Coffee Talk

[Fishnut]

I love coffee.  I only drink one cup in the morning but my day just isn't right until I've had it. 

The only way I have ever made coffee however, is to go up to the counter at the coffee shop and as for what I want...lol.  I added up what it was costing me per month to spend $2 a day on a cup of coffee and decided too start making it myself.  So far I haven't been terribly successful.  Who here is a bit of a coffee snob and can help me make a great cup of coffee at home?!  I can't believe how picky I've gotten

I have a regular percolator type of coffee maker, but unless I make a whole pot, it seems to taste funny.  I'm not drinking 10 cups of coffee, so I bought a plunger type of coffee maker.  It didn't come with instructions though.  Is there a difference in the amount of grinds that I need to use?  How long do I let it sit for before drinking?

My next question is...whole beans or ground beans?  What's with the vast differences in grinder prices.  There's one at Loblaws for $10 and they go all the way up to $100 in some stores.  WOAH!  I want to save money!!

[Nerine]

we're coffee snobs to some extent If I had more money I'd be importing my fav coffee from the states LOL!

But alas, I am forced to drink instant most days because I'm too busy to stop and make some!!

Beans - whole and grind your own. Now here's where it becomes tricky. Water temp makes a difference too! so you'll need it to be perfect and a press pot! or a coffee maker, but I like press pot coffee...but we went and bought a tassimo machine...when the coffee is on sale we stock up...it's very good and it's quick! and makes one cup at a time and it's less than starbucks and timmies...

the only thing it lacks from the other machine whos name escapes me (kurig ?) is the German Chocolate Cake coffee

[BOnaqua]

If you want the real freshness of coffee, buy green coffee beans and roast them in the oven yourself.
Then grind it yourself too.

The best ever way of consuming coffee is if you roast it 80% then grind it.
Then just before you make a cup or two, finish roasting it on the stovetop.
And then make it.

The coffee you buy in the store is way too old and it turns sourish giving some people
stomach problems like heartburn.

[cora]

I have the Keurig coffee maker, the coffee is pretty decent nothing spectacular I guess, it works for me cause it makes one cup at a time. And if your lazy like me and sleep in every morning then its very convenient. You could try to buy coffee from a specialty place instead of just the grocery store. I don't really know about Ottawa anymore but up here we have places like The Great Northwest coffee company, they roast their own beans so they arent sitting in a package for months and months before you buy them.

[BOnaqua]

Oh. I'm not a morning person either. That's why I got me a coffee maker with timer on it. LOL.
I prepare everything night before, and in the morning, fresh coffee awaits me.

[Cheebs]

I have the Keurig coffee maker, the coffee is pretty decent nothing spectacular I guess, it works for me cause it makes one cup at a time. And if your lazy like me and sleep in every morning then its very convenient. You could try to buy coffee from a specialty place instead of just the grocery store. I don't really know about Ottawa anymore but up here we have places like The Great Northwest coffee company, they roast their own beans so they arent sitting in a package for months and months before you buy them.

If you want a neat little addition, pick up the "make your own" kit for the Keurig. It's a little filter cup instead of a pre-made cup, and you can add any type of grounds you want in it. It's really nice if you like trying different types of beans and just like 1 cup at a time.

My revelation moment came when the Haiti earthquake happened, and I found myself picking up coffee at Starbuckcs for some coworkers. The toal came up to about $16 for three drinks.... and I was having a hard time justifying paying that much for coffee when my money could be spent on more useful things, and 16 bucks is more than some people in some countries make in a month. It was an odd thought, but at the time it made me realize I could do my own thing when it comes to coffee, and maybe even have it taste even better!

[cora]

I most certainly have the make your own attachment one of the first things I bought I fill it up with coffee from the place I mentioned. I get fresh stuff every sat at the farmers market I love it

[drboeing]

I cant say enough great things about my coffee press brand name is "bodum" on mine they make great kitchen products.

I did have to get into the habit of grinding my beans at the coarsest level the grinder will do.  I buy them weekly from Farm Boy and just grind em in store.  You can use regular coffee in it, but it leaves a heck of a nasty sludge at the bottom of the cup.

[bt]

I have the Keurig coffee maker, the coffee is pretty decent nothing spectacular I guess

Yeah, those things are a great balance between convenience, cost and quality.

If you want REALLY good coffee though, go the french press route.  Maybe even roast your own beans.  Big jump in quality, but a big jump in effort as well.

[Greatwhite]

How did I miss a conversation about one of my favorite things?!??!   Coffee plays an important part in my life...  And I don't take it lightly (i use cream and sugar).

I have a Keurig system, and my parents have a Tassimo that I test out when I am there.  What I found is that for a better cup of coffee along, Keurig wins.  But that's really ALL it does (well, you can get tea and hot chocolate, but it's not with the $$$)  There is a nice variety of coffee for it.  I like Emeral's Big Bang coffee... I think that's what it's called, at least.   Donut Shop is also good.  Tassimo can do cappuccino and latte by reading a little barcode or something..  But the barcode reader is constantly sprayed by the "milk" and you get a big mess in the end.

I have the "My K Cup" thing, and only tried using it twice...  I just couldn't get the "right" grind to use it right.  BUT, you can save alot of money if you perfect it.  $13 for 18 cups of coffee isn't real cost effective.  Sometimes you get a deal like "buy 2, get 1 free" at Futureshop, and Farmboy generally has a good coffee selection for $10 a box.

I only use my Keurig for a morning cup if I'm in a rush, though.  I also have a Bodum french press if I want GOOD coffee.  I buy Kicking Horse coffee for after dinner pots of coffee when I have company over.  Their best bean is "Kick Ass"... It has a nice oil on the bean still when  you open the bag, which I like.  Every time  I serve it, people assume it's Starbucks coffee - although I haven't found a Starbucks coffee that even comes close to it aside from MAYBE Verona...  I think it's about $15/pound for this coffee, but WELL WORTH IT.

As for my big coffee maker...  No drip coffee for me.  I have a coffee maker that I am 90% sure was either invented by Bill Nye or NASA.  It's a Barista Utopia "vacuum press" coffee maker that I got from Starbucks about 5 years ago for about $200.  Water goes in the bottom and boils.  It gets forced up a tube to a top compartment where the coffee grinds are.  It bubbles for a minute until pressure from the lower compartment changes and it gets sucked back down the tube to the pot.  It makes the perfect coffee because it boils the water, not the coffee, similar to the Bodum french press only COOLER.  No burned coffee for me!

It looks like this:
http://www.beststuff.com/fromthewire/starbucks-barista-utopia-the-preeminent-coffee-experience.html

Ya, people laugh when they see it at first.. Then they are amazed at how cool it works, and even more amazed at the coffee that comes out of it.  mmmmm.. i need to make a pot now.

[Fishnut]

I'm so glad I started this thread!  This is great!!

I wish I had the time to roast my own beans...wow, I can just imagine how good that coffee would taste!!  BOnaqua, your house must smell so nice when you're roasting every night.

So far I have been experimenting with the french press.  I started with the cheepo one from Ikea.  I figured that if I can't make this work, I haven't blown a ton of money on all the stuff. If it does go well, I can always upgrade.  I'm a Starbuck's junkie, so that's where I went for my beans. 

I've been pretty good about things so far....follow the directions on the bag for the amount, grind the beans while the water is boiling, wait for a few minutes after the water has boiled to pore it over the grinds in the press, leave it standing for 5 or so minutes, press and pore.  So far, so good!

I've been dumping my coffee grins in the garden.  I read somewhere that coffee grinds are great for compost, so I just dump them in the dirt.  Maybe my tomatoes will have a unique flavor

[Hookup]

I treated myself to a Jura F9   www.jura.com


I love this system as it auto-grinds and makes a great cup of coffee.  The grinding system, the puck/compression and the water pressure/temp systems are first-class and configurable.


It makes espresso and coffee and has a froth'er for milk.

It's a bit pricey, but it's push-button bean -> to -> coffee, and i love that.


The puck-systems are much cheaper (lest costly) but what I don't like is that the mfg of the pucks decide what coffee you'll drink and at what price...  If/when the fad of puck-systems declines you might have an issue... or if your buddy comes back from Jamaica and wants to taste some blue-mountain coffee... nope.. it's not in a puck... no good...  grrr....


The F9 is now the F50 (with new bells and whistles... but here's the F50 link - http://www.faema-canada.jura.com/home_faema-canada_x/products_home_use/f_line/impressa_f50.htm)

[Rybren]

When I was living in Germany, I got hooked on the Philips Senseo 1-cup pressurised coffee maker.  It's a predecessor to the Tasimo/Kurig system, but uses round tea-bag type pads of coffee.  It makes a fantastic cup of coffee with a creama froth on top, just like the european cafe drinks.

The downside is that the machines aren't sold in Canada.  You can, however, get them (and the coffee in the US).

The only place in Ottawa that carries the coffee pads is the Dutch Grocery store on Merrivale.  It's $10 for 36 pads.

I don't know what I'll do when my machine eventually breaks.

[litchic]

Hookup- where'd you buy your Jura? Ordered online or did you buy from a local store?

[Hookup]

Hookup- where'd you buy your Jura? Ordered online or did you buy from a local store?

My wife got it from a store in Alymer, QC.  I've asked her for the name of the store...  she has not texted me back..


My wife got back to me... the place in Alymer she didn't like and wouldn't recommend.  Go figure.

Grace in the Kitchen is the recommendation...  it's opening in Kanata in Aug as the Bank location is currently closed... (check on-line...)

[ordi260]

I got a nice Saeco manual machine in Gatineau, store name is Kompliment in Les promenades mall!

Its a nice one to have if you don't want to spend a lot of money but want to enjoy great espresso (and all fancy coffees

Got that with a nice set of Torani syrups and we are off to better mornings until then.

Saeco nina