Coffee

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
this should probably be a poll -

how does everyone make their coffee/tea/other/none in the morning??

coffee is one of my favorite daily rituals. not the 32oz wawa job, nor a pot of chock-full-o-nuts. talking about two 4oz cups of black coffee.....well, sometimes a third.

so here is my coffee story.

i had a super automatic but the grinder went bad, so i had a panic attack and got a keurig, not what i like in coffee. so i got a pod machine and it makes good coffee/espresso - cup at a time - it is in the shop for repair...the corporate office is in branchburg, and had a contact.

Sandy came along, and realized that i needed a back-up plan.
sold my french press a long time ago, so my wife did a little research
and picked up a bialletti stovetop espresso maker. looks like
417USxY5gYL._SY450_.jpg


makes good coffee - couple cups at a time. still experimenting with the amount of grounds - but works best with a fine grind (which i will have in reserve) - for the price, it can't be beat. especially if you'd like to have a cup of coffee 10 steps up from a keurig or instant.
 

Dr Superb

Active Member
I have a keurig, but I heard that coffee can actually be good, so I bought a French press a week ago. So far so good. I wouldn't say I'm a coffee enthusiast though like I am with, say, bikes or beer...
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
It's a long sad story once you start using the crack pipe, I mean french press.

Hand grinders that you upgrade with custom bearings for perfect course grinds, thermometers for the water temps, filters for the water, timers, etc.

Really tho, I just use a french press in the morning and a cheap grinder. Grinder is one thing I'd love to upgrade. Personally find Keurigs to be insanely wasteful and they don't make a great cup of coffee. They're fine if you're addicted to the caffeine, but not coffee.

-Steve
 

capedoc

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I spend about 50K a year on coffee from Rojo's Roastery. I need to start brewing my own.
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I spend about 50K a year on coffee from Rojo's Roastery. I need to start brewing my own.

I was turned on to the world of espresso last summer and if you know me on FB/Foursquare, you know I've been hitting the spots and I can feel my wallet getting smaller every day. My sister gave me her Bialetti looking thing (Mukka Express) which she never uses (bro-in-law didn't read the instruction carefully and ended up with an explosion of foam on the ceiling) and I also got a cheap hand-me-down Delonghi one, neither of which I have tried yet. We will see how things turn out and I'm sure it won't compare to shops that make a good shot of espresso, but the views at the local watering holes are not so bad so I like taking my laptop and working for hours, which could be one reason my riding has been suffering :hmmm:

If history is any indicator, I will probably end up with one of those $500 monsters.

Does anyone have recommendations on a grinder and espresso beans to start off with?
 
Last edited:

jackx

Well-Known Member
I was primarily using a Krups drip unit. The extraction of the drip is not as efficient as I would like and so I was sometimes pouring some of the brewed coffee from the pot back over the hot grounds for a second extraction, and let it sit in there and steep for a minute or two.

In the last year, I switched to primarily using a French Press pot and I find that I go through a pound of coffee slower when using the French press. I do a 4 minute extraction / steep.

I just use a blade grinder I grind the beans less than I would for the drip maker, so they are hopefully a little bit coarser for the press. I should get a variable grinder, but they are pricey.

I typically drink Peet's coffee that I order from Peet's in California. I almost exclusively drink their decaf offerings such as Major Dickason's blend.
 

Arwen's Mom

Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains
Gevalia coffee only here. International Delight coffee creamer added in various flavors. One or 2 cups a day. Usually just 1

Nothing else will do. ALL other coffees upset my tummy.
 

Robin

Well-Known Member
I'm not a coffee snob - but I will say that I don't like Starbucks/see the big hype over it. And I think the Keurig coffees are so wasteful, from an environmental point of view.

Since I'm the only one who drinks coffee in our house, and we have limited counter space, I have a french press. It's perfect for 1-2 cups. Lance got me a hand grinder and some beans for Christmas, so I'm branching out.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was turned on to the world of espresso last summer and if you know me on FB/Foursquare, you know I've been hitting the spots and I can feel my wallet getting smaller every day. My sister gave me her Bialetti looking thing (Mukka Express) which she never uses (bro-in-law didn't read the instruction carefully and ended up with an explosion of foam on the ceiling) and I also got a cheap hand-me-down Delonghi one, neither of which I have tried yet. We will see how things turn out and I'm sure it won't compare to shops that make a good shot of espresso, but the views at the local watering holes are not so bad so I like taking my laptop and working for hours, which could be one reason my riding has been suffering :hmmm:

If history is any indicator, I will probably end up with one of those $500 monsters.

Does anyone have recommendations on a grinder and espresso beans to start off with?

In time, you'll be able to make a better espresso than any shop. Sometimes. But yes, you'll need the $500 (or $800) monster.

No idea on how to start. A grinder is pretty important, though for day 1 it's not a biggie.
 

seanrunnette

Brain Damaged Ray Romano
Team MTBNJ Halter's
We've been flogging a Saeco Aroma for almost a year and a half now. Anywhere from 1 to 10 shots a day. Heats up quick too. $130 refurbished is amazing. I wish I'd found it for that. It comes with a pressurized portafilter, which is great when you start, but you'll wanna upgrade pretty quickly, as it's sort of grind-proof. We picked up a non-pressurized pretty soon after and it was totally worth it.
Got a Baratza Virtuoso grinder used on fleabay. Does a fine job, but sometimes gets hung up on small beans. As it were.
Jump in. The learning curve is steep but it's worth it when you get it to where you're happy.
 

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
We got the biggest, baddest Keurig at our wedding shower. I don't drink coffee, but its awesome for making cup-o-noodles soup :D

The cups are insanely expensive, though I guess this is relative if the alternative is going to a coffee shop. Kayla doesn't really drink coffee much either, mostly tea. We buy regular tea bags and use the Keurig as a hot water machine. It is really nice to have some K-cups for when we have company over though.
 

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was reading up on some stuff last night and it looks like you can get re-fillable k-cups and fill them up with your own coffee for savings (+ better taste?). K-cup refill + Bustelo seems like a winner in the savings bracket for normal coffee.
 

axcxnj

Hipster Keys
I have a mini keurig at my desk that i use the refillable K cup with. its super convenient...but thats about its only quality. My wife and i got a bigger Keurig as a wedding present and it makes the shittiest coffee ive ever had. it sits in the back under the sink.

On weekend mornings, or mornings that I dont go to work, I use a french press...best coffee ever
 
Top Bottom