coffee - discuss

[DarrenCT]

1 cup every morning. columbian with a bit of milk.

the last time i didn't have coffee in the morning i had a beer instead. (prob back in college)

[Chance Legstrong]

mmmmust hhhhhave ccccooooffffeeeee...

at least 3 in the morning. race day gets 1 cup of really strong french press in the hotel room or if a shop is nearby a double espresso.

i really enjoy smoky or earthy blends. more African than S American.

[Too Tall]

Gawd love you boys :) It's my one vice...well that's a flat lie ;)

One double espresso during my ride to work in the early am than 2 cups before lunch and 2 cups after. I'll drink every espresso I can get my hands on that's a real cuppa cuppa.

I'll admit to you that Starbuck's has finally quit burning their beans and the Pike roast is pretty decent...that's my afternoon blend.

At home I use a Chief's Choice electric French Press with a fancy burr grinder (present from Flyhedst) to get it right...that's the BEST cup of brewed coffee on planet earth.

Uh, I guess I like coffee :coffee:

[Moveitfred]

One full press pot every morning. I understand it's good for you. Went through a phase experimenting with boutique fresh-roasted beans. Very nice stuff, but the bank account was suffering. Now I get a big bag of Kirkland house blend beans from Costco and send them through the Krups. It's fine and keeps me going.

[Ray]

A couple of double espressos every morning. Sometimes with steamed milk, sometimes not. I just recently upgraded my Silvia (with PID) to an Expobar Brewtus II double-boiler machine. It's friggin' incredible - plenty of steam ALWAYS available. Stable and consistent brew temps ALL the time. It's also a tank, which you want in your kitchen. Hey, I stopped buying bikes (still like 'em, but after two custom Spectra, whadda ya want?), I had to spend some disposable income on SOMEthing. Since we're not going to have anymore disposable income in a couple of years (all of it will go to energy and food - the way God intended), I figured I should do this now.

As for beans, generally Black Cat from Intelligencia. I've been using those because they're the most forgiving of temperature variation, but now that I have the Brewtus, I'm gonna experiment with some more finicky beans.

-Ray

[taylorj]

Two things are required in my day so that I am nice. Peet's Major Dickinson's Blend, and 2+ hours on my bike. Once these requirements are full-filled..I'm a pretty all-right chick. Take away my beans or my bike and I am a little witchy.

[doofus]

i love coffee

its a summer meal substitute while i get rid of the 3 kilos i gained during the school year

[mschol17]

Right now it's double caps in the morning on my Silvia with Black Cat. Mmmmmm. My wife prefers Counter Culture Espresso Toscana, so that will be next.

I haven't PIDed the Silvia yet, but it will happen... I'm a physicist.

We have a super auto at work, so it's another 3 or 4 espressos during the day. We use Lavazza Super Crema.

[redturbo]

Peet's Major Dickinson's Blend is my brand. I do miss Cuban coffee since growing up in Miami

[coloclimber]

I have 3 kids under 4.5 so coffee is an integral part of our lives. It has taken a few years to get the right coffee and espresso- but here is my day:

- Single or Double espresso Amante Selection A from my Jura Capressa upon rising.
http://www.amantecoffee.com/Italian_...n_A_Coffee.cfm

- 2 cups of 1/2 regular Guatemalan and 1/2 decaf from Conscious Coffee at home with a dollop of soy froth on top.
http://www.consciouscoffees.com/guatemala.htm

- 1 cup of cheap starbucks crap at work with a client or co-worker

I have become much more of a connoisseur than the sewer I used to be when it comes to coffee.

[Tom]

(1) Does five cups of brewed coffee a day interfere with my ability to take up nutrients? I am wondering if dropping a couple of quarts of warm Drano down the pipes is screwing them up somehow. I don't relish the thought of the withdrawal headache but if I have to, I have to.

(2) Is it screwing with my head? Sometimes I feel completely ADD, with one stream in my head focusing on whatever it is that I'm supposed to be focusing on and a second stream just chatting away. I can sometimes occupy the second stream with music and get the focus stream to come to the front but it ain't easy.

[WadePatton]

I can take it or leave it.

But I'm on the 53x11Coffee team and it is good java. I'm having a cup this morning. Hand ground and pressed-Chain Breaker.

Fair Trade and Organic Certified--for cyclists.
http://www.53x11coffee.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y

Tell Evan I sent you.

[Cdub]

mmmmm Coffee. I am not super loyal to any one, but love a couple. Austin Java's Fog Burner is fantastic! HEB (a local grocery store) roasts beans in store and they have some good ones. Not to mention, it is half the cost of "Five Bucks" with better flavor!
Don't some of you north easterners love Dunkin Donuts. I lived on that while in college in New Hampshire.

[pdxmech13]

a variation of Peet's
2 tbls for every 4oz of water
french press
small splash of frothed milk on top

and always, always in a ceramic cup.

[gt6267a]

2 x double espresso / macchiato in the morning and that is it for the day. The Starbucks Barista thread on the SF started it all. I also picked up an IRoast2 and roll my own. After about 6 months of experimentation, my espresso roast is at least on the dial though still needs more tuning. The goal is lots of chocolate flavors with a velvety texture. I am close but not 100%.

What do you guys use for ceramics? My favorite was Illy, but I recently received some La Marzocco espresso cups which are my new favorite … until I make my own!

[znfdl]

I am a coffee virgin.

[Ray]

What do you guys use for ceramics? My favorite was Illy, but I recently received some La Marzocco espresso cups which are my new favorite … until I make my own!

I use the double walled glass Bodum cups. Both small ones for shots and large ones for cappas. They're not real interesting to look at after a while, but they hold the heat real well and you can hold on to 'em without burning your hands. And they heat up well enough to just use the cup warmer and not have to worry about pre-heating with hot water. And the cup warmer on the Brewtus is a MUTHA! Those two big boilers in such a confined space do create some heat.

-Ray

[Ishmael]

Both matter of course, but in our house, where we take our coffee very seriously, and drink it straight up (no milk, no sugar, no other flavorings), we've found that the way we brew matters a great deal.

Here's what we've found produces the best flavor:

Drip method works best.

Must use a machine that produces very hot water--we use a Technivorm machine, which in addition to producing good coffee, is a fun word to say.

Must use a paper filter--a mesh filter, of whatever metal, allows too much sediment (which is what's wrong with the press method).

Must use light roast coffee, freshly ground just before brewing.

Must have wife make the coffee before I get out of bed, which she happily does. In fact, if you screw up making coffee enough times (typically by making it too weak), she will happily insist on making it EVERY morning!

[headset]

... years ago, before I became a daily coffee drinker, a friend criticized me for not having a coffee pot. so i went to a local kitchen gadget store and picked out a hand-blown chemex coffee maker, mostly because it was a beautiful piece of glass that i'd never seen before. little did i know that the chemex was widely recognized as an exceptional tool with which to make a cup of joe (displayed at moma, ian fleming even had james bond requesting coffee made in an american chemex).

i typically use my chemex with jamaican blue or kona on weekends when commute time is not an issue.

several years ago, a friend gave me a cona vacuum coffee maker (the gold model) and like the chemex it brews a terrific cup. it is especially entertaining for dinner guests to figure out how this simple machine works. like the chemex, it is eye candy plus.

during the week, my wife brews coffee in a mr. coffee machine, which is a mediocre tool that always drips on the heat plate. this aside, i fill my zojirushi thermal bottle purchased at rei and take it to work to avoid the $2 a throw starbucks habit. this insulated bottle with a lining of thermal spray is exceptionally good.

enjoy your joe!

[jimi]

I developed a habit working at a coffee shop when I was teaching. Haven't been able to get the monkey off my back since then. I have a Solis SL70and a Solis Maestro Grinder at home, which is a great set-up if you're on a budget. I usally have one dry double cap at home and then when I get to work I make an americano using my Aeropress. That thing rocks!

I really like one of the local roasters here in StL, Kaldi's, which is great b/c for coffee... freshness counts. The last time I went in for some beans though the price had jumped almost $2! The Natural High is is nice blend of dark and light roasted beans and the Espresso Malta always gives good crema. mmmm, crema...

jimi