Green coffee beans are also far cheaper. If you like specialty coffees like I do, you can save a substantial amount of money by roasting yourself. I used to order my roasted beans from Oren's in NY. They charge $19 a pound now for Kenya AA.
Freshly grinding your own beans is by far the biggest improvement you can make to your own coffee. If you don't get into roasting your own, this is by far the best way to improve your own coffee drinking. You can also save substantial money by fully grinding your own beans because it takes less coffee if you use a really good burr grinder.
So I switched about 5 years ago to using an electric pot for boiling water and a large Melitta coffee cone that can make 10 cups at a time, and which uses #6 filters:
I used to drink coffee excessively when I was young. Now I just use it to get my motor running in the morning and for an occasional pick-me-up during the afternoon. I won't deny that caffeine is a very potent drug, but like all others it is just a matter of proper moderation.
When you order coffees from Kenya do they come with tarantulas?
I often grind beans in the store for freshness. Is home-roasting superior? I'm less interested in the price than the savor. I also use an electric pot/Melitta, but I make individual cups with the #2 brown filter.
So Arabica or Robusta? Wiki suggests K7 is Arabica but I'm not certain you're refering to the same.
Concerning coffee addiction; A May 2012 study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that, during the course of their study, coffee drinkers "who drank at least two or three cups a day were about 10 percent or 15 percent less likely to die for any reason during the 13 years of the study."
Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 35 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 02 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer's disease.
Likewise, in tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk.
I attribute my stellar ACT score to the liter of coffee I drank prior.
So, Formaldehyde, this is a different side of you I see. I'll have to stop posting those nasty rumors about you on the Forums.
I guess it is possible for the occasional critter to crawl into a coffee sack prior to it being sealed and shipped. But I doubt they would survive the slow journey to the US. But coffee sacks typically have 50 lbs or so of coffee beans. Even I don't buy a complete sack at a time.
It shows the "wet" method of extracting the beans. Coffee from Africa and other similar countries typically use the "dry" process where it is simply left out in the sun for an extended period.
I often grind beans in the store for freshness. Is home-roasting superior? I'm less interested in the price than the savor. I also use an electric pot/Melitta, but I make individual cups with the #2 brown filter.
Grinding beans at the store is certainly preferable to buying it already ground, but the roasted beans will start to lose their flavor a week or so after they are roasted. And they will be seriously degraded in a month or so. Most coffee you find in supermarkets was roasted long before that. Vacuum sealing the containers helps to increase that time to some extent, but it will still lose much of its freshness. And it is exposed to the air as soon as you first open it, so it will quickly degrade after that.
If you do nothing else, I would suggest you get a good burr grinder and grind the beans yourself just before you make the coffee. This will make a huge difference. To me, a sizable portion of enjoying coffee is the smell of freshly ground beans. Keeping the roasted beans in a vacuum container after you open the sealed container would also help to some extent.
But if you want to enjoy the full richness, you have to either order in small quantity from a local roaster and consume it all within a few weeks or so or roast your own.
Virtually all the specialty coffees are arabica beans outside of a few high-grade robusto beans used for espresso, and even then they are typically blended with arabica beans. The only place where you commonly find robusto beans in the US are in the cans of cheaper coffee in supermarkets.
Concerning coffee addiction; A May 2012 study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that, during the course of their study, coffee drinkers "who drank at least two or three cups a day were about 10 percent or 15 percent less likely to die for any reason during the 13 years of the study."
Several studies comparing moderate coffee drinkers (defined as 3–5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (defined as 0–2 cups per day) found that those who drank more coffee were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. A longitudinal study in 2009 found that moderate coffee drinkers had reduced risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer's disease.
Likewise, in tests of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, incidental verbal memory, and visuospatial reasoning, participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests, with a positive relationship between test scores and the amount of coffee regularly drunk.
I attribute my stellar ACT score to the liter of coffee I drank prior.
Ha. I certainly couldn't imagine autocrossing or racing without coffee. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I did so well. I almost always came armed with my stainless steel flask of coffee.
You should also check out my "Ask a car nut" thread (URL in the sig) that I need to revive again from the old forum. I also post extensively about Formula 1 and MotoGP in the Sports forum and post fairly frequently in the "Arts and Entertainment" forum. You won't find much politics in any of those threads.
I've thought about starting an "Ask a Software Developer" thread, which is my profession. But much of that is already handled in other similar threads where I occasionally offer my two cents.
Those Keurig machines are pretty cool. I looked long and hard at getting one myself a couple of years ago.
The strengths are that you have a lot more choices than just coffee, the portions are sealed from the air until you are ready to make each one, you can make one cup at at time, and a number of different companies offer fairly decent choices.
The weaknesses are that you pay a hefty premium for the convenience, you can only make one cup of coffee at a time, and it seems to be really difficult to use your own coffee. The last two are what finally made me decide not to get one at that time.
I think it is ideal for those who don't mind paying a premium for their beverages and are not coffee connoisseurs. but are still want a decent cup of coffee that is far better than using many supermarket coffees. Or those who want to trade a great deal of convenience for the best possible cup of coffee. They are particularly good choices for small offices.
I may still get one someday just to be able to make cocoa and tea on occasion, and to make a quick cup of coffee when I don't want to mess with boiling water and a single-cup Melitta filter.
And, no. I take my coffee black like my men, so I can't really make any recommendations regarding sugar or creme.
If you have any questions about coffee roasting or coffee in general, I'll be happy to answer them. I am far from being an expert on the subject, but I am familiar with the basics.
Dear Form
I want to raise bats, feed them coffee beans, have them poop it out then grind up the beans for an real coffee taste. What kind of bats should I get and how many would I need to raise so they can pass enough coffee beans for two cups of coffee per day.
Thanks
Just before Hurricane Irene, I bought a french press in case the power went out. I got a lot of use out of it, as me, my two roommates, one of their sisters and mother, all wound up using it for five days until we got power back. I found the quality of the coffee produced by the press to be far superior to either a traditional coffee brewer or the Keurig that was so popular in the house before the storm. I haven't gone back since. What are your thoughts on the french press? Does it really produce superior coffee? Why is that so?
Also, back when Merkinball was still around, he told me a story once about his posting in Ethiopia while in the Marine Corps: he used to buy sacks of coffee beans from the local markets where Starbucks also sources some of its coffee from. He was so disgusted by the incredibly low price at which it could be bought en masse there, and the premium that Starbucks charges for it back in The States. What are your thoughts on this? Do you know anything more about it?
I have a french press that I use on occasion. It is fairly wasteful compared to drip which is why I don't use it that frequently. It is also a lot more messy and elaborate.
You can certainly buy green coffee beans far cheaper in the countries where they are grown. But by the time you factor in airfare and accommodations, you are going to have to bring back a hell of a lot to make it financially feasible. I might buy $300 worth of green coffee beans each year. I don't think the green beans will last that long before drying out.
I usually drink it first thing in the morning with my breakfast, as I already posted. As far as "rituals" are concerned, I already stated how I brew it. When I drink the coffee, I usually grasp the handle of the mug with my right hand and put it to my lips.
Lattes are great. I am also a great fan of cappuccino and espresso, especially when you drink them in the West Village and Little Italy in Manhattan in the sidewalk coffee shops. I have yet to find a form of coffee that I didn't like, and that includes chocolate-covered coffee beans. I'd even drink instant coffee instead of going without.
There are lots of coffees that I haven't tried yet, especially the far more expensive ones like Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain. There are also lots of South and Central American hard bean coffees I haven't tried either because I'm not a big fan of that region. They are too bland and smooth for my tastes. But I should order a pound of them all just so I can say I have tried them.
Then there is coffee blending. That adds a vastly great number of different variations I haven't tried.
I usually drink it first thing in the morning with my breakfast, as I already posted. As far as "rituals" are concerned, I already stated how I brew it. When I drink the coffee, I usually grasp the handle of the mug with my right hand and put it to my lips.
I grasp it with my left hand. I wake up before dawn and brew a pot, then enjoy a cup with a book in the morning quiet. Then after my walk and breakfast, I enjoy another cup and a little reading before I leave for work.
Yes, I have! I had to google the name just to even know what it means, but it brought back very fond memories flashing back into my head. A scoutmaster used to bring one on camping trips because they are ideal for making coffee over a fire. I've had moka pot coffee a few times since then and I've always enjoyed it. Moka pots use steam instead of hot water so they are similar to espresso makers. I'll definitely have to pick one up.
Have you any experience roasting in a popcorn popper? We are talking very small batches. I have a good burr grinder, but never took the plunge to get the green beans, which would have to be ordered.
I have. It's my standard way to brew at home. You get a very full bodied result, but not as potent as espresso. Presses are more convenient, but messier.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
I wake up before dawn and brew a pot, then enjoy a cup with a book in the morning quiet. Then after my walk and breakfast, I enjoy another cup and a little reading before I leave for work.
