NOM

So, I have had some coffee that I have really really enjoyed. And then I have had some real swill that just tasted awful. Lets talk coffee. What works for you? How do I make it good without adding all kinds of sugar? I went out and bought a french press the other day. And I am also going to try cold brewing it. I have read that cold brewing cuts down on the acidity.

Emower wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:47 pm I went out and bought a french press the other day.

That was fast!

It's like buying shoes. You have to try a few on before you buy them.

I went the Starbucks route and found I liked the Carmel Machiato but got tired of dropping the 5 bucks each time. I started to try the free coffee in the office and found the secret combination. Eiffel Tower with 2 Italian Sweet creams and 2 raw sugar packets.

Most of the time it feels like a warm hug engulfing me. Occasionally it feels like sitting in a chair previously occupied 2 seconds earlier by a really warm butt!

I think I have come up with a formula: The cheaper it is or the easier it is to make, the worse it tastes.

For me, two creams and no sugar. But to be honest I can rarely get through an entire cup. I just give up early. I can drink a couple cups of tea a day however.

GoodBoy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 6:52 pm I think I have come up with a formula: The cheaper it is or the easier it is to make, the worse it tastes.

For me, two creams and no sugar. But to be honest I can rarely get through an entire cup. I just give up early. I can drink a couple cups of tea a day however.

I started trying coffee as a way of medicating ADD. I don't like the stuff, so I choke it down like nasty medicine. My husband can tell if I have taken my medicine and has been known to lose patience with me when my ADD has me bouncing off the walls, and good TBM that he is, he orders me to get some coffee.

I totally agree with your formula. After two years, I am still making it one cup's worth of coffee with two cups of water, add sweetener and lots of milk. The other formula is, "I like a little coffee with my cream and sugar." I cannot choke down what most people call coffee. Even Starbucks.

Medium roast to avoid it tasting like somebody burned the chili.

100% Kona OK, this takes a trip to Hawaii. The 15% stuff that you can buy on the mainland doesn't cut it. It is less bitter.

Make it weak, even if you just add an extra cup of water after brewing. Supposedly you start to like it because you get addicted to the caffein. But so far, that is not happening.

Cream or half and half to take away the bitterness.

I was making Christmas candy and made some peppermint fudge. I poured my hot two cups of very weak coffee into the pan with the fudge leftovers and rinsed out my pan, and added my normal amount of half and half. It was actually pretty good. Peppermint latte, but then it had real sugar in, which for a diabetic isn't good.

I have yet to taste coffee I can stand, it all tastes rancid to me no matter what incarnation presents itself.

alas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 7:41 pmMedium roast to avoid it tasting like somebody burned the chili.

Funny! That's what I thought it tasted like the first time I tried coffee... burned beans.

I just do Folgers Colombian in a drip machine for my morning coffee. I'm not terribly picky about my coffee, this is not to say I can't notice a difference between cheap gas station swill and decent coffee, I just don't make the effort to drink only better coffee as I drink it mostly as a sweetener free source of caffeine and a way to warm up on a cold morning or afternoon. Particularly in the case of morning caffeine I don't want to do anything more complicated than scoop grounds, fill the machine with water, and flip the switch to let it brew while I take a shower.

Find a local roaster, buy your beans fresh, grind them yourself...

Red Ryder wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:15 pm

Emower wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:47 pm I went out and bought a french press the other day.

That was fast!

Well I finally felt decent about dropping 15 bones on it. Funny how that happens...

Red Ryder wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:15 pm I started to try the free coffee in the office and found the secret combination. Eiffel Tower with 2 Italian Sweet creams and 2 raw sugar packets.

Eiffel tower is a brand of coffee?

Dravin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:59 am I just do Folgers Colombian in a drip machine for my morning coffee. I'm not terribly picky about my coffee, this is not to say I can't notice a difference between cheap gas station swill and decent coffee, I just don't make the effort to drink only better coffee as I drink it mostly as a sweetener free source of caffeine and a way to warm up on a cold morning or afternoon. Particularly in the case of morning caffeine I don't want to do anything more complicated than scoop grounds, fill the machine with water, and flip the switch to let it brew while I take a shower.

Man, I have tried folgers from the pot at work. Thats about the worst thing I have put in my mouth, aside from the sugar free chocolate someone left in the break room just now. Do you push past the nasty taste, or does it really not taste all that bad for you?

alas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 7:41 pm Medium roast to avoid it tasting like somebody burned the chili.

Is medium better than a light roast?

GoodBoy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 6:52 pm For me, two creams and no sugar. But to be honest I can rarely get through an entire cup. I just give up early. I can drink a couple cups of tea a day however.

I've not tried coffee much, although I've been thinking about trying a holiday latte or something. I can drink tea though. I like black chai best.

Dravin wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:59 am Particularly in the case of morning caffeine I don't want to do anything more complicated than scoop grounds, fill the machine with water, and flip the switch to let it brew while I take a shower.

I used to make myself a cup of tea in the morning. I'm not sure why I stopped, but anymore I just take my green tea extract, a more simple and quick caffeine fix, and it's supposed to be healthy(?). I don't particularly like the taste of green tea. First couple of times I had it, I felt like I was drinking something steeped with a cow's cud. I was letting it steep too long, sooo disgusting!

I think, overall, the best coffee beans are Peaberry types - Kona, Kauai, and Tanzanian. I find it very sweet, smooth, and rich and can drink it without additives.

Kona & Kauai are a little harder to find but I've had good luck finding Kona at World Market. Tanzanian is available at Winco in their bulk coffee area. I suggested it to my sister and she loved it!

I send money with coworkers that go to Kauai regularly to buy me a bag whenever they go. It is the best.

I'm probably some kind of outlier. I have come to like my coffee to be black and unsweetened (like my soul, I suppose). Certainly I started out putting in double cream and sugar, but at this point I might only add a shot of vanilla flavor, and no other sweetener. Being a coffee Sith Lord is not a path for everyone. But I really enjoy trying the black coffee at different restaurants and figuring out what subtle balance of flavor that I tend to like.

Emower wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:02 am

alas wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2017 7:41 pm Medium roast to avoid it tasting like somebody burned the chili.

Is medium better than a light roast?

No, it is just easier to find and comes in more flavors. I have found that some stores do not even carry a light roast. Military commissary for one. I can only find the hazelnut flavor in medium roast, and it is good enough to avoid the burned beans taste. So, amend the comment to light or medium roast to avoid the burned bean taste.

I am also interested in this idea of if you have hated the smell all your life and hate the taste even more, do you ever start to like it.

HighMaintenance wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:23 am I think, overall, the best coffee beans are Peaberry types - Kona, Kauai, and Tanzanian. I find it very sweet, smooth, and rich and can drink it without additives.

Kona & Kauai are a little harder to find but I've had good luck finding Kona at World Market. Tanzanian is available at Winco in their bulk coffee area. I suggested it to my sister and she loved it!

I send money with coworkers that go to Kauai regularly to buy me a bag whenever they go. It is the best.

This is what I heard. And my coffee drinking daughter stocked up when we were there years ago. I mentioned above the military commissary had an odd assortment. My regular brand was not there, they had nothing in light roast, but they did have Kona coffee. I was tempted to try it, but choked over the price. I already spend 2x the price of the cheap stuff, and this was twice my normal brand. For something I choke down under the best of circumstances, I just couldn't bring myself to try it. Same idea as I have never found whisky I could stand, so why invest in very expensive whiskey? Maybe if I liked it, like chocolate, then I could be tempted to buy the best. But coffee, there is no best. It come in bad, worse, and worst.

I did try some grind your own, organic, cinnamon/hazelnut because it was on sale. I have too many Scotch ancestors to fight off when it comes to expensive experiments.

Emower wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:02 am Man, I have tried folgers from the pot at work. Thats about the worst thing I have put in my mouth, aside from the sugar free chocolate someone left in the break room just now. Do you push past the nasty taste, or does it really not taste all that bad for you?

It doesn't taste that bad to me, it certainly isn't fantastic coffee but I don't find it unpalatablely bitter or what have you. Of course I'm drinking it fresh (and strong), I take quick showers so it is only sitting in the pot for a couple minutes before I get to it. If the stuff at work is stale it may not be comparable to what I'm drinking. Spending too much time in the pot on a hot plate can make good coffee bad and mediocre coffee atrocious.

MerrieMiss wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:51 am I used to make myself a cup of tea in the morning. I'm not sure why I stopped, but anymore I just take my green tea extract, a more simple and quick caffeine fix, and it's supposed to be healthy(?). I don't particularly like the taste of green tea. First couple of times I had it, I felt like I was drinking something steeped with a cow's cud. I was letting it steep too long, sooo disgusting!

Green tea is nice enough, lacks the umph of coffee though.

Corsair wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:48 am I'm probably some kind of outlier. I have come to like my coffee to be black and unsweetened (like my soul, I suppose).

I'm a black coffee kinda guy as well. I rarely even put creamer into gas station swill.

wtfluff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:48 am Find a local roaster, buy your beans fresh, grind them yourself...

That is the missing ingredient for Emower's search. First the French Press and now grind your beans before you put them in the press. If you do not want to overspend, French and Italian roasts are always good. If expense is not an issue, the genuine Kona beans that Highmaintenance mentioned are great. Don't be afraid to try a variety of types and blends. You might even like coffee from robusta rather than arabica beans (perhaps the result of too many curries). Most of that coffee comes from Vietnam. You can also find some good stuff straight from the can. Great for the Mr. Coffee machines.



"Use with caution or you might go to heck."
-- Bishop Maxwell Folger

PS. If you are a caffeine fiend remember the darker the roast the less caffeine.

Emower wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:02 am Man, I have tried folgers from the pot at work. Thats about the worst thing I have put in my mouth, aside from the sugar free chocolate someone left in the break room just now. Do you push past the nasty taste, or does it really not taste all that bad for you?

There is an appreciation for subtle bitterness that can be developed. It worked for me, but I did start out with double sugar, double cream, and extra flavoring at first. I won't at all claim that "anyone and everyone" can or will develop a taste for black, unsweetened coffee. I think I'm in the minority, and it's simply not a moral failure to appreciate black coffee. If black coffee never appeals to you, then find what actually does. My daughter is pretty indifferent to coffee, but she loves her tea.

Corsair wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2017 8:53 am

Emower wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:02 am Man, I have tried folgers from the pot at work. Thats about the worst thing I have put in my mouth, aside from the sugar free chocolate someone left in the break room just now. Do you push past the nasty taste, or does it really not taste all that bad for you?

There is an appreciation for subtle bitterness that can be developed. It worked for me, but I did start out with double sugar, double cream, and extra flavoring at first. I won't at all claim that "anyone and everyone" can or will develop a taste for black, unsweetened coffee. I think I'm in the minority, and it's simply not a moral failure to appreciate black coffee. If black coffee never appeals to you, then find what actually does. My daughter is pretty indifferent to coffee, but she loves her tea.

I think one of the issues ts that different people have differing ability to taste bitter. Some people are also what is called super tasters, who taste all flavors stronger. They have more tastebuds than average.

So, I suspect that some of us will never get to the point where we like coffee, even in its less bitter incarnations. I had a friend swear her brand was not at all bitter. So she handed me a cup of the gunk black. When I quit gagging, I informed her it was quite bitter. I like bitter chocolate, broccoli and other bitter vegetables, but the combination of burnt and bitter just tastes like poison.

Coffee....... coffee, coffee.

This has become a true love of my life.

I seem to love it's smell, the luxurious feel of it's heat on my cold hands, and finally the lovely rich taste of the many flavour notes that play on my taste buds as the temperatures subside and the harmony begins. Be sure to keep the WoW and not drink it too hot.

For sure, it's not for everyone, and in the beginning I had to overcome the idea that it was somehow connected to the devil. Early on I believed it would always smell and taste bad and would never be part of my life. Guess you should never say never.
Still trying all kinds of single source grown beans as well as the occasional blend but for now I find my favourites are medium roasted beans freshly roasted and ground just before I pour over the water.

I use an aeropresss on most occasions, because it is just fast and easy to make a single cup of very good brew. I also splurged for an Espro which will yield two cups for when a friend joins me. It takes a bit of time and requires a bit of a chemist/geek mentality to get it just right. That seems to be part of the fun.

I still often will add an ounce of cream, but if it's really good, black can be surprisingly delicious to the taste.

The other part of coffee we haven't touched is the social aspect. Perhaps a new thread, but it is good for the soul.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I am going to start a little diary with ratios, temps, times, add-ins, and beans. Seems like it could take a while to really tune in on what I like.
On the other hand, I have overwhelmed my palate with chile for so long that my mouth may not be capable of nuances in flavor. We will see.