The best "coffee cocktail" I've ever had was at a tiny local place, where they mixed 4 different flavor shots, four shots of espresso, and thick Turkish coffee with Godiva Ghirardelli white hot chocolate. I drank it before a punk show. The thing tasted like heaven, and could have raised the dead.
The best "coffee cocktail" I've ever had was at a tiny local place, where they mixed 4 different flavor shots, four shots of espresso, and thick Turkish coffee withGodivaGhirardelli white hot chocolate. I drank it before a punk show. The thing tasted like heaven, and could have raised the dead.
I got it for $20 at Target. At full coarse ground it produces mostly evenly sized coffee grouns and small amount of fine powder which unusually ends up in the bottom of my coffee cup. I also got my french press for $12 at IKEA and my tea pot is an old and cheap tea pot my mom gave me. For a total investment of under $40, it makes a really good cup of coffee.
So I decided to go balls-moderately-out, and got this burr grinder. Far as I can tell, it's the best grinder you can get without getting up into the $300 range. I gotta say, this is a damn fine cup of coffee. I can actually drink my french press coffee all the way to the bottom, now.
Just finished my roasting my first couple of batches of coffee! Here's the first batch, a Rwandan: It tastes very fresh, but I realize that this isn't actually the kind of bean I prefer. I've never really paid attention to the origin of the coffee I drink, so I just bought a bunch of bags of beans at random. Also, I chickened out and didn't roast it as dark as I'd have liked.
The second batch is a Costa Rican: This one got nice and dark. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's awesome.
I'm roasting these in an old popcorn air-popper. It only roasts enough for a couple of French-presses full, so I'm looking into other solutions, because I don't want to have to roast every day. Here's the setup. Here's what the beans look like as they're roasting. And just in case anyone's curious, here's a comparison between the beans in their green and roasted forms. The green beans cost about $4.50 for organic, fair trade beans, compared to maybe $9 for the equivalent amount of roasted coffee.
Over the course of the past few months, I have developed a love of coffee. I am thinking of getting a coffee maker/french press/grinder, etc. What do y'all recommend that isn't extremely expensive?
Over the course of the past few months, I have developed a love of coffee. I am thinking of getting a coffee maker/french press/grinder, etc. What do y'all recommend that isn't extremely expensive?
French presses can be had for very little.
You can also join the Gevalia Coffee Club for $14.95. You get a pound of coffee and a free coffee maker. You can then cancel your membership and keep the coffee maker.
Over the course of the past few months, I have developed a love of coffee. I am thinking of getting a coffee maker/french press/grinder, etc. What do y'all recommend that isn't extremely expensive?
I prefer french press, but you have to have a good grinder, meaning a burr grinder -- the cheap blade grinders will leave you with a bunch of sludge in your french pressed coffee. I got one of these and I've been really happy with it. It's fairly cheap as far as good burr grinders go, but still pretty expensive. Gedavids said that this one is just fine, and it's a lot cheaper. As for the press, I don't think it matters too much which one you get. Just get something that's the size you want with the features you want. I also recommend a thermal carafe, because you can't leave the coffee in the press, or it gets bitter.
Thanks, Petah and Fun-little-fetusies! I will probably go with the Black and Decker grinder for cost concerns. I have a few other Black and Decker items, including their jar lid opener (I have small hands), which have always been great, so hopefully it will do well. Do you guys have a recommendation on beans?
I've got one of these grinders, which I got from my mom. It's old, but still works. I don't worry too much about it, because I don't use a french press. Eventually I want to get a Burr, or one of these sexy beasts. I'm also looking at getting a coffee roaster, mostly for the cost difference in beans. I drink enough that it will quickly be worth the money, and freshly roasted coffee is delicious. I'd say about 90% of my coffee is made on the stove, with an old percolator like this (except mine is single-cup, and from the 70's or 80's. Seriously, they last forever).
What kind of beans you use is really a matter of taste. Just try decent brands (the kind that come in vacuum-packed bags, not cans), and try a variety of roasts and origins. If you have a local coffee shop that roasts their own, go for that. Unless you want to get into home roasting...
Eventually I want to get a Burr, oroneofthesesexy beasts.
I looked into those when I was considering a burr grinder, and the general consensus seems to be that they take too long to grind too little coffee.
I'm also looking at getting a coffee roaster, mostly for the cost difference in beans. I drink enough that it will quickly be worth the money, and freshly roasted coffee is delicious.
You really don't need a roaster, which are crazy expensive -- there are a lot of ways to do it with stuff you might already have around, or could buy cheaply. I'm roasting mine in this popcorn popper. And yeah, fresh-roasted coffee is amazing.
Gedavids said thatthis oneis just fine, and it's a lot cheaper.
Fair warning on this, I did have a little sludge in the bottom of my coffee, but not as much as I used to get with a blade grinder. Honestly, if you just don't drink the last little bit of coffee, you'll never even notice.
I used a Ikea $10 french press and it got the job done. I really need to get a new french press to replace the one I broke. As for beans, I like Starbucks Italian roast, but apparently I'm wrong according to some people here. :P
Fair warning on this, I did have a little sludge in the bottom of my coffee, but not as much as I used to get with a blade grinder. Honestly, if you just don't drink the last little bit of coffee, you'll never even notice.
There's even a little sludge in the bottom of mine, with the $100 grinder. I don't think it's possible to get no sludge at all with a french press. But the sludge is actually not the only reason to use a burr grinder. A blade grinder grinds really unevenly, so you end up with dust (hence the sludge) and big chunks. The dust quickly gets overextracted, leading to bitterness, and the big chunks don't get extracted enough. So you end up with coffee that's both over-extracted and under-extracted -- worst of both worlds. A burr grinder gives you a nice even, appropriately-sized grind, so aside from less sludge, you just get better coffee.
Do you put anything in your coffee? I find that I do not eat much at all on days I drink coffee, so I add some light soy milk just for some nutritional value. Is there something you recommend that will better complement the coffee? Also, is there any point to getting better beans and self-roasting if I intend to add anything into the coffee (I genuinely want to know, I am not prejudging the issue)?
Do you put anything in your coffee? I find that I do not eat much at all on days I drink coffee, so I add some light soy milk just for some nutritional value. Is there something you recommend that will better complement the coffee? Also, is there any point to getting better beans and self-roasting if I intend to add anything into the coffee (I genuinely want to know, I am not prejudging the issue)?
I've been drinking my coffee straight for years, and I didn't really appreciate good coffee when I first stopped putting stuff in it, so I can't really speak to it firsthand. My girlfriend puts a ton of soy milk and sugar in her coffee, though, and she definitely notices a difference between good and less-good coffee. She even notices a difference between the different varieties that I roast. Her favorite is Colombian, and every time I roast Colombian (without mentioning it), she says "this is really good, is it Colombian?"
Do you find you aren't hungry when you drink coffee? I honestly can't finish even a small cup of soup at lunch if I have had any more than one cup of coffee.
Do you find you aren't hungry when you drink coffee? I honestly can't finish even a small cup of soup at lunch if I have had any more than one cup of coffee.
It does function as an appetite suppressant, to an extent.
@Kate: If you're looking for amazing coffee, there is no better place than Intelligentsia to start. If you go to their merch, they have every type of grinder and press you could ever desire, and they'll also ship their delicious organic, free-trade coffee to you.
Do you find you aren't hungry when you drink coffee? I honestly can't finish even a small cup of soup at lunch if I have had any more than one cup of coffee.
It does function as an appetite suppressant, to an extent.
Also having a calorific white mocha from Starbucks helps to suppress the appetite. I've been off coffee for about a month and don't really miss the beverage but do miss the social aspect of going to the coffee shop.
Will be breaking my fast when I head back to Sydney for the holidays and visit the Lindt cafe, with their mochas that use Lindt's own chocolate. So nice.
Do you find you aren't hungry when you drink coffee? I honestly can't finish even a small cup of soup at lunch if I have had any more than one cup of coffee.
It does function as an appetite suppressant, to an extent.
Also having a calorific white mocha from Starbucks helps to suppress the appetite.
I am just having coffee black or with a little light soy milk.
I like Starbucks Italian roast, but apparently I'm wrong according to some people here.
You're wrong. Italians don't know anything about coffee.
I take my american coffee with milk and sugar, and my espresso either black or as a cappuccino. That nutmeg idea sounds wonderful. Sometimes I drop in a little brandy.
Comments
Here's the first batch, a Rwandan:
It tastes very fresh, but I realize that this isn't actually the kind of bean I prefer. I've never really paid attention to the origin of the coffee I drink, so I just bought a bunch of bags of beans at random. Also, I chickened out and didn't roast it as dark as I'd have liked.
The second batch is a Costa Rican:
This one got nice and dark. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's awesome.
I'm roasting these in an old popcorn air-popper. It only roasts enough for a couple of French-presses full, so I'm looking into other solutions, because I don't want to have to roast every day. Here's the setup. Here's what the beans look like as they're roasting. And just in case anyone's curious, here's a comparison between the beans in their green and roasted forms. The green beans cost about $4.50 for organic, fair trade beans, compared to maybe $9 for the equivalent amount of roasted coffee.
Man, this is awesome.
You can also join the Gevalia Coffee Club for $14.95. You get a pound of coffee and a free coffee maker. You can then cancel your membership and keep the coffee maker.
I will probably go with the Black and Decker grinder for cost concerns. I have a few other Black and Decker items, including their jar lid opener (I have small hands), which have always been great, so hopefully it will do well.
Do you guys have a recommendation on beans?
Actually, the Tim Horton's coffee beans are pretty damn tasty. Otherwise, I'm not enough of a coffee connoisseur to make recommendations.
I used a Ikea $10 french press and it got the job done. I really need to get a new french press to replace the one I broke. As for beans, I like Starbucks Italian roast, but apparently I'm wrong according to some people here. :P
I find that I do not eat much at all on days I drink coffee, so I add some light soy milk just for some nutritional value. Is there something you recommend that will better complement the coffee? Also, is there any point to getting better beans and self-roasting if I intend to add anything into the coffee (I genuinely want to know, I am not prejudging the issue)?
tl;dr: Yes, there's a point.
Will be breaking my fast when I head back to Sydney for the holidays and visit the Lindt cafe, with their mochas that use Lindt's own chocolate. So nice.
I take my american coffee with milk and sugar, and my espresso either black or as a cappuccino. That nutmeg idea sounds wonderful. Sometimes I drop in a little brandy.