How to Make Bad Coffee Taste Better

Food and Wine ^ | March 13, 2023 | Merlyn Miller

[Georgia Girl 2]

I guess it was just better because I have never gotten a good cup of coffee out of A Mr. Coffee and I grind my own beans. Now I’ve moved to a cuisenart pod machine which I love.

[Yardstick]

Well, if you’re using a reusable filter that has to be cleaned then I don’t see much advantage over a French press. And you’ve got the disadvantage that it only makes one cup at a time.

[taterjay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVDOB9mby_w

[Songcraft]

Musical bump -- "Caffeine"  (song link).

[MD Expat in PA]

I love me some Lapsang Souchong tea. It smells a bit like a burning wood fire but the taste, while a bit smokey is more subtle.

When I want to pamper myself especially on a cold rainy or snowy winter’s day, I get some good quality loose-leaf tea - Lapsang Souchong or one of my other favorites – Irish Breakfast Tea or an Earl Gray.

I have an electric water kettle. I learned the secret is to bring the water to a boil but not to a rolling boil for too long – too hot boiling water ruins the tea IMO and can make it bitter. And not tap water – I found filtered water works best.

Pour some of the hot water into a ceramic or porcelain tea pot, swirl the water around a bit, let it sit for a minute, then pour the water out. Put the loose-leaf tea into the heated tea pot, wait a minute. The heated pot helps bring out the full flavor of the tea leaves and helps keeps a consistent temperature after adding the hot water.

The ratio of tea is one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea for each cup and + one for the pot. I like my tea rather strong.

Poor the very hot but not roiling boiling water into the tea pot, a cup for each cup + maybe a 1/4 cup more of water and let sit for about 3 minutes.

Pour the tea from the tea pot through a tea strainer and into a nice teacup, China preferably but whatever you like.

If you are going to use milk in your tea, you can put it in the cup before you strain the tea into it.

In the old days the sign of your wealth and class and having the best quality China was that your China teacups would not crack if you added the hot tea before adding the milk. Lesser quality China would crack so adding the milk to the teacup first would temper it so it would not crack.

[KC Burke]

I find that tea accepts additives and enhancers better than coffee does. Cherry Bitters, Lemon, Honey, Raw Sugar, dried cherries, dried pineapple, orange zest, hazelnut syrup, milk, chocolate milk, licorice, mint and it goes on and on.

I have enjoyed Lapsang Souchong since the 1960s. My wife says it smells like cigarette butts. LOL

[KC Burke]

If you like Lapsang, you may like the various Pu-erh teas which are also processed after harvest but fermented in their case. Some have a toffee flavor, some nutty, and some chocolate.

[MD Expat in PA]

Thanks. I will try Pu-erh.

[Pythion.net]

"Well, if you’re using a reusable filter that has to be cleaned then I don’t see much advantage over a French press."

Not sure I follow. Every kind of coffee maker I know of needs to be cleaned, unless you really like nasty rancid tasting coffee.

"And you’ve got the disadvantage that it only makes one cup at a time."

Making one cup at a time is an advantage, not a disadvantage to me.
You prefer larger coffeemakers that make a lot of coffee, which is the real reason you don't like the Aeropress (although it is possible to make 4 cups of coffee with an Aeropress, but I digress)- that's fine if that's what you prefer...different strokes for different folks as they say. I like fresh coffee so I only make one cup at a time.
Even when I used a filter drip coffeemaker it was a one cup machine.

[MayflowerMadam]

Any fru-fru flavor added to coffee is not for me. Boss used to drink hazelnut coffee and the smell almost made me gag.

Fresh, strong, black coffee...

[Yardstick]

Well that’s good that you’re pleased with your Aeropress.

Thanks for letting us know.