Thread: A Cup of Joe

I enjoy coffee all the time. We have a Kurig single cup coffee maker and a Mr. Coffee drip maker. I am not a snob at all about what I drink other than fresh. I like a little cream in my coffee, the heavier the cream the better. Milk seems to add too much sugar.
I recently decided Ice Coffee was good as well.

I get my big bags of whole beans from BJ's wholesale. I used to buy Millstone Colombian Supremo, but BJ's stopped selling it. I now get Starbucks House Blend whole beans. I grind the beans on my Cuisinart auto burr mill and prepare the coffee using filtered water on a Mr Coffee auto drip (I use a reusable filter) w/ thermal carafe. I take it with cream (1/2 & 1/2) and sugar (I like the flavor of Sugar in the Raw). On occasion, I may buy a small bag of Peet's Dickason Blend from the supermarket.

When I visit my mom, she prepares my cafe con leche using her percolator and Bustelo ground coffee.

I've tried to talk my wife into roasting our own beans, but she thinks it's a bit much. We'll see what happens.

I work for the largest green coffee storage warehouse on the west coast. We have five warehouses in the area and the one I work in is the exclusive storage for Peet's Coffee. Total we have over a half million burlap bags of coffee weighing from 134-152 lbs. each.

Originally Posted by PaulKidd

Ah yes....I prefer grinding dark roast beans just before brewing them up in either an old
Proctor Silex drip machine or thru a Chemex filter cone. When I'm on the road, I carry
a stainless steel 2-cup plunger. I have a 1-cup espresso contraption, but I seldom use
it.

As for the beans, lately I've been buying Starbucks French Roast in a 3lb bag at Costco.
Unused beans are stored in an airtight container and kept in the freezer.

Do NOT store coffee in the freezer or the fridge as it dries out the beans. Store them in an air tight container in a cool place.

I love coffee. Sadly, my blood pressure disagrees with me drinking coffee.
So I drink tea and cherish the memories of the black mistress.

Originally Posted by ProudMarineDad

Do NOT store coffee in the freezer or the fridge as it dries out the beans. Store them in an air tight container in a cool place.

There have been a number of experiments with freezing roasted beans and greens at home-barrista. As long as it is done properly, the punchline is generally that modest times (months) at very cold temps in sealed containers are just fine. The rigor of testing which goes on over there can be pretty entertaining, but I'm satisfied that my cup of espresso doesn't suffer. Personally, I typically order five pound bags of fresh roasted beans, divide into sealed jars, freeze and remove and thaw before using that week's supply.

My home espresso set-up is exactly the same as Mikael's from several pages back: mazzer major and cimbali jr. If I have guests who need their pot of drip, I'll dust off a plastic POS machine or if they will allow me to, pour over into a clever coffee maker or make an americano.

At the office, I plumbed in an auto Bloomfield which goes to thermapots. Simple and no mess for those not inclined to spend a moment to make something with a little more finesse.

Sure, I can be called a snob, but I approach it like food. Given the time and resources, I love a great meal or a great espresso. On the road, I'll take what I can find and keep my opinions to myself.

And nothing beats the old espresso machines for tinkering.

I use a nespresso machine at work and a simple drip at home,I only use espresso roast as thats the flavor I enjoy. I happen to think Starbucks Christmas Espresso roast is the best espresso I've had. I cant start a day without at least 4 shots and a bit of sugar in the raw. While i have to have my coffee in the morning i prefer a good quality loose tea through the day(Usually a good Jasmine mix of teas), and I like my tea with a bit of raw honey and some German rock sugar.

I am fortunate to have found a rebuilt Cremina 86 and a Baratza Vario. They now serve me well. Latte for my morning fix prior to stirring.

I had three Pro machines and three pro grinders.. Easier to collect razors and the Cremina gives me great brews.
I bought back my Behmor 1600 roaster and do about a pound a week.
I found two excellent greens suppliers in WI
"U-Roast-Em" and "Burmans"
I have had great luck with "Orphan Espresso" for hard to find parts and other things. They often have some wondrous collectable NOS demitasses and great old espresso machines and build their own line of hand grinders.
( for clarity, I do some custom machining for them.)

Pretty much all coffee preparation methods appeal to me and much depends on the time of year. I have French Presses, Bailette's, Vac pots, Chinese/ Vietnamese drippers, and pour-over pots.
Another resource is "Fantes" for most of the common steam and other pots and makers.
~Richard / Espressme
Coffee is only as good as when made the way you enjoy it!!

Originally Posted by ProudMarineDad

Do NOT store coffee in the freezer or the fridge as it dries out the beans. Store them in an air tight container in a cool place.

Unfortunately here in sunny Queensland, we don't often have a "cool place" except in the middle of winter

I tend to buy 250-500 grams of freshly roasted beans at a time depending on the weather and use it before it goes bad in the fridge

Originally Posted by Geezer

I am fortunate to have found a rebuilt Cremina 86 and a Baratza Vario. They now serve me well. Latte for my morning fix prior to stirring.

Richard is being modest in the coffee hobby department. Not many people have bespoke espresso tampers marketed with their name attached to them! Of course, not many people pull a shot into a stein from a cremina either.

In all seriousness, are you using that Behmor 1600 indoors, particularly during the winter? I'm afraid my family will kill me if my hobbies/projects intrude even more into the public spaces of the house.