Making decent coffee at home - how is it done?

IAN U CAN BUY IT AT TOPS.

IT PWNZ

http://img.alibaba.com/img/product/50/06/60/50066047.jpg

1) Get whole beans, like you already do. For cheap, good stuff available in most US metropolises, I suggest Whole Foods brand, in the big plastic bag

2) Store beans in airtight container

3) Grind when you use, or just enough for a few days at a time

4) Use a fairly decent amount of grounds, maybe fill that thing about 1/8 up with grounds (you'll have to experiment to see what you like, but don't skimp)

5) The filtered water suggestion is good, if you can do it.

6) Pour in the water, just off the boil, and stir the grounds into it with a spoon.

7) Let it brew a little while for better flavor -- I think between 5-10 minutes works well.

8) Push down the plunger slowly, it should be slightly difficult or else your coffee's ground too fine or there's not enough of it.

9) Better?

Don't buy French or Italian roast. Buy mocha java beans.

WHY DID I THINK THIS WAS IAN'S THREAD??

AM I DRUNK?

I think French Roast beans are over baked and I think they're overbaked 'cause they weren't that good to begin with.

WHO'S FOR COFFEE: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

"Leslie Back takes us on a fascinating journey through a bewildering world of coffee, taking a practical look at the quest for a perfect cup."

alba - only if you're not paying attention. i've had coffee boil down to sludge because i forgot i had it going.

Since my gf doesn't really drink coffee at home, I just make espresso. Illy is choice.

this is u&k.

THERE IS NO OTHER WAY.

(I have one that plugs in and doesn't even need to go on the hob in my room. so gooood.)

And also for everyone.

seconded. I just use it with Illy or Lavazza or whatever.

if I don't have time, I just use those coffees with one of the plastic over cup cone filters.

Does your espresso tell you the future? I didn't think so.

i'll admit that I have no clairvoyance with my coffee. But I have the classic European disdain for everything Turkish (I've watched Midnight Express).

Then I watched something that said Midnight Express was a load of shit but that Turkey was still a load of horseshit.

Turkey is actually pretty awesome, at least as far as food, scenery, language, and archaeology go. And I learned to make Turkish coffee from the Armenian side of my family, so not people who are likely to rave about Turkey's greatness.

As a matter of fact, because of their feelings toward Turkey, a lot of Armenians call it "Armenian coffee" or just consider it default coffee. In Greek they call it "Greek coffee" too. In Russia you can get it as "Turkish coffee," "Armenian coffee," "Georgian coffee," or "Eastern-style coffee," depending on what kind of restaurant you're in. So even among people who like Turkey a lot less than you do, the coffee is still beloved!

we just got a turkish coffee pot and it's great! if you don't like turkey you can pick some other country that makes it that way, yeah xp

I CANNOT vouch enough for the Aeropress. Miles above my drip and/or french press

http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm
https://www.coffeemakersetc.com/images/aeropress.jpg

^ very intriguing

My coffee making ability is one of the few eternally consistent skills I can depend on, but after three months with a new french press I'm ready to give up. I'm doing all the right things (filtered water, fresh ground beans, etc.) and was making great coffee for about a month but now I've hit a slump that I haven't been able to dig out of.

Is this where I just give up and get a Capresso?

(I did have an Aeropress, but ran out of the filters and lost one of the pieces during a move)

could be that the oils which have accumulated in the press are starting to go rancid. clean it with some hot water and non-scented soap?

i went in a slump w/ french press and now i just use more grounds. i never bothered with filtered water tbh.

filtered water could be a problem too - water for coffee should be mineral-y, distilled and/or filtered water will make a flat cuppa

over filtered water, I mean.

I think I need to buy a new stovetop machine, my Vev machine is about 12 years old now and starting to get a bit ratty.

Hmmmm.... I was worried that I was using too much grounds. The press itself is a few months old and I rinse/wash it out after each use. Filtered water comes out of a Britta pitcher.

well coffee oils do tend to stick around even after a rinse/wash - try using really hot water, or some kind of odorless detergent. another thought: water at boiling temperature can overextract the coffee grinds - you get too much caffeine which will make the cup bitter. so things to try: vary water temperature (maybe 30 seconds off the boil?) and also vary brewing time.

also, stirring is another factor to consider

wiping down the parts of a press with a paper towel should also reduce a lot of the leftover oils too.

i need a french press. i feel like the normal brewing system is just a pain and that i waste a lot of grounds?

i mean, i've had my technique down for years and i make great coffee but i feel like i would use less coffee if i was french pressing.

Was completely unable to make a decent cup in our normal coffee maker (filter + water heater into jug - is that a 'drip'?)... but loving my newfound French press/ cafetiere skills. Seems to need a lot less coffee too.

try flushing it w/ vinegar like people do regular coffee makers

xp elvis

Bought a "3-cup" (one mug) french press yesterday b/c I think it will be a while before I can replace the portafilter.

So far my first two pots (at two different coarse grind settings) have come out pretty bad. The conclusion may be that either (1) Trader Joe's Free Trade Nicaraguan is just not very good coffee or (2) There's some kind of residue on the FP from manufacturing (it did have a slightly odd smell even after I washed it)

could be the grind? for a french press, you want your grind to be as fine as possible without making your coffee too muddy

once u go bialetti u never go back

don't you mean blacketti, max

The Trader Joe's coffee is likely not that great to begin with. Do you have a local store that has freshly roasted coffee you could try?

The grind should be fairly coarse for a french press but as fine as you can get without it getting muddy like dyao said. The water should be about 10 degrees cooler than boiling: you could boil then pour into another cup to cool it a bit. At that size you probably don't want it to steep more than 3 minutes or so.

I had actually made some reasonably ok espresso drinks with the TJ's coffee (I had been forcing myself to stick to that because of the price rather than go with my favored local roaster), but it may just be that all the frothed milk was masking the funkiness.

I have actually made decent coffee in other peoples' french presses before - I usually boil water and then wait until all boiling sound is gone to pour. Maybe I used too coarse a grind? I also could have oversteeped it - in fact that seems a likely culprit when I think about it - didn't occur to me that a smaller press probably warranted less steeping.

The aeropress is great for being able to clean it completely, with disposable (and compostable) filters. My coffee never tasted as good with a french press, even though I cleaned it every day.

Yeah I think with less grounds you'll not want them in the water as long as with an 8 cup press. Coarseness all depends on the screen in the press. If it's too fine you'll see the grounds in the cup and with a blade grinder you'll definitely have some sludge regardless of what you do.

If you like the TJ's coffee then that's probably not the problem, though you are correct that milk will cover up many off flavors.

Man now I want some coffee.

my girlfriend just moved into a new apartment and she doesn't own any sort of coffee-making device, so I've been improvising. using lots of coarse grounds in a tea press has worked surprisingly well.

also I've been drinkin' coffee out of bowls lately and would recommend that everyone try it at least once -- seems like maybe the broader surface area helps release more aromas or something (beer-snob glass debates to thread?), but I could be fulla shit.

coffee from a bowl = win

my girlfriend just moved into a new apartment and she doesn't own any sort of coffee-making device, so I've been improvising. using lots of coarse grounds in a tea press has worked surprisingly well.

― some pretty girls make bigger graves than others (bernard snowy), Tuesday, February 16, 2010 2:15 PM Bookmark

Yeah but it'll kill the tea press for teamaking.

THIS AEROPRESS RULES

otm

I don't even drink coffee! It was a post-breakup impulse buy but unlike the Sega Saturn I got in 2005 I think I will actually use this thing more than 3 or 4 times (it helps to work at a store w/ really good Equal Exchange coffee in bulk)

I just made an iced latte w/ that milkshakey tasting 365 vanilla almond milk and it was like daaaaaaaamn

Hey folks! I thought I'd share my little method for making coffee, it's nothing special but I find it makes a satisfying cup in the morning! It's pourover, which means you're going to only get one cup at a time, but I find the process to be relaxing. Almost zen! I use a ceramic Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper, but I may get something else. They make a great kettle (see below) but the dripper tends to slip on the cups it came with. It may work better in another setup.

- Select Two Tablespoons of whole bean coffee (roast of your choice, I use "Kicking Horse" medium roast mostly.)
- Grind for twelve seconds (I do a quick count to 25 myself, it finishes around 12 seconds!)
- Pour hot water over from a kettle (I use the Hario V60 Buono) over an unbleached filter in the manner in which you'll do the pourover.
- Heat 10 oz of water in the kettle*. Some folks like 6 oz for every two tablespoons, this amount is simply my own preference. Adjust if you feel like it!
- Pour the ground beans into the filter, then do a circular pour over the beans until they're steeped. The water should drip through in about thirty seconds!
- Once it drips through, pour the remainder of the water down into the center of the filter.
- Enjoy!

*This should only take a couple of minutes. I heat the water well shy of the boiling point. With my kettle you can swish it around and hear the telltale "hiss" from the water splashing on the sides of the kettle. That's when I know it's ready! You should barely see any steam bubbles in the water.

Try it this way, I hope you like it! If not, no problem! There are dozens of ways to brew a good cup!

- CB

fucking dripper you got a cheek callin yourself coffee bob

http://pollards.com/how-to-use-hario-v60/hario-v60-filter-coffee-set-up/

Hey pal I'm not here to step on anyone's toes, I just posted to talk about coffee. But I'll step aside, I'm not here to steal anyone's thunder or stir up trouble.

- CB

It's instant, it's fucking Nestle, and yet I can't help but feel the Azera powder stuff is MUCH nicer than anything I get out of a cafetiere. God knows if I'm doing anything wrong, but even quite expensive coffee made in the cafetiere just tastes bitter and horrible.

of course you're doing something wrong man for gods sake

its OK tho azera is fine if yknow well its fine if you like it

Coffee Bob

just thought he'd share his tips about the ceramic Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper

no bigs

he's just a guy.

Wasn't "the drip" once slang for VD?

waiting for the drip.