Question on getting coffee like the restaurants

[mmmcoffee]

So I'm very new to coffee. (like less than a month). I am quickly becoming kinda obsessed with making coffee at home just like Tim Hortons, Mcdonalds, or even crappy diners and chinese food resturaunts which probably use folgers. The problem I'm facing is, I take double double everywhere else. But 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cream doesn't seem to do it at home. It instead makes the coffee worse than it was with nothing in it... any suggestions?

My other thing was just a question. I tried grinding a cheap whole bean and it was definitely better than folgers and such even though i used a magic bullet to do the grinding. However, I grinded too much and when i used the rest the next day it was worse than folgers. Does generic preground coffee last longer than coffee you grind yourself? As far as storage i just screwed the cap on the magic bullet cup i grinded it with and put it in the pantry, which isn't much worst than the plastic push on cap folgers has.

Lastly, my cheap coffee maker doesn't make if very hot. Is it okay to nuke the coffee a bit before adding the cream and sugar. I shouldn't be noticing all these differences so new in to coffee but if it's not right, i don't feel like drinking it!

Thanks in advance guys. Sorry for the long post.

 

[janry]

First thing is many restaurants use quality coffee. Some around here get their beans from a local roaster. Some get their beans from big national roasters. So, don't assume they all use something like what you can get in a can in the grocery store.

I started getting pretty serious about my coffee when I retired a little over a year ago. I was chasing my tail as my results seemed to be hit or miss and it was just more luck than skill when I got a good cup of coffee.

One day, I was in the area of a coffee shop that also roasts beans. We dropped in there just to try their coffee and it was great. The owner came over to us and introduced himself. We talked a it. He suggested some beans and asked how I was brewing. The one thing that visit did was to give me a good point of reference as to what a good cup of coffee is. I bought some of his beans and tried them at home. Not as good but at least now I knew it was me, not the beans. I've improved my brewing technique with follow-up visits to that shop and will soon be taking a 1 hour class there in brewing using a Chemex pot.

I really suggest you find a good coffee shop/roaster in your area. It is making a big difference in my coffee.

 

[CanadianBrian]

Hello mmmcoffee and welcome;
A few points that you have noticed.
First coffee brew temperature is very important and your current method of brewing is not providing the ideal temp for brwing. You ideally need 190-200 or just off a roalling boil.
2nd point is that your magic bullet is not a proper grinding machine. It will give you uneven and distorted sizes of grounds which will make extraction of oils and acid and flavor all inconsistent and even detremental to the flavor outcome.
3rd. Coffee degrades dramattically after grinding. optimal is up tp 20 minutes after grinding. Any longer and you subject the beans to oxygen and light which will stale the beans and even make the oil in the beans go rancid if left long enough.
4th When they pregrind coffee it must first degass which is the start of the stalling process. once they grind the beans some will package with CO2 or other inert gasses to help prevent the stalling of the beans.
5th. Alot of these restaurants will use 18% cream for their coffees to give the coffee a better more appealing mouthfeel. Make sure your creamer is the same.

I suggest that you spend some time on the site and start with these points first in your quest for good coffee.

 

[Robertlee]

For the newbie, what I like to point to is the Good Eats episode where Alton Brown teaches the viewer how to brew a consistently good cup. He also goes into quality of beans, proportions, storage and so on. Once the basics are down you can tailor the brew to your own taste. I would caution you against using any paper filters in whatever drip machine you may have. A french press, once gotten used to is one of the best inexpensive ways to go. I use a rather pricey Cuisinart beast with a gold filter for morning cups, but when checking out a new bean I always use one of my presses.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Welcome aboard,
I think all of our great members above given great thoughts advise.
Here is my take on it.

Coffee can be very fun thing and also can be very expensive habit like anything else.
First, I would learn different method of brewing your coffee. Not just brew it in cheap drip brewer but there are many options out there and it can be as cheap as 10-20 dollars brewers that works well and you can also spend 1000's.
Second, learn little more about beans. Different type and regions
And lastly, set a budget and invest on your equipment. Don't just buy one that is for sale on local stores. Look around and see what is out there and what would really tickle your palate.

Good Luck

 

[kboom1]

Welcome to the forum. Fresh coffee is key. If you can, only buy coffee that has a roast date on the bag. Anything past 2 weeks don't buy. You will also want to invest in a quality grinder, no matter what brew method you choose your grinder will be your most important piece of equipment. A suggestion I always make to newbies as far as a brew method is to invest in a aeropress to start out with.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Welcome to the forum. Fresh coffee is key. If you can, only buy coffee that has a roast date on the bag. Anything past 2 weeks don't buy. You will also want to invest in a quality grinder, no matter what brew method you choose your grinder will be your most important piece of equipment. A suggestion I always make to newbies as far as a brew method is to invest in a aeropress to start out with.

Why aeropress?
Not Chemex, hario hand drip, siphon, French press, or even Vietnamese or Cuban way of making coffee.

I think all brewing method should be explored before settling one just one method.

 

[kboom1]

I agree all brew methods should be explored but I think the aeropress gives newbies the biggest bang for the buck without having to invest a lot of money.