make a really good cup of coffee

ok... what's the secret?

i don't mean stuff like turn on the mr. coffee as i roll outta bed type o' stuff... i mean what type of bean, grind, prep method, additives... what is it that one can do at home to make a really fantastic cup o' joe.

*nudges ezzy* WAKE UP!

I like fresh ground the best. Antigua, costa rica, and camaroon are all pretty tasty, with antigua at the top. for the daily grind at work I normally drink chock full of nuts preground. 5 well rounded spoonfuls to 10-6oz cups using a wendy's spoon.
Oh, always cut the power to the coffee after maybe 10-15 minutes or it'll burn.

EJ,

As a professional coffee drinker let me add a couple of suggestions.

First, a fresh can of Folgers is good enough. It doesn't have to be $20.00 a pound to be a good coffee. Second, perk it as the directions state. Depending on how you like it sweetened, do it. Then use whipping cream (not whipped cream) as the creamer.

Also be aware of the different brands. A french roast is a lot stronger than plain Folger's, etc. Personally, I like a "cup of Joe," not the drinks that require a Phd in to mix at Starbucks. Plain and simple.

Cheers,
Brad

Try spicing up your average Joe coffee with some salt.
Salt?! WTF?
No, seriously, try 5 grains (or 10, geez, it's not an exact science) per can. Oh yeah, put it on top of the beans.

Camp coffee. new age style.

Bring enamel coffee pot to a boil. Take off the direct fire or coals.

Throw in Qty:1 maxwell house coffee filter with coffee sealed in side.

Let steep twenty minutes and then throw out grounds and filter.

Add what ever to taste.

Warning! If you expect to hold a fishing Pole still or not to have your hands shake or take a nap sooner than six to eight hours only drink one cup or mug.

EJFan said:

ok... what's the secret?

i don't mean stuff like turn on the mr. coffee as i roll outta bed type o' stuff... i mean what type of bean, grind, prep method, additives... what is it that one can do at home to make a really fantastic cup o' joe.

*nudges ezzy* WAKE UP!

Click to expand...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm did someone say coffee?

There are two methods I use when out camping and away from the Mr. coffee. The first method also works for "special" brewing at home.

We have a small coffee mill in the camping gear, so the first thing I do is put the pan of water on to boil, and while that is getting up to heat, I grind the coffee beans.

I like some of the Hawaiian and Papua New Guinea beans for a fine morning (sort of flowery flavored coffee), but any medium roast bean will do nicely (when I am feeling flush I buy Jamaca Blue Mauntain Peaberry) oh coffee gods thank you.

If you can remember not to grind you beans more than 10 minutes before use, you will loose less of the essential oils this way.

Many years ago I read a thesis on coffee making, and it had been done as a full chemical analysis of the most effective alkaloid extraction / flavor comparison, they stated that water at 98° C made the best flavored coffee (with the heaviest alkaloid load).

For a while I made coffee and used a thermometer to make sure the water was at 98° C, then I started timing and for 12 cups it takes around 4 minutes to get to 98° C at ordinary temperatures and pressures.

Please note this is for coffee being made and drunk at up to 1,000’ above sea level, higher coffee drinkers will find that their water will boil at below 100° C (boiling point of water at 1 Bar below 1,000’)

I use a pressure cooker when camping above 2,000’ and it comes in really handy when in the mountains at 8,000’ or higher.

So I pour the water into the filter and over the coffee grounds at 4 minutes after it has been taken off the heat at a full boil.

We use an enameled coffee jug when camping and it sits near enough to the fire to keep hot without becoming bitter from continued “stewing” this is a distance learned through years of trail and error.

The coffee brewed this way will be good for up to an hour and a half, before it will start to need replacing.

The other method is more along the lines of Greek or Turkish or Trail Coffee.

Put the water on to boil, grind the beans, when the water boils add two cups of sugar to the water and stir in well, you want to make a super saturated solution if you can, then when the sugar starts to make a layer at the bottom add the coffee to the boiling water sugar mix, allow to simmer (not boil for 5 minutes) take off the heat and serve, this brew is more bitter and sweet than I normally take my coffee, and you have to learn not to pour to the bottom of the jug, once you get used to brewing this way you quickly learn not to fill your cup with coffee grounds.

This coffee is good for only 20 minutes or so 30 at the outside, then brew more fresh, it carries quite a kick and will not be acceptable to the Latte drinkers you know.

This is the kind of cup of Joe that you can stand a spoon up right in on a chilly mornings camp in the high mountains, the sort of brew that everyone will get out of their sleeping bag for after you tried to get them awake for 10 minutes.

ezzy... next time you post something so lengthy, include a table of contents, would you?

fgarvb1... i like your style

<table border=1 border color="#ff0000"><tr><td>Sure</td><td>no</td><td>problem</td></tr></table>

Double the coffee grounds. Strong is good!

anyone ever tried a french press?

i don't mean the kind with dumbbells... i mean for coffee.

EJFan said:

ok... what's the secret?

Click to expand...

freshly ground high quality coffee beans (ground with a conical burr grinder), filtered water, and a french press

mmmmmm.....coffeeeeee......

living in seattle (coffee snob capital of the u.s., but in a good way i've learned a bit about the java.

there's a place here called "vivace espresso" on broadway ave. in capitol hill that has the *most* amazing coffee i've ever experienced. i've learned that they do the following (not sure if it's the difference, but it just has to be)...

1. they use triple-filtered water.
2. they roast their own beans.
3. when they "pull" from the grind (when the water and coffee grind makes the espresso, they stop short of pulling. for example, starbucks pulls the grind until nothing else comes out, but apparently that last few seconds of the pull is where the too much of the acid and other bad tastes pour out....so they stop a few seconds short.

this probably doesn't help, but i thought i'd share anyway

amvc said:

1. they use triple-filtered water.
2. they roast their own beans.
3. when they "pull" from the grind (when the water and coffee grind makes the espresso, they stop short of pulling. for example, starbucks pulls the grind until nothing else comes out, but apparently that last few seconds of the pull is where the too much of the acid and other bad tastes pour out....so they stop a few seconds short.

Click to expand...

Having made coffee from just about every possible quality of coffee beans, roasting technique, grinding process, and other variable all over the world, for people who define a good cup of cofee differently, the only thing I can say positively about making a "good" cup of coffee is that if the water tastes bad, so will the coffee.

Other than the quality of the water, the definition of a "good" cup of coffee is almost entirely subjective -- it's much easier to get agreement on what constitutes BAD cofee than it is to get a consensus on what constitutes "good" coffee.

I'll eventually buy myself a french press... but for now, I've learned how to make a great cup o' coffee using just a grinder & my ordinary Mr. Coffee.

H2O

As Harold mentioned, starting out with good water is crucial. If your water smells or tastes icky, it's going to ruin your coffee.

Beans

It's also important to use good quality beans. I prefer fresh roasted (there are a few coffee shops in my area that roast their own beans and sell 'em), but if you can't get your paws on some store-bought is okay. The key is to select the beans based on smell, so the kind you scoop yourself are better than the pre-bagged brands. Once you select a flavor, give it a good whiff - if you don't totally love the aroma, move on to a different kind.

When I grind my beans, I fill the cover of the grinder with beans to measure (approx. 1/4 cup, maybe a little less). I grind them fairly fine, as I prefer a stronger cup of coffee.

Additives

Occasionally I'll add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in with the grinds in the filter - it's a little trick I learned in Mexico, and adds a nice spice to the coffee. I've experimented with unsweetened cocoa powder as well, but haven't been as successful with that.

For sweeteners, I prefer 1/2 packet of Splenda per average-size mug (whole packet if I break out the Big Mug).

Heavy cream is my preferred lightener, though I'm intrigued by the idea of using whipping cream. When cream or half&half isn't available, I will tolerate milk. However, I'd rather go without coffee than suffer the taste of non-dairy powdered crap.

This may be another long post!!!

I had to look up "French Press" as I know it by the European name Cafetiere.

Surprise, surprise I have had and used 2 or 3 of these over the years, it is not a bad way to make fresh coffee, but it is most useful if you are going to consume the coffee immediately, if left for more than 20 minutes it starts to grow bitter as the grounds are still in the pot.

I will shorten the whole of what I was going to add as I have found a nice site to show all those who have more interest.

Sweet Maria's

Down at the bottom of the following page "French press" you can find the list of other coffee making styles, the Ibrik is the style of "Pan" coffee I referred to in "article one" for making Greek or Turkish coffee.

The French Press has good clear instructions and tips, well worth following to get a
good cup of coffee.

I have also had and used several different version of what "Sweet Maria's" call Mochapots, in British English often called an "Italian Bomb" made from Aluminum or stainless steel.

Each of the different methods of brewing has different requirements as to the fineness rating of the grounds the same coffee beans can be used just ground to different levels.

If you want to upgrade your coffee experience there are several ways you can go: -

If you like filter coffee but don’t want the chance of tasting paper in your coffee, consider buying a gold coated inner fine filter and doing away with the filter papers altogether.

If you use a Cafetiere / French press then think about adding a finer “trap” and be a little gentler and take a few extra seconds to push the press down.

If you use an Ibrik, the triple heat method makes the best brew, and the technique for not getting coffee grounds into the cup needs to be practiced and learned, you can’t make a “quick cup” Ibrik style. This is part of the reason that Greek and Turkish coffee is a celebration and ceremony (akin to the Japanese Tea Ceremony) rather than “Just a drink”.

The biggest change you can make is to buy the highest quality of bean you can afford, and grind it fresh for each pot of coffee, I like to buy “Aribica” beans when I have the money, find a good coffee roaster if you can in your town, if there are none, try Sweet Maria’s online store or any other online store.

So there is another enlightening post by one of Lits coffee aficionados.

Ps I agree whole heartedly with WH, there is nothing that ruins good coffee quicker than “bad water”.

Pps. Brewing a fresh pot of coffee now, French Roast, drip filter style.

Lynxie said:

Additives

For sweeteners, ...

Heavy cream is my preferred lightener,

Click to expand...

Why go to all the trouble of making a good cup of coffee if you're just going to hide the taste with sweeteneres and lighteners?

Seriously, that's why I said a good cup of coffee is almost entirely a personal, subjective, definition.

My one daughter who drinks coffee likes various flavored coffees, like blackberry and French Vanilla. I have no idea where she picked up such disgusting tastes from.

I've only found one flavored coffee that I like, and a couple of others that are at least drinkable -- the one flavored coffee I like is the Jamaican Rum Spice Seven-11 features during the holidays, or a similar blend which can sometimes be found in the whole bean section of the local grocery store. I suppose I like that one flavored coffee because the one additive I ever routinely used was Rum or Bourbon before I gave up drinking; Rum Flavored coffee is a way to drag my toes off the Wagon without falling off completely.

y'all must have a lot of time on your hands.

Papua Coffee

Columbian

Brazilian

Kenyan

Java

Yemen

My personal Coffee wish list.

Weird Harold said:

Why go to all the trouble of making a good cup of coffee if you're just going to hide the taste with sweeteneres and lighteners?

Seriously, that's why I said a good cup of coffee is almost entirely a personal, subjective, definition.


I've only found one flavored coffee that I like, and a couple of others that are at least drinkable -- the one flavored coffee I like is the Jamaican Rum Spice Seven-11 features during the holidays, or a similar blend which can sometimes be found in the whole bean section of the local grocery store.

Click to expand...

Amen brother!

mrtnmoon said:

y'all must have a lot of time on your hands.

Click to expand...

If coffee is worth making, it is worth making then drinking, good coffee!

Ezzy said:

My personal Coffee wish list.

Click to expand...

When I attended the NCO academy, my roommate was stationed in Panama and brought a couple of pounds of Panamanian "Cafe Puro" brand with him. It was a fine (expresso) ground, dark roasted coffee that brewed strong dark, almost oily, cup of coffee without any trace of acidity or bitterness.

I've occasionally looked for Panamanian coffee in specialty shops, but rarely found any and couldn't afford what I did find.

Weird Harold said:

When I attended the NCO academy, my roommate was stationed in Panama and brought a couple of pounds of Panamanian "Cafe Puro" brand with him. It was a fine (expresso) ground, dark roasted coffee that brewed strong dark, almost oily, cup of coffee without any trace of acidity or bitterness.

I've occasionally looked for Panamanian coffee in specialty shops, but rarely found any and couldn't afford what I did find.

Click to expand...

Panamanian I hope that might help find one for you.

You can go with anything previously said, but add to it this - measure your coffee. Figure out the strength you like, then use the same spoon/scooper/whatever every time. Don't just eyeball it.

Well, for the BEST coffee, you really need to roast your own beans... I roast every weekend, making enough for the week.

An excellent grinder, a good espresso machine, and you're all set.

See http://www.coffeegeek.com

-S

Am a serious coffee drinker. i like it strong, & dark .. no sugar (am sweet enough already i guess). i don't 'do' coffee places like Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks .... they make it too weak for me.

i have used every brand of coffee maker out there in the past 21 years i've enjoyed drinking coffee. They always fail me .. electric failures ... burnt out parts etc.

i have been back to the basics for about 2 weeks now . Went to a local Ace Hardware Store and purchased one of those old fashioned stove top perculator stainless steel coffee pots... for $14.95. i'm loving it.

Only tricks i follow:

• i add at least 1 heeping tablespoon of coffee per cup of H2O
• i never use soaps or detergents to clean the pot .. i use a paste of salt & H2O
• i rinse the pot with a half & half mixture of vinigar & water after cleansing it
• sometimes for a treat i add a few drops of my favorite extracts (almond or vanilla are my flavors of choice) to the coffee prior to perking

Master is one of the only people i have ever known who has never even tasted coffee. He hates the smell even.

live in an area where we take coffee very seriously ... and to the extreme. We have coffee syrups which we mix with milk (just like how a cup of chocolate milk is prepared). We have coffee ice cream & drink coffee frappes & milkshakes too. We have coffee flavored candies & fudge and cakes as well.

If we travel too far (as little as 60 miles in any direction) and enter a restaurant and order a 'coffee milk' ... they look at us oddly & bring us a cup of coffee with a glass of milk on the side.