Nancy - Posted - 01/29/2011:  14:41:06

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Today I just made Folgers Cinnamon Swirl. Hey, it's good!!!

So is that Choc. Silk by Folgers.

I also have Vanilla coffee by Folgers to try...maybe tomorrow.

I like gormet coffee!!! I pick different ones to try. Tullys is the latest and Seattles Best..(comes in different flavors and mixes) and I like the House Blend or Breakfast blend. Have not tried the others as yet.

There's many different coffees out there. You tried some? What do you think?

And today, did take back that spendy coffee pot and am using the B&D. Pour slow and it does not dribble as bad.

mander - Posted - 01/29/2011:  15:14:03

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Is it me, or is coffee a science?

I swear, I can use the same brand, the same amount, steeped for the same length of time, and one day, it will be yummy beyond belief, and the next, uck!

I'm very sure, however, I don't like it the way my brother in law does .... with the grounds floating in the cup.

Brian T - Posted - 01/29/2011:  16:21:38

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My kids gave me one: fairly dark roast _and_ it had bits of freeze dried raspberry in it. Now that was good.
However, the smell stained the pot for the next 3 or 4 brews. . . . not certain that I could take a steady diet of it.

maryzcox - Posted - 01/29/2011:  16:25:38

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Just got back from the Golden Bean coffee plantation in Costa Rica and it was awesome. Very fine coffee--but I like their chocolate covered expresso beans even better.

My husband, Bob, is a coffee nut. He buys green beans, roasts them and grinds them, and brews them fresh every morning. He gets his green beans mostly from "Sweet Marias" online.

We are both extremely spoiled with his wonderful coffee. We both tend to like a medium to light roast Costa Rican coffee best--with Hawaiian Coffee in second place.

Best wishes,
Mary Z. Cox
maryzcox.com

eagleisland - Posted - 01/29/2011:  16:37:29

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Way I see it, if God wanted coffee to taste like almonds, He would have given us a bottle of amaretto.

Coffee, IMO, should taste like coffee. There are differences, of course. Starts with the beans. A light roast - what some call a half-city - reveals the flavor of the local beans nicely. A full city roast is more assertive but starts covering up the local flavor.

Personally, I like aggressively dark roasts that, quite frankly, takes a ton of distinctiveness out of the bean source. Interestingly, they also take a lot of the caffeine out of the picture. Which is why I can make a pot of it each morning and not suffer palpitations for the rest of the day,

I don't like adding flavorings to my coffee - and I think lowly upon those companies that add it. Want a little extra zip?? Add your own - exert your own control! I like it plain, a bit of cream and sweetness, but it starts with the fact that I buy good beans and grind them per pot. I do love my morning Joe. And this discussion sure would be better if it was in the Food Forum.

Oh, wait a minute - there IS no Food Forum. And them fancy new groups will never provide a substitute for same.

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Edited by - eagleisland on 01/29/2011 16:42:19

pstroud1 - Posted - 01/29/2011:  16:56:43

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Guess I'll have to be the one to say it. This very instant we're not talking about INSTANT right huh?

My Mom always had 8 o'clock coffee and I still like it but have had to drink weaker stuff this last year. I can't stand decaff. yuck
But we've been going over to my daughters house and she knew we drink coffee so she bought some instant just to make an effort which was kind of her. Now she drinks coffee also. We just got a jar of what she was getting because we were surprised at the taste. It's a cheap brand called Piggley Wiggley but I like it. Just thought I through that under the steam roller that I expect is coming.

Paul

mullie1 - Posted - 01/29/2011:  17:04:58

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I can't stand flavored coffee and really like a bold, dark roast. Over the years I have found that for me, Ethiopian coffee is the best tasting by a long shot.

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 01/29/2011:  17:22:30

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I like dark roasts best. For me there should be nothing in the coffee but coffee and water. A real treat for me is the occasional Ethiopian Yirragecheffe (Sp).
But for every day use, I prefer the Hispanic blends: Cafe Bustelo, Goya, El Pilon. Right now I have some Dunkin' Dark which I picked up from giving platelets. When that runs out it's back to Bustelo for me.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 01/29/2011:  17:47:18

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Some years ago, I decided to try out all the different varieties which were available at my local coffee-roaster. They had a lot of different varieties of beans and they would sell as little as 1/4lb at a time.

Long story short, I found I prefer dark, earthy coffees: Ethiopian, Yemeni, Sumatran. I dislike bright stuff like Kona and most of the Carribean area beans (I have a favorite Guatemalan though).

I also tried a bunch of the 'flavored' coffees...never did find one I liked.

OTOH, I don't mind adding flavor to my coffee occasionally (esp. if I'm forced to buy a cup at a bookstore coffeeshop); flavored syrups, etc., or Scotch, of course.

Sweet Maria's has a great explanation for why decaf and flavored coffees generally don't taste like coffee. Basic economics: you want your product to sell at the same price point as regular coffee...but flavoring adds value to it. So...you gotta start with cheaper beans. Same with decaf: the process is more expensive so you have to start cheap.

desert rose - Posted - 01/29/2011:  17:55:37

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Ill take a Cuban espresso ANY day as the defination of coffee. However Ive learned that the American Cuban blends, while good like Pilon and Cafe La Lave fall short of real Cuban grown cuban roasted beans like real Cubita. Not available in American stores but in Canada and elsewhere.

I dont go for flavors as a rule but have found some mac nut vanilla mix that makes great coffee

Scott

maryzcox - Posted - 01/29/2011:  18:15:53

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quote:

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Originally posted by pstroud1

Guess I'll have to be the one to say it. This very instant we're not talking about INSTANT right huh?

My Mom always had 8 o'clock coffee and I still like it but have had to drink weaker stuff this last year.
Paul

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Paul--8 o'clock coffee--if you can still find the beans rather than ground--tastes pretty good. Another coffee that is really good that is easy to find and inexpensive is Duncan Doughnut coffee. It seems to be a medium roast central American coffee.

Besides the coffee itself and the roasting method--how it's produced seems to have a big impact on the final quality of the coffee. We were shocked at how bad the coffee was in Ecuador. They had good beans--but they are just not set up to produce it well.

Best wishes,
Mary Z. Cox
maryzcox.com

banjodawg - Posted - 01/29/2011:  18:36:44

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MaryZCox is right about 8 O'Clock and Dunkin' Donut coffee! My mother-in-law and I just had this same discussion last Sunday. That's what we keep around - both brands! My father-in-law just got into hot water for buying Folger's!!!!

jbalch - Posted - 01/29/2011:  19:01:59

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I've had some of Bob Cox's coffee. It is mighty fine indeed. He roasted a batch on my back porch during Uncle Dave Macon Days.

Ronnie Collins brought us some good coffee this year too. I think it was from Louisiana (was it Community Ronnie?).

A few years back, Pastor Harry Timmins came to our festival. He spoiled us with some awesome Kona coffee from his home state.

When Bob, Ronnie or Harry are not around. I usually buy Kroger Private Selection Gourmet Kona Blend, Sams Club 100% Arabica, or Eight O'Clock Original. I buy whole beans and grind right before brewing.

My best investment has been a KitchenAid ProLine Burr grinder. I love it!

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Edited by - jbalch on 01/29/2011 19:08:04

Nancy - Posted - 01/29/2011:  19:19:35

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I prefer a good dark roast coffee in the mornings. It should taste like it smells. Aroma is important.

In the afternoon, I like to experiment with different flavors. Different coffee tastes. It's a break time for me, and I relish good coffee.

Yes, it's fun to try a different taste.

I will look into some of the coffees that you folks have suggested are good. I do like that Kona coffee...tried it. Seattle coffee is nice, too. More for morning types.
The 8o'clock coffee is good. Tried that.

BigJohn67 - Posted - 01/29/2011:  19:59:36

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I drink McDaniel's World Classic Premium coffee.
(It's a cheap store brand sold by Sav-A-Lot. Tastes as good as the big brands to me.)

I don't like any of the flavored stuff. A few years ago I visited my sister in OK.
She had some of the flavored coffee.
I didn't like it, so I went to Wally World, got a small jar of instant and made my own.
She said, "I didn't think you like instant."
I said, "Not much, but that mocha-bocha-strawberry-mint-or-whatever-it-is-called is WAY Worse."
She just laughed. Since then, whenever I visit she has a small jar of plain instant coffee waiting for me.

No offense to those who like flavors. But after my Army days, any old straight black coffee works for me.....

John.

ambpicker - Posted - 01/30/2011:  05:46:49

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The BEST coffee I've had was from roasting green coffee beans. I used to get Kenya AA fresh cofee beans from this place in Houston. If you like caffeine, Kenya AA is the one to get.
My grandmother was the one that told me of using green coffee beans, roasting then grinding them each morning. It was true. It's not hard to do, but if you are not careful, coffee beans can go from roast, to burned, pretty quick.
I like Folgers, and Dunkins, ( I'm drinking some Dunkin coffee at this moment ), but there is a difference with roasting green beans. It's kind of like fresh pork chops coming straight out of the oven, or taking some day old pork chops out of a ziplock bag, from the refrigerator, and warming them up in the microwave.

derwood400 - Posted - 01/30/2011:  05:55:47

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quote:

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Originally posted by maryzcox

quote:

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Originally posted by pstroud1

Guess I'll have to be the one to say it. This very instant we're not talking about INSTANT right huh?

My Mom always had 8 o'clock coffee and I still like it but have had to drink weaker stuff this last year.
Paul

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Paul--8 o'clock coffee--if you can still find the beans rather than ground--tastes pretty good. Another coffee that is really good that is easy to find and inexpensive is Duncan Doughnut coffee. It seems to be a medium roast central American coffee.

Besides the coffee itself and the roasting method--how it's produced seems to have a big impact on the final quality of the coffee. We were shocked at how bad the coffee was in Ecuador. They had good beans--but they are just not set up to produce it well.

Best wishes,
Mary Z. Cox
maryzcox.com

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I have used 8 o'clock Bokar Blend for about 5 years now. You can still buy the whole beans at the Metro (used to be A&P store). I find its a little milder than some coffees but still has a really nice coffee taste to it.

I don't like flavoured coffee at all either. Just plain old regular coffee for me please.

madkelt2004 - Posted - 01/30/2011:  06:00:37

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Yep, I'm one not into this fairly recent trend of flavored coffees. I don't believe you should need to see a menu in a coffee shop.
I actually savor a nice hot cup of gas station coffee, that's been sitting on the burner all day, burnt.

R Buck - Posted - 01/30/2011:  07:51:32

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I like coffee, have drunk it for 46 years. There are 4 or 5 kinds I will drink medium to dark roasts but I cannot stand flavored coffees unless it is flavored with a good Irish whiskey or something similar.

minstrelmike - Posted - 01/30/2011:  08:39:55

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One of the things I was surprised to learn when researching gourmet coffees is that dark roast (my favorite) has less caffeine than the lighter roasts.

So for me, it's a trade-off between flavor and buzz.

coelhoe - Posted - 01/30/2011:  09:03:34

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A friend in the coffee business tells me that nearly all of the flavored coffees use beans from VietNam, stuff that is too inferior to market just as the beans themselves.

I prefer lighter roasts such Mexican high elevation beans, or Moca Java in a lighter roast. Some of the central American beans have a faint chocolate aftertaste just in the bean. I grind my own, very fine, and I make it in a pressurized espresso 15-bar machine. I make a four cup espresso and then mix it with hot milk (never cold) every morning. At coffee tastings they add small amounts of whole milk or cream because the coffee binds with the milk molecule and gives a stronger coffee flavor.

Kona coffee from Hawaii is wonderful but almost impossible to buy without a blend, again the ubiquitous VietNam beans. I think if it is over 15% they can call it Kona. I tried without success to find any pure Kona when I was in Honolulu a few years ago. Jamaica Blue Mountain is supposed to be the very best, running at about $60 a pound last time I looked. Too much for me.

My spouse likes Yerga Chiffe from Ethiopia, and she always uses a push pot (French press) to make it. Quick and easy. LIfe is too short to drink bad coffee. I've never had a bad cup of coffee in France or Italy.

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Edited by - coelhoe on 01/30/2011 09:05:34

Richard Dress - Posted - 01/30/2011:  12:26:56

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Almost all the coffee we drink or see in the shops is industrialized coffee. It's so cheap now that just about anybody who wants a cup of coffee can have it. The cost of providing this cheap coffee to the world has some bad consequences in the societies of coffee-producing countries. The rural populations who used to grow and process the beans are pushed out, so to speak, of their home turf into the slums of the big cities.

Industrial coffee is processed in big tanks of water to separate the good from the bad beans through mild fermentation. This makes the industrial coffee acidic. The quality is so-so. That's the tradeoff. It takes a lot less labor to process this way. That's what you call economics.

Some of this industrial coffee is 'fair-traded' which means there's a conscience surcharge that goes to somebody, I don't know who. Why, I bet it goes to those poor indigenous people who were displaced.

There are some small 'back-to-the-old-days' projects that involve keeping people working their lands in the older small-farm traditional way. That way costs more, naturally--but the traditional sundried and handpicked coffee is so much tastier. A nearby Mexican source is capulincoffee.com/ and I have plugged them to everyone I know and nobody has come back with any complaints.

Be eco/freako and pay more to feel good, or if great coffee taste is what you are searching for, that is where my search ended.

xixiant - Posted - 01/30/2011:  12:29:55

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A good French press cup with about seven tablespoons of Peet's Major Dickinson's (it's a standard size press)--that's heaven to me. Use with cauution, though--it'll knock yer socks off!

Adrienne

scaggs7 - Posted - 01/30/2011:  12:38:40

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I just fixed some Vanilla Macadamia Nut 10% Kona Coffee Blend from the whole bean.
It tasted like cardboard—The smell was good but I threw it out.
I have been grinding my own for abt.10yrs now.

Ronnie - Posted - 01/31/2011:  05:33:12

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John, that was Community Coffee, compliments of Judy T.
Looking forward to UDMD!!

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Edited by - Ronnie on 01/31/2011 05:42:01

bikebum - Posted - 01/31/2011:  06:07:25

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Ronnie, I usually get the Community 'Between' roast when I can find it.

Ronnie - Posted - 01/31/2011:  06:35:17

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If you are traveling I40 between Memphis and Nashville and need a coffee break, Community is now the house brand at caseyjonesvillage.com FWIW