Coffee! Laugh? I almost drank it (and spat it out again).

Dia on 28/6/2011 at 12:13

My mom used to make the world's best coffee ever using an earthenware pot w/matching metal drip container. She just used Folger's (regular/ground), but I think she had a magic touch or something, because try as I might, I could never make coffee as good as hers - even using her coffee pot!

Inline Image:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c262/Diah_/Momsoldcoffeepot.jpg

Nowadays I use an electric coffee grinder and, believe it or not, Dunkin' Donuts whole beans (original blend) and it's the closest I've come to my mom's coffee.

Thirith on 28/6/2011 at 12:22

I never drink coffee at home, but I have a number of places I go to during the week for a great latte. Having good basic material still matters, even with lots of milk - there's a world of difference between a latte made with 'real' coffee and one that's made with the instant stuff.

Saturdays are the best: I get a pain au chocolat from the market and then head for this place at the station that has great coffee and fresh fruit juices for half an hour of rest, relaxation and my weekly cryptic crossword puzzle before doing the shopping for the weekend. Bliss!

Kuuso on 28/6/2011 at 13:47

Quote Posted by Briareos H

How do you properly use a french press? (yeah I know that's ironic - but here in France we call it Brasilian coffee pot) I have one and the coffee I make with it is really boring compared to what drips out of my italian coffee pot.

Its pressopannu here in Finland, its only the english-speaking who are weird. Anyways, to succeed with french press, you need the correct amount of water/coffee (up to you, test it, I use 15/18g depending on type and my press makes something like one big cup of coffee), the correct grind and the correct water temperature.

Firstly, coffee should be grinded quite coarse, if its too small, you will have lots of coffee sludge at the bottom of your cup and lots of coffee floating about. Too coarse and your coffee ends up light. An example that wont help you, but gives an idea: The grinder I use at work for french press scales from 1/10, 1-2 being espresso, 4-5 being drip and 6-7 being french press.

Secondly, the water you use should be just below boiling point. A good tip after reaching boiling point is to remove it from stove (or turn off boiler)and wait 10s. It should be ok then. Using fresh and clean water is good, but personally im not rich enough to waste bottled water for coffee.Then again the tap water in Finland is quite good.

When you fill the french press, stir it well afterwards. With fresh coffee you should see some bloom (expanding foam/crema), its the sign of fresh coffee, but also varies from bean to bean.

Wait 3-4mins and drink.I tend to press the lid down and up to get the coffee floating about to help the flavours to seep.

doctorfrog on 28/6/2011 at 17:45

Quote Posted by dethtoll

Maybe this is a good thread to ask this.

What's a good place to start for someone who doesn't really enjoy the taste of coffee, but fully admits he's probably never had good coffee (but also doesn't have a very good sense of taste, thanks to a largely non-functional nose)?

Peet's is pretty local to the Bay Area I believe, but there's probably something like it local to you. There are coffee joints that will, for a small extra cost, grind the beans of your choice, and brew a fresh cup of coffee for you with a press or a one-cup drip thingi. I felt like a tool when I did this because it was done at a special little bar in the middle of the shop, but it was a very good cup of coffee.

That's where I'd start if you don't want to buy any equipment. Otherwise, just buying some halfway decent coffee, grinding it as fresh as you can, and paying a little attention to how you make it makes a pretty good difference without going nuts. I started with a basic coffeemaker and $7/pound whole bean coffee that I ground at Trader Joe's. The "coffeemaker" can be a simple as one of those plastic things that hold a coffee filter and sit on top of a cup.

SubJeff on 28/6/2011 at 18:15

Cripes.

This is all a bit too much for me. I was just thinking of switching to filter coffee and getting one of these:

(http://www.johnlewis.com/231302306/Product.aspx)

instead of drinking instant coffee at home.

I guess I'll just go ahead with it and experiment with some of the ground coffee sold locally. Carte Noire will probably be my starter and I'll take it from there.

theBlackman on 29/6/2011 at 00:40

Quote Posted by Subjective Effect

Not a bad choice. The difference will be in the brand or blend of coffee you choose. If you buy at a roaster or shop such as Peets or some such, have them grind it for DRIP and you should be all right.

Volitions Advocate on 29/6/2011 at 01:55

Quote Posted by Matthew

Look, being hipster scum is hard work, you know?

How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?

The number is too obscure.. you woudln't know it

Off topic, but I heard it recently. made me chuckle. Carry on.

Matthew on 30/6/2011 at 09:22

Quote Posted by Subjective Effect

If you can stretch your budget to around the £80 - 100 mark SE, there are various basic espresso machines that produce a very decent cup of coffee. For example, De'Longhi is a surprisingly strong contender in the budget machine stakes; I myself have one of their cheaper semi-automatic machines and it is fairly straightforward to use and gives a good rich crema on the espresso. Combine that with some locally-ground beans or get them from somewhere like (http://www.hasbean.co.uk) Has Bean and it's a great way to introduce yourself to the delights of baristaising.

Vernon on 30/6/2011 at 14:16

Quote Posted by Subjective Effect

This is all a bit too much for me.

johnlewis

instead of drinking instant coffee at home.

experiment with some of the ground coffee sold locally

jesus christ the uk must be even more of a depressing shithole than I remember

Martin Karne on 30/6/2011 at 18:25

Quote Posted by Subjective Effect

Jebuz on a pogo stick Mickey, you have to at least eliminate that X factor posed by chlorinated / fluoridated water which will alter flavor, by using purified water, so where ever you go in the world that would be one less factor in altering the original coffee blend. No matter what method of coffee making you use.