Coffee

[KMusselman]

drinking Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, one of my favorites.  when it comes to coffee, i only buy whole bean and grind (burr) each time before brewing.  bottled water only and the preferred method for brewing is a press.  my brewed coffee has body and when pressed right, a ring of foam on the inside of the mug.  the bottom will have a small amount of sludge due to the small particles passing through the screen.

what are some of your favorite beans / regions?

Elephant Dung Coffee, the World's Most Expensive:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/photos-elephant-dung-coffee-the-world-s-most-expensive-323746.html

[RG]

I had a french press for years and used it almost daily until I broke it about a year ago. Went on Amazon and picked up one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK  Makes a great cup of coffee in a fraction of the time that other methods take. I buy whole beans and prefer darker roasts and low-medium acidity, but I couldn't name a favorite bean. Sometimes I'll get something and it's really good, then later I'll buy it again and it's crap. A former employer bought me a bag of Kona when she was in Hawaii and it was some of the best coffee I've ever had. No Kona I've had since then comes close. Not too long ago I bought some Nicaraguan medium roast at a big national chain store and it was great. Bought it again shortly thereafter and it sucked. All about the freshness, I guess.

I've ordered from www.justcoffee.coop several times and they have some quality stuff. Lots of variety. I got a bag of that Ethiopian coffee from there one time and it was an odd one. A little too far outside of my taste.

[RyanWreck]

I used to go to Lost Dutchman Coffee in Phoenix when I lived down there almost 4 times a week. Their Brazilian brand was insanely good (I think it was called Superstition blend or something). I've mainly been drinking Lavazza Blue Espresso which you can get from World Market for $7.99 and make it at home, they sell Hawaiian Isles Kona up there as well but it's $20.99 for 24oz. I've been to a local place called Method Coffee a few times, pretty good. Haven't visited too many coffee houses up here in Prescott since I moved back.

[ConcreteMascara]

Something about it is so goddamn good with a cigarette.

Agreed. No finer combination exists. I love coffee, sometimes I think more than beer, but I'm no connoisseur. I enjoy anything from luke warm dinner coffee to lovingly made, french press, homemade cups. I appreciate people who know something about good coffee, but I just love it by general principle. It's delicious and effective. The best coffee I ever had was in a coffee shop in Kyoto. Like many things the Japanese like, they are totally obsessive perfectionists about it. They brewed the coffee in something like this http://www.doobybrain.com/2008/01/23/the-20000-cup-of-coffee/ and it was just incredible.

But on the down (brown) side, I have irritable bowel syndrome, so pretty much every cup of coffee makes me feel like I'm going to shit my pants. :(    But I still drink it anyway...

[martialgodmask]

I drink very little else but coffee, all day long. Unfortunately, I have to make do with instant most of the time (sorry!) but am a fan of stronger varieties when the opportunity allows to brew up in the cafetiere. I'm not choosy when it comes to instant coffee because...well, there's little point. Normally go for whatever is best price and/or best value. When my wife and I move house we will hopefully have a larger kitchen that can facilitate a better coffee-making setup.

[Jaakko V.]

At home I've ended up drinking usually Taylor's Hot Lava Java brewed in a French press.

Reviews:
http://www.coffeejudge.co.uk/taylors-hot-lava-java-coffee

Very nice, extremely roasted.

All the coffee lunatics I know in Finland grind their beans themselves, and usually order them from http://www.hasbean.co.uk .. Seems like a nice company indeed with a respectable selection. I like it that they tell where the beans are coming from, by whom they've been growed and cultivated, etc. Good to support these low scale family businesses that have actual knowledge, determination and tradition in their craft. As with everything...

[martialgodmask]

Hot Lava Java is great - a friend once likened it to drinking a cigar.

[Bleak Existence]

i drink coffee everyday too and this what i buy Van Houtte Mexico Fair Trade Organic - Medium Roast

[ConcreteMascara]

Thought I'd share this amusing aside. my friend and I love Twin Peaks and coffee. When he was working at this engineering firm in NYC he had access to big ass printers. So he printed out this picture and it's in his kitchen over the coffee machine. Makes me smile every time I get a cup of coffee at his place.



"This, excuse me, a DAMN fine cup of coffee!"

[Johann]

place just half a block away from where i live has been roasting their own since the 70's...just picked up a pound of organic mexican from them yesterday (cost like 15 bucks)...i had been on a major sumatra/new guinea kick for the last year. i can't function without coffee, strong and black. take it with milk if it's shitty coffee.

used to grind my own but my grinder broke and i currently don't have the money to replace it, i use a stove top percolator (that's gotta be replaced soon too)

[MT]

I like my coffee in the traditional finnish way. Strong, sitting still in the coffee maker for hours, burned to hell, colour changed to black as night, taste resembles death in liquid form. Best ever with a cigarette.

[dubduboverlord]

Tattoo from last year - reads "Death Before Decaf."

My preferred preparation method is the Hario V60:



I do a pour-over using single-origin, seasonal, direct-trade beans run through a burr grinder. I have an old friend who owns a high-end cafe nearby - he's extremely finicky and detail-oriented, and I've been lucky to piggyback on his knowledge and contacts, and get access to some exceptional coffee.

[dubduboverlord]

I do a pour-over using single-origin

I never brewed this way, but I am interested.  What is the time of the pour?

I don't time it. I heat the water until just under boiling and refill as needed while I'm running around feeding the dogs and getting dressed for work. Trying to exercise any real control over the morning chaos in my house is destined to end only in disappointment. Getting good beans and grinding them just prior to brewing is probably 80% good enough, which is still far and away the best homebrewed cup I've ever had (including those made with French press). If I want real precise timed, weighed and temp-calibrated preparation I just drive downtown and let my pal's OCD do the work for me.

[Levas]

Nice thread.
I don't have my favourite, but I found my least favourite. It's some obscure brand - Lord Wayne. Coffee. Kilo goes for some 3-4 euros in here. I found the bag with this coffee, 5 lipsticks and pink shirt while returning back home from suburbs. It's like you would be drinking mud mixed with washing powder. Never thought coffee could be that disgusting

[dubduboverlord]

Nice thread.
I don't have my favourite, but I found my least favourite. It's some obscure brand - Lord Wayne. Coffee. Kilo goes for some 3-4 euros in here. I found the bag with this coffee, 5 lipsticks and pink shirt while returning back home from suburbs. It's like you would be drinking mud mixed with washing powder. Never thought coffee could be that disgusting

But how does the shirt fit?