The coffee thread

gtcway

gtcway

Spring Training Invitee
Since no one else started it yet here goes nothing.

Any coffee snobs out there? I think I'm slowly turning into one. A few years ago I was happy with generic burnt coffee with cream and sugar or some flavoured creamer. There's no Starbucks here but I always got some when in the US. It was amazing then, couldn't get enough.

I decided I couldn't wait to have a latte every few months and bought an espresso maker a couple years ago. I'm on my second or third one now and drink lattes almost exclusively.

I thought good coffee was espresso only then I discovered fresh roasted coffee. My brother in law roasts his own coffee and uses an aeropress. I couldn't believe coffee could taste like that. Instead of sour, bitter crap, some tasted chocolately or even had one taste like blueberries. Unfortunately he lives on the west coast so I only get it once a year.

I'm researching getting a roaster and green beans for myself later this year.

I had my first real latte from Caffè Ladro in Seattle last month. After having several of those I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy a Starbucks latte anymore.
 
I love coffee.
I love Starbucks as well. I think dunkin is total crap. Tasteless and weak.
I typically just brew my own in a coffee pot.
I'm waiting for the day I can make weed coffee. Not that tastes like weed, but just weed-infused coffee.
 
Thanks for starting this thread. It was on my backlog of contributions to post.

I'm fairly priggish when it comes my coffee. Started out using it as a study aid, absolutely drowned in creamer and sugar -- then slowly began to mature in my appreciation for different types of beans and methods of preparing them. Now I drink it almost exclusively black (milk added on rare occasion simply to cool the coffee down.)

I use an AeroPress (inverted method) to make my daily cup (re-fueled by a midafternoon green tea, which I am equally as snobbish about) now, and swear by it. Perfectly makes everything from a straight cup, to a shot of espresso. I find it most useful for preparing iced coffee, which is all I can drink during the warmer months of the year. I grind by hand and use a thermometer to make sure the water is at optimal temperature. AeroPress delivers a brew that is virtually non-acidic, which is a huge plus .... have also experimented with cold-brew and French Press.

I am a huge fan of Intelligentsia and Counter Culture beans -- but have recently started to buy locally roasted beans as I find them to taste fresher.

Chain-wise I prefer Starbucks and Caribou. Dunkin' has a decent (and cheap) iced coffee that I get sometimes.
 
Hawk said:
A hand-rolled joint chased by a doppio espresso is damn near close to orgasmic.
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I've never really experimented with any of the "fancy" drinks like espressos and such. I have pretty much always kept it to simply black coffee, wherever I go. I'll have to explore, just hate messing with what I love.
I've always used a joint roller to roll mine, it's a tiny little plastic thing but rolls them perfectly. Is there any clear advantage to hand-rolled?

Now I want to go roll a joint. I'm sitting outside with a coffee and a beer doing school work.
 
yeezus said:
Now I want to go roll a joint. I'm sitting outside with a coffee and a beer doing school work.
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School work? It's Friday!

Also no advantage to hand-rolled vs. machines IMO. Just appreciate the craftsmanship ...

I have no idea how to rotate that.
 
Hawk said:
School work? It's Friday!

Also no advantage to hand-rolled vs. machines IMO. Just appreciate the craftsmanship ...
Click to expand...

Have to make up for being lazy all week.
BRB going to roll a joint. Have some Summer Loves getting nice and cold.
 
While in Seattle last month I had an aeropress in my hand about to buy it but thought that without fresh roasted coffee it would be pointless. A few days after I got back, I found out that there is a local roaster that roasts at least once a week. I've been using that for espresso since then. It's really good.
Think I might order one soon.
 
gtcway said:
While in Seattle last month I had an aeropress in my hand about to buy it but thought that without fresh roasted coffee it would be pointless. A few days after I got back, I found out that there is a local roaster that roasts at least once a week. I've been using that for espresso since then. It's really good.
Think I might order one soon.
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This goes well with my comment because it's legal there.
 
Grind all my beans at home. Have a Krups Il Caffe Duomo (coffee on one side, espresso on the other). For coffee, the go-to bean is India Monsoon Malabar. Then, obviously, dark roast espresso beans for the espresso. Also have Keurig. All water is filtered through the Brita. So, it's a meticulous process.

Really don't patronize shops often, except when traveling or to meet a friend over coffee/conversation. Tim Hortons is king here. Try to avoid Starbucks, if at all possible, but have been getting the K-cups because of coupons + regular sale prices. While visiting Toronto, Second Cup is always a tradition.
 
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gtcway said:
While in Seattle last month I had an aeropress in my hand about to buy it but thought that without fresh roasted coffee it would be pointless. A few days after I got back, I found out that there is a local roaster that roasts at least once a week. I've been using that for espresso since then. It's really good.
Think I might order one soon.
Click to expand...

The best thing about the AeroPress is that it's ridiculously cheap ($25 on Amazon) given its quality and versatility. It tends to draw out the flavors of all varietals irrespective of region (or age) -- so I'm confident you would still enjoy the brew even if it weren't from freshly roasted beans (but you will definitely notice a difference).
 
Knucksie said:
Tim Hortons is king here. While visiting Toronto, Second Cup is always a tradition.
Click to expand...

I'll be up in Montreal next month and am looking forward to frequenting both of these establishments (although the last time I had coffee from Second Cup it was burnt beyond tasteful recognition).
 
Dumb question because I've never been much of a coffee person (have to avoid caffeine with my condition), but are things like lattes, espressos, cappuccino, frappuccino, etc are they all considered coffee or part of the coffee family?

I had my first ever frappuccino from starbucks the other day... it was glorious. Can't believe I've been alive almost 24 years and I avoided them.
 
Best coffee city you've visited? For me, it's Budapest. Lavish cafes, incredible pastries -- shops importing techniques from everywhere ... Melbourne to San Francisco. Tons of places to get coffee (the culture has existed there since the 1800s) so each establishment offers something different to make them stand out.

Flat white from 'Espresso Embassy' in Buda:
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Americano inside 'Bookcafe' on Andrassy Ave.:
pK6mWlhl.jpg
 
KeithLockhart said:
Dumb question because I've never been much of a coffee person (have to avoid caffeine with my condition), but are things like lattes, espressos, cappuccino, frappuccino, etc are they all considered coffee or part of the coffee family?
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Yes -- with the exception of frappuccinos, which are basically sugar slushes with a squirt of coffee added (really unhealthy). Created by Starbucks to appeal to the 'Murican palate. The other drinks you mentioned are all just different ways of preparing coffee (au lait/latte [with milk] ... steamed, frothed ... boiling beans longer [espresso/cappucino]... etc.)
 
Hawk said:
The best thing about the AeroPress is that it's ridiculously cheap ($25 on Amazon) given its quality and versatility. It tends to draw out the flavors of all varietals irrespective of region (or age) -- so I'm confident you would still enjoy the brew even if it weren't from freshly roasted beans (but you will definitely notice a difference).
Click to expand...

Not that I needed any more convincing, but I ordered one from Amazon last night.
 
So for someone that doesn't want to get their tongue burnt what do you suggest as an alternative to frappes because that's all I've been drink recently lol
 
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