Confessions of a coffee addict

valryte · Post by **valryte** » July 8, 2008, 2:48 am

It's February 26th and this native of Miami, FL is walking down the streets of Philly in the middle of winter. The temperature outside is 42ºF, cool for the Philly natives, cold as fuck for this boy from the south. As he's walking through the streets on the way to the office, he notices that on just about every block, there's a Dunkin Donuts and inside are swarms of people, shaking, shivering, barely holding onto the 2 bucks needed to get their fix. Behind the counters are the Asian Dealers, about a dozen of them taking orders, pouring, bagging, ringing up the register. Every time a customer opens the door it's impossible for him to ignore that sweet smell of hot dripping liquid caffeine no matter how fast he tries to walk past them. Eventually he gives in, it's just too much to resist. He stands there now in line, eagerly awaiting his fix, holding his 2 bucks, bitching at why he has to pay 13 cents more in Miami for the same fucking coffee...

So last night I was hungry and went out to get something to eat. While driving around, I decided to take a trip down to my local 24hr Walmart. I was actually there looking to pick up the 3rd season of House, just got into the show this past season and been catching up. I didn't find it, but did pass by the coffee maker aisle. I decided to get my own coffee maker since I work from home, though I'm wondering if I really should. Going out to get coffee at least got me out of the house since I'm home practically all day.

Well I grabbed me one of these...

...plus some cheap grinder. I think it was like 40 bucks for everything. I also got some water filter thing for it, not sure if it does anything. Need to test with and without it.

I didn't want to spend too much money at first in case I really didn't like it. I know there are some expensive coffee makers out there with built in grinders, but I'm thinking, it's coffee, how complicated can it be to run hot water through some ground up coffee beans. Anyways, I'm calling out to the coffee experts out there that brew their own. What advice/experience do you have to share? Right now I set the grinder in the middle and will work my way in one direction or another until I get to the right setting. When I opened it, I was wondering how to tell it to make just 4 cups. I was looking at the buttons, but they just control the clock/timer and on/off. Then it hit me...just put in 4 cups of water! Its fucking brilliant I tell you!!!...And yea, I bought Dunkin Donuts coffee beans too!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 8, 2008, 3:13 am

That's a mighty fine looking coffee pot

I've been thinking of ditching the pods and getting back to ground coffee. I know it tastes better but the pods are so fast and offer a total lack of cleanup afterwards. ~90-120 seconds from start to finished cup! That includes 30 second warm-up and 60 second brew. I chose speed over taste but respect those that take the extra few seconds to grind and scoop and fiddle with filters. I'm a bit obsessed with speed and lack of cleanup when it comes to preparing food/drinks.

I'm sure the VV coffee snobs will educate you on pressurized brewing or whatever they do!

Ashur · Post by **Ashur** » July 8, 2008, 10:06 am

I drink the free coffee at work.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » July 8, 2008, 10:31 am

the best method to make coffee for me is with a funnel directly over the cup. it produces the best flavor you can really get from a drip method and is extremely fast and lets you control not only the amount of grounds but also the water temperature

put a filter in the thing and place it over the mug/pot. put as much or as little grounds in as you want. pour in boiling water. flip it upside down over a garbage can to dump everything. rinse with water.

this thing will never start giving you a stale taste like all coffee machines eventually do. i have one black Melita funnel that i've been using for 9 years that my Mom gave me and it still works great:

as for ground vs whole bean- i have both at home but at work i only have ground. the difference in taste is not really enormous but i also never have a bag survive for more than maybe 2 weeks, so i dont have grounds sitting around forever. if i'm at home and i'm not feeling lazy i'll grind up some whole bean

Post by **Xouqoa** » July 8, 2008, 11:07 am

That and a grinder are all you need. Buy whole beans, grind the amount you need, and pour it into the french press with some hot water. Let it sit for a while (how long depends on how strong you like the drink) and then plunge the grinds to the bottom. Voila.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » July 8, 2008, 12:00 pm

I'm a french press + grinder guy as well.
My press model makes it real easy as the glass part detaches and can be placed in microwave with the water for super fast boil.

Syenye · Post by **Syenye** » July 8, 2008, 12:05 pm

This is the coolest coffee maker to watch ever. I prefer the coffee it makes over the french press, but I suck at not getting the grinds in my coffee. It's time consuming, but deliciously fun!

I use the pods too. It's just so easy, and I'm so lazy.

Xatrei · Post by **Xatrei** » July 8, 2008, 12:30 pm

I'm not a daily coffee drinker, but I do have several a week. I usually buy mine out. When making it at home I prefer a french press also, especially if I'm only making a few cups. We have a Braun coffee maker and a Krups espresso machine, both of which are somewhere in the middle of those two companies product range. They are too much of a hassle, though, and so they rarely get used.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » July 8, 2008, 2:07 pm

I've never had even a sip of coffee in my entire life.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » July 8, 2008, 2:10 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:I've never had even a sip of coffee in my entire life.

Any specific reason? Seems like a weird thing to avoid entirely.

Dude, you're straight-edge!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » July 8, 2008, 2:25 pm

I look back and think it had something to do with a loose, mormon-esque upbringing during my formative pre-teen years. As odd as it sounds, I always considered coffee a "grown up" drink. The next thing ya know, I was in my mid 20's and simply never had the desire. Mentally, I have alcohol and coffee in the similar categories (something else I have never even tasted). I can only attribute that to something engrained in my head when I was younger.

Yeah, it's weird I know...

Meanwhile, I have friends that are coffeee nuts and pretty much every woman I have ever dated has been addicted to the stuff. I own a Keurig single cup thingy and a really nice Cuisinart stainless for pots of cofee when friends come over and for the holidays. I like the Keurig because it makes hot chocolate too

Fash · Post by **Fash** » July 8, 2008, 2:36 pm

Give in and have a cup. Even better, drop a shot of Bailey's in it... That'll pop your cherry!

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » July 8, 2008, 2:44 pm

Wow. Never had coffee or alcohol. That's just... wow. I got hooked on coffee in college. Something about having to be in a class at 8am on a Saturday made me overcome my distaste for the stuff and start drinking it. Quickly developed a taste for it and viola. I'm still a cream and sugar heathen tho.

As for what I do, I have a Black & Decker or some shit under-the-cabinet coffee maker. I buy tins of ground coffee (Tim Horton's!) and have a re-usable filter that lasts awhile before I need to toss it. I'm far from a snob about making coffee, but I am picky about what coffee I like. I'm not very adventurous about it!

Spankes · Post by **Spankes** » July 8, 2008, 3:21 pm

Mr. Coffee + Folgers = good enough for me~

Jarori Bloodletter · Post by **Jarori Bloodletter** » July 8, 2008, 4:09 pm

Spankes wrote:Mr. Coffee + Folgers = good enough for me~

Same for me cept i went to DE-caf, 1 12 oz cup a day.

Xatrei · Post by **Xatrei** » July 8, 2008, 4:24 pm

To be clear, my preference for the press is entirely utilitarian. To me, it's a lot less trouble to make a cup or two that way than messing with the machine, particularly considering how rare it is that I make coffee at home. When I do buy coffee, I don't fret too much about what beans I buy, and I have them ground when I buy them. I've got better things to do than grind my own. My coffee grinder hasn't been used for coffee in I don't know how long. It's been many years at least, and now it smells like an Indian restaurant.

Ashur · Post by **Ashur** » July 8, 2008, 4:32 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:I look back and think it had something to do with a loose, mormon-esque upbringing during my formative pre-teen years. As odd as it sounds, I always considered coffee a "grown up" drink. The next thing ya know, I was in my mid 20's and simply never had the desire. Mentally, I have alcohol and coffee in the similar categories (something else I have never even tasted). I can only attribute that to something engrained in my head when I was younger.

Yeah, it's weird I know...

Meanwhile, I have friends that are coffeee nuts and pretty much every woman I have ever dated has been addicted to the stuff. I own a Keurig single cup thingy and a really nice Cuisinart stainless for pots of cofee when friends come over and for the holidays. I like the Keurig because it makes hot chocolate too

I can somewhat relate. I never much cared for coffee and when I got in college booze or soda were more to my liking. That said, when I landed a job in a marketing group, coffee was an important social thing and I gave in. While I like the good stuff and don't turn it down, I could never justify it's price when there's free coffee provided by the employer.

Funny story: Before WorldCom fell apart on the evening news, Bernie Ebbers, the CEO/Crook, sent a scathing message to the entire corporation telling us that he'd hired an independent auditor to analyze the company's coffee consumption and the ratio of bags to filters used and summarized by essentially calling us coffee thieves and announcing he was removing all coffee makers from company facilities and replacing them with coffee vending machines. Two months later the coffee machines were reinstalled. What a nutcase.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » July 8, 2008, 5:47 pm

+

=

A happy start to every morning.

Spang · Post by **Spang** » July 8, 2008, 5:50 pm

Splenda causes cancer.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » July 8, 2008, 5:53 pm

You fairies put sugar and cream in yer coffee? wtfuz!

Black, like a Trans Am.

Noysyrump · Post by **Noysyrump** » July 8, 2008, 5:56 pm

Canelek wrote:You fairies put sugar and cream in yer coffee? wtfuz!

Black, like a Trans Am.

And ice if your in a hurry.

miir · Post by **miir** » July 8, 2008, 6:00 pm

coffeemate and splenda?
*ewwww*

What's wrong with a little bit of sugar and milk?
Sucralose/Slenda isn't too bad I guess (and no it doesn't cause cancer).. if you don't mind the chemically taste, but coffeemate is just gross.

I usually drink good coffee black. There's a coffee shop near me where they roast the beans fresh daily.
But if it's donut shop coffee, I'll get it with milk and sugar.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » July 8, 2008, 6:32 pm

miir wrote:Sucralose/Slenda isn't too bad I guess (and no it doesn't cause cancer)..

That we know of. Yet. But have fun being guinea pigs!

Truant · Post by **Truant** » July 8, 2008, 6:59 pm

Since we're sharing

I started drinking coffee with my grandfather when I was about 12. We drank it black and he brewed it by boiling grounds in a pot. If you got the last cup in the pot, you got the grounds.
In Jr. High I'd have a cup of coffee with my dad before I went to school, and I'd use milk and sugar then. He drank the real cheap store brand coffee and it tasted like crap.
In High School I started buying my own coffee and went back to drinking it black. I experiment a lot with different brands and blends, and I'm a big fan of the root chicory blends.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » July 8, 2008, 7:12 pm

Aslanna wrote:
miir wrote:Sucralose/Slenda isn't too bad I guess (and no it doesn't cause cancer)..
That we know of. Yet. But have fun being guinea pigs!

ignorant if not sarcastic

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » July 8, 2008, 7:14 pm

Enjoy your tumor!

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » July 8, 2008, 7:21 pm

Aslanna wrote:Enjoy your tumor!

i guess the former? help me out

masteen · Post by **masteen** » July 8, 2008, 9:31 pm

I like my coffee like I like my wimminz: hot, bitter, and black.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » July 8, 2008, 9:34 pm

cadalano wrote:
Aslanna wrote:Enjoy your tumor!
i guess the former? help me out

You decide. Pretend it's a Choose Your Own Adventure! Or be like the fucking Swiss I dont care!

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » July 8, 2008, 10:00 pm

I... have 3 coffee makers.

One is a french press.
Another makes just one cup at a time (this is super neat).
The third makes 2 to-go cups at a time and pours the coffee right into it.

And I still enjoy going out for coffee!

I think I have a problem

Siji · Post by **Siji** » July 8, 2008, 10:54 pm

It's not a tumah

Truant · Post by **Truant** » July 9, 2008, 12:04 am

masteen wrote:I like my coffee like I like my wimminz: hot, bitter, and black.

I like my coffee like I like my women: black and with a spoon in them.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » July 9, 2008, 1:13 am

Truant wrote:
masteen wrote:I like my coffee like I like my wimminz: hot, bitter, and black.
I like my coffee like I like my women: black and with a spoon in them.

I like mine light colored, wet, warm and sweet.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » July 9, 2008, 11:54 am

i like mine ground up and boiled in a pot

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 9, 2008, 12:50 pm

I like mine fresh. Ground and brewed as soon as possible after the beans are able to be harvested.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » July 9, 2008, 3:20 pm

My sister and her husband recently met this couple from Puerto Rico, who own a small family farm there. They grow all sorts of shit, and a few acres are planted with coffee. They brought us back a few pounds of some of the sweetest beans I've ever tasted.

Psyloche · Post by **Psyloche** » July 9, 2008, 4:17 pm

masteen wrote:My sister and her husband recently met this couple from Puerto Rico, who own a small family farm there. They grow all sorts of shit, and a few acres are planted with coffee. They brought us back a few pounds of some of the sweetest beans I've ever tasted.

Now that I'm engaged to a Puerto Rican, I'm slowly being converted to drinking coffee. However, I drink it entirely different than they do, most of the people down there tend to drink it with a lot of sugar and milk, I like mine black with maybe a pinch of splenda. I still think coffee tastes like shit, I just seem to be needing it more and more as the wedding plans progress!

Maybe I'll move away from the shithole that is N. VA to PR and become a farmer!

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » July 10, 2008, 2:09 am

Psyloche wrote:
masteen wrote:My sister and her husband recently met this couple from Puerto Rico, who own a small family farm there. They grow all sorts of shit, and a few acres are planted with coffee. They brought us back a few pounds of some of the sweetest beans I've ever tasted.
Now that I'm engaged to a Puerto Rican, I'm slowly being converted to drinking coffee. However, I drink it entirely different than they do, most of the people down there tend to drink it with a lot of sugar and milk, I like mine black with maybe a pinch of splenda. I still think coffee tastes like shit, I just seem to be needing it more and more as the wedding plans progress!

Maybe I'll move away from the shithole that is N. VA to PR and become a farmer!

Congrats on the engagement!!! I cant spell your fiance's name to save my life.. but tell her I said hi

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » July 10, 2008, 7:48 am

Someone google this for me since I don't drink coffee or use artificial sweetners.

Who sued Splenda for ripping off thier recipe? Equal (blue) or Sweet-n-Low (pink)?

I thought that was pretty funny.

Morgrym · Post by **Morgrym** » July 10, 2008, 9:46 am

Slow brewed coffee gives a better flavor in my opinion. I try to stay away from the standard brands (Folgers, Maxwell House, etc) as I don't think they are all that good and they have a rather high acid content which kills my GERD.

Kona Coffee from Hawaii is my personal pick for buying coffee...it's a pain in the ass to find though if you don't have access to a Military base.

If you are in the south, Community coffee is a step up from Folgers and all the other swill for about the same price.

miir · Post by **miir** » July 10, 2008, 10:14 am

Kona is one of my favorites.

Ashur · Post by **Ashur** » July 10, 2008, 10:29 am

Kona is what my wife calls Jabober (our cat). It is a point of contention.

Chidoro · Post by **Chidoro** » July 10, 2008, 11:02 am

I drank coffee to get through college hangovers but i never really liked the stuff and haven't drank it since then. Just never liked the taste and it smells like ass to me. The wife is hooked to the stuff but I just drink green tea if I want a hot drink.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » July 10, 2008, 11:44 am

Equal sued Splenda for using blue packets afaik. In other news, Equal (aspartame) is the probably the worst artificial sweetener on the US Market, in terms of health concerns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy

*~*stragi*~* · Post by ***~*stragi*~*** » July 10, 2008, 2:00 pm

sweet n low nigga pink is the only g coluh

Truant · Post by **Truant** » July 10, 2008, 2:02 pm

Kona is tasty

I also really liked Blue Mountain (i think it was called) from Jamaica.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » July 10, 2008, 2:06 pm

Blue Mountain is the best fucking coffee in the mothafuckin' world yo! When I was in Jamaica, that is all they had. Sadly, it costs about 30 bucks for 1/2 lb here in the states.

Worth every penny, imo.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » July 10, 2008, 2:27 pm

Because of this thread, I went out and bought a coffee grinder and some columbian coffe beans. I had my first pot this morning and it was so rich and delicious. Mmmmmm Thank you guys.

miir · Post by **miir** » July 10, 2008, 3:18 pm

Midnyte_Ragebringer wrote:Because of this thread, I went out and bought a coffee grinder and some columbian coffe beans. I had my first pot this morning and it was so rich and delicious. Mmmmmm Thank you guys.

Your next step is to start cutting back on the coffeemate and the splenda.

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » July 10, 2008, 4:55 pm

miir wrote:
Midnyte_Ragebringer wrote:Because of this thread, I went out and bought a coffee grinder and some columbian coffe beans. I had my first pot this morning and it was so rich and delicious. Mmmmmm Thank you guys.
Your next step is to start cutting back on the coffeemate and the splenda.

I don't believe I can do that. I love the sweetness. Plus, I use Fat Free stuff, so it's great for staying in shape or losing weight. I've dropped from 206 to 180 since last September. One of the changes I made was ridding myself of sugar. Same great taste without the calories. I have much love for teh Splenda.