I recently have started to fall in love(true love) with coffee and no longer want to pay nearly $2 per cup and having to go somewhere to get it...

So I was wondering if you guys can point me in towards a decent budget coffee maker, methods of making it, and type of coffee and where to buy it.

I'm about to move into a new place and want to start brewing my own coffeeeeeeeeee


now let me in on your deep dark secrets of creating coffee!

 

I order gevalia. Best coffees in the world.

http://www.gevalia.com/gevalia/google-index.aspx

 

Hardware:

- We're extremely pleased with our Braun Impression coffee maker. Doesn't have any annoying LED lights, automatically turns off when done brewing, accepts internal water filters, has a termal carafe instead of a glas container so coffee stays hot and fresh without a constant, cooking heat source.
http://www.braun.com/na/products/imp...ne/coffee.html

- Coffee grinder. (Get whole beans, not pre-ground. The coffee will stay fresher longer.) A blade grinder works fine on the cheap, although get a burr grinder if you can afford it ($100 to $200.) A burr grinder produces uniform grounds, so you don't have to worry about extra small grounds getting over-brewed and producing a bitter flavor.

- Store unused beans in an airtight container at normal room temperature. If you refridgerate or freeze the beans, only take them out once then use them. If you put them back in, water that has condensed on the cold beans will sit on the beans or freeze on them, and make them go bad.

- We just buy Starbucks Colombia whole-bean coffe, are are pleased with the flavor. Try different vendors/roasts yourself, you're on your own as to what you'll like.

 

I went through a pod-brewing phase and now I use the AeroPress (see http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm). It is sort of a filtered French press. I end up diluting the output at least 3-to-1 to make American style coffee.

I have the whole process timed out to exactly 5 minutes, including washing up after. Yes, it is sort of a choreographed dance. I nuke just enough water to make the 'concentrate' in a sealed travel mug and add hot water from a dispenser at work later.

I have a "proper" burr grinder now but to be honest I can't say the result tastes so different than my old $20 blade grinder. It is MUCH faster though since I don't have to clean the grinds collection most of the time. It empties completely while the cheap blade grinders take a couple of minutes to clean! The grinds also have consistent back-pressure in the press (used to vary a bit).

The beans seem to matter more than anything else to me. My favorites are from a local coffee store, freshly roasted. I can definitely tell when coffee beans are three or more months past roasting but keeping them in vacuum-sealed bags in the freezer extends life enough for me. I'm a mild drinker, mostly Columbian Supremo beans but that's a very personal taste thing.

In terms of cost I think it costs me $0.50 or so for a 16 oz mug of coffee. The price of beans varies a LOT. I've tried bulk mail order (25 lbs of beans) but I'm not as happy with the taste, though the cost is less than half of buying 1 lb bags. I use a vacuum sealing bag system and this works well to freeze beans for a month or more (the smell when I first open the bags is a good indicator). I reuse my filters an average of three times and my Aeropress is still working great after about a year now.

 

http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/home.asp?CHK=1288

Good bean, plus good coffee maker = good coffee.

Get a French Press for Sunday mornings too.

 

i love the french press..but i only use one when i am camping. we have a very good braun one as well. for regular occasions i go for dunkin donuts coffee whole bean with a blade grinder. good enough for me

 

Nothing better then a good cup of coffee. Here is an older thread we posted on coffee some good ideas.


https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...ic=517504&st=0