Serious Coffee Discussion

[Bardeaux]

I know there's a coffee thread in the lounge, but it's a little chatty/loungey and lacks that certain constructive SO type of discussion.


What's your favorite drink? Do you have any killer secret recipes or advice? Do you prefer the service of smaller independent coffeehouses over the convenience of larger chains or do you just brew your own at home? Do you like straight forward black coffee/espresso or do you go wild with flavors and toppings?

Over the last couple years I've been getting increasingly interested in experimenting with different local shops and I've started incorporating them into my daily routine. Before, I was a strict home brewer and occasional Starbucks customer. It's probably more economical to just buy a jug of Folgers and pick up a quick cappuccino at Starbucks here and there, but I like the experience of sitting in my local coffee shop every morning plus I'm supporting smaller local business in the process.

I'm not a fan of cold/dessert coffees. Alot of people are hooked on them but it just never clicked with me. I like a hot cappuccino to start my day or maybe a shot or two of plain espresso for a quick spring in my step.

How about it?

 

[nekointheclouds]

I approve this thread!

I loooove coffee, and i love it in its purest form. Black hot and strong!

When i go island camping we make this new orleans blend with Chicory. Its really great.

 

[llama112]

I have had coffee like 5-6 times in my life. But I like lots of sweetener. And the 7-11 has this no calorie vanilla thing that I can add to it. Mmmm my favourite coffee!

 

[ocean]

Oh, I am going to have to come give a proper response to this........
(Hopefully tonight)
I was a barista for over 5 years altogether (and have been talking about going back to it b/c I just loved it so much)

For now I will say my drink of choice is a 24oz quad shot iced latte.
Preferably from a local coffeehouse, no Starbucks.....but I'll drink a latte from them it over drip

 

[Belisarius]

Though I'm not arrogant enough to call myself a coffee connoisseur by any means, this thread is broad enough for me to talk about the topic for hours. So, I'll basically bullet it:

*Favorite drink: Just plain coffee, though espresso can't be beat for a quick pick-me-up. When I was younger, I was a "coffee with your cream and sugar?" type of guy, but nowadays I pretty much split it between black and mixed, perhaps with a slight edge for black.

*Where I prefer it: At home, hands-down. Money is only part of it; I make my coffee very strong, so the coffee from chains often feels like a joke (Jack In the Box is a pretty egregious offender--I'd rather drink water). I'm reminded of the time my boss got me a cup of coffee and later expressed surprised that I was wasn't more hyper, since he'd secretly doctored it up with a couple of "Stok" espresso shots. I laughingly told him that the coffee I drink would make his head explode, so souped-up convenience store coffee is nothing.

I'm reminded of a quote I heard, supposedly a favorite of old-time cowboys: There's no such thing as strong coffee, only weak people.

I do like coffee shops, though, when I do indulge, especially if they're *real* coffee houses with a hip and laid back vibe, preferably with an open mic. There was one in PA that I fell in love with, and should I ever head that way again they'll see my face. Too many of them, though, are just Starbucks with a different font.

*Cold coffees: Very rarely; I'll basically only drink them if I need caffeine in a hurry and can't afford to brew or let a cup cool down, and can't stomach the thought of a soda.

*Cappucinos and lattes: Rare; I have to be in the mood for them. As stated before, I'd much rather make my own flavor combination.

 

[lolalady]

I love coffee, and really appreciate a fine dark roast, black no cream or sugar. Very rarely do I go to starbucks or other shops, mostly because of cost and time. (I work nights).
I frequently have the gas station coffee, which is always fresh but usually watered down.
I brew at home a breakfast blend roasted from a local roaster and I love it!

 

[Legerity]

I really love coffee although I'm far from a connoisseur. I have no issues with Starbucks and enjoy going there to read or browse online. Tried one of those pumpkin lattes recently; was pretty good but my stomach wasn't too happy after. I think I love pretty much any kind depending on my mood; instant, lattes, cappuccinos, iced, etc. I find drip to be very hit or miss though and there are some impressively good instant ones that I've found that are better than the majority of the generic drip ones available.

 

[Samadhi]

I love my coffee. We were given an small commercial Grimac as a wedding gift and it's fantastic.

It makes wonderful coffee, however both my husband and I want to make better coffee with it, so we're taking it to our coffee supplier who will teach us how to make great coffee with our own machine.

 

[ocean]

^ooooooooooh NICEEEEEE!
There is a dream! I was a GOOD espresso machine in my home one day!!

 

[Samadhi]

Oh I love it ocean- it was actually broken when we got it (long story ) but we had it rebuilt/reconditioned at a coffee machine repairer and it's good as new :D

 

[Kenickie]

When i go island camping we make this new orleans blend with Chicory. Its really great.

let me suggest something for you...

this is the real shit. this is the chicory i grew up on, and still indulge in when i can. it's really expensive (like 6$ more than CCs) but it's worth it. My mother makes hers so strong i only fill up my cup about a third of the way and then water and then milk. it's like mud. you can get it super fresh and ground from the market on decatur street in new orleans for like super cheap, but everywhere else we're stuck paying more for it.

besides chicory coffee, i like dirty chais (chai with shots of espresso) if not drinking normal coffee. when i was younger i was really into cold brewed coffee. i don't know why, but i did love it for a long time with super ice cold milk on hot summer nights.

 

[addictivepersona]

I'm not a coffee connoisseur or anything, but have just recently started drinking coffee that tastes really freakin' good to me. I went from drinking instant Maxwell House to rotating between pre-ground stuff from New Day coffee and beans that I ground from Green Mountain coffee. I don't have a coffee maker and use an infuser to make coffee by the cup. I'm happy with it. :)

As far as how I drink coffee and stuff like that, I drink it black. I like coffee that tastes good on its own. Buying coffee outside the house always leads to disappointment, though I will drink just about any coffee for the caffeine fix when I'm looking for one. I mean, I did drink instant for years.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

great thread. i really shouldn't drink coffee --anxiety, insomnia-- but i don't give a fuck. it tastes and (at first) feels so good.

while i was living in my apartment i had one of those single serve coffee-disc makers. starbucks had a really good disc flavor out, and it worked perfect. a drop of cream and sugar. was my homework aid. but that disc is discontinued and i've found better things anyway. for a while during the summer i did not have this machine, and every morning would walk down to the BP on my street. which was the perfect distance for a morning walk. i would bring the cup of coffee back to my apartment and dump it in a glass of ice and cream with a shot of whatever liquor was on top of my fridge--very pleasant way to start an early day of class.

when i moved back home, i started giving mother my order when she was doing starbucks runs. a small latte with two shots of expresso. sometimes a little raspberry syrup. but it was still too milk tasting. and my mom also has this little expresso machine that looks like the device samadhi posted. so i use two shots worth of ground expresso to make one, add the tiniest bit of steamed milk and a little sugar. so good. or no sugar, and add disaronno amaretto. for coffee made with the disc thing, i would sometimes use kahlúa especial (80 proof, instead of their usual 40) instead of sugar. especially when for writing.

when i am drunk, i love just straight black coffee. only conditions in which i'll drink it at night.

 

[Bardeaux]

I was never into combining alcohol with my coffee, but in my senior year of high school I was given a bottle of coffee liquor which made it into my morning coffee for awhile. The coffee is a great cover for the smell

These days I just like to segregate my liquors from my coffees. They still work together, just at different points in time.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

^i actually think it almost always tastes better without (but feels better with). i'm just killing two birds with one stone. plus it makes it easier to rationalize drinking first thing in the morning.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I just got back from breakfast and I think the waitress gave me decaf because I drank three cups of coffee and still have a headache

 

[aislinnna]

Eh, I'm a bit of a coffee snob, my partner hates taking me places.

I'll usually drink an espresso or a long black. My fave place for coffee is a local roaster, loving a PNG Goroka!

I also work as a barista, love making coffee!

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

^very nice! one of my mother's newer goals in life is to learn how to make cappuccino designs like that.

 

[StarOceanHouse]

I love coffee. I used to drink it black when it didn't give me anxiety. It's unfortunate that I can't drink a proper cup of coffee without resorting to decaf. When I was a kid I used to help my uncle's ranch in mexico. He used to give us raw milk mixed with coffee and liquor (can't remember if it also had chocolate) in the early morning (around 5:00 am) before helping out at the ranch. That drink was delicious and was the perfect way to start the day. I doubt I could drink it now though. The combination of raw milk and coffee sounds like a diarrhea party.

 

[LuGoJ]

I have been buying my beans from a place in brooklyn called Gorilla Coffee, really good stuff but expensive. I started grinding my own beans two years ago and haven't bought preground since, you can do it in under a minute and the results are much better than preground.