Your favourite Coffee

[Scepticalscribe]

I also try to buy locally to support local business, but the best coffee roasters are simply not where I live. I feel guilty shipping coffee to my location (environmental cost and all of that) but I figure that's my one sin.

I've had some great coffee in London so I know there are fantastic roasters around there Isles.

Oh, yes.

Well, I have no problem (squaring guilt etc) with ordering in coffee by mail from abroad; a small pleasure when put against much else. And I will happily pay for good coffee.

Where my mother lives, the best local roasters have only been open for a few years, but - thanks to this forum - some very good companies from the US had been recommended until I discovered The Ethiopian Coffee Company - who were always eager to discuss the merits and comparisons of their different coffees over the phone before I'd place an order.

 

[smallcoffee]

I also got this as a gift from my love - I don't think it's available on their website anymore, unfortunately.

It was sublime.

 

[D.T.]

I used to grind beans as the norm, but got away from it due to laziness, perceived expense of whole beans in little bags, not noticing a significant difference in taste, and I drink a lot of coffee so I’m looking for convienence.

My first step will be to hit the local grocery, and get some beans.

Yeah, just grocery store whole beans are a nice improvement: in house brand (like our Publix organic is terrific), Peet's, even whole bean Starbucks isn't _bad_ with a fresh grind and a good prep method. re: bold - all of the aforementioned are either fairly inexpensive or rotate on sale prices, talking generally around $7-8/12 ounce bag of beans.

We don’t have much in the way of small specialty coffee shops near by, but I live on the outskirts of Houston and have not looked for them. We do have Starbucks. I’ll have to search.

We have a couple close by (like <10m away), one does their roasting right in the building, in "The Lab"

 

[rhett7660]

It seems my prediction about cold brew was correct

If you want to try something pretty different, barrel-aged coffee has popped up in recent years. I subscribe to Modern Times out of CA. https://www.moderntimesmerch.com/collections/coffee-subscriptions

Super tasty and very different.

Oh Modern Times cold brew Ethiopian blend is outstanding. I just noticed they have a Rum Barrel-Aged Ethiopian blend! Must find! I have had it a few times I have been able to find it at my local sprouts/trader joes. It is really good! I haven't been able to find their coffee in the bag, outside of visiting the brewery itself. Hopefully that changes since the last time I went their, well I had some of their specialty beers on tap. I didn't even think about their coffee!

I picked up some Death Wish Seasonal Blend which happens to be "Cauldron-Aged Pumpkin Coffee." I haven't been able to try it yet, but I can't wait!
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I used to be a flavored coffee person, hazelnut was the best! But I have gravitated to straight coffee flavors.

Hazelnut was my first like, I have since tried other flavors like "Chocolate Glazed Donut" for example lol. It is really, really good IMHO. Some folks think it is too sweet, but I dig it!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

As some of you have mentioned grinders - (good quality burr grinders) are there any in particular that you would recommend?

 

[rhett7660]

As some of you have mentioned grinders - (good quality burr grinders) are there any in particular that you would recommend?

I would look to the big thread on Coffee and there for recommendations! You can spend as little as $20 up to a few grand!

I am getting a 30-40 dollar one. I don't do enough or am into it enough to spend that much money on one. We usually have the coffee already done for us.

 

[calderone]

As some of you have mentioned grinders - (good quality burr grinders) are there any in particular that you would recommend?

I haven't had much luck with electric burr grinders. I had the fancy Kitchenaid one, but it was a static nightmare and super messy.

I currently use a manual grinder: https://www.amazon.com/Hario-Skerton-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ

If we have a hectic schedule and can't grind every morning, I'll get a small bag and grind it at the store.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I would look to the big thread on Coffee and there for recommendations! You can spend as little as $20 up to a few grand!

I am getting a 30-40 dollar one. I don't do enough or am into it enough to spend that much money on one. We usually have the coffee already done for us.

I am a regular habituée of that thread; but the serious coffee posters - such as @Shrink, @Kurwenal, and @SandboxGeneral - who are all expert in matters relating to coffee and grinders - haven't posted in an age (for a variety of reasons - life circumstances changing and so on); just wondered if anyone on here knew of good grinders that I could research while working abroad before I head home on leave.

 

[Huntn]

As some of you have mentioned grinders - (good quality burr grinders) are there any in particular that you would recommend?

What is a burr grinder? I have a Cuisinart coffee maker with a built in grinder. It might be good for programming auto brew in the morning, but makes a mess as the grinder gets wet. I never use that feature. I prefer a stand alone grinder like the top Krups below, because it’s easier to clean, but next time I might consider the bottom style. Ease of cleaning is important to me.

​

 

[D.T.]

I had the fancy Kitchenaid one, but it was a static nightmare and super messy.

Do you mean like rub-a-balloon-on-your-head static?

What is a burr grinder? I have a Cuisinart coffee maker with a built in grinder. It might be good for programming auto brew in the morning, but makes a mess as the grinder gets wet. I never use that feature. I prefer a stand alone grinder like the top Krups below, because it’s easier to clean, but next time I might consider the bottom style. Ease of cleaning is important to me.

The perk (pun intended ...) of a burr grinder is the consistency of the resulting coffee grounds, regardless of the grind size. With a "blade style", the output is a mix of a small grounds, medium, chunks, split beans, etc. To get it even slightly consistent you have to grind it longer and you may wind up with powder (i.e., way smaller grind size than you want).

 

[rhett7660]

I am a regular habituée of that thread; but the serious coffee posters - such as @Shrink, @Kurwenal, and @SandboxGeneral - who are all expert in matters relating to coffee and grinders - haven't posted in an age (for a variety of reasons - life circumstances changing and so on); just wondered if anyone on here knew of good grinders that I could research while working abroad before I head home on leave.

Shrink is the one I couldn't remember and yup that would be the one. Talk about some one who knows his/her stuff about all things "burr grinders".

 

[Huntn]

Do you mean like rub-a-balloon-on-your-head static?




The perk (pun intended ...) of a burr grinder is the consistency of the resulting coffee grounds, regardless of the grind size. With a "blade style", the output is a mix of a small grounds, medium, chunks, split beans, etc. To get it even slightly consistent you have to grind it longer and you may wind up with powder (i.e., way smaller grind size than you want).

The Krups I mentioned above is a blade style. Would you say this impacts coffee taste significantly?

Looking at this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-d4da-5b41-9c40-b57a41d30f2f&pf_rd_i=14092821

 

[rhett7660]

The Krups I mentioned above is a blade style. Would you say this impacts coffee taste significantly?

Looking at this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-d4da-5b41-9c40-b57a41d30f2f&pf_rd_i=14092821

I don't know if it impacts the taste. I will leave that to someone who has more experience with it. However on a sidenote, that is the exact one I have on my list of items to get from amazon.

 

[D.T.]

The Baratza Encore I think is kind of the "go to" for the sub-$200 market, usually around $130, I've seen them on sale / online with coupons / etc., for around $115-120 delivered.

The Krups I mentioned above is a blade style. Would you say this impacts coffee taste significantly?

Looking at this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-d4da-5b41-9c40-b57a41d30f2f&pf_rd_i=14092821

Yeah, that would do for a improvement, we even have a backup Krups (bought it while traveling after I left my little manual ... duh ...) The one you linked to (our backup Krups), and several of the options under $50-60 are flat burr grinders vs. conical burr (like the Encore I linked to above). The latter is preferred since it's more consistent, but the flat style isn't bad for the price, probably better than most blade grinders, and if you really dig on it, the price allows it to be replaced without taking such a big hit.

 

[Huntn]

The Baratza Encore I think is kind of the "go to" for the sub-$200 market, usually around $130, I've seen them on sale / online with coupons / etc., for around $115-120 delivered.



Yeah, that would do for a improvement, we even have a backup Krups (bought it while traveling after I left my little manual ... duh ...) The one you linked to (our backup Krups), and several of the options under $50-60 are flat burr grinders vs. conical burr (like the Encore I linked to above). The latter is preferred since it's more consistent, but the flat style isn't bad for the price, probably better than most blade grinders, and if you really dig on it, the price allows it to be replaced without taking such a big hit.

I just want to be clear of what the goal of the better grinder is? If it’s not a better taste, or if it is so subtle I would not notice, I don’t mind my grind being irregular.

Side note: I keep my ground coffee in the freezer. Hopefully that’s a good idea.

 

[calderone]

The Krups I mentioned above is a blade style. Would you say this impacts coffee taste significantly?

Looking at this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...-d4da-5b41-9c40-b57a41d30f2f&pf_rd_i=14092821

I don't know if it impacts the taste. I will leave that to someone who has more experience with it. However on a sidenote, that is the exact one I have on my list of items to get from amazon.

I just want to be clear of what the goal of the better grinder is? If it’s not a better taste, or if it is so subtle I would not notice, I don’t mind my grind being irregular.

Side note: I keep my ground coffee in the freezer. Hopefully that’s a good idea.

Taste is directly related to extraction. An uneven grind will result in poor extraction (uneven ratio of oils, etc). The result might be more bitterness, acidity, etc.

 

[D.T.]

I just want to be clear of what the goal of the better grinder is? If it’s not a better taste, or if it is so subtle I would not notice, I don’t mind my grind being irregular.

Side note: I keep my ground coffee in the freezer. Hopefully that’s a good idea.

I totally hear you, there's a lot of industries/products where there are significant improvements up to a point, and then greatly diminishing returns. Audio equipment is a good example, a $1200 set of loudspeakers might be significantly better than a $200 setup, but how much better is a $24,000 set?

And like audio, coffee has a lot of "moving parts", so I'd say a +decent+ mix of a grinder, beans, prep method will produce an outstanding cup - sure, any one of those stepped up to the next level might be "better", but there's big jump in effort/cost (the difference between 1 and 8 is very noticeable, 8-9 unless you're _really_ into it, not so much, it'll be very subjective ... some people would call 5 day old beans turds ...).

 

[Huntn]

I totally hear you, there's a lot of industries/products where there are significant improvements up to a point, and then greatly diminishing returns. Audio equipment is a good example, a $1200 set of loudspeakers might be significantly better than a $200 setup, but how much better is a $24,000 set?

And like audio, coffee has a lot of "moving parts", so I'd say a +decent+ mix of a grinder, beans, prep method will produce an outstanding cup - sure, any one of those stepped up to the next level might be "better", but there's big jump in effort/cost (the difference between 1 and 8 is very noticeable, 8-9 unless you're _really_ into it, not so much, it'll be very subjective ... some people would call 5 day old beans turds ...).

Can you clarify the prep part? I remove beans from a bag, grind them, toss them on top of a paper filter and hit the brew button, oh and use filtered water!

 

[D.T.]

Can you clarify the prep part? I remove beans from a bag, grind them, toss them on top of a paper filter and hit the brew button, oh and use filtered water!

Oh sorry, so no prep for the beans themselves, I meant how you're brewing the coffee: drip, perco, press, pourover, magic ...

I think a decent bean + decent grinder and any method is good start - part of the problem of many "automatic" systems is the water is not hot enough, filtration is so-so, etc.

 

[rhett7660]

Taste is directly related to extraction. An uneven grind will result in poor extraction (uneven ratio of oils, etc). The result might be more bitterness, acidity, etc.

Oh! That is good to know! Very interesting, but not surprising.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes, I recall reading with fascination @Shrink's endless and frequent entreaties on burr grinders.

He was of the opinion that blade grinders were inadequate for the task at hand, mostly for the reasons @calderone has set out cogently in the post above.

 

[Huntn]

Taste is directly related to extraction. An uneven grind will result in poor extraction (uneven ratio of oils, etc). The result might be more bitterness, acidity, etc.

I always assume that for a drip coffee maker to work, that the water had to reach a boiling point for the action of the water to be driven from the water basin up to the drip dispenser. I believe my current coffee maker Cuisenart brand is a quality one, but at the local Target I see the $30 Mr Coffee drip units and wonder does it make any difference? Something tells me it does.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I always assume that for a drip coffee maker to work, that the water had to reach a boiling point for the action of the water to be driven from the water basin up to the drip dispenser. I believe my current coffee maker Cuisenart brand is a quality one, but at the local Target I see the $30 Mr Coffee drip units and wonder does it make any difference? Something tells me it does.

Well, @Huntn, the august denizens of the coffee thread used to advise (most earnestly) that the price paid for the grinder should (at the very least) equal that of the coffee machine.....

 

[Kurwenal]

As some of you have mentioned grinders - (good quality burr grinders) are there any in particular that you would recommend?

Hiya SS. Getting excited for a little waltz on New Years Day?

Well, my memory is notoriously unreliable, but I seem to recall that you had a Lido 2? Are you looking for something, uh, a bit more electric? Drip or Espresso? Spend all your retirement or best bang for the buck?

 

[NoBoMac]

YES, I have a grinder, but I'm lazy at times.

I strike a middle ground around this. I buy whole bean and place it into a flip-lid/air-resistant Mason-like jar. I will grind a couple of days worth of coffee and store it in a smaller version of same jar. Convenience while reducing the detrimental effects of keeping pre-ground coffee around.

As others have mentioned, I too try to patronize small/local roasters. But at, generally, $15 for 12oz prices, it's not an every day/week purchase. So, I keep an eye out for places that have lower cost bulk coffee and alternate between the sources. One grocery warehouse chain, Winco, has a terrific bulk coffee. Much better than the big names in the grocery stores, including Starbucks. $6.99/lb, sometime on sale at $5.99. Single origins, blends, flavored.

https://www.wincofoods.com/departments/bulkfoods/redbrickroastingco