The proper coffee thread

[Andiron]

There are a range of divergent opinions on this forum as to what constitutes good coffee,  so I figured we could post all of that here for posterity.  I'll go first.

I've got a little hand grinder:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008YK3IUM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And bog standard percolator when I'm really invested in having a good cup of mud.

Past that the generic work drip machine is passable.  I'd never make that crap at home,  yet I probably drink 60oz per day.

Hiking/.Mil use?  Hate to give them any credit, but Starbucks Via Verona mix is hard to beat and comes in handy little tubes.

[charby]

At home I use a single cup drip coffee maker, has a little basket when I just put the amount of coffee I like. Drips into my coffee cup. I only drink 2-3 cups at home per day.

When I have time, I put kettle on the stove and I have a little espresso press that I use, then I add hot water for an Americano.

If I have company I have a drip maker with a 12 cup thermal carafe.

For coffee I prefer HyVee's store brand of Donut Shop, I buy it pre ground and store it in a Nalgene bottle on top of my fridge. I have a coffee grinder and to be honest I can't tell the difference between pre ground or grinding my own with this coffee. I also like just a touch of whole milk or half & half in my coffee.

I also drink a lot of hot tea at home.

[K Frame]

I lovingly reduce each bean to the proper grind size using a gold plated narwhal tusk, a single bean at a time.

It is then placed in a filter made from the finest Turkish silken damask.

The brew water is specially imported, a perfect blend of purity and minerals, taken from the headwaters of the River Styx.

It is heated in a pot made of the finest jeweled mithral, and steeped into a unicorn horn cup.

[Andiron]

I lovingly reduce each bean to the proper grind size using a gold plated narwhal tusk, a single bean at a time.

It is then placed in a filter made from the finest Turkish silken damask.

The brew water is specially imported, a perfect blend of purity and minerals, taken from the headwaters of the River Styx.

It is heated in a pot made of the finest jeweled mithral, and steeped into a unicorn horn cup.

I honest to bejus snorted whiskey into my sinuses, you bastard.

[MillCreek]

The only thing Mike is missing is to have the coffee served by firm-breasted vestal virgins clad in diaphanous white gauze.

[charby]

The only thing Mike is missing is to have the coffee served by firm-breasted vestal virgins clad in diaphanous white gauze.

Yeah, I don't think his job pays that well. :)

[bedlamite]

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Coffee= 

[WLJ]

I lovingly reduce each bean to the proper grind size using a gold plated narwhal tusk, a single bean at a time.

It is then placed in a filter made from the finest Turkish silken damask.

The brew water is specially imported, a perfect blend of purity and minerals, taken from the headwaters of the River Styx.

It is heated in a pot made of the finest jeweled mithral, and steeped into a unicorn horn cup.

I like mine served in a baby harp seal skull

[Ben]

Analogous to an idiot savant, I'm somewhat of both a coffee snob and slob.

I do prefer to use a hand burr grinder in the morning for the beans - coarse ground. I absolutely notice a taste difference between that and pre-ground. Beans are stored in a Black Rifle Coffee vacuum canister. On the other hand, sometimes I'm just a lazy hefalump and use pre-ground, also stored in a vacuum canister.

I like a French press for coffee. It's easy and quick but makes excellent coffee.  I try to pour the water in at the correct temp. On the other hand, sometimes  I want more than my French press holds, so I use a simple stovetop percolator. The trick is turning the heat down when it starts percolating good so as not to boil/overboil the coffee.

Sometimes I only want one cup of coffee. I pour a cup of water in a pan and stick it on the induction plate. I grind a cup's worth of beans, which takes about 45 seconds. Right after that the water is done, and I use a pour-over filter on the coffee cup. Really good coffee in under two minutes.

I also sometimes make cowboy coffee. I have a ginormous graniteware coffee pot that I fill with water. I throw a cup of coffee grounds in the pot and bring it to a boil. I then throw a quarter cup of cold water on top to sink the grounds. It makes surprisingly good coffee. I make this and transfer it to a big thermos to take to my goose blind during goose season.

I usually drink either one of the Black Rifle brews or else Arbuckle Ariosa. I've actually been drinking the Arbuckle more of late.

[French G.]

French press at home, grind in a Ninja food processor. The single serve shake stirrer blade and cup do a nice job. I like off the wall brands of bean but I have also found several store generics pre-ground that are just fine. I would like to try some green beans and roast them myself day of brewing. Everything else is just pig lipstick.

Out in the world it is Sheetz, then McD, then Starchucks if I am desperate.

[Nick1911]

Proper coffee?  Don't know about that.  I grew accustom to office coffee, so my home setup is very basic:  Folgers breakfast blend.  Off brand bleached white paper filters.  Brewed in a 10 or 12 cup machine, purchased for preferably less than $10 on black Friday.  They last about 18 months, and oddly the power switch usually seems to fail first.

[K Frame]

"The only thing Mike is missing is to have the coffee served by firm-breasted vestal virgins clad in diaphanous white gauze."

Those harlots turned out to be tea drinkers.

I now have Seren bring me my coffee by drawing it forth on a silver-wheeled chariot.

Then I put Cremora in it.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

[zxcvbob]

Did anybody else try Aldi's "Raven's Roast" blend for Halloween?  (I did not try the "Sleepy Hollow" blend)  It was Ethiopian beans, medium roast.  The label would lead you to believe that it was flavored with honey and fruit essence, but that was just a poor attempt at describing it.  Outstanding coffee (but my standards are pretty low) for $4 for 10 ounces.  Pre-ground, vacuum packed in foil.  I went back and got another package after halloween before it all disappeared.

I use an aluminum stovetop drip pot.  Kitchen Kraft, I think.  This link probably won't last long, but it looks just like this https://www.etsy.com/listing/900272907/2-pice-kitchen-craft-aluminum-drip  And currently working on a big can of Folger's.  (it's mountain grown)

I also like coffee made in a 30 cup electric percolator, but I don't need to drink 15 cups in a day and it doesn't do well making less than that.

We also have a Keurig and I use that when I just want one cup.

[Perd Hapley]

[K Frame]

I have never been able to stomach Folger's coffee. Oddly enough, my Grandfather hated it, too, and that man could drink anything coffee wise. He had been a railroader, and the stuff that he brewed, then left sit on the burner all day, slowly drinking on it while it reduce to a sludge? Frightening stuff.

He drank Maxwell House, Chase and Sanborn, or Hills Brothers when he wasn't drinking A&T 8 o'clock brand.

[230RN]

Why vestal?

Come to think of it, why virgins at all?

To my illuminated rocker switch mentality any shapely lady lightly clad in suitably gauzy raiment will do.

And I thought Unicorn horns were banned from importation.

[K Frame]

Would you rather have your coffee served by a vestal virgin?

Or a postal virgin?

Been to the post office lately? 

[WLJ]

Would you rather have your coffee served by a vestal virgin?

Or a postal virgin?

Been to the post office lately? 

[Fly320s]

Would you rather have your coffee served by a vestal virgin?

Or a postal virgin?

Been to the post office lately? 

No virgins.  I prefer a woman who knows what she is doing.  Same with my coffee actually.

[Ron]

When my coffee machine gave up the ghost I broke out the French press from my camping kit.

That was several years ago already, never bought a new machine.

My system is nuke two cups of water and put three scoops of Dunkin Donuts ground coffee into the French Press.

Around the same time the machine went down I went back to creme and sugar in my coffee.

I use "table creme" instead of half and half. If I use heavy creme for a recipe and have any left over I'll finish it off in my coffee. I prefer the light creme aka table creme over half and half, milk or the heavy creme.

When my buddy got divorced I let stay with me until he got on his feet. He used a hand burr grinder and an aeropress for his coffee. He found the local roasters and settled on a couple he really liked. When he made me coffee I would drink it black and it was goood.

 

[230RN]

No virgins.  I prefer a woman who knows what she is doing.  Same with my coffee actually.

Me too.  Not sure I conveyed that clearly.

[K Frame]

No virgins.  I prefer a woman who knows what she is doing.  Same with my coffee actually.

Yeah... that's not a guarantee of quality performance...

[mgdavis]

During the week I just do Costco's Pacific Bold in the Keurig; at 4:30 in the morning simple is good.
On the weekends we break out the Bialetti Italian Espresso pot for a treat. Right now we are working through several kilos of espresso-roasted beans that my wife had her brother ship up from their hometown coffee cooperative in Comitan, MX. I drink it black, and it sho-nuff works to get me awake.

[Fly320s]

Yeah... that's not a guarantee of quality performance...

No, but the odds of getting a quality performance increase with experience. 

[grampster]

We have a cheap Mr. Coffee.  It does have timer on it.  Probably cost 20 bucks or so.  We've had bad luck with the pricey coffee makers, notably Keurig.  We've never had one last more than a year.  We buy Joe breakfast blend coffee at Sam's Club.  We each have maybe 3 cups or so in the AM and that's it.  That brand of coffee is pretty tasty.