Tim...with all this good advice, you might just break down and buy some Folger's
Good Starter Coffee?
- Thread starter TimmyBoston
- Start date
There is only one thing you need look for, a silver can that says ILLY...
D
doleeo
Along with my recent hobby of wetshaving, I've been into coffee for a few years now.
Tim, I know your in Indianapolis and there is a shop up there called Stanton Coffee..Their starting to source some stellar coffees.
http://www.stantoncoffee.com/
The Owner participates on a few of the coffee forums I use, she knows her stuff. My reccomendation is to go in there and talk to her or one of the baristas.
I just received my new roaster and have a lot of green coffee. I'd be willing to roast up a variety in order for you to find the one you like. PM me if your interested.
Tim, I know your in Indianapolis and there is a shop up there called Stanton Coffee..Their starting to source some stellar coffees.
http://www.stantoncoffee.com/
The Owner participates on a few of the coffee forums I use, she knows her stuff. My reccomendation is to go in there and talk to her or one of the baristas.
I just received my new roaster and have a lot of green coffee. I'd be willing to roast up a variety in order for you to find the one you like. PM me if your interested.
I think the best value in coffee is Columbian Supremo, Stop & Shop and many other stores carries it in coffee bean dispensers. The finer the grind the stronger the coffee.
I won't even go there.....but I would advise anyone to stay away from coffee stored in bulk bins. Look for a "roasted on date". Buy fresh, drink fresh, in other words treat coffee as you would fresh produce, veggies, bread etc.
Only buy what you can consume in a rather short period...say 7-10 days.
Most of all, have fun with it! Coffee can be as much fun as exploring wine and equally as complex.
DJ.
Let me warn you - the Secret is out about Folgers:
http://funny-advertising-pictures.blogspot.com/2007/12/funny-billboard.html
http://funny-advertising-pictures.blogspot.com/2007/12/funny-billboard.html
Tim, ever get any of Scotto's home roast? He's usually good for a surprise or two.
"Buy the oldest, nastiest percolator you can find, buy the darkest, most intense french roast or espresso roast you can find, and brew yourself a pot. If you're a real land-lubber, put a broken eggshell in the brew basket.
Son, this is a man's drink, and if you can't hack it, then go back to some sissy drink."
This was my father's advice to me at age 13. He was a 30 year Navy veteran.
I would try going into a coffee shop when they aren't busy, and ask them to steer you to a mild blend. Try a couple of cups to see where your taste is. I think this is cheaper than buying a pound here and there, trying to dial in your palate.
I've even known this to happen at Starbucks. I've done some training for them, and have found that they really do celebrate a coffee culture. I do find most of their blends too strong for my palate, but I suspect any coffee shop will show you the ropes.
My current preference is Peet's Major Dickinson's Blend (just throwing my 2 cents into the mix)
Son, this is a man's drink, and if you can't hack it, then go back to some sissy drink."
This was my father's advice to me at age 13. He was a 30 year Navy veteran.
I would try going into a coffee shop when they aren't busy, and ask them to steer you to a mild blend. Try a couple of cups to see where your taste is. I think this is cheaper than buying a pound here and there, trying to dial in your palate.
I've even known this to happen at Starbucks. I've done some training for them, and have found that they really do celebrate a coffee culture. I do find most of their blends too strong for my palate, but I suspect any coffee shop will show you the ropes.
My current preference is Peet's Major Dickinson's Blend (just throwing my 2 cents into the mix)
Eight O'Clock
==Tom
==Tom
- Thread starter
- #50
I did, I'm still working my way through it, it's very good stuff though.
Thanks again, Scotto.
I did, I'm still working my way through it, it's very good stuff though.
I am disappointed that Nick did not kick in with one of his favorites for your gustatory delight.
++++++++++++++
Excellent advice, and a good way to achieve freshly roasted coffee is to roast the green beans yourself, about a week's worth at a time. A good source for green beans: http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.greencoffee.mvc.shtml
I really enjoy Ugly Mug coffee. The "Ethiopian" is great and so is the "first cup" blend that they roast.
You can't go wrong with a can of Illy.
I am also a tea drinker that never drank a cup of coffee. My curiosity about coffee was never really piqued until this thread.
My wife is a bit of a coffee wonk so I got the 5 minute lesson on how to operate a Mr Coffee (did I mention I'm a tea drinker that never drank a cup of coffee?)
She had a fresh pack of "Black Forest" coffee that she got for Christmas so I made a small pot of that. Aroma reminded me of a really nice pipe tobacco. I normally take my tea black, but that doesn't work so well for me with coffee apparently. This coffee was excellent with about a tablespoon of french vanilla creamer that my wife had in the fridge. No sweetener was needed.
A little later on I made a small pot of "Irish Cream decaf" (no alcohol!) and found it to be relatively weak/uninteresting.
The black forest was pretty good. I like the strong flavor. But it was a bit decadent, kind of like eating a fudge brownie drowning in chocolate ice cream and dark chocolate syrup with a black cherry on top. I don't know if I want something quite that decadent while I'm slaving over the keyboard all day. Where do I go from here?
When it comes to tobaccos (cigar & pipe) I tend towards very strongly flavored blends that would upset most people. For you cigar aficionados: I'm a double maduro kind of guy. For you pipe smokers: I tend to favor balkan blends or something like Dunhill Durbar. For tea, I consider Earl Grey to be the "lightest" flavor of tea that I enjoy. I more typically favor Irish Breakfast, sometimes a Chai if I want something more decadent. So applying that kind of taste preference to coffee, what would you suggest?
EDIT: I'm not endowed with my own coffee roaster or grinder. Just a Mr. Coffee maker. So I have to go to a conventional store like a supermarket or whatever to get my coffee, grind it at the store, and toss it in my Mr. Coffee. So nothing too exotic that is hard for me to get/prepare.
My wife is a bit of a coffee wonk so I got the 5 minute lesson on how to operate a Mr Coffee (did I mention I'm a tea drinker that never drank a cup of coffee?)
She had a fresh pack of "Black Forest" coffee that she got for Christmas so I made a small pot of that. Aroma reminded me of a really nice pipe tobacco. I normally take my tea black, but that doesn't work so well for me with coffee apparently. This coffee was excellent with about a tablespoon of french vanilla creamer that my wife had in the fridge. No sweetener was needed.
A little later on I made a small pot of "Irish Cream decaf" (no alcohol!) and found it to be relatively weak/uninteresting.
The black forest was pretty good. I like the strong flavor. But it was a bit decadent, kind of like eating a fudge brownie drowning in chocolate ice cream and dark chocolate syrup with a black cherry on top. I don't know if I want something quite that decadent while I'm slaving over the keyboard all day. Where do I go from here?
When it comes to tobaccos (cigar & pipe) I tend towards very strongly flavored blends that would upset most people. For you cigar aficionados: I'm a double maduro kind of guy. For you pipe smokers: I tend to favor balkan blends or something like Dunhill Durbar. For tea, I consider Earl Grey to be the "lightest" flavor of tea that I enjoy. I more typically favor Irish Breakfast, sometimes a Chai if I want something more decadent. So applying that kind of taste preference to coffee, what would you suggest?
EDIT: I'm not endowed with my own coffee roaster or grinder. Just a Mr. Coffee maker. So I have to go to a conventional store like a supermarket or whatever to get my coffee, grind it at the store, and toss it in my Mr. Coffee. So nothing too exotic that is hard for me to get/prepare.
You might want to start by sampling small cups of unadorned brews (black coffee, with perhaps some cream and sugar) at the local coffee houses. The "cup of the day" selection, so to speak. That would give you a variety in a hurry without buying cans and bags of various blends. Then take it from there.
I am not new to coffee, although until recently I hadn't had anything beyond Starbucks, etc. I'm not sure if there are even any local roasters around here. Anyway, the coffee threads here piqued my interest and so while on vacation, I stopped into a local coffee roaster in Oregon to sample their brew. The brew of the day was a Sumatra, and Sumatra from Starbucks is what I typically drink at work (it's what the boss likes, so it's well stocked).
The difference was remarkable - whereas the stuff at work seems to be mostly about how dark and "strong" and bitter it can be, this freshly roasted coffee was not so much about kicking you in the teeth, but had an actual range of flavor that you could taste, not masked by burnt "flavor". Very good stuff, and enjoyable to drink black (which is my preference). I tried their Columbian the next day but found the Sumatra better.
I think that a lot of folks who fancy themselves "true" coffee drinkers, but have grown up on Starbucks & Co., think that the burnt, really "dark" flavor is the pinnacle of coffee drinking for aficionados, but in fact there's really not much flavor there at all. I'm hoping to either find a local roaster back home, or at least buy some fresh stuff from a place like Ristretto.
The difference was remarkable - whereas the stuff at work seems to be mostly about how dark and "strong" and bitter it can be, this freshly roasted coffee was not so much about kicking you in the teeth, but had an actual range of flavor that you could taste, not masked by burnt "flavor". Very good stuff, and enjoyable to drink black (which is my preference). I tried their Columbian the next day but found the Sumatra better.
I think that a lot of folks who fancy themselves "true" coffee drinkers, but have grown up on Starbucks & Co., think that the burnt, really "dark" flavor is the pinnacle of coffee drinking for aficionados, but in fact there's really not much flavor there at all. I'm hoping to either find a local roaster back home, or at least buy some fresh stuff from a place like Ristretto.
- Thread starter
- #59
I am disappointed that Nick did not kick in with one of his favorites for your gustatory delight.
Wow, talk about your crappy coffee.
It doesn't hurt that they're a Chicago company
I agree wholeheartedly though. I've been drinking a different coffee every two weeks this semester and the best by far was the pound of Intelligentsia I had back in September. I placed my order on a Monday and received the bag on a Wednesday(I go to school in Champaign), with a stamp that said it was roasted on the date I ordered. A two day old roast isn't half bad for mail-order.Similar threads
