Marketing:
Reality:
Posted on 05/24/2015 2:26:58 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Even when loaded with a mound of sugar substitute, all coffees are not created Equal. The world's second most popular commodity varies in quality, and, when you're staring at a shelf, it can be hard to detect the cream of the (unfairly traded) crop.
So to help identify a legit bag of beans, we consulted our buddies at Austin, TX's Cuvée Coffee to share with us some red flags to look out for. These aren't all deal-breakers, but if you see several in combination, be wary.
(Excerpt) Read more at thrillist.com ...
Amazon carries green coffee beans of various types. Good prices, too.
A popcorn popper is the most economical method, but if money is no object, you can buy coffee roasters for about $250.00.
I don’t think a skillet would work.
I’ll stick with my $10 coffee maker with 3 spoons of Folgers. Or 1-2 spoons of grounds if adding to the old grounds. That way I can pay the electric bill to keep the coffee hot.
Seattle’s Best #5; dark, intense, drink it black. Two teaspoons per cup.
I get mine at a couple grocery stores in the Atlanta region.
Try sweetmarias.com for better options mail order.
Iron skillet is possible, but between the smoke (roast outside!) and harsh heat, better to use a popcorn popper. Got mine at Goodwill for $3, works great.
That was my problem (beans I like disappearing).
I found a local company that consistently has their own bean mix that I mix in a nice dark french roast bean. Perfect balance for me.
In a consumer espresso machine, too fine a grind plugs the machine. Plus there’s a HUGE variable in flavor on the grind, finer the better. A careful balance of a 5 grind (Capresso as well, 1 = fine, 12 = most coarse) in the bottom to a 2.5 packed on top makes perfect flavor & function for me.
I discovered I prefer the flavor of espresso vs. very strong coffee and noted I get a whole day’s boost from only 2 cups; I just wish the quality of the machines was better for the price.
My favorite coffee is Kona. However, when I see “Kona blend” coffee for sale and read the notes the package, I never find an indication as to how much of the coffee inside is actually Kona. It brings to mind the story from the Soviet Union of the meat pie made with horse and rabbit meat in equal proportions—one horse to one rabbit.
I use Eight O’Clock dark Italian roast beans. As soon as I open the bag I put them in a Food Saver container and vacuum them down until I’m ready to use and store them in a dark cabinet.
Even the most expensive beans start to deteriorate as soon as the bag is open, just folding the bag down to get the air out isn’t enough.
Marketing:
Reality:
Yes we grind our beans daily. We buy a good reasonably priced bean called Don Pablo at Costco. Very tasty.
Royal Cup Coffee for me. Love their holiday blend at Christmas.
“If I like it, I’m not going to worry about all that.”
That kind of criteria (”i don’t know anything about it, but I know what I like”) indicates you don’t know how far from “good” your tastes really are. Should you try really good coffee made right, you’d see what you’re drinking now tastes more like toasted cardboard boiled.
French roast is, literally, borderline burned.
The first sample of “blonde roast” made a coffee loving co-worker throw up.
I’ve heard of Peet’s, even out here in the Hinterlands. :)
That’s where I learned to drink it black.
Second the suggestion of Sweet Maria’s.
Good coffee doesn’t need anything else.
Never been to Starbucks & probably never will. Their atmosphere can’t beat G.I. coffee served out in the field. The cooks would boil a #5 can in a kettle of water then dump in some ice which would “shock” the grounds to the bottom of the kettle before serving.
After nine years of Navy coffee, I just grab some garden dirt and filter it through my dirty socks.
This conversation is giving me a mid-afternoon craving.
This conversation is giving me a mid-afternoon craving.
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