The Great Coffee Adventure!

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Ernie n Tara

Ernie n Tara

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Joined
May 16, 2009
Posts
4,289
Location
Ft Myers, FL
The last time we were at Grizzly (West Yellowstone), we had a great cup of coffee; I've forgotten where. Tara asked the brand and, since it was local, ran out later and bought a pound. Got it home and discovered it was a pound of beans, not ground. Thus began the great coffee adventure.

I couldn't let the beans go to waste so "on to Amazon". After some research, I selected a Secura grinder (about $50).  unfortunately,  during the research, I read that coffee should ideally be brewed at 195 deg. F. More research turned up the preferred brewer - a Bonavita coffee system- at $150 for a simple perculator, it must be a system! Turns out it comes with a carafe and no warming element. Oh Well, at least its lightning fast. Finally, I obviously couldn't let the coffee beans get stale, so a sealed stainless container was purchased for about $35. Don't you just love Amazon Prime? Total investment to use that $5 bag of beans; about $235. :mad:

IT WAS WORTH IT! The coffee is great, especially after trying about a dozen different coffees. We settled on a Costa Rican blend by Java Planet;  Amazon Prime  again ;D After 65 years of using Splenda in every cup, I now drink my coffee black and really enjoy it.

So that's the great coffee adventure, I recommend it.

Ernie
 
We buy our coffe at either Aldi or Costco for about $5-$6 a pound. We use a Melita drip system (we have 4 or 5 of them several different sizes-they we're cheap in France) that sits on top of either a cup or a caraf. Makes great coffee and all we need is hot water (I guess the temp is around 212 degrees since it's boiling). Our total investment is around let's see $35 for the electric kettle, $2-$3 for the drip thing and whatever coffee you want to buy, so less than $40 for everything. We did buy a tea kettle for the RV so I guess you have to add that cost, maybe $5-$6. Makes the best coffee we ever had. We drink it black too. Puts hair on the DW's chest. Sexy.
 
I forget which monthly coffee club it was, but one that caught my interest would ship 4 different types of beans each month. 4 small bags marked only with a number. It would then be a blind taste test. You then tell them which ones you like, or dislike, and they would select the next months beans based on your tastes. You could then order more of a type you really like. Those would come with the name and source on the bag.
 
My coffee prep program developed as a better way to get a good, fresh cup of coffee while dry camping. The AeroPress coffee maker (similar in operation to a French Press) was recommended on the Forum, I tried it and still use my original one. Still $30 at Bed, Bath, Beyond or Crate and Barrel. Filters are about $4-5 a year.  My favorite coffee beans are World Market Tanzanian which I buy on sale for less than $8/lb. Don't remember how much I paid for my airtight steel canister, thermometer or kettle, but not much. Still had to use the inverter for about 1/2 minute to grind the beans in my Cuisinart burr grinder, $10-20 at Cuisinart's annual warehouse sale. From putting the pot on the stove to putting away the cleaned components takes less than 9 minutes for 3 cups of the best coffee around.
 
Try this URL theunseanbean.com if I have not mistyped it.. I tried Contester's blend.. Whole bean, very good.

THe name of the company (The Unseen Bean) comes from the fact the Founder and President of the company is blind... He is also a ham radio operator.. Contester's is the milder blend

Kilowatt is the stronger blend.
You can tell 'em I sent you (wa8yxm) and that *I* met him at the Dayton Hamvention in Xenia.
 
Irover said:
8) Good Old Folgers "The Best part of waking UP, Is Folgers in your CUP"! Brewed in my Mr. Coffee maker. LOL Total cost $7.57 and $8.00 for the Gran total of $15.57. Did someone say I am CHEAP!  YES.  ;D
Click to expand...

Yep! We do just fine with our plain old 12-cup $12 Mr. Coffee and Folgers coffee. Since we both drink a fair amount of coffee every day, my wife's doctor suggested that we mix regular and decaf half and half. Then a couple of months after we started doing that, Folgers came out with their "Half-Caf" blend, so now we don't even have to mix it. Maybe someone at Folgers goes to the same doctor...  ;D
 
Ha.. Slogans... Maxwell House had the best one -  "Good to the last drop." What? Really? So it's the last drop that's gonna kill you?
Over the years we've had just about every type of coffeemaker out there. Can't beat the $12 Mr. Coffee. I don't need a digital clock, brew strength settings, etc.
 
we like the 365 brand at Whole Foods the organic pacific rim morning blend or French Market medium-dark coffee chicory blend (ship to store Walmart)
of course we brew in our french press and use an electric kettle to get the right water temp. we found the stainless steel press works best.
a few times a week I will make bulletproof coffee- yum yum
 
To each his own, but I must admit that I questioned the usefulness of exotic blends and coffee equipment for over 60 years. I stand corrected on that point because I finally explored the the areas I had previously ignored. I'd hope you would consider giving the exotics a chance; as noted above it doesn't have to be that expensive.

Ernie
 
I used to be the same way, but I'm realizing that there actually is something to some of this "coffee snob" stuff.

I've learned form my brother in law, who happens to be a Food Scientist, that the warming burner under the pot is bad, because heating coffee brings out bitter compounds....of course he had some $20 name for those compounds, but i didn't pay for it so I can't remember....
Anyway, fresh per cup is better
otherwise making the coffee into an insulated carafe is better

I've also learned about steeped coffee (as in french press) vs drip.  Apparently there's some nasty compounds that comes form the drip method too  (Maybe the air oxidizing ???) In another recent thread I related how I didn't have electricity so I cut open a k-cup and boiled some water, let the grounds steep a few minutes in the hot water, then filtered it through a paper towel....it was notably better than the regular drip method through the same kind of k-cup!  I plan to get a french press some day.... maybe an aeropress


 
Some years ago I think it was Consumer's reports (Which is not really all that good at what they do) or perhaps a news paper did a coffee test.. The Winner.. 8 O'Clock whole bean fresh ground just before brewing.

IN my world it was a Meijer's Store. also whole bean when dispensed. then ground (in store) and brewed within the hour. Their Breakfast blend.

Generally fresh ground beats all competition.

(Oh, I made like 60 cups of that Meijer's blend that morning 3 party perks full and sold 'em all).
 
Over the years I've tried a number of exotic coffees that I was told were the "best in the world", including fresh ground Kona and Kopi Luwak. In the end, I've always ended up coming right back to good old Folgers, and no longer bother trying other blends beyond whatever is served in the various restaurants we patronize. And no "flavored" coffees either! Coffee should taste like coffee... ;)
 
Ernie n Tara said:
The last time we were at Grizzly (West Yellowstone), we had a great cup of coffee; I've forgotten where. Tara asked the brand and, since it was local, ran out later and bought a pound. Got it home and discovered it was a pound of beans, not ground. Thus began the great coffee adventure.

I couldn't let the beans go to waste so "on to Amazon". After some research, I selected a Secura grinder (about $50).  unfortunately,  during the research, I read that coffee should ideally be brewed at 195 deg. F. More research turned up the preferred brewer - a Bonavita coffee system- at $150 for a simple perculator, it must be a system! Turns out it comes with a carafe and no warming element. Oh Well, at least its lightning fast. Finally, I obviously couldn't let the coffee beans get stale, so a sealed stainless container was purchased for about $35. Don't you just love Amazon Prime? Total investment to use that $5 bag of beans; about $235. :mad:

IT WAS WORTH IT! The coffee is great, especially after trying about a dozen different coffees. We settled on a Costa Rican blend by Java Planet;  Amazon Prime  again ;D After 65 years of using Splenda in every cup, I now drink my coffee black and really enjoy it.

So that's the great coffee adventure, I recommend it.

Ernie
Click to expand...

Was it Morning Glory?  We had it in one of the small coffee kiosks and went to buy it but the shop was closed, went back the next day and the shop was closed again as they were away for supplies.  We went back to the coffee kiosk and got our last coffee and told the lady and she got her son to go back to her house and bring us some she had unopened!  What a gal!..  We are heading into West Yellowstone in a few days specifically to buy the coffee and hopefully replace the stuff we were given as a gift.  If you want me to buy some and post it to you let me know!
 
BRex said:
I recall when Splenda hit the market in the US. Early 90's?
25 years ago or so.
Click to expand...

Was that just 25 yerars ago:? Seems I've been using it longer (It was approved in Canada several years earlier and being as I worked just a few miles from Windsor.......)
 
O.K. so Splenda should read sweetner :mad:

I've actually moved past that West Yellowstone coffee, but thanks for the offer. I also have to agree that Kona isn't necessarily the best (at least to me). Freshness and how it is roasted also make a tremendous difference in the final result.

Ernie
 
We were at an open air fresh food store on the Jersey Shore in May. We could smell Hazelnut coffee brewing somewhere. When we found the coffee they were giving away free samples and it was delicious! We bought a bag. We tried every possible strength and could not duplicate the flavor. Finally we bought a bottle of Torani sugar free hazelnut syrup, now our coffee taste just like the Jersey Shore coffee.  ;)
 
I'm the only coffee drinker in the family and typically have just one generous cup in the morning. My system is minimal. I buy coarse-ground medium-roast coffees, usually when they're on sale, seldom the same type twice.
Put 12 ounces of water in a Pyrex measuring cup, zap it to just below boiling, add a heaping spoon of coffee and let it steep for 90-120 seconds then pour it through a cheap strainer holding a #2 paper filter into a Tervis cup.
I find that the flavor is enhanced greatly by a gorgeous sunrise, especially when viewed from the beach.
 
Ground Yuban out of a 4 cup Mr Coffee beats Starbucks and other trendy stuff any day of the week!
 
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