How much coffee is all right?

[Berticus]

Originally Posted by JoeWoah

Kona coffee is the best you can buy but it is pretty pricey. 12oz. of beans are about $20+. There is a world of coffees out there, experiment, but stay away from the flavored stuff (it's flavored to hide cheap beans).
So most people who get good coffee grounds don't add other things for extra flavor? I was thinking some cocoa nibs or spices and herbs would be nice.

Originally Posted by JoeWoah

Because the acid is almost removed completely, the coffee will taste a bit different than with other methods (I like the French Press too).
Yeah, I'm thinking I'm still gonna want a French Press as well. Could add a bit of variety in there.

 

[JoeWoah]

Originally Posted by Berticus

So most people who get good coffee grounds don't add other things for extra flavor? I was thinking some cocoa nibs or spices and herbs would be nice.

You could do this, but it's better that you do it yourself after purchasing quality beans. Flavor to taste as you please.

What you need to avoid is going to the store and buying those flavored coffees like French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Gingerbread (around the holidays), etc... In most cases they're using cheap Robusto beans and hiding that fact with artificial flavors. They are also always pre-ground and you don't know how long they've been sitting on a shelf going stale.

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm still gonna want a French Press as well. Could add a bit of variety in there.

It's cheap and easy too. What guy can't get behind that! It also produces low-acidic coffee, which is why so many aficionados prefer the flavor to machine-made stuff.

 

[lance konami]

You have to remember that caffeine is a drug, and a deceptively powerful one. I remember reading that caffeine has a similar molecular structure to cocaine! There's a reason why Starbucks has been so successful.

It's a potent vasoconstricter, and over the long run it's actually detrimental to the health of the brain. The brain is about 80% water, and caffeine is a diuretic so it does dehydrate the brain. Even slight dehydration can raise stress hormones which damage the brain over time.

Do it in moderation.

 

[Berticus]

Originally Posted by lance konami

Do it in moderation.
That's why I'm asking about it before diving right into it. JoeWoah, you've been a great help. I just got a Bodum Chambord french press. Didn't expect to find it in a grocery store... I'll also be ordering the Toddy tonight. I also saw a stovetop espresso maker. Anybody know if those are better than other espresso makers? Also, any suggestions for a coffee grinder? I was thinking of a Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder or a Baratza.

 

[chronoaug]

The ****? It's not that big a deal. Drink coffee. I can't believe you're worrying about it this much. Do you need approval and research to go eat some pizza too?


There some really intense threads on espresso makers if you search around. People will go to war on this forum over their espresso maker

 

[Berticus]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

The ****? It's not that big a deal. Drink coffee. I can't believe you're worrying about it this much. Do you need approval and research to go eat some pizza too?
New York style. Hand tossed, brick oven. Next would have to be Greek. If it's small enough, I'll just eat it by hand without folding. If it's too big, but it's a place I can sit down and eat, I'll use a fork and knife. If it's too big and I don't have any utensils available, I'll fold it. Greek style is typically thick enough that I don't need to fold it. I'm pretty flexible with the toppings; don't enjoy pepperoni anywhere near as much as I used to. That is I avoid it when I can.

If you're going to do something, you should do it right.

Originally Posted by chronoaug

There some really intense threads on espresso makers if you search around. People will go to war on this forum over their espresso maker

I'll be sure to check them out.

 

[who8mahrice]

Originally Posted by lance konami

I remember reading that caffeine has a similar molecular structure to cocaine!
No they're not... They don't even have common functional groups (well, aside from methyl)

 

[JoeWoah]

Originally Posted by Berticus

That's why I'm asking about it before diving right into it. JoeWoah, you've been a great help. I just got a Bodum Chambord french press. Didn't expect to find it in a grocery store... I'll also be ordering the Toddy tonight. I also saw a stovetop espresso maker. Anybody know if those are better than other espresso makers? Also, any suggestions for a coffee grinder? I was thinking of a Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder or a Baratza.
Caffeine is a diuretic, which is why you should drink water. It won't mess, shrink or "dehydrate" your brain. 3 days in the woods with only coffee, then you might have an issue. Many of the great thinkers and creators were using Amphetamines, which Caffeine is not (though it may feel like it if you take too much). Caffeine hardly rises to that level. As a matter of fact, name me one civilization or society (big or small) that wasn't raised on the back of a caffeinated beverage? Coffees, teas, coca, etc... If the long term effects were so bad, we wouldn't be here, let alone still using. You won't get addicted but you can get dependent to an extent. It's always a good idea to take a day or two off from heavily caffeinated stuff here and there. Weekends are good for that. If you do get "hooked" the worst withdrawal symptom is a headache for a day. Hardly a big deal. As for espresso, stove top is the old fashion method of pressurizing and preparing. It's also cheaper. However, I feel a good machine can't be beat... but you're not going to get anything particularly good for under $400. You might want to stick with coffee shops and stove top for now. You're still new to coffee, so no need to go out and buy everything at once. Make sure espresso is for you first and try some different preparations too. Same goes for the grinder. I own a small cheap Black and Decker when I'm in a pinch but I usually just use the grinder at the coffee shop next door to my house. Anywhere you buy coffee beans will let you grind there too. If you're planning to store a bunch of beans and to grind small loads of beans at a time, then a grinder is a good purchase. I don't think you'd need to get anything too expensive here, just make sure you can define the grind. Of course, if you want to go all in, get it done. Taking a girl back to your place and her finding a well stocked kitchen is a plus!

 

[unrated]

I usually have between 8-16 oz on work days. Weekends usually none.

 

[Berticus]

Yeah, I suppose I don't really need them on the weekends... Good time to take a break.

Originally Posted by JoeWoah

As for espresso, stove top is the old fashion method of pressurizing and preparing. It's also cheaper. However, I feel a good machine can't be beat... but you're not going to get anything particularly good for under $400. You might want to stick with coffee shops and stove top for now. You're still new to coffee, so no need to go out and buy everything at once. Make sure espresso is for you first and try some different preparations too.
Yeah, I've been doing some reading and I think I'll be waiting a while before making my own espresso. That being said, I'll definitely aim for a cheaper grinder since I'm not going with anything fine. When and if I start getting into espressos, I'll upgrade my grinder as well. You've all been very helpful

 

[freshcutgrass]

Kona coffee is the best you can buy but it is pretty pricey

Kona is not the best you can buy. There is no best. Like Jamaican Blue Mountain and other hyped coffees, its price is based on limited quantities and mostly marketing hype....not taste.

Depending on the quality of the crop, and depending on the quality of processing, and depending on who roasted it (and when), and depending on how it is ground and brewed, then it can taste just fine...this particular varietal has a very delicate flavour.

But to say it is superior in any way as a coffee would simply not be true...most serious coffee people would laugh at the hype surrounding all these "cache" coffees. In fact, careful blending of various crops of a combination of varietals yields the complexity profiles better than a single origin varietal could.

Kona can be a very nice coffee...but due to the nature of the way it is marketed and sold, most of it generally ends up just being overpriced stale coffee, purchased by people who judge it by how much they paid for it. The same with Illy coffee, only the problem with Illy isn't that it is stale, but just an inferior blend to begin with.

 

[AintDatRite]

Forbes labelled Kona as the 'best in america'...

If you want excellent coffee, order/buy some green coffee beans and roast them at home. Its fairly easy - there are plenty of websites to tell you how. Coffee beans are at their peak within 24 to 72 hours after roasting and begin to quickly stale after that - within a week, most of the original flavor will have deteriorated. If you cant roast them at home, buy fresh roasted at the grocery - but only the amount you will use in 7 to 10 days. (If you are buying ground coffee - you've already lost most of the flavor anyway).

For most of the 'mass produced' packaged coffees (bean or ground), they were roasted weeks or months ago and, as such, have lost most of the real flavor.

 

[freshcutgrass]

Forbes labelled Kona as the 'best in america'...

And as we all know, Forbes is the coffee bible....right?

And you need to read it. It's from a list of "50 of America's best", which happens to also include tasty bits of expertise such as which prison was the best to be incarcerated in....best hammock, etc. And it is limited to American products. So we are only talking about American produced coffee...and the USA is not exactly known as a big coffee producer.

Plus it didn't say Kona was the best...it was the Koa Plantation coffee, which happens to be in the Kona region of Hawaii.

Forbes don't know **** about coffee. The best coffee in "America" widly available, would be from companies like Intelligentsia or 49th Parallel, they roast and blend, but none of the beans are from the USA (you wouldn't blend using Kona anyway, as it's delicate flavour would not be noticeable).

 

[Berticus]

Originally Posted by AintDatRite

Coffee beans are at their peak within 24 to 72 hours after roasting and begin to quickly stale after that - within a week, most of the original flavor will have deteriorated.
Hmm... According to CoffeeGeek[/quote]You want beans that's been cooked 2-3 days prior... Guess I'll be looking more into that. I have thought about roasting them with a popcorn popper. At least until I can get a proper roaster to experiment different profiles.

 

[AintDatRite]

Originally Posted by freshcutgrass

And as we all know, Forbes is the coffee bible....right?

I definitely wasnt agreeing with it; just stating how Kona got that 'label'.

I dont buy any of the preroasted coffee - I buy beans and roast my own. Tastes a helluva lot better than any prepackaged roasted coffee you will ever get...

Yall have fun - I'm running down to the Tanger Outlet to do some Christmas shopping.... gotta get to the Orvis outlet to see if they still have the two watches my nephew wants for xmas.