Been a Folgers drinker out of a drip machine for years, so better should be easy. After having kids, my wife is hooked as well, and we have both expressed the desire for a better cup. Brewing methods aside, what are you drinking and where are you getting it? There is no local place that I know of to get a fresh pound of coffee every week. I am thinking internet order. I am also thinking beans and getting a grinder, so any insight there is welcome. I can't kick it, so I might as well indulge, no?
Use folgers for their de-caf. Usually mixed 50/50 with hills, maxwell, folgers, or what ever is on sale. Then switched to straight (non-caf) in the mornings. At least one pot in the morning, more often, two. All de-caf in the evening, if the mood strikes. Then switched to cappuccino...found a flavor about 20 minutes away that I'll get at least twice a week. Then usually lay awake listening to the blood pulse in my ear drums for a couple hours and wonder when the heartburn and chest pains will subside.
We have a roaster in town that is pretty good, but expensive. I'll get some now and then, just because I like the guy. My go to coffee is the green Kirkland brand from Costco, 'roasted by Starbucks'. Not a Starbucks fan, but this coffee is decent, especially at ten bucks for a two pound bag. Someday, I'm gonna roast my own. I'll try it with a hot air popcorn maker before I invest in a roaster. 'They say' coffee should be roasted within 15 months of harvest, ground within 15 days of roasting, and brewed within 15 minutes of grinding. I brew with one of these. I don't know if it makes better coffee, I just like to stay away from the whole hot water in plastic thing. http://www.amazon.com/Cilio-Porcelain-Coffee-Filter-Holder/dp/B001B194FY Yes, I'm a bit of a coffee snob.
I wait for Folgers or Maxwell House to go on sale, then buy it. I've also used Wally's house brand. My wife bought some beans for me a few years ago that smelled like azz......literally. I didn't have the heart to tell her. I use honey and a little creamer and call it gooder. Stabucks is WAYYYYY overpriced, as are others. My $.02
Afraid I drink common coffee too, but deals from Amazon subscribe & save often come up for high end brands at slickdeals.net.
In the morning we drink Folger's Black Silk through the drip maker. It's robust, but not overly strong. In the evening I grind my own beans and make it with an aeropress. If the water's already hot and the coffee's ground, I can make 2 cups of perfect coffee with the aeropress in less than 2 minutes. I get 5 pounds of coffee beans from Amazon for a great price and freeze them. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CS4J6B0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/Aeropress-Cof...UTF8&qid=1423591509&sr=8-1&keywords=aeropress
I drink pretty much whatever, where ever and whenever. Probably drink way to much of it too. Worst cup of coffee I ever had was the regular at some coffee shop and it was probably the most expensive cup I ever had too.
Fantastic links, making me thirsty. Keep 'em coming. I've seen the Aeropress, looks like something I used in college...
Thanks. I'll have to try that. I've gotten some good coffee from Costco before, but not to see them again.
I like Walmart's Great Value brand...Dark roast I drank Folgers and Maxwell house for years...prices went crazy and I tried Walmarts brand. We drink a lot of coffee....at one time I counted over 130lbs of coffee stocked in my house...I guess I was a coffee hoarder....nowadays we usually have 6 to 8 lbs on hand.
This should be a good thread, always interested in trying something new in this area. As far as a good coffee. I like to grind my coffee, I just got my grinder at Wally World but can be got at other places relatively inexpensive. I've currently got the Mr. Coffee brewer.($100) . It makes a really pretty decent pot, but I got it because it poors right into the thermos. That way the coffee goes with me easily. I'm all over the board on flavored coffee. I like my seasonal coffees. But I usually get them at the local grocery store or Costco.
From what I've read and experienced, the most important part of a good cup of coffee is the water temp. 190 to 200f seems to be the best range. Standard drip makers fall well below that range and when they get built up scale on the elements, the temps can drop a lot. Every couple months I run a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water through my drip maker twice and it makes a huge difference. I can usually tell by the taste of the coffee when it needs cleaned. High temp drip makers are available, but they ain't cheap.
Jeff, We buy our coffee there as well and love it! I am sure he would sell you green beans if you want to roast your own. We have also become coffee snobs, but I can't handle a lot of caffeine, so I have him roast me some decafe...
A few years ago I bought a barely-used home coffee roasting machine on Craigslist (I know, you're so surprised!), then got several pounds of unroasted beans for Christmas and nerded out over coffee roasting and brewing for a few months. It was all too much work, so I sold the roaster for about three times what I'd paid for it (surprised again, aren't you?) after the Christmas beans were used up. Now I occasionally splurge on fancy local stuff, but our go-to is 8 O'Clock Columbian whole-bean, which we get as a monthly subscription through Amazon, and we grind maybe 5 days' worth at a time using a good burr-type grinder that I bought at a garage sale several years ago, and brew in a fancier-than-average drip machine with a vacuum-insulated carafe. The coffee maker matters, because water temperature and delivery speed matter. It's also important to use enough grounds, regardless of how good they are.
Thanks norky, none on hand at the moment. It's ok, brewed another pot since the post anyway Will have some white vinegar picked up and run a clean cycle then I used it for so many things before I moved bought it by the gallon.
