[DeathToWindows]

Now if the starbucks that take fake BU money would actually cycle their bagged beans with decent regularity, then I'd buy more of it. As it stands, I'd rather give my business to JP Licks... who sells me beans at a discount.

[DigitalEl]

ps. Avoid starbucks. They don't know what real coffee is.

Most Americans were drinking instant coffee brewed with tap water before Starbucks... Now everybody's a coffee snob. Isn't it fashionable to bash Starbucks.

Kinda like the Apple/Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo fanboyism... "Mine is teh roXXor. Yours is teh suXXor!"

Whatever.

To 97% of the population, Starbucks is fine. Seattle's Best, now owned by Starbucks, is good, too, IMO. I've had Tully's, as well. Also fine coffee.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by DeathToWindows

No, DD ends up right above the "brewed cow dung" end of things... better than instant, but not by bloody much.

That's okay. The coffee snobs have already pointed out that brewing civet dung is as good as it gets. That ought to put cow dung up there pretty high.

[Nicko]

Originally Posted by DigitalEl

[/b] Most Americans were drinking instant coffee brewed with tap water before Starbucks... Now everybody's a coffee snob. Isn't it fashionable to bash Starbucks.

Kinda like the Apple/Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo fanboyism... "Mine is teh roXXor. Yours is teh suXXor!"

Whatever.

To 97% of the population, Starbucks is fine. Seattle's Best, now owned by Starbucks, is good, too, IMO. I've had Tully's, as well. Also fine coffee.

Meh. I know a guy who picks AND roasts his own fresh beans per cup. Sometimes the search for perfection is the path to maddness... but damn, nothing beats a gooooood cup of coffee.

[DeathToWindows]

The issue with the civet dung (aka Kopi Lewak) is that the animal in question is actually eating the coffee beans and then excreting them... cows do no such thing. Then again, I'm not going to go off and get Kopi any time soon.

DD= brews too hot, handles beans improperly and overroasts. There is a reason they're cheap.

[wdlove]

I'm enjoying some good fresh ground and brewed Starbucks coffee right now.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by greenamp

Actually Starbucks brews 2 tablespoons coffee to 6 ounces water, which is the universally accepted recipe for perfect brewing (2-to-8 works well too). If this seems too strong to you, choose a milder roast and/or add some hot water to your cup.

The thing about coffee is, the flavor of the bean is extracted first in the brewing process, and when that's gone the bitterness of the bean is extracted. The perfect cup of coffee is achieved by a brew which extracts all the good flavor and as little of the bitterness as possible, and the 2-to-6 recipe does this quite well. Of coarse this all depends on the quality of the bean, the roast, and how it was ground.

Check out Making a Delicious Cup of Coffee by Alton Brown.

The recipe above must be moderated by the strength of the roast. Starbucks' coffee, even their "light roasts" are typically very darkly roasted. I'm using Gevalia's roasts for comparison; we love Gevalia's Dark Roast coffee, but almost any Starbucks roast comes out too strong, whatever recipe they use.

You're right about the extraction issue; there are a number of interesting devices that produce "the perfect cup" through various means. So far, the cone filter method has worked best for me.

Neat book! Thanks for the link!

[Y3a]

I'd have to say Imus Brothers Coffee!!!
Yep, the old crab and his dim brother can sure make good coffee.

I drink a LOT of the dark roasts, Expresso, French (Whole foods Extra Dark French)
and I do swap out to Kona, Kenya AA, and Guatamalan Antigua.
I even drink the occasional Stunkin' Donuts junk too , just so I appreciate the better stuff.
We have 3 local roaster/coffee sellers so I get them to do a batch of really dark Expresso.

I start my day with 6-8 cups of Starbucks French & house Blend mixed 50/50.

[broxy5]

My favorite is Torrefazione. Starbucks bought it a few years ago and planned to let it run, but now they've gone and closed some of them down and hung the 'bucks flag. I'm ticked off!! I am a former Starbucks employee, but I have no loyalty to them at all. The one thing that keeps me going back in there is that they have educated staff and standards they stick too. (well, for the manual machines anyhow). There is nothing worse than watching someone making my coffee, and pulling a 5 second shot and serving it too me.

Anyhow, just finished off some Illy. Not bad, but way over priced. There's no way it's twice as good as anything else. In my opinion, even the local roastery cooks up a better espresso bean.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Y3a

I start my day with 6-8 cups of Starbucks French & house Blend mixed 50/50.

Sorry, but that's just not good for your health.

[macforray]

Originally Posted by Bandit240

I dont drink coffee, but after reading this thread its making me want to try it. Any good ideas for someone whos never drank the stuff? My family always has coffee in the morning, buts its MaxwellHouse instant stuff.

I like all types of coffee, made many ways, but if I were to suggest a brew for someone to initiate their palate on, I think Dunkin Donuts Original Blend is a great place to start. This is by far the best "commercial" coffee I have ever tasted. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to coffee drinks. Their are no "right or wrong" views. This coffee is smooth and mild and is our daily grind for our drip coffee maker. It is our absolute favorite. As a new drinker of coffee, I would suggest staying away from the "French or Dark" roasts. Although good ones (very few based on 40 years of "research"), are rich and robust, many are not properly roasted causing "burning" of the beans. Also, if possible in your area, find a local coffee shop (we have one named Freedom of Expresso) that roasts their own beans. To stay in business, they MUST know how to buy, handle, roast, grind and brew GREAT coffee. This is where you can ask as many questions as you need and most will let you sample their brews.

Let us know how you make out.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by greenamp

Check out Making a Delicious Cup of Coffee by Alton Brown.

From the link:

Making a delicious cup of coffee is easy if you start with the best beans and follow some simple guidelines. Colombian coffee beans are especially flavorful because they are grown in rich volcanic soil, and are handpicked by Colombian cafeteros dedicated to bringing you premium quality from the crop to the cup.

(emphasis added)

I think in most cases the people handpicking the beans are more concerned about getting their next meal.

[tooki]

Actually, tea is the "other brew", or maybe just "THE brew": aside from water, tea is the most-consumed beverage on earth!

tooki

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by tooki

Actually, tea is the "other brew", or maybe just "THE brew": aside from water, tea is the most-consumed beverage on earth!

tooki

I don't care about the rest of the world, I only care about *my little universe that circles around me.










*Seriously, in my little universe, I can assure you coffee is drank a distant 2nd in relation to beer (the "other" brew) in terms of volume.

[lavar78]

Coffee's #1 for me by a long shot.

[wdlove]

Enjoyed some more fresh brewed Starbucks Coffee, thanks Starbucks for being open.

[Kenneth]

Originally Posted by wdlove

Enjoyed some more fresh brewed Starbucks Coffee, thanks Starbucks for being open.

Starbucks opens on Christmas Day? I couldn't find any.

[TheMosco]

I love DD. Around here DD are everywhere. I work in boston right next to a starbucks, Starbucks is fine for work because I can stand in line and wait for the coffee. But you just can't beat DD when you are in the burbs and you want coffee on the road. Just pull up in your car, grab a latte and a donut or possible a bagel or muffin. They even have icecream at a lot of locations.

I am glad to see starbucks start offering drive-thrus.

[Athens]

Originally Posted by DigitalEl

[/b] Most Americans were drinking instant coffee brewed with tap water before Starbucks... Now everybody's a coffee snob. Isn't it fashionable to bash Starbucks.

Kinda like the Apple/Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo fanboyism... "Mine is teh roXXor. Yours is teh suXXor!"

Whatever.

To 97% of the population, Starbucks is fine. Seattle's Best, now owned by Starbucks, is good, too, IMO. I've had Tully's, as well. Also fine coffee.

Like to add Blendz into that list

WHen I was a teen coffee was just coffee. Starbucks, well most coffee places are super over priced these days. A coffee shop use tobe a place to get coffee and a sandwitch, normal coffee with cream and sugar and you just relax and read a paper. I'm scared to even try anything at Star Bucks or Blendz because its so expensive and some of the stuff I have tried so far tasted like crap

[DeathToWindows]

Truly fine coffee is best found from your local roaster.
And no, if it involves more sugar/milk/flavorings/etc than it does coffee, it ceases to be a real coffee drink (ok, lattes and cappucinos are classic drinks, but they are both ways to mask the flavor of coffee).

Personally, I go for straight espresso shots or black drip/french press.

Espresso: 14g of coffee, 30lb tamp, 9bar pressure, 200º F brewing temp, 1.5-2.5fl.oz
No. The convienence methods (e.g. ESE pods, Nespresso pods) are NOT real espresso.

[wdlove]

Originally Posted by Kenneth

Starbucks opens on Christmas Day? I couldn't find any.

Yes, ours opened at 8:30am. Very convenient to have breakfast prior to my job at my Church. Part of the reason could have been that there is a larger Jewish community. Closed at 4pm prior to sundown and their holiday. The place was busy.

[ghporter]

ONE visit to the French Quarter of New Orleans, with an extended stay at Cafe du Mond cured me of my acceptance of "conventional coffee." Cafe au lait (Cafe du Mond-style) woke my latent coffee palate, and mundane coffee was no longer "ok." Today we drink Gevalia's various roasts. Community coffee is acceptable in a crunch (but should be ground finer than the way they package it), and instant has never been acceptable.

DTW, it would be nice to be able to find a local roaster...but apparently San Antonio is not cosmopolitan enough to attract one.

[Kenneth]

Originally Posted by wdlove

Yes, ours opened at 8:30am. Very convenient to have breakfast prior to my job at my Church. Part of the reason could have been that there is a larger Jewish community. Closed at 4pm prior to sundown and their holiday. The place was busy.

That's cool. How stupid I was! *Consider that I goto Starbucks everyday*

[wdlove]

Originally Posted by Kenneth

That's cool. How stupid I was! *Consider that I goto Starbucks everyday*

It's nice to know a fellow lover of Starbucks. A great thing to share.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by tooki

Actually, tea is the "other brew", or maybe just "THE brew": aside from water, tea is the most-consumed beverage on earth!i

Pfff. Earth.

Beer is the most consumed beverage in Bavaria. There ya go.

-t

[nredman]

best coffee i have ever had - had some this weekend - suggested by my brother-in-law - i have to order some online

[wdlove]

I'm enjoying some delicious fresh ground Starbucks Coffee right now.

[Railroader]

The roaster was a great success.

They loved it. And after sharing some freshly roasted and ground coffee with us it changed my whole world in terms of coffee usage.

I might become a coffee snob. I hate coffee snobs.

[wdlove]

I just enjoyed a delicious Starbucks Peppermint Mocha low fat late about two hours ago.

[nredman]

well i ordered my coffee - dont suppose anyone from down south has ever been to that place?

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by Railroader

I hate coffee snobs.

Why

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by nredman

well i ordered my coffee - dont suppose anyone from down south has ever been to that place?

Café Du Monde? Are you kidding? It's a required stop if you visit New Orleans.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Stradlater

Why

I was using exageration. I don't really "hate" them, I just find them frustrating.

For example: I am a beer snob. But not a "true" beer snob. Not the kind of beer snob most people "hate". I don't look down on people if they say "Bud-light" is their favorite beer. I am a beer snob in the sense that I know what makes good beer and I search for it and pay enormouse sums of money for it. But if a friend only has Miller High Life in his fridge and he offers me one, then I will drink it.

A coffee snob thinks my freshly ground folgers is piss water. They don't understand why I like it. They want to drink coffee that has passed through the anus of a mammal.

Answer your question?

Now my question: Why do you care "why"?

[nredman]

Originally Posted by lavar78

Café Du Monde? Are you kidding? It's a required stop if you visit New Orleans.

cool

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by Railroader

Now my question: Why do you care "why"?

Just wanted to hear the distinction. I enjoy tasting things and seeking out the best for my personal enjoyment, which makes me a "snob" of things like coffee and beer. However, I don't discuss these things unless someone comes to me and is interested in learning more -- I don't knock a friend's or acquaintance's tastes, even if they prefer Insta-coffee and MGD.

[wdlove]

I'm enjoying some of my delicious fresh ground Starbucks coffee now.