Good Coffee
So, I got up this morning to find that we were out of coffee. Oh...we have some smores-flavored coffee and a macadamia-flavored verson. My wife buys that crap and lets the french roast run out. So...I went to the local donut shop that has the best damn croissants in town - huge, fluffy - and brought some home with a cup of large french roast. Now...my wife is French. You'd think she'd understand. Nope.
Anybody else here need their real coffee?! I once cracked the guys at the club up when I said one morning before round of golf - "I like my coffee like I like my women...dark and full-bodied." haha...
Anybody else here need their real coffee?! I once cracked the guys at the club up when I said one morning before round of golf - "I like my coffee like I like my women...dark and full-bodied." haha...
My coffee has ONE job: wake me up enough to find my way to the computer in the morning. Once I make it to the computer and sit down, the rest of the world ceases to exist for about an hour. When I "come back," I notice (happily) that I am both still alive and awake. Actually it's kind of a low bar, but for now it works and has the side benefit of keeping my husband alive. He knows better than to even look at me hard before that first cup is 100% finished. (What? There are people in the world who actually DRIVE for coffee?)
I have everything from a $12 French press to a $99 Keurig Duo (makes regular drip as well as k-cups) to a $350 Moccamaster, which makes great coffee but doesn't keep it hot enough. I used to do the green beans and hot air popper, but it really didn't "do it" for me. Since the investment was low and I had fun with it, I didn't feel bad abandoning the practice. My thoughts about running out of coffee? About as likely as the front yard running out of dirt. I'm sure my firstborn (and second) are glad they finally grew up...because as long as the coffee supply was at risk, back in the day, they were in danger of getting traded. I jest (I think), but I am dead serious when I say that before I go to bed at night, the coffeemaker is ready for me to push that all-important button in the morning. Sometimes it's a challenge to remember where the button is, but I usually manage.
Hubby, on the other hand, buys Ruta Maya at Costco, grinds it himself and uses a 4-minute timer with a drip funnel. As long as he stays out of my way I don't care what he drinks, and we don't have to jockey over who uses what coffeepot, and the subject of divorce isn't raised!
Of the flavored coffees, I do like a cup of brewed Kahlua-brand coffee (doesn't taste like Kahlua but it IS good), but it's getting harder to find, and I refuse to go to Tuesday Morning to buy it (they require masks in a no-mask-required city). My preference with any coffee is NO sugar, ever, ever, ever, and a little bit of real cream.
I imagine Hugh Akston's Cafe probably has great coffee, too.
but there are times to savor, then Arabian coffee-
Black as night
Hot as hell
Sweet as love.
Blend, Arabica, Kenya. After food, accompanied by a good port.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8eVE...
Starbucks or Peets or (insert your favorite cafe here) are just as unacceptable to me as are every brand of bagged ground coffee in any store. I can barely survive on whole bean roasted coffee if the roast isn't burned to a crisp as most of them seem to be. Seattle coffee seems to be the worst offender I have found. Shouldn't be forced on anyone with taste buds.
However, I found about 30 years ago that Dunkin' Donuts of all places had decent whole bean roasted coffee, but I have no idea if that is still true.
I buy green coffee beans from http://happymugcoffee.com and roast them with a hot air popcorn popper about every 2 weeks. Their coffee is excellent and costs about $6 a lb not including the 2 hours a month it takes me to do the roasting.
The counter on my DeLonghi Perfecta 5400 indicates I have made about 7,000 cups with it since I bought it in 2010.
I use a Freshroast SR500 roaster that sits on my stove top so that it vents and roast a couple pots worth at a time -- much simpler than the popcorn popper I used to use. I just ran a batch for the next couple days.
Maria's is good, too, but the 30% lower prices at Happy Mug make the coffee taste much better to me.
Happy Mug has always had my favorite Sumatra Mandheling in stock, too.
Nothing I know beats fresh roasted, fresh ground espresso ;^) Cheers.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-c...
There’s a good chance your day started with a cappuccino, or a cold brew, and you aren’t alone. In fact, coffee is one of the most consumed drinks on the planet, and it’s also one of the most traded commodities.
According to the National Coffee Association, more than 150 million people drink coffee on a daily basis in the U.S. alone. Globally, consumption is estimated at over 2.25 billion cups per day.
Coffee From Plant to Factory
There are two types of tropical plants that produce coffee, both preferring high altitudes and with production primarily based in South America, Asia, and Africa.
- Coffea arabica is the more plentiful bean, with a more complex flavor and less caffeine. It’s used in most specialty and “high quality” drinks as Arabica coffee.
- Coffea canephora, meanwhile, has stronger and more bitter flavors. It’s also easier to grow, and is most frequently used in espressos and instant blends as Robusta coffee.
However, both types of beans undergo the same journey:
1. Growing
Plants take anywhere from 4-7 years to produce their first harvest, and grow fruit for around 25 years.
2. Picking
The fruit of the coffea plant is the coffee berry, containing two beans within. Ripened berries are harvested either by hand or machine.
3. Processing
Coffee berries are then processed either in a traditional “dry” method using the sun or “wet” method using water and machinery. This removes the outer fruit encasing the sought-after green beans.
4. Milling
The green coffee beans are hulled, cleaned, sorted, and (optionally) graded.
From Factory to Transport
Once the coffee berry is stripped down to green beans, it’s shipped from producing countries through a global supply network.
Green coffee beans are exported and shipped around the world. In 2018 alone, 7.2 million tonnes of green coffee beans were exported, valued at $19.2 billion.
Arriving primarily in the U.S. and Europe, the beans are now prepared for consumption:
5. Roasting
Green beans are industrially roasted, becoming darker, oilier, and tasty. Different temperatures and heat duration impact the final color and flavor, with some preferring light roasts to dark roasts.
6. Packaging
Any imperfect or somehow ruined beans are discarded, and the remaining roasted beans are packaged together by type.
7. Shipping
Roasted beans are shipped both domestically and internationally. Bulk shipments go to retailers, coffee shops, and in some cases, direct to consumer.
Straight to Your Cup
Roasted coffee beans are almost ready for consumption, and by this stage the remaining steps can happen anywhere.
For example, many factories don’t ship roasted beans until they grind it themselves. Meanwhile, cafes will grind their own beans on-site before preparing drinks. The rapid growth of coffee chains made Starbucks the second-highest-earning U.S. fast food venue.
Regardless of where it happens, the final steps bring coffee straight to your cup:
8. Grinding
Roasted beans are ground up in order to better extract their flavors, either by machine or by hand. The preferred fineness depends on the darkness of the roast and the brewing method.
9. Brewing
Water is added to the coffee grounds in a variety of methods. Some involve water being passed or pressured through the grounds (espresso, drip) while others mix the water and grounds (French press, Turkish coffee).
10. Drinking
Liquid coffee is ready to be enjoyed! One average cup takes 70 roasted beans to make.
The world’s choice of caffeine pick-me-up is made possible by this structured and complex supply chain. Coffee isn’t just a drink, after all, it’s a business.
Every (and I mean every) morning, I have two cups and visit with my wife of 41 years. When I was still working, I had to stop at 1 cup.
On weekends, we treat ourselves to coffee from a local roaster, Crandall Coffee of Kettle Falls, WA.
"Beautiful Moments"
The sun has just cleared the horizon.
My mind ventures back to a time not so long ago.
And then I am brought back with a start.
It is time.
Heading to the water closet, I encounter a cat along the way.
“Out of my way you louse” I curse while crossing the threshold into a room, its purpose is clear.
Sitting now, eyes half closed, a moment of bliss.
The last point of the alimentary canal is cleared.
Such are these, beautiful moments.
My father said "if you don't like the taste of coffee, you probably shouldn't drink it!" I still laugh at that!
He orders his "Like my women, black, hot, and strong!" LOL. He'll be 80 soon enough. Still says that EVERY TIME.
I do instant coffee, I have an instant on hot water dispenser (one of my best installs). I drink 1-2 cups per day, only one in the house who drinks coffee, so NOT worth making a pot...
That's what the automatic espresso machine does for me, one great cup at the time. (With or without cream/steamed milk.)
When I visited my aunt in NY years ago, she made the coffee so strong I needed the heavy cream to drink it. So I was up and out early to pick up heavy cream, fresh bagels, cream cheese, and Nova before she awakened. Fond memories.
Sometimes I'll eat an apple with it. Sometimes a boiled egg. An English muffin is rare. Raisin bread rarer.
Way rarer is a cut of Stegosaurus intestine because I can't find any of those laying around anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6pe...
What? Expecting a coffee song?
If I'm using a Keurig machine I'll use K-Cup pods
from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
The Breakfast Blend - pretty good IMO.
Drinking Bel Air Organic French as I type this. Pretty nice...
I'm going to leave your last line alone as I can take this "south" way too fast and deep.....jus sayin'
🎥 Denis Leary on Coffee [Lock N Load] - YouTube
I found for ADC coffee, that the Percolator grind produced far less bitterness, and a lighter coffee.
The complete OPPOSITE of Starbucks overground black and bitter garbage. I will literally go without coffee instead of having theirs.
Rule #1: Never EVER run out of good coffee. We always have a two month supply on hand. My wife also likes all that flavored stuff, but I have to have the real thing.
Back in February and March, I added 25 pounds of green coffee beans to my inventory in case supply chain problems were forthcoming. I usually have about 6 to 10 lb on hand for +-6 months supply. Green beans keep almost all their flavor for 12 months or more if stored properly. I will be happy if I overstocked and the supply continues undiminished.