Good, Cheap Coffee

Why do some folks insist on making weak coffee? You can't fix it....you can dilute strong coffee with hot water....

I guess that's why I like it. I don't like strong coffee.

Maybe that explains the Redwings avatar... Michigan has some of the worst coffee... people make it too weak... growing up my Mom always asked for a packet of decaf to add to the regular...

Shortly before his death, Dave Thomas bought Tim Horton's. So they opened Wendys restaurants by Tim Hortons all over Canadia, and they opened Tim Hortons by Wendys restaurants all of the U.S. I'm not sure if Wendys International still owns Tim Hortons, but i'll be TH didn't do too well in the doughnut market here, which was already pretty cut-throat.

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Starbucks does burn the beans--it's call "dark roast," they overdo it, and they leave it to underpaid employees with little experience at (and i'll bet, little interest in) roasting coffee. There's a coffee roasters in Grandview Heights, Ohio, and one of the gentlemen who own the place once told me it takes years to teach someone how to roast coffee beans properly--every batch of beans is different, even if the same type, the humidity and heat that day matter, the type of roaster and how old it is matters--blah, blah, blah . . . but he certainly knew his stuff.

Starbucks skates on its rep . . . everything is overpriced, and just about everything sucks . . .

Coffee Coffee Coffee

Actually I like mine the best, I have an old 12 cup stove top percolator that I wipe out with a clean damp paper towel after each use. I use the Navy formula (1 TSP for every two cups & one for the pot), freshly ground beans (Columbian usually, but if I have the money Kona), start with clean cold water and heat on a high gas flame. When the percolator button shows good color I turn the flame down and perc for another three to five minutes to get the proper nail floatyness. The flame is then turned off and the bail is allowed to drain (30 sec) before decanting the first test cup. I denote the still potted hot mixture vetch.

I use a dollop of whole milk that is placed in the empty cup before pouring the vetch---it's a trick that I learned from my grandmother--she said the hot coffee cooked the milk. If forced to use whitener, I drink my vetch black.

The rest of the hot vetch is poured into two, Stanley thermos bottles and sealed tightly. I've found that a tightly sealed Stanley Thermos bottle will keep the vetch sufficiently hot for 16 hours without growing 'legs*.' Two thermos bottles satisfy me.

* 'legs'---that bitter taste of old coffee--I found that this results from the vetch oxidation. legs are accelerated by leaving the vetch on a heater in an open pot. Using a tightly sealed Stanley thermos avoids both of these conditions.

Personal opinions on other methods of coffee making

Drip---quick but wasteful, and most drip coffee is too weak for my taste.

Cold Press--OK, but I don't own one and the times people have donated a cold press cuppajoe, it is equal to the vetch produced by my process. .

Cappachino steamer---OK! but doesn't make enough. I guess if you like that sweet coffee syrup that you get when you put 8 or 10 teaspoons of sugar into a demitasse, this is OK, but I don't put anything in my coffee but whole milk and bourbon.

Cowboy or Billabong coffee--great vetch, but it tends to leave a film on your teeth if the grounds aren't allowed to settle well. Storage in the Stanley Thermos bottles is a little difficult as you want to make sure the grounds have settled.

Rap

According to our local roasting facility , Mexican Maragogype is the mildest coffee (at least, what they roast) - the Ethiopian Sidamo being the strongest (they sell only fair traded, organic coffees).

You said it brother ! ! !

http://magnumexoticscoffee.com/

A local roaster in MI. Their Kona blend was for sale at Costco for awhile and it rocked - of course Costco dumped it for Dunkin Donuts swill...

What explains the avatar? That I'm from Michigan?

You know I am. Or at least you should. I've mentioned it several times.

Cool. We should go for coffee.

I'm sold on "Cuban" style coffee like Pilon or Bustelo-$2.79 for 10 oz.
Sometimes La Llave is marked down to $1.99

I make a 1/4 cup of espresso...in the meantime I heat a half cup of milk w a tespoon of sugar and agitate it til it's frothy. Pour the espresso in and you got a delicious cuban

I buy green Columbian Supremo beans and roast them myself. I shoot for a roast that gives me something a bit stronger than what Dunkin' Dounts serves but without the burnt flavor of Starbucks.

Yup, Starbuck's sucks. Even if it were priced reasonably or free - it's not good enough to drink. Blech. And no one can say I haven't given it a fair chance either, I've tried it many a time.

Timmy's still wins for me in the cheap, reliable, and easy to please everybody range.

Their coffee isn't my favorite, but it's not bad at all.

I agree with Mame that Seattle's Best is a decent cup of joe. I prefer being able to brew it ourselves though - as I don't like my coffee too strong (and for the simple fact that way too many places let their coffee sit way too long!) and I like to drink it black.

McD's coffee too isn't bad now, but they are bad for letting their coffee sit and people not putting any 'love' into the process.

For the real treat of going out for coffee, I tend to hit up the littler shops that don't necessarily specialize in coffee. The thing to look for is an owner/manager who really cares and has a passion for coffee!

Sounds cheesy but it's true...better coffee when it's bought and brewed with love.

I still drink Starbucks at home (french roast from Costco), but I largely skip them now when out. I don't like their automatic machines, I like it old school, tapping the grinds and all. At one nearby corner there are 11 coffee shacks/Starbucks with-in a four square block area so I have plenty of options. Several nearby towns have shacks where the barista's started going topless with pasties....I am hoping for that option here.

McD's coffee at the 'McCafé's' is quite good (as are their cakes there!), since any cup is freshly brewed, and you get quite a variety of various coffees (even organic).

not a coffee-drinker myself , but mrs h likes ALDI'S brand . have to drive stateside - watertown , NY - for the nearest store .
about ready for another trip across the border soon . it's $3.99 for a REAL pound - 500 grams .
mcd , burgerking - you name it - you'd have to pay me to go in there , YUUUUK !
too many real coffee-houses , delis and restaurants around here to get me into a mcd .
hbg

THE RIVERMILL - our favourite local restaurant - a nice lunch for two won't cost us more than $30 - rather go there once a week than three times to mcd .



and i even drink coffee there :wink:

Fishin', how do you roast your coffee? How long, how dark, do you stir it while it is roasting, etc.?

Tell all, please.

when i was growing up - which is a long time ago !!! - i was in charge of roasting raw coffee beans at home - though i didn't drink any coffee , i did enjoy the smell .

the MOST IMPORTANT part was to sort the raw beans and discard ANY imperfect beans : discoloured , too white , too green , broken ... ...
especially watch out for beans that look "oily" !

we had a special roasting drum and the roasting was done on the kitchen stove .
i had to make sure to get just the right amount of heat , moving the roaster around on the stove to avoid hotspots , listen to the crackling sound , picking up the aroma - and turning the handle "just right" - not too fast , not too slow .
if you like a dark roast - just roast longer , but make sure not to burn the coffee - it happens VERY quickly !
enjoy a good cup !
hbg

Surprisingly, President's Choice 100% Arabica is my favourite at-home coffee. I haven't tried any organic stuff lately - is it worth it?

No, for the taste. (Taken that you buy the 'normal' coffee roasted the same way.)

Yes, if you support small, local farmers.