Official Coffee Thread

yes. there is a big advantage. for french press you need a consistent coarse grind which is not easy to do. If you are getting it ground at a coffee shop they are probably doing a good job and it would probably be better than using a bad grinder on the spot for awhile. Not for 20 days though. If you aren't getting a nice thick bloom when you poor the water in then it means that the beans are no longer fresh.

I would highly recommend getting a hand grinder and doing the proper mods. It takes no time at all to grind each morning beecause the grounds are so coarse. Either that or i'm sure your coffee shop would not mind grinding half of your bah at a time.
 
You should try an Americano. Watered down espresso, tastes way better than brewed coffee, in my humble opinion.
 
Gimme Coffee in Ithaca, NY (also new locations in Williamsburg and Manhattan):

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too inconsistent, impossible to keep heat where it's needed for the perfect amount of time. Other methods are much more repeatable.
 
I failed at titrations in chem in highschool, so I'd fail at making a cup of coffee with that contraption.

on another note heres how I feel everytime I see this thread..

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So I've been forcing myself to try coffee lately. I've only had about 4 cups of really shitty coffee from my dining hall. Going to a coffee shop all day tomoro to study and write a paper, so I plan on sampling a bunch of drinks. Any suggestions?
 
Don't ruin your coffee like every other college kid who thinks it's cool to dump 8+ packets of sugar into your drink, first of all.

Second, if you get cream, cool, but don't add so much that it ruins the flavor and kills the warmth.

You probably know this already I'm just so tired of seeing my roommate load his coffees up with so much shit that it's not even coffee anymore, then saying "I just can't drink coffee without this stuff!"

You should find a nice dark roast and try it black. I prefer my medium/light roasts with a small amount of cream, maybe a little sugar sometimes.

 
Get a light or medium roast ICED coffee...I feel like that's a good way to transition into drinking hot, dark roast good coffee. Add a little bit of milk, some sugar and enjoy. That's how I started drinking coffee a couple of summers ago when doing some good ol fashion manuel labor. Then you slowly transition to hot coffee and dark roasts with no cream or sugar. I drink boston bean co. medium/dark roast daily now

Also, be sure you're close to a bathroom because you're going to shit your brains out
 
americano with a dash of milk if you want (not cream), no sugar, or a cappucino if you can get a decent one. the iced coffee idea is a good one too, i find i can drink black coffee way easier that way (personally i perefer a dash of milk in hot coffee though). or just a good old fashioned espresso, no milk or sugar. if its a good one you dont need either.

anything like that is good though as long as you dont start drinking certain coffee thinking its like a "beginners drink" or whatever. just drink proper coffee and you'll get used to it pretty quickly and you won't waste time drinking skinny triple caramel mocha latte thisisn'tevenafuckingcoffeeanymore-accinos and garbage like that.

also dont drink strong coffe on an empty stomach or you'll have a baaaaad tiiiiime.
 
One of my friends is like this. To the extreme. It's almost embarrassing to get coffee with him. I'm not sure what "one" sugar is, but I'm pretty sure that he has at least 4. It's like drinking a fucking red bull at that point.

if you think coffee is so bad that you need to add that much sugar to it, then why would you drink it in the first place?

 
sounds good. I actually like it black, maybe a little cream or milk, but no need for sugar. also i do like iced coffee, but ill admit that the stuff i've had is Dunkin donuts, which is like water milk and sugar with a little bit of coffee added.

the coffee i've had is just soooo watered down, i feel like i want a more rich flavor. alright so imma start with an americano, then try something like a macchiato or latte. gonna head down there now
 
if you guys dont care, then i apologize. but im gonna post anyway.

tried an americano. i think it was 2 shots of espresso with about 12 oz of hot water. it was good but i could have gone with less water.

sippin on a cappucino right now. its really good, but i think i prefer more coffee and less milk/cream taste.

going home tomoro for the week so i'll be able to make my own and hopefully experiment with different things. also have 5 gallons of home made beer (irish red ale) waiting for me :)
 
cappuccino should only be about 4 oz of milk to 2 oz of espresso for a 6oz total drink. generally the smallest milk-based espresso drink offered at most shops. try a macchiato if the capp had too much milk. Usually these two are drinks that use the milk to bring out favorable qualities in certain beans that don't feature particularly well as espresso only. generally I'll use beans that have a nuttier profile and dry finish with milk drinks, and the more juicy, fruit-like, acidic, and sweet finishing beans will be served as espresso.
 
ya i'd say thats about what it was. I don't think my stomach can handle another drink, im already feeling the urge to use the bathroom haha. the caffeine is nice tho. macchiato definitely sounds appealing, i'll give that a try next time. thanks for the input Dan
 
That's 1-5 ratio, I'm no fan of Americano, but that wasn't even one, this was a weakano.

You can also try a Caffè macchiato, (sometimes called espresso macchiato) 'Macchiato' simply means 'marked' or 'stained', and in the case of caffè macchiato, this means 'espresso stained/marked with milk'.

In Italy a macchiato is thick milk foam in a small glass or cup with a shot of espresso poured through the centre of the foam leaving a rich coffee "mark" in the foam as it passes through.

Ratio 1:1 coffee to foam, or less foam.
 
definitely next on my list.

i'm enjoying this little experiment haha.

is there any way to make a decent espresso at home for very cheap?
 
500-600 dollars gets you a functioning espresso machine. I'd recommend the crossland cc1. the only downside is the steam isn't strong because it's a HX machine and not a double boiler, but that's a small price to pay for, well, a small price machine.
 
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Aeropress is 35 bucks, add 50 for a Hario grinder.

Doesn't make an espresso, but always you to experiment in the most ways for the cheapest price.
 
wow i never knew that haha. anytime I've had a macchiato its just been espresso with a drop of milk, not like that. in France its called a noisette, and its the first coffee i ever drank (as opposed to tasting other peoples) and it was the fucking bomb
 
Friend of a friend brought me some of the Sisters morning roast. Shit's bomb!

The reason I bump this thread though is: I'm looking in to stepping up my coffee game by buying a consumer grade espresso machine, but here's the kick- I would prefer one
 
completely unrealistic. again, 600ish is about the pricefloor on anything that will make remotely drinkable espresso.
 
if anyones ever on the road in MA near Shelburne Falls (if you're coming from CT it's actually a shortcut to Mt Snow) stop at Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters, best coffee ever.
 
rt. 2! Also anyone travelling across the state of Mass that wants to avoid the abortion that is the Masspike take rt.2 its so much faster/easier plus you can swing by shelburne falls and get some bomb coffee
 
I love coffee but never have to buy it and brew it myself (University cafeteria=shit but my parents get decent stuff while I'm at home)

What are some good beans I could get at most supermarkets? I like my coffee black so good beans are important

That said I just had a cup Tully's or whatever it's called up at the mountain and I don't know if it was because I was so cold or what but that's one of the better cups of coffee that I can remember
 
You might find a 2nd hand Via Venezia with upgraded unpressurized portafilter and a 2nd hand Baratza Encore grinder.

But 200 is not really realistic.
 
That's what I was afraid of, but I'm glad I asked before buying some shitty equipment.

Also, please suggest me a hand grinder, I've been looking and I'm going to buy one this summer.
 
Hario Skerton is nice, has ceramic conical burs, goes from extremly fine to just coarse enough for French press.

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Also I realize that while technically it isn't espresso when you make it in a moka, it is a great way to get a nice dark roast and rich crema without all the fuss and money involved in the full process of a true espresso- which would probably be lost on a beginner anyways.
 
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