to you. If you're pretty much anyone else, prepare to finally understand why coffee is one of the most popular drinks of all time.

I couldn't use enough eye rolling emoticons if I tried...

 

[MongGrel]

From what I've been told there are a few problems:

1. Beans are old
2. Water isn't hot enough
3. Coffee isn't strong enough
4. Pods are expensive!

Apparently 1 and 3 are not solved by using your own beans in the refillable pod which means the machine itself has inherent design flaws.

As for 4; I usually spend between $15 and $20 per pound of coffee so it's not because I'm cheap. I just expect the quality to match the price!

All of the above are why I told the wife we don't need one at home.

Seems a waste to go to a pod for a lower grade cup of coffee IMHO.

 

[NutBucket]

I misspoke. The beans aren't necessarily old, just of unknown age.

 

[Free_Speech]

 

[Ns1]

So it's hipster coffee. Got it.

*the opinion above is based on the locations in LA.

hipsters make good coffee. this is a fact which cannot be disputed.

if the guy making me coffee is wearing suspenders and has a ridiculous mustache/beard, I can at least presume the beans would be of good quality, with the correct temperature water, and relatively correct brewing methods.

if I'm buying a large coffee for $1.29, I can reasonably assume it was made out of a Dunn machine using grounds of unknown age/origin.