Coffee Thread redux

[gunn]

So, I know that this forum takes a giant cross-section across America (you can see just by the variety in the beer thread) so I thought it might be interesting to see what else other tbird people like drinking. I noticed when I visited a company my company recently acquired on the east coast how different their coffee was compared to what we brew at our offices in the Bay Area. I work with lots of Israelis and they've always taken their coffee seriously. In comparison, the more american/midwestern stock in our new acquisition based in Maryland like this light brown stuff they claim is coffee.

In an effort to lower my calorie intake and weight (I can't just eat EVERYTHING I wanted like when I was in my 20s and even early 30s), I've largely started drinking a cup of a coffee daily instead of a coke. It's helped keep the weight off with the downside that the occasional coke I DO have nowadays almost tastes too sweet.

Since the I started this thread 4years ago, my typical preparation/coffee has changed slightly.
Anyway, I'll start....

Amount & Frequency: most (but not all) mornings I'll have 1 cup. I don't drink any coffee after noon unless i'm super tired (perhaps travelling).
- No change

Preferred Preparation Style: Aeropress
My wife gave this to me a while ago for camping along with what feels like a lifetime supply of paper filters.

• I typically use it to drip through 8 oz. I then add a few more oz of water but since the grounds are compacted, I'll use the plunger to press the last bit of water through the plunger.
• Taste is similar to a french press, with maybe slightly less bitterness b/c the first 8oz I make drip through vs soak.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YVL8SF3

Additives: I still prefer straight black w/o milk and w/o sugar.

Current Beans:
I drink so little that I don't mind buying spendy beans for variety. I almost always buy whole bean and grind them at home right before use.
- Phil's Coffee Jacob's Wonderbar is a dark roast and when purchased fresh, the beans have an oily sheen. Some people argue that this seepage is bad b/c its not in the beans anymore but overall, I still like the dark, rich flavor.

- Right now, I'm using the beans my wife brought from a NYC girls trip - Plowshares roasters. It was nice to have beans which were roasted super fresh (just a week before my wife purchased the bag - unlike say the stuff you buy on Amazon on sale thats been sitting around for nearly a year) but the beans (Brazillian single source IIRC) seemed a bit dry and not super flavorful. Drinkable but I wouldn't necessarily pay to have it shipped across the country to me when this bag is gone.


So, its Q4-2023: what are you folks drinking now and how?

 

[Vicinity]

I just drink Peets, you'll probably know of it. My coworker owns a coffee shop, and he's expressed concern that buying the coffee had become a concerning expense

 

[supergordo]

Well I love coffee. For close to ten years I bought whole beans, and ground them myself in the morning and used a French press. Which I enjoyed. I also had a couple of Italian "espresso" makers. Which were a one cup and a two cup coffee maker you put on a stove burner. I liked those a lot however I put them on the stove without water at 4am because I was half asleep and burned them up enough to have to throw them away.
About a year ago my stomach got really irritated to the point I stopped drinking coffee for 9 months. Since I started drinking it again I've been using a small 6 cup drip coffee maker. Nothing fancy. Lately I've simply been buying 8 o clock coffee. Sometimes ground, sometimes whole bean.

Maybe I'll fire up the French press again!

 

[theterminator93]

I don't really drink much coffee, I'm more of a tea drinker. It's not that I dislike it... I guess I just prefer to go against the norm. Black teas are my go tos - English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Earl Grey, Yorkshire, PG tips etc...



Carry on, lol.

 

[supergordo]

I don't really drink much coffee, I'm more of a tea drinker. Black teas are my go tos - English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Earl Grey, Yorkshire, PG tips etc...



Carry on, lol.

I drink home made iced tea all the time. Black. No sweetener. That is my all day drink. I drink more iced tea than Coffee or beer.

 

[theterminator93]

I don't typically use sweeteners either, though it depends on exactly what I'm doing. I do tend to put a teaspoon or so of cream into my black teas (yeah, I'm English) and I also drink Japanese matcha tea - most often iced matcha lattes (milk + equal parts sugar/matcha powder).

@andy625uk got me hooked on a nice ginger and lemon tea that works great with a little honey.

 

[Zep5.0]

I've been using a Keurig for years, knowing it's not very flavorful. Lately have been thinking about going to French press. I'd also get an electric kettle as I also drink a lot of teas. (Black types. recently found a nice cinnamon flavored blend)

Current coffee is Cameron's Southern toasted pecan blended with a plain decaf.

Sweetener is stevia, and that's about it.

Grabbing a cup from a coffee shop is usually a caramel latte, as a treat. If I do this once a week it's been a good week.

 

[Vicinity]

An electric kettle is good at any rate because I save time cleaning pots. Just boil the water and put in the pot at high stove temp, pour it out and wipe it down once

 

[supergordo]

I burned out my electric kettle. But I recommend them. Worthwhile for coffee or tea drinkers.

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

I have a Cuisinart at my desk (brought from home) with an assortment of K cups by Crave. All different kind of flavor blends. From butter toffee to blue berry. I drink it black.

The "communal" coffee machine is never cleaned so it tastes like an ash tray. Plus they use some generic bulk coffee doesn't taste good anyway.

 

[Kidd-7]

I don't really drink much coffee, I'm more of a tea drinker. It's not that I dislike it... I guess I just prefer to go against the norm. Black teas are my go tos - English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Earl Grey, Yorkshire, PG tips etc...



Carry on, lol.

have you ever had a Cream Earl Grey blend? It includes lavender and some other stuff, can't remember exactly. While living in Akron we used to frequent Angel Falls, which has really good coffee and a bunch of teas available. We stock up on the cream earl grey every time we pass through.

 

[Kidd-7]

For coffee I drink https://5starcoffeeroasters.com/ almost exclusively. There are a few good independent coffee shops around here that I'll grab a Mocha at from time to time. Brewed at home, it's 5 Star and I have a Cuisinart Grind N Brew coffee pot because I like good fresh ground coffee, but I'm also a little lazy especially in the morning.

 

[supergordo]

I bought my wife a Nespresso Vertuo machine last year. It's kinda like a Keurig, but it makes much better coffee. But the pods for the coffee are more expensive than the darn K cups. But the coffee really is better. Has a nice froth on the top when it's brewed.

 

[Derphound01]

Following along with the OP's format...

Amount & Frequency:
I drink a double shot americano in the morning and another 2-3 cups of either coffee or hot black tea throughout the day. Once a week or so we will do double shot affogatos with vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.

Preferred Preparation Style:
Espresso is my preferred choice. My wife was once a barista so I got her a Breville Barista Pro earlier this year. I spent way too much time researching these machines and picked it after reading it was the best home-use machine for the professional barista. It's a full manual machine with complete control over all the settings. The steam wand is also fully manual, which is perfect if you're into that and know how to use it. The learning curve was steep for me but I mastered it quick. I got it through Williams-Sonoma who offered a free class on espresso making with the purchase, which was a nice perk. They also usually do a 20% off sale every quarter or so.

At the office, I use an electric kettle for both coffee and tea. Coffee is the ground Sunago beans via a 34oz Ikea French press. For tea, my go-to is Twinnings' Prince of Wales blend. I also have one of the Ikea looseleaf steepers at the house.

Additives:
Black. Next question.

Current Beans:
We stick to a local place for our beans. Sunago Coffee in Hardin Valley is locally owned by a friend of my wife's and we know most of the baristas. If we can't get the local beans, we also use the canned Illy medium roast beans. They work well but you only get half a pound of beans for the same price as one pound from the local place.

Home setup and office setup both pictured below.

 

[Derphound01]

First press of the day.

 

[Zep5.0]

Nice hockey mug. It's that a rubber bottom?

 

[Derphound01]

Yup. It's a Tim Horton's mug. Bought it one night at their cafe across the river from Québec City. The base is supposed to look and feel like a hockey puck, but it is hollow and the mug extends into it. It's a 400mL mug, which is about 14oz in our measurements.

If you ever go to QC, they run on European hours and everything closes by 8pm. Nothing stays open late, not even Walmart or McDonald's. Bars are open late, but their kitchens close early. The night I got that mug, I got into town around 8:30pm and the Timmie's across the river was the only place to eat that was still open. Timbits and decaf make for a great dinner.

 

[Grog6]

I drink more earl gray than anthing; two cups of coffee, then tea for the rest of the day. Twinings earl gray t-bags in water from the keurig.

 

[Green T]

 

[supergordo]

This morning I made 6 cups in the French press. I drank them all

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I drink about a pot a day too. Here’s my current hotel room setup. I drink a few cups before I leave the room and fill my 24oz travel tumbler to go. This is what’s left in the pot each morning.

 

[Rodeo Joe]

You mix the blends together Ron?

Joe

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You mix the blends together Ron?

Joe

No. Right now I'm just drinking the dark roast. Honestly, I haven't tried the medium roast yet. I'll brew a pot tomorrow and let ya know what I think of it.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

You mix the blends together Ron?

Joe

It was lighter than the Major Dickason's blend for sure. To me there is only dark and light - a medium roast is light to me - I prefer the darker more robust roasts.

It was also a bit sweeter in taste. Nothing really notable about it. I wouldn't buy it again.

 

[supergordo]

So the day before yesterday my 6 cup Mr Coffee stopped getting hot. So back to the French Press. Good stuff.

 

[Derphound01]

Today's mug and press.

Callsign is N4FKL for those who may care.

 

[Zep5.0]

Is Zenith still around?

 

[gunn]

Is Zenith still around?

Its an R&D company owned by LG now (korean).

 

[Derphound01]

They filed for Chapter 11 in 1999 and were fully acquired by LG at that time. LG had slowly been taking them over through the 1990's and transitioning their business line away from consumer electronics.

Which is sad considering they were once the name in electronics innovation. I have a Zenith shortwave radio that I used to pick up the CBC broadcast on at night just for fun. Now shortwave is just about as dead as quality control arm availability is.

 

[gunn]

Anyone ever try Kopi Luwak yet? I'm in no hurry but considering that the market is rife with fraud, I'm skeptical about anything bought mail ordered from overseas in this area.
-g