A cup of coffee.

[jeffp]

Last June my family chipped in and bought me a Keurig coffee maker for my birthday with a few boxes of the "k cups." That was really nice of them but the box was huge and I thought this is overkill, complicated and overly fulsome for my little kitchenette. So I had it stacked along the top of my refrigerator for months. Every time I went to see my family they asked if I tried the Keurig yet and I said, "no, but I'm getting closer and closer to trying it out!" They smiled back with patronizing frustration - like, what do you expect from him???

So I recently opened it up and used it and it's fucking fantastic with a capital F.

Ten times better than Starbucks and for home coffee a little expensive but you can get k-cup pods for about 40 cents a piece from Amazon. Still a lot cheaper than outside wherever you go.

Maybe a little hazelnut Coffeemate or half and half and a bit of stevia instead of sugar and i have a perfect cup of coffee.

 

[lwien]

Love mah French Press. Haven't found anything better yet, but I like mah java strong.

 

[jeffp]

Bodin?

***edit***

if you like your coffee diner strength strong like me, i've yet to experience a stronger delicious cup than using this simple time tested method (Italian expressso stovetop):

 

[lwien]

Yeah, Bodin.

Yeah, I've seen those like what you have pictured above. Never used on though but was tempted to try one.

 

[tdavie]

Hey Jeff; what model of Keurig do you have? I bought a B50 in November/05 and it's still plugging away really strong. 2 good cups of coffee for it are 'Coffee People French Roast' and Timothy's Rainforest Espresso Bold'.

I've dialed back on my coffee consumption but still pack away quite a bit on the weekend.

Tom

(there are some nice green teas available and a chai coffee as well)

 

[jeffp]

the one i have is called "b66 ultimate."
the box i'm going through now is gloria jean's butter toffee - it's ok but the others i've sampled i like better.
i like two cups in the morning and that's it for my daily consumption but morning coffee is mandatory to me.

 

[momofthegoons]

i like two cups in the morning and that's it for my daily consumption but morning coffee is mandatory to me.

Isn't it the truth.

I also like the Bodin style coffee maker. I was turned onto it with a cuban coffee, Cafe Bustelo I think it was spelled. You drank it half and half with hot milk. At the time, I had just come back from So. America and was really into drinking it that way. ( If you don't put milk in the coffee down there, it's like an instant laxative; sooo strong. Starbucks has nothing even close.)

Nowadays, I drink my coffee black. Strong, but not nearly as strong as that.

 

[jeffp]

One of these days I'll check out the Bodin style coffee makers.
Bustelo is very strong. I am also familiar with Spanish style coffee; there's a lot of Colombian restaurants around here, with the boiled milk. It's excellent. A friend of mine used to put a dash of salt in the coffee, he said "it brings out the flavor." Weird, but he was right.

 

[StickyShisha2]

my household switched to the Aerobie Aeropress.
This thing makes the best cup ever.

There are many youtube videos of people demonstrating their personal perfect cup.

 

[bcleez]

Is the aero made of glass? the seal to press/plunger is rubber right?

My coffee press is glass & the steel rod & mesh.

Hot water can cause plastics to release BPA. Be careful

 

[macbill]

I have a semi-automatic Pasquini Livia 90 and I make really strong lattes. I use an extra large basket in the group head.

For awhile, I home roasted. My home roasters kept breaking down. I now find it easier to go to Whole Foods and buy freshly roasted beans.

 

[Howie Feltersnatch]

The name everybody is struggling with is "BODUM."

Jeffp - you are so right on target with the Keurig and K-cups. Best, most consistently delicious cuppa Joe I have ever found.

I encountered them a few years ago when Green Mountain Coffee Roasters had a promo where if you signed up for their regular shipments of K-cups they gave you the Keurig brewer free. At that time it was a $150 unit and I got one of the last ones before they ended the promotion.

Absolutely changed my (and my wife's) religion regarding coffee. Incredibly convenient and every single cup was perfect! Wow, and at less than 50 cents a cup for really gourmet-tasting coffee we were converted.

Of course I canceled the subscription with GMCR as soon as I found the same K-cups at Amazon for less. I think I pay less than 40 cents a cup now and the variety is amazing. Flavored and non-flavored, regular and extra bold - anything but decaf.

Timothy's Kona Blend is our favorite but Donut Shop is a close second. My wife loves the Earl Grey tea and I drink a Cappucino or Kahlua version occasionally too. There are a couple of hot chocolates that are good as well.

In fact the only one I ever got that was not fantastic was the White Hot Chocolate from Timothy's. That stuff was truly foul, easily the nastiest stuff I have ever intentionally put in my mouth. It was possibly even a product of the devil's own anus, I am not sure. But, do yourself a favor and ingrain that in your memory - never order it. Ever.

Never really enjoyed eating coffee grounds so the French Press method never took hold in my house.

 

[jeffp]

After a good cup of coffee, this is where I get my creative bursts.

 

[lwien]

The name everybody is struggling with is "BODUM."

I had no idea I was struggling. But now I'm not...........I guess. :/

Never really enjoyed eating coffee grounds so the French Press method never took hold in my house.

Ya know, that happens a few times a month when I grind my beans a bit too fine, but 95% of the time, I get no coffee grounds at all. A bit of a learning curve. Kinda like a VG in that respect.

 

[stinkmeaner]

I have been hooked on grinding my own and using a bodum french press but there is one machine I have been weighing out the pros and cons with for at home espresso, they are just really expensive and I don't know if I would use it enough to justify the cost. http://www.illy.com/wps/wcm/connect/us/illy/at-home/francis-francis-machines/for-ese-pods/

 

[lwien]

I have been hooked on grinding my own and using a bodum french press but there is one machine I have been weighing out the pros and cons with for at home espresso, they are just really expensive and I don't know if I would use it enough to justify the cost. http://www.illy.com/wps/wcm/connect/us/illy/at-home/francis-francis-machines/for-ese-pods/

Wow. Little retro pieces of art. Nice.

 

[stinkmeaner]

I love retro kitchen gadgets, I have a red Hobart N-50 mixer that it would fit perfect next to.

 

[lwien]

Got an Oster Beehive Blender if that counts. :/ Thing still works like a champ. It's like a chipper for the kitchen.

 

[stinkmeaner]

Got one of those in red too, works great but doesn't get too much use because I made an impulse buy at Sams Club last year and purchased a $500 Vitamix blender, Yes you heard me right a $500 blender...don't ask me why, lol.

 

[indigal]

Got a Vitamix too- refirbed, over 10 years ago! Still going strong. Super 5000. Like a power drill with sharp metal teeth. Love it!

 

[indigal]

Our favorite coffee method is french press. This is the one we ended up staying with after much trial & error- broke too many glass ones, and the legs on some were really shabby.

http://frieling.com/products/coffee-and-tea-essentials/

This sucker is heavy, sturdy & the filter is very well made, no grounds.

I will drink coffee just about any way it's made. I need all the caffeine I can get.

 

[bcleez]

I don't really get too many grounds in my pressed drink. A simple trick is to just leave it like a beer. Don't drink the ass and you won't get any grounds. That last sip is a throwaway.

 

[TheGame]

we have the illy below on the right, we used it consistently for about 3 years. lately, we've just been using the french press cause we're lazy. the illy machine is good, makes a great espresso, cappuccino, etc., it's just quicker and less clean up using the french press.

 

[Ash]

I used a french press for a long time, hand grinding the beans every morning with one of these (I have the one on the left):

But, I'm off caffeine for at least another year and a half, and decaf is all pre-ground. So, now I've just gone back to regular drip.

And, while I'm posting, I have to recommend the Contigo travel mug. This thing is fantastic. It keeps coffee hot for hours and absolutely cannot spill. I went beyond obsessive in my research before buying one of these about a year ago. I'm still in love, and I'm surprised at how few of these I see.

 

[Howie Feltersnatch]

Ash,

I have been looking at that exact Contigo travel tumbler for about a month now on Amazon and I hate not knowing exactly how it is constructed. Is the top screw-on or is there a silicone O-ring or what? Also, is it really easy to "one-hand" it while driving? Is the seal one where there is a push to open and releasing seals it or do you have to push to seal it again?

I know that's a lot of questions about a "frickin' travel mug" but I have been through so many without finding a really good one since my last Nissan. It kept the heat, but lost the seal after a year or so and was a bitch to really clean.