this is still complicated to me.
I dont see the point in grinding my own beans if you can buy them already ground.
The basic rule of thumb is "the fresher the coffee, the better". Since Coffee has to be ground to be used, buying pre-ground coffee is a trade-off between convenience and "freshness" (Quality.
However, the problem with this is that the "fresher the better" rule also applies to the roasting of the coffee too. The pickiest coffee epicurians will want the beans to be both freshly roasted and freshly ground. The good news here is that if you're not too anal-retentive, plain old ground coffee from the supermarket can make an acceptable cup.
So the french press, doesnt really do anything apart from siv out the ground coffee, like a filter?
Yes. What I noticed that was missed from those otherwise very good instructions was that the "WAIT" step was missing.
Which brings us to an important point that you can appreciate from a UK perspective: in the big picture, imaking coffee is (more or less) just like making a cup of tea: there's a few important factors for making a good cup, and there's always people who can take it to an extreme to make the "best" cup.
Im gonna have to check if my supermarket sells Keurig coffee bags. If they dont, then theres no point buying that machine.
But I DONT LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS....IF A COMPANY MAKES A MACHINE, WHY DO WE HAVE TO USE THEIR OWN BRANDED COFFEE??? SURELY THEIR STRENGHT IS IN EITHER MAKING MACHINES OR PRODUCING THE COFFEE....
So less hassle and mess with Keurig, compared to french press?
There's a couple of companies that make "pod" based coffeemakers ... as you point out, there is the question of if they're a coffeemaker company first and a coffee roaster second, or vice versa. Nearly regardless of which "Pod" company you're considering, the basics are that you're conciously making a trade-off: to get a system that is (slightly) less messy and makes a reasonably reliable cup of brew (and also for 'fancy' stuff)...you're willing to spend more per cup.
jbmac, thanks, but i dont wanna be drinking espressos at home....
An expresso machine can be a dangerous hobby
Am I the only one who thinks those coffee pods aren't all dat? I think they taste stale and thin.
Their plain coffee is frequently pretty plain. Perhaps its because the plain stuff has been sitting around for months and isn't particularly fresh. However, another factor here is that most pre-packaged flavored coffees are merely be a means to an end in that these additives serve to cover up cheap coffee beans. Ditto for darker roasts too ... the sin of Starbucks.
Okay, call me a coffee snob, but if you want good quality stuff make it yourself and do it right. Coffee ain't the type of thing you just slap together.
Actually, its not really all that hard, since there really aren't all that many variables. Assuming a good bean, good roast and correct grind, its just:
- water temperature
- time of exposure to the water
- ratio of coffee to water
...which if you think about it, really isn't all that profoundly different from brewing tea.
ive opened a can of worms
Espresso makers JUST make espresso?
In simplest terms, an espresso maker is a fancy way of passing hot water through a bunch of ground coffee in a single pass. Specifically, it does this under pressure, and because of this and that its a single pass, the grind is very very fine, so it makes for a higher concentration level.
What is a filter? Single cup filter?
In simplest terms, its some sort of mechanism that prevents you from having coffee grinds in your cup of coffee. If you're only making one or two cups at a time, you probably will find a reusable filter to be preferrable to a paper filter that has to be disposed of after each use.
For example, in a french press, the "press" portion contains the metal screen which acts as the filter. After you've poured the coffee out of your press into your coffee cup, you have to then clean the press afterwords. For the most part, this means to let it cool, then take it to the kitchen sink, pull the plunger out and give it a freshwater rinse...in most households, the used coffee grounds can safely be washed down the drain (some people claim that they help keep your drains clear of grease).
YMMV if you then want to toss the french press through your automated dishwasher. I have two single-cup serve french presses, both of which are dishwasher-safe.
I THINK I like the sound of french press........
I think that's a decent place to start: its a simple device and for a single serve, quite inexpensive. Pretty much the only other equipment that you need to get started is a way to boil water (I use a glass measuring cup in the microwave), a measuring spoon (eg, 1 tablespoon), some ground coffee ... and standard supermarket pre-ground is a fine way to start ... and then a coffee cup or mug and if you choose, some sugar/milk/etc.
ground coffee is simply grinded down coffee beans into powder form???
Yes, but there's different sizes of grinds which are optimized for the coffee-making method that you're using. For example, espresso is very fine, while 'standard' (drip, percolator, press) is more coarse. From a process standpoint, the size of the grind matters in two basic ways:
1) the finer the grind, the smaller particulate that you're asking your filter to capture (filter out)
2) the finer the grind, the less time you need to have it exposed to the water to create a particular concentration or strength.
On this second point, this is again where coffee has parallels to making tea: if you want to make a stronger cup, you need to steep it for longer. However, with some coffee methods being "single pass" (eg, espresso, drip), since the coffee only gets one chance, it takes this understanding to then adjust the coffee's strength to your liking.
For example, the coffee pot in the office makes it stronger than I personally like, so I just add some plain water to my coffee cup. Of course, some coffee purists will consider this to be sacrilege.
I'd rather buy Starbucks. LOL!
YMMV. If I'm paying extra for the convenience of someone making a cup of coffee for me, as a general rule of thumb, I'll avoid Starbucks.
Part of the reason why they're selling so many "Candy" based coffees these days is because they've gone to a dark roast (that IMNSHO is indistinguishable from charcoal briquettes) in order to cover-up the cheap, low quality coffee that they're now selling. I have a neighbor who works for the company through which I get pounds upon pounds of free Starbucks whole bean. I grind it up and literally give it away...and quietly continue buy my coffee from
Hans & Marsha without telling them, as I don't want to hurt my neighbor's feelings. If you want to actually taste the coffee, you shouldn't tolerate anything darker than a medium roast .. and if you're drinking for the caffeine kick, you also want to avoid darker roasts.
-hh
