Overwhelmed

[vSpace]

So.. it all started when I went to T.G.I. Fridays for lunch yesterday. :?


Well a little background.. I've been drinking various brands and kinds of coffee for years and things seemed ok. I enjoy different beans from Barnies, Caribou, and Starbucks to name a few. I grind my beans and use a Mr Coffee auto drip every morning, and sometimes at night and things were ok. Here lately I started going to a few more resaurants for dinner and enjoying their coffee for desert.

.. enjoying it a little too much

I began finding that I LOVED the taste and aroma soo much that I was looking more forward to the coffee than my meal. It was a similar smell and taste, over a board number of different restaurants. Well yesterday, I had just ordered my lunch at Fridays when I caught a whiff if a neighboring tables coffee. I called my server back and asked for a cup of coffee to go with my salad. :|

Thats just wrong.. but it just made me realize that I just didn't like my homebrewed Breakfast Blend from Starbucks anymore.. it was bitter compared to what I was enjoying out. So, I decided that I would buy a new kind of bean, grinder, maker, or whatever it took to start enjoying a similar cup every morning. So after hunting around and doing alot of googling, I realized that I'm in over my head. I don't know where to start to get that cup of coffee.

So, I found your forums here and thought I would dive into the popular coffee culture and see if I could learn a thing or two.. So, if you don't mind, where would be a good place for me to start? Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

Space

 

[PinkRose]

Hello "vSpace"

Welcome to the Coffee Forums! You've certainly found the best place to get information about coffee.

You mentioned that you've currently use roasted beans, and you grind them yourself. You also mention that you use a Mr. Coffee machine to make your morning brew. You've started off in the right direction, but now that your taste for coffee has changed, it sounds like it's time to "upgrade."

Based on what you can afford, it may be a good idea to take it one step at a time. Since you already grind your beans yourself, I would suggest that you go to a local roaster and get some freshly roasted beans instead of buying (probably stale) pre-packaged beans from places like Starbucks or the grocery store. Buy the beans in small quantities (1/2 lb) so they're not sitting around going stale day by day. I don't know what kind of coffee the Friday's restaurant uses, but it's probably pre-ground and pre-measured for the size pots that they make. Since you like the coffee at Fridays, you may favor something in a medium roast. Most restaurant chains lean towards a medium blend to satisfy the taste of the majority of coffee drinkers who order coffee after a meal.

What kind of coffee grinder do you use? If you have one of the inexpensive "twirley bird" blade grinders, your next step may be to get a decent burr grinder. The blade grinders are okay for grinding nuts to put in a cookie recipe, but they create an inconsistent grind (a variety of large and small size grounds) when grinding coffee, which makes an inconsistent and often bitter pot of coffee.

You may also want to replace your coffee maker as time ges on. Most of the Mr. Coffee drip coffee makers don't heat the water hot enough. Plus, if you let the coffee sit on the warmer plate, it becomes bitter really fast.

Have you ever tried a French Press? It takes a little more work, but it makes a great cup of coffee. They're not expensive. (Less that $30)

Remember...You can explore various topics in the Coffee Forum by going to the top of your screen and using the search feaure.

Good luck.

Rose

 

[jlyon10]

Yes you came to the right place, there is a wealth of knowledge here. The freshest beans are the ones you roast yourself but you might not be ready for that yet. Another inexpensive brewer that is like the French press and really fun is the Aero press.

 

[vSpace]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it and thanks for the nice welcome.


Well I took your advice and looked up a few folks close by that roast beans and found a nice short list to start auditioning. I stopped in today and picked up a few different things while taking a cup of "Medium" house. It was good, not great. It seems there is a slight... burnt(?) taste similar to Starbucks. It was pretty good though.

Yes I use the blade grinder, yes I'll pick up a burr grinder.

My Dad has told me about the french press but it doesn't sound like that would be good for me as I (we) usually drink a good 10-12 cups in the morning. Not to mention I like the ease of a.drip. (unless the taste is SO different that I'd be stoopid not to, ya know?)

I'll have to check out the Aero.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[jlyon10]

Another coffee maker that makes more coffee at a time is the Toddy cold brewer. You let a pound of ground beans and water sit for 12 hours and then let it drain into a caraffe. It makes a great coffee extract that you keep in the refrigerator. When you want to use it you put 1/3 of the extract and 2/3 water then you can either put it over ice for cold coffee or heat it up for hot coffee. The taste is unbelievable

 

[essentialwonders]

Good roasters are hard to find but they are right here. Also, for folks who just don't have time we sell allot of Saeco Limited Edition Drip Coffee Makers and our customers are very happy with them.

 

[vSpace]

Toddy cold brewer huh.. that sounds interesting. How many ppl use such a device?

Essential Wonders- That sounds good, I just may take you up on it. Although.. I'd have to ask.. can you taste a big difference between what you've suggested, what I'm doing now, or a French Press or Toddy cold brewer?

I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed I guess. There are too many choices. What I need to do find some sort of way to taste test all the different methods before I start plunkin' down money for stuff.

Maybe I should start a poll to see what everyone is doing. THis would show whats most popoular.. and in a place like this I'd assume that's probably the best way to make it.

Well thanks for the help!