A Sea Of Red

So, I've hated coffee all my life (and add to the list tea, beer, and wine). But, it's free everwhere you go, it's always the social drink available, and who can't resist a hot drink in the morning? So this year I forced myself to like it, and now I do enjoy drinking coffee.

We get free coffee at work, so I have a couple cups a day (Seattle's Best), but I'm still basically a newbie, just starting to really drink it since late last year. I don't ever go to a coffee shop, just seems unreasonably pricey to me, but I do want to start brewing my own.

What are your favorite brands? How about favorite blend?
Do you grind your own beans? What seems to work best for taste?
Anyone use a French press instead of a drip maker?
What additives do you use (if you use any)? I personally love the Bailey's creamers.
Who sells the best beans?

Just curious.

What are your favorite brands? Starbucks Espresso Roast( About $8 a lb but worth it) and Jamaican Blue Mountain blend.
Do you grind your own beans? I do a fine grind to order
What seems to work best for taste? It only makes a difference depending on what your coffee maker uses.
Anyone use a French press instead of a drip maker? French Press is good but I don't taste a difference.
What additives do you use (if you use any)? I personally love the Bailey's creamers. +1 on the Bailey's. Otherwise I use plain cream.
Who sells the best beans? The Muse in Wyndhurst has some good blends. Have yet to find a local roaster I enjoy.

The Good Cherry & Montana Plains both sell great coffee, as does The Muse.

Don't grind the whole bag at once, only grind what you are about to use.

If you use a French Press, don't do fine grind...do coarse. And FP is better than drip. You can see the oils in a cup of coffee made from a FP.

Also, don't use any additives, unless it's a little creamer to cool it down some.

The Good Cherry and The Muse both have great blends.

Also, Lexington Coffee Company has some excellent blends as well. Their Mexico blend is the best in my opinion.

As for my home personal use, I prefer the lighter stuff. Millstone Kona is good, and of course you can't go wrong with Dunkin Donuts. As for additives, Bailey's is nice to change it up a bit, but I tend to drink it black w/ Splenda.

And yes, I grind my own coffee. It tastes a lot better that way than buying pre-packaged ground coffee. I don't own a french press, but french pressed coffee is good.

If you're looking for nice alternatives to Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and Tim Horton's come to mind. The latter isn't available in VA (exception maybe being northern va, it's a Canadian chain) but everytime I go to West Virginia it is nothing but pure goodness, plus it's half the price of Starbucks.

Caribou is mainly a midwest brand. When I went to Minnesota the locals demanded I try it. It was really great.

As for home brew coffee, 4 cups of Maxwell House does it for me. I do include either French Vanilla or Hazelnut creamer when I'm in the mood for it.

I used to hate coffee. Then I got a job and went to college

I admit that while I can drink it black if I need to, I usually put cream & sugar in. However, there is one blend that my brother-in-law found that is incredible, and one that I can drink black and enjoy: HIGHLANDER GROGG. I've got a bag of this at home, just need to get a grinder. But it's the best-tasting coffee I've ever had, it's just really hard to find.

I've been the coffee bartender at my church for probably a dozen years (hate the word "barista"), so I'm happy to answer a few questions below. I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't drink coffee. Since my favorite professor in college drank his black, I wanted to be like him and finally developed a taste for black coffee, though I do like some of the flavored creamers for an after dinner coffee--caramel and butter pecan are my two favorite flavors.

What are your favorite brands? How about favorite blend?
For home during the week, we just buy the half caf by Maxwell House.

Do you grind your own beans? What seems to work best for taste?
I do like to grind my own beans.

Anyone use a French press instead of a drip maker?
I save French Press coffee for my weekend brew. Amazing flavor!

What additives do you use (if you use any)?
See comments above.

Who sells the best beans?
I like to buy from Green Mountain Coffee, and they even have a membership when they will send you a different flavor every month, or you can buy it locally from Farm Basket.
http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com

ALUmnus wrote:I admit that while I can drink it black if I need to, I usually put cream & sugar in. However, there is one blend that my brother-in-law found that is incredible, and one that I can drink black and enjoy: HIGHLANDER GROGG. I've got a bag of this at home, just need to get a grinder. But it's the best-tasting coffee I've ever had, it's just really hard to find.

I checked it out and it ranges from $10.95 o $21.99. Is there a certain brand you use? I'm interested in trying a lb.

Green Mountain Sumatran reserve in my Kuerig. I also love a good Kona from time to time. BLACK ONLY! I don't add anything because I actually love the taste of actual coffee.

black.

coava coffee
johnson bros
paradise roasters.

for the keurig i stick with tully's kona blend and caribou obsidian.

I really enjoy a "good" cup of coffee.
I started drinking nearky 50 years ago because I wanted a drink I could count on getting no matter where I was and I was right. I was never a fanatic (2-5 cups) but am down to 1 pr 2 now.
My wife likes European (think battery acid) and I prefer a medium strength.
We grind to use.
We use primarily Eight O'Clock Columbian. We both like Dunkin Doughnuts regular( to expensive and special for all the time).
There are truely major differences in coffee. We belonged to a coffe club for awhile and got a different bean each month. A good experience and one worth trying.
Don't be a snob. Price does not mean a better tasting cup.
Even when using the same brand every day you can get vastly different tasting cups .My wife eyeballs the measurements and I actually use the lines.
If you fill up the cup with flavored creamers, sugar etc.. the "coffee" doesn't really matter.
I look at coffee as being either a "gas an go" or an after diner sunset experience. Both are good but the sunset is great.

dunkin donuts is fantastic as well. if you are doling out the money for starbucks, switch to dunkin.

RubberMallet wrote:for the keurig i stick with tully's kona blend and caribou obsidian.

Rooster Cogburn wrote:Green Mountain Sumatran reserve in my Kuerig.

Where do you guys usually buy your K-Cups? I typically buy online from Coffee Giant or Coffee for Less, or make use of 20-percent-off coupons at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

jbock13 wrote:If you're looking for nice alternatives to Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and Tim Horton's come to mind.

I always wanted to go to a Tim Horton's and finally got to a few years back in Ontario. The waitress let me have a "Tim Hortons Always Fresh" coffee mug to take home with me.

The wife and I aren't coffee connoisseurs, but for our Keurig we really like Donut Shop by Coffee People. I drink it black, she adds creamer and sweetener.

LUminary wrote:

RubberMallet wrote:for the keurig i stick with tully's kona blend and caribou obsidian.

Rooster Cogburn wrote:Green Mountain Sumatran reserve in my Kuerig.

Where do you guys usually buy your K-Cups? I typically buy online from Coffee Giant or Coffee for Less, or make use of 20-percent-off coupons at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

we get coupons to kohls and bb&b. thats the only time i will. its starting to get pricy. but i guess all coffee is. i make use of my put your own coffee in thingy pretty often.

flamerbob wrote:

ALUmnus wrote:I admit that while I can drink it black if I need to, I usually put cream & sugar in. However, there is one blend that my brother-in-law found that is incredible, and one that I can drink black and enjoy: HIGHLANDER GROGG. I've got a bag of this at home, just need to get a grinder. But it's the best-tasting coffee I've ever had, it's just really hard to find.

I checked it out and it ranges from $10.95 o $21.99. Is there a certain brand you use? I'm interested in trying a lb.

The only grogg I've had was from here: http://www.bostonstoker.com/
It's based out of Dayton, Ohio.

LUminary wrote:

RubberMallet wrote:for the keurig i stick with tully's kona blend and caribou obsidian.

Rooster Cogburn wrote:Green Mountain Sumatran reserve in my Kuerig.

Where do you guys usually buy your K-Cups? I typically buy online from Coffee Giant or Coffee for Less, or make use of 20-percent-off coupons at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Kohl's

We typically get ours from Amazon.

If I go to starbucks I get the cinnamon dolce frap. At my house I drink folgers classic roast with some french vanilla creamer.

Just bought a Keurig for my office. Looking for a good espresso roast. Any suggestions?

timothy's expresso roast is the only one i've tried and i liked it.

flamerbob wrote:Just bought a Keurig for my office. Looking for a good espresso roast. Any suggestions?

Green Mountain makes an espresso I believe. Two of my favorites, in general, are Nantucket and Lake & Lodge (both Green Mountain).

you're all a bunch of queens.

Wawa.

Regular.

Black.

20 oz.

3-4 per day, more in the winter.

and a fistful of donuts