Favorite coffee

Flyingfanatic

Flyingfanatic

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Flying Fanatic
What's your favorite coffee for home?

I'm looking for suggestions as I'm switching coffee at home. Not doing Starbucks. I've tried Black Rifle, which is good, but they sell 12 ounce and 5 lb. Looking for a 2-2.5 pound bag, if possible.

So what do you drink?
 
Here are a few that I like.

Member's Mark (Sam's Club's label) French Roast, whole bean. Note that some reviewers have written that it's been changed in the past few months and is no longer as rich as it used to be before the label change. I'll have to buy a new bag and find out.

Peet's Coffee Major Dickason's Blend Deep Roast. Also a nice, dark, rich coffee.https://www.samsclub.com/sams/major-dickson-blend-2-lb-whole-bean/prod1770673.ip?xid=plp:product:1:1

Pablo's Pride. A bit lighter, but flavorful. It's usually what I serve guests who don't share my enthusiasm for coffee that I can also use as rust remover.

Copper Moon Sumatra, Dark Roast. Another rich, dark coffee.

Since Sam's Club started offering free shipping for Plus members with no minnimum, I rarely buy coffee anywhere else. Their online coffee selection is very good, as are the prices. If you drink a lot of coffee, that alone might pay for the membership. (The selection in their physical clubs is much smaller.)

Rich
 
Trader Joes has a medium roast that is the best coffee I've ever had.
 
I like cafe bustelo and more recently the McCafe Columbian they sell at Walmart.
 
100% Kona usually from Lions Gate coffee ranch (we've visited there with the owner). I roast the beans myself about a half a pound at a time so we're never more than a few days from fresh.
 
Behind flying and bicycles, coffee is likely my most time-consuming endeavor. Be careful!

YMMV, but I’ve found that brewing method and technique matter far more than subtle differences in brands - reasonably fresh, higher quality beans (ground at use) should hit the mark if treated with care.

Personally I’m a big fan of George Howell, though it’s local.
 
I’m a fan of the Dunkin Donuts too. Right now on the hazelnut kick, but I like the cinnamon roll too.
 
scottfromboston said:
Behind flying and bicycles, coffee is likely my most time-consuming endeavor. Be careful!

YMMV, but I’ve found that brewing method and technique matter far more than subtle differences in brands - reasonably fresh, higher quality beans (ground at use) should hit the mark if treated with care.

Personally I’m a big fan of George Howell, though it’s local.
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Yessir ....IMHO, brewing in a TechniVorm Moccamaster steps up any coffee a notch or two.
 
Anything, not that particular. Never got into the bean game. I do pods mostly just for convenience. Had some kind of Kona from Costco a few months ago, but I always return to Donut Shop medium.

When I flew flights in and out of CVG I liked Peats (Peets?), pretty good coffee and better than Starbucks IMO.
 
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I haven’t had it in a few years, but this used to be one of our favorites. And they really supported the military back when Starbucks was being all political.

https://www.bocajava.com

I’ll add: I don’t drink flavored coffee. Just strong, black and as fresh as possible. But, Boca Java has flavored coffee that I can drink. The flavoring is very mild and doesn’t overcome the coffee itself.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
while camping
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Some great moments during cool mornings drinking coffee around a campfire.

However, when I forgot filters, and had to use a sock to pour through, was not one of them.
btw...it was an extra pair I had, clean... and boiled before use!

Pretty much ruined the sock though.
I guess I could donate the other one to the guy that got caught flying and is in jail now.
 
The best coffee is going to be coffee that is freshly roasted and preferably single origin (actually sourced by the roastery). I have a local roastery here in AZ called Cartel Coffee. They source all their coffee and roast on the day of or the day after your order (if you are ordering online).

The reality is there are a lot of "junk" coffee shops out there. In fact, I'd say a very small percentage of coffee shops actually carry good quality single origin coffee beans that are actually freshly roasted. Roasted coffee beans degrade in taste very quickly after 14-15 days. Hence why you really need freshly roasted beans.

However, possibly the most important thing, in addition to beans, is good water. Reddit has some really interesting reads and articles on coffee water (like full on research articles). The jist is that good coffee water NEEDS certain minerals (magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate) for best extraction of the flavor. So filtered water (reverse osmosis, carbon filters, etc) does not give you the best cup possible. In fact, I have found filtered water/bottled water makes a rather bad cup. You can either make your own coffee water using epsom salt, baking soda, and distilled water (https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/com..._wizard_making_water/?st=jf8bhbe4&sh=2d1152db) or simply buy distilled water and add a mineral packet such as Third Wave Water. Sounds nuts, but the difference is incredible. I can make the same exact V60 pour over with typical filtered water, bottled water, etc and then make it with my own "coffee water" and the difference is huge.

I see your in Kansas City. PT's is supposed to be one of the best roasters in the US.

https://www.ptscoffee.com/collections/single-origin-coffee

Oh and as Nauga stated, Ethiopian is typically my favorite. Probably the most unique coffees.

Another thing...ALWAYS grind at the time of brewing. Don't buy ground beans. A good quality burr grinder is a must. I personally use a LIDO ET, which is a hand grinder.
 
McD's coffee is about as good as anything else for my taste buds. I hate bitter coffee. If calories were no object, I'd drink it in the form of iced white mocha every day.

I usually get a small iced coffee from my grocery store every morning. They used to carry Java City. I liked Java City. Then they switched to Peets. I hate Peets worse than Starbucks.
 
Mocha-Java or Jamaica Blue Mountain, freshly ground, brewed through a Melitta cone filter into a thermos carafe.
 
I will drink a wide variety of coffee occasionally but the wife is pretty into it. She loves "Sumatra" or something like that. I made some from scratch (first try) tiramisu last night with her coffee out of a French press I bought her and she loved it. Lucky for me!
 
If it's not strong enough to dissolve a spoon I don't want it.

Flavored crap is for people who don't like coffee.

Had the Blue Mountain on vacay in Jamaica for breakfast, was downing it like DD swill. Was buzzing like on speed all morning. Something like $32/lb imported.
 
FastEddieB said:
She loves "Sumatra" or something like that.
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Sumatran coffee is my second favorite. Again, variety not important. Roasted out back, between full city and french (that's dark, BTW).

Most important factor in my coffee? It's gotta taste like coffee. Syrups, squirts, foam, milk, sugar, civet poop, herbs, spices and butter do not make coffee. Coffee makes coffee. And water. But mostly coffee.

Nauga,
who is momentarily venturing into the streets for an espresso
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
That water thing is true.
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I have learned that I can taste a bigger difference in brewing temperature than I can in water quality. My wife and I had some time to kill and did a blind taste-test experiment one rainy Sunday. Maybe I have a lead palate or something but we both thought temperature made a bigger difference (for the better) than water and mineral content.

Nauga,
not too hot
 
nauga said:
I have learned that I can taste a bigger difference in brewing temperature than I can in water quality. My wife and I had some time to kill and did a blind taste-test experiment one rainy Sunday. Maybe I have a lead palate or something but we both thought temperature made a bigger difference (for the better) than water and mineral content.

Nauga,
not too hot
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Good call. Was hotter better? (EDIT: never mind, I saw your sig)
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Good call. Was hotter better? (EDIT: never mind, I saw your sig)
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To me, simmer, just below a boil, is noticeably better than boiling. I'm not too particular about details, I use a french press because it's fast and convenient, and I dump in the water when it 'looks right'. If I get out of the shower and it's boiling, I dump it in anyway. If I'm out, I'll hit whatever coffee shop is close by, as desperate times call for desperate measures.

Nauga,
delayed
 
Death Wish. Ground fresh and brewed in a French press. Drink it hot and black. It’ll get you rockin’ Right quick!
 
Banjo33 said:
I’m a fan of the Dunkin Donuts too. Right now on the hazelnut kick, but I like the cinnamon roll too.
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I like Starbucks they have a good product. They're polite. They're too slow. I have to have coffee in the morning or I can't talk. My first cup can't be Starbucks. I'd be dead by the time I got to the front of that line. "You got coffee back there? Yeah? Well, you should drink some of that so you'll move it!" I have to stop at Dunkin Donuts and get coffee to stand in line for coffee. And people are staring, "I should have done that."
-- John Pinette
 
nauga said:
I have learned that I can taste a bigger difference in brewing temperature than I can in water quality. My wife and I had some time to kill and did a blind taste-test experiment one rainy Sunday. Maybe I have a lead palate or something but we both thought temperature made a bigger difference (for the better) than water and mineral content.

Nauga,
not too hot
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Water temp should be between 200-205F, which like you said is just below boil, or boil and wait about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Assuming water temp is consistent (I use a digital temp kettle which has proven to be accurate when using a calibrated thermometer), water composition does make a much bigger difference. SCAA has standards for water here: http://www.scaa.org/?page=resources&d=water-standards
 
nauga said:
I have learned that I can taste a bigger difference in brewing temperature than I can in water quality. My wife and I had some time to kill and did a blind taste-test experiment one rainy Sunday. Maybe I have a lead palate or something but we both thought temperature made a bigger difference (for the better) than water and mineral content.

Nauga,
not too hot
Click to expand...

Obviously all this is over the top for most folks, but if you are truly a coffee connoisseur then you start to appreciate the small things. And without a doubt the water itself has proven to far outweigh just about any other variable. It is no different than brewing good beer. You start with good water. Coffee is 98% water.

Some interesting reads:

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf501687c
https://waterforcoffeebook.com/ (sold out of books till later this year, but there are excerpts of it out on the internet)
 
nauga said:
I have learned that I can taste a bigger difference in brewing temperature than I can in water quality. My wife and I had some time to kill and did a blind taste-test experiment one rainy Sunday. Maybe I have a lead palate or something but we both thought temperature made a bigger difference (for the better) than water and mineral content.

Nauga,
not too hot
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Water boils just a bit cooler here in Denver so proper temperature and pressure is needed to get ideal brewing conditions. Not much pressure but things like pod brewers and k-cups produce a better tasting coffee.
 
Dunkin,Peet’s ,use to ground different beans,gave it up,I’m a decaf person,so there’s not much difference.
 
flyingron said:
I like Starbucks they have a good product. They're polite. They're too slow. I have to have coffee in the morning or I can't talk. My first cup can't be Starbucks. I'd be dead by the time I got to the front of that line. "You got coffee back there? Yeah? Well, you should drink some of that so you'll move it!" I have to stop at Dunkin Donuts and get coffee to stand in line for coffee. And people are staring, "I should have done that."
-- John Pinette
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Don’t get me wrong, I prefer store bought of both of these. However, due to no local options (and the calories, as mentioned above), I buy the little 2 or 3 lbs bags at the grocery store and like them just fine.
 
Kopi Luwak for me. The best part of waking up, is half digested rodent crap in your cup.
 
Hate hate hate myself for saying this but I have 2 cups of black Starbucks every day.
 
Home - K cup, Green Mountain breakfast blend.
Not home - Dunkin' Donuts

I know, very boring.
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Cafe Bustello.
cafe-bustelo-can.jpg

Good stuff. Reminds me of Korean Coffee (it beats you down and calls you names you can't understand until you beg for more).
Favorite style of coffee is Cafe Americano or Long Black. Keurig machines are an affront to the very essence of coffee, and to civilization in general. They should be destroyed, and their owners sentenced to drinking Green Tea for the remainder of their years.

“Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.”
― Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
 
ironnerd said:
Keurig machines are an affront to the very essence of coffee, and to civilization in general. They should be destroyed, and their owners sentenced to drinking Green Tea for the remainder of their years.
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Next thing you're going to tell me is Cracker Barrel is not fine dining!
 
Sac Arrow said:
McD's coffee is about as good as anything else for my taste buds. I hate bitter coffee. If calories were no object, I'd drink it in the form of iced white mocha every day.

I usually get a small iced coffee from my grocery store every morning. They used to carry Java City. I liked Java City. Then they switched to Peets. I hate Peets worse than Starbucks.
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A lot of the fast food joints have upped their game and offer a decent cup of coffee.

But I set the bar low for food and drink. :)

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