A question about coffee

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by amward

[...]
I agree that it is the freshness that goes a long way to make it taste good but you do need a good bean as well.
[...]

Yes, I do agree. The only reason I suggest the "freshness" thing is because the OP mentioned that looking at prices of beans was a shock, so I thought freshness first (for possibly "lesser" but fresher beans) may at least be a good compromise, perhaps even as a "gateway drug".

I love my coffee...though lately I've been experiencing cravings for milky spiced chai. I'm not sure I want to drop into that realm of aficionado though (only because I tend to be a bit on the obsessive side), so my current chai drop is a Lipton "instant" variety unless I'm out and about.

Cheers,
Marc

[kacir]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

Coffee being one of my true loves in life, I decided to grind my own. The bland, flavorless brew sold in cans was starting to make me nauseas with its flat taste.

I am roasting the coffee myself.
I have found an internet site that sells green beans (here in Europe, in my country) and the price for decent beans is comparable, even a bit less, than what you would pay for roasted, ground Arabica in shop.

You can roast your first batch on a stove in an old skillet or any [non-teflon!] pan. You will just have to air the room thoroughly afterwards.
Stir coffee vigorously so it gets roasted evenly. During roasting you will hear popping/crackling sounds at one moment, it will mean that the steam has left the bean and you will know that the beans are almost done. When you hear second popping/crackling - much quieter this time, the coffee is done. Now you have to cool it down quickly. I use an old ventilator. But be sure to cover freshly roasted coffee with fine mesh before blowing on it, or do it outside.
Of course, over the time you will improve your technique, but even such primitively roasted coffee is much better than the stuff you ordinarily buy in shops, because it is FRESH.

Nowadays I use hot-air popcorn popper for roasting. I paid 9.99Eur for it. Just take an empty can, remove top and bottom and place it on the popper during the roasting. Fill the popper only to two thirds with coffee. I roast my coffee on a balcony. Back yard is ideal, if you have one.
After roasting you have to cool the coffee down, so it doesn't burn from inside heat. You can use ventilator, you can spray it with a bit of water mist, you can pour it from pot to pot. I have installed switch in my popcorn maker that switches off the heating element and leaves the ventilator running.

Do give it a try. It is fun, and you can get great coffee for a very reasonable price.

For grinding the beans find and old, inexpensive burr grinder. It is the type of grinder that has two "stones" (today usually made from metal, or, for super fancy grinders from ceramics) that move *slowly* against each other. This way the size of ground coffee particles is uniform, and you can control the size. Do not buy those super-fancy, expensive grinders. Any grandma-type grinder will do.

There are much better descriptions of how to do that all over the net. But remember! You do not need expensive equipment, you do not need to spend entire Sunday afternoon making "the perfect cup of coffee", you do not need to dedicate half of the kitchen for preparation of coffee. This is supposed to be little fun project for getting good coffee for very reasonable price. Ten-fifteen minutes of work can get you very good coffee for the next week.

See youtube for "roasting coffee" to get a picture.

[beppe]

shops that sell green coffee and that roast it in house, are very common in Italy.
The traditional name is Torrefazione. Which is also used by a US brand from Seattle that was bought by Starbucks. They can grind it for you any way you like it. Coarse for drip, fine for expresso, very fine for Turkish. If you insist they can also roast a batch for you. They usually roast it black, for espresso, while for drips is better brown.

[DixieGal]

I exclusively drink the Nescafe/Taster' Choice at home. Can't stand coffe made from Columbian beans, which are then roasted to charcoal bit, ground to dust, then sold in bricks. This particular instant brand is far superior.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I exclusively drink the Nescafe/Taster' Choice at home. Can't stand coffe made from Columbian beans, which are then roasted to charcoal bit, ground to dust, then sold in bricks. This particular instant brand is far superior.

You do that to discourage visits?

[carld]

Instant coffee is the last resort of the desperate.

[John Carroll]

I can't stand instant coffee. Must have real coffee. It's one of the things I don't skimp on even though it's too expensive.

I used to drink about 3-5 pots of coffee a day when cleaning exhaust hoods in restaurants. I worked all hours of the day, often with little sleep. It's amazing how much a person can get done!

[BenG]

If you buy the ground coffee avoid the bricks. The coffee is so stale it is no longer giving off any gasses.
Choose the bags of loose coffee with the one-way valve that lets the gas out and prevents the bag from puffing up. The degassing valve is an embossed circle on the bag.

[BenG]

I received a Krueger coffeemaker as an award for my 25th anniversary at work.
I love it. It warms up in less than 2 minutes and makes a cup of coffee in less than a minute. The K-cups are sealed under nitrogen gas so the coffee doesn't go stale.

[cfo]

Originally Posted by BenG

I received a Krueger coffeemaker as an award for my 25th anniversary at work.
I love it. It warms up in less than 2 minutes and makes a cup of coffee in less than a minute. The K-cups are sealed under nitrogen gas so the coffee doesn't go stale.

I love the K-cups that we have at work. There's so many different flavors.

Still though, at home, there's something to be said about making my own. It's become a part of my weekday morning ritual. Smell coffee beans. Grind. Make coffee. Read on Kindle. Making my own doesn't take that much longer than instant coffee and it tastes so much better.

[crich70]

Instant coffee was invented for the G.I.'s in WWII as I understand it. Hard to carry a pot of freshly brewed coffee round when you're out in the field I guess.

I buy vacuum sealed bags of whole beans at the store and keep them in the freezer. I only grind enough each day for my 4-cup pot of coffee. I blend a mix of 2/3 decaf and 1/3 caf to make the batch. I buy fairly high end stuff, about $10/lb.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

I buy vacuum sealed bags of whole beans at the store and keep them in the freezer. I only grind enough each day for my 4-cup pot of coffee. I blend a mix of 2/3 decaf and 1/3 caf to make the batch. I buy fairly high end stuff, about $10/lb.

$10/lb is all i seem to be able to find around here. in the scheme of things though, thats really not that bad. i don't mind spending a little extra on something i truly enjoy. god knows i pinch enough pennies lol. and considering i only drink 2 cups a day it should last a while.

i did find a nice mocha coffee bean i enjoy and i grabbed a bag of dunkin' donuts beans on a whim (dunkin' is probably my favorite restaraunt/establishment coffee). i'll get more experimental as time goes on. unfortunately the wife despises coffee (and beer) so its a beverage i have to enjoy solo.

nescafe isn't bad for instant coffee, it actually tastes pretty close to real coffee. i'm not an instant fan usually but many i've tried in the past tasted like what i can only describe as cat urine.

i really wish i could get into tea. i bought a tin of lavendar tea not too long ago but its not something i can drink regularly.

[melmac]

I grind my own then use a plunger so much fresher and better tasting that way, there is a coffeeworks near by so I drop in there for my beans but they also mail order http://www.yahava.com.au/
They have coffee tastings where they will plunge you tastings from a variety of beans I was amazed at the difference between the varietys/regions.

[amward]

Originally Posted by melmac

I grind my own then use a pluger so much fresher and better tasting that way, there is a coffeeworks near by so I drop in there for my beans but they also mailorder http://www.yahava.com.au/
They have coffee tastings where they will plunge you tastings from a variety of beans I was amazed at the difference between the varietys/regions.

It's a Yahava place which is just up the road from us