The best coffee?

[Jozanny]

How do you make, or where do you buy your best cup ofcoffee?

Do you have a favorite blend?

In last 06, the occasional comforts of materialism made themselves manifest when I purchased a Krups aroma control, and can safely say it is the best coffee maker I've ever spent money on, even after Joey the cat knocked it off the counter and dented the carafe!:flare:

I have Starbucks moments, but lead toward Dunkin for iced, even though both franchises are evil:p And my favorite independent shop is just off Rittenhouse Square.

I drink dark Italian Roast daily, and my bloodstream has long since converted from hemoglobin to coffee bean!:D

[dpike13]

Gday Jozanny,
i have had starbucks coffee in America and in Australia where it has recently started to be franchised like wild fire and hoenstly tastes like how do i not over sell it the rear end of a ferrel goat.

Americans i have to say make the best coffee however in Australia i would have to say the local just random privately owned Coffee places here tend to make better Coffee the the Gloria Jeans and Starbucks

[djy78usa]

I love Dunkin' Donuts coffee, but I see that some McDonalds have switched to Green Mountain Coffee. An ex-girlfriend got me hooked on Green Mountain's "Our Blend," so I might have to change up my morning routine. I prefer non-flavored coffee, black with no sugar, but every once in awhile I enjoy some of the flavored blends. Green Mountain's "Southern Pecan" stands out. "New Orleans Blend with Chicory," from Community Coffee, is also very good.

[jgweed]

"I measure my life in coffee spoons."

The best coffee is that which is freshly ground at home and brewed straight away.

[manolia]

I love coffee :D but i only drink one cup a day (too much coffee makes me irritable and potentially dangerous :D ).

I have 3 different coffee machines in my office. A cappuccino/espresso, filter and a frappe machine :D (frappe is very much loved in greece as we are a frappe nation, but i seldon drink it, due to sensitive stomach). I usually drink greek/turkish coffee (which is in fact arabian if i am not mistaken :lol:) or filter coffee (i usually call this french coffee but my bf always corrects me and says it is german coffee..figures). During the summer i switch to freddo cappuccino or freddo espresso.

[Virgil]

Out of the chain stores, I definitely prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee to Starbucks. In fact I don't care for Starbucks coffee. It is too roasted for my taste. I'm usually able to find very good coffee from local stores that are not chains. I'm not sure what they use, but it tastes perfect. I bet it's just regular coffee that you buy in a supermarket. I'm not even sure what I use at home.

[Hayley Zero]

The best coffee is coffee that was made for you by someone who cares about you! I love to make delicious capuccino for my dear friends & serve them with love and sugar.

[vheissu]

During the summer i switch to freddo cappuccino or freddo espresso.

I'll be in Greece in a few hours (well, tomorrow morning!) and that's exactly what I've been craving!

I'm quite addicted to espresso: I have a tiny espresso maker, makes enough just for one shot but it comes out ok.

The best ever coffee I've had was in Italy....:)

[dramasnot6]

With cinnamon and vanilla :D
I am quite the fan of Starbucks Soy Vanilla Lattes.


The best coffee is coffee that was made for you by someone who cares about you! I love to make delicious capuccino for my dear friends & serve them with love and sugar.

I agree. :) I love making coffees for my friends and family, or any other drink. *expert mixologist in training*

[Niamh]

My fav coffee is actually Bewleys De Caf! Its got a beautiful smooth texture.

[novlist*star*]

In the morning I like to drink kind of coffee it called Latte..mmmmm it so delicious..

But please my friends do not drink alot of any kind of coffee it is dangerous for your health (*_*)

[applepie]

I fresh grind my coffee every morning. I brew it normally in a coffee machine, but I buy good beans. The best I've had is Hawaiian Kona, but I can't afford it as more than a VERY rare treat. It is running about $35 a pound, and that is through an online wholesaler. Other than that, I guess my favorite is just plain old Columbian. The real key is the fresh roasted beans, they're done after I place my order, and the fresh grind each morning. Nothing beats it for me.

[Tersely]

The best coffee is coffee that was made for you by someone who cares about you! I love to make delicious capuccino for my dear friends & serve them with love and sugar.

Does that count when an 8 year old loves you and decides to figure out how to work the coffeemaker? :lol:
In all seriously I don't really buy coffee on the outside, but I do brew Dunkin Donuts at home. Gotta be in a coffee mood though.

[blackbird_9]

My name is Stephanie, and I'm a corporate coffee junkie. :(
If I'm at school, I go to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf across the street where I either order a double capuccino or an extreme ice-blended mocha (depending on the weather).
If I'm in the media district or Hollywood, it's all about Starbucks and their iced caramel macciatos.
And, lastly, if I'm uptown, I gravitate towards Pete's Coffee. Definitely the best of the three in all regards no matter what you order.
And god knows, I'm always game for a cup of black strong coffee whenever and wherever.
Oh, and an espresso after dinner if I'm out and the restaurant serves it.
I have coffee at least 2 if not 3 times a day. It's the biggest money drain. I swear.
I really have a problem. *bursts into tears*

[Joreads]

I just attended a Coffee Festival here in Sydney at The Rocks. You can sample coffee from all over the place for $1. Heavan here on earth

[Jozanny]

I fresh grind my coffee every morning. I brew it normally in a coffee machine, but I buy good beans. The best I've had is Hawaiian Kona, but I can't afford it as more than a VERY rare treat. It is running about $35 a pound, and that is through an online wholesaler. Other than that, I guess my favorite is just plain old Columbian. The real key is the fresh roasted beans, they're done after I place my order, and the fresh grind each morning. Nothing beats it for me.

Ah, a member after my own heart! I have heard of Kona. Trader Joes tried to push it on me coz I am always bleating at their grinder. I am in quest of the most perfectly brewed cup in all the world! Impossible attainment?:p

[bree]

The best coffee is the one I make at home which is Kenko red label

[Jozanny]

Interesting article

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/23/cities-coffee-expensive-forbeslife-cx_zg_0724expensivecoffee.html?partner=yahoobuzz

[Bakiryu]

The best coffee is Cuban coffee!

It's brewn in the old-fashioned metal coffee-makers and drunk in tiny coffee cups.

I take mine without sugar or cream. Yum!

I think most coffee is too watery, the cups are too big!

[kiz_paws]

Wow, some very good responses here, too many to cite!

Here in the Canadian Prairies, Tim Horton's gives you an always reliable source of excellent coffee. Really.

At my home, I have to say that I brew a mean cup of joe, and I buy the Tim Horton beans, so lots can be said about it -- afterall, I DO have blood in my coffee veins! ;)

Great thread!! :)

[Jozanny]

Wow, some very good responses here, too many to cite!

I agree it has been a great little thread. I wish I could take it with me to angle a trade piece or even MSM article, since coffee excites me, but the idea hasn't come to me yet.

It is a great thread anyway.:p

[wilbur lim]

I relish drinking coffee throughout the sweltering or mild day,it is apparently a beer.

[NikolaiI]

The best way to drink coffee, to me, is just to halve it with milk. I've been doing that for years. . no sugar, just whole milk. It's not quite cafe-au-lait, because that's steamed milk. . if you ask me, an unnecessary procedure, as it tastes just as good.

[Helga]

black as midnight on a moonless night

[Pompey Bum]

Black. Because (as they used to say in the day) if I'd wanted a cup of cream and sugar, I wouldn't have ordered coffee.

[Clopin]

I put the grounds in a pot of boiling water and let them sink to the bottom before just pouring from the pot, I used to have a strainer but I don't know where it got to. I find drip coffee at most places too weak. I go either black or a small amount of cream dependent entierely on how hot/cold the coffee will likely be, if it's going to remain hot by the time I finish it I like it black, if I think it will cool off I prefer to have cream.

[YesNo]

I prefer espresso, black without sugar, but since I don't have an espresso machine and wouldn't know how to use one I get by with a French press.

[Pompey Bum]

I go either black or a small amount of cream dependent entierely on how hot/cold the coffee will likely be, if it's going to remain hot by the time I finish it I like it black, if I think it will cool off I prefer to have cream.

The issue of temperature is one that many people don't consider (except with iced coffee, which is virtually another beverage). There is nothing like a piping hot cup of coffee on a cold morning, but apart from that I usually drink coffee at room temperature, which brings the taste out. It is the same with teas, but only the really good ones, like tong-ting oolong or something (and anything less than a really good tea is not worth drinking). I always thought it was a personal eccentricity, so it's interesting to meet someone else who has figured it out.

I know what you are saying about drip filters, too, but the solution is just to use more coffee. If you grind your own beans, grinding them thinner helps, too. I would always recommend going with a good coffee rather than the cheap stuff (which is pretty vile). Another tip is to wait until the supermarkets clear out their coffee stock (which they do about twice a year), and to buy all the expensive brands they have on their shelves at around 50% off. Stock up when it's cheap and you don't have to worry about price fluctuation.

[Emil Miller]

When I was in my twenties,I always had coffee with milk until one day I was with a friend driving through northern France and we stopped at a bistro in a small village and ordered two coffees. The owner brought us two small cups of black coffee, very hot and sweet with brandy added. It was the best coffee I have ever drunk and from then on I have always taken it black.
Similarly with tea, I had always drunk Indian tea which is usually taken with milk and sugar, until I went to China and found everyone, naturally enough, drinking Chinese tea; which isn't. I haven't had Indian tea since and have cut down my sugar intake accordingly.
It would seem that travel not only broadens the mind but can change a person's drinking habits.

[Pompey Bum]

When I was in my twenties,I always had coffee with milk until one day I was with a friend driving through northern France and we stopped at a bistro in a small village and ordered two coffees. The owner brought us two small cups of black coffee, very hot and sweet with brandy added. It was the best coffee I have ever drunk and from then on I have always taken it black.
Similarly with tea, I had always drunk Indian tea which is usually taken with milk and sugar, until I went to China and found everyone, naturally enough, drinking Chinese tea; which isn't. I haven't had Indian tea since and have cut down my sugar intake accordingly.
It would seem that travel not only broadens the mind but can change a person's drinking habits.

I had my first cup of coffee alone at a diner when I was 16. I remember making the decision that I would not take it with sugar so that calories wouldn't be a concern (something I always heard women complaining about, along with how awful the saccharin they used instead of it tasted). For all the stupid things that little hippy did, I have to give him credit for getting at least one thing right.

I took milk (or cream when I could get it) in those early days, though. I gave milk up much later when my wife and I decided that it wasn't worth buying anymore. It would have been annoying if I was always missing milk in my coffee at home, so I gave up it up when I was away from home, too, knowing that where habits are concerned, body and mind can get used to almost anything. On special occasions (birthdays, Christmas mornings, etc.), I may take cream in my coffee, which is a delicious treat, but where milk is concerned, I've never looked back.

[readspider]

Best coffee I have ever had was in the highlands of New Guinea and it was the local bean.

The cooks and baristas there (a huge gold mine camp) were locals but highly trained in there arts and it was heaven.

[Melanie]

...The best I've had is Hawaiian Kona, but I can't afford it as more than a VERY rare treat. It is running about $35 a pound, and that is through an online wholesaler...
Coffee…The package description of Hawaiian Kona Coffee reads like seductive poetry (see below) and tastes like poetry. Yet, I only pay a fraction of what it's worth. Here's my secret: I buy mine at...drumroll...TJMaxx for 7.99 a lb (or Marshall's). I know, I know, this discount store is so unworthy of this masterpiece but never-the-less there it sits, in the gourmet isle, in all it's glory…and has been for years and years. You may think it's not fresh but my current bag has an expiration date of Dec. 11, 2015. You can get whole beans or ground. It's absolutely authentic too!

Brewing…Pure Mountain Spring Water is a MUST. I have a Braun Coffeemaker with a fine metal mesh strainer then I also use a brown paper filter (unbleached) but I'm not sure if the paper filter is necessary.

Almond Milk…I add some Organic Almond Milk Unsweetened that I purchase at Whole Foods. It's their own store brand of organic products called "365" at 1.99 for 32 fl oz.. Surprisingly, it's cheaper than any other brands at any other grocery stores. It's also a little creamier and tastes better.

Poetry...Here's the sensuous description on the package:

Overlooking The Vast
Blue Green Pacific Ocean

Parry Estate Kona Coffee is
grown on Mauna Loa's mountain slopes
bathed in crystalline rain water
cooled by tropical trade winds
and nourished by fire

The island's seductive setting
produces a coffee vibrant in flavor
with a strikingly exotic character
unique to this world-renowned varietal favorite

Sun ripened coffee cherries
are hand-picked, sun dried,
expertly graded, roasted in batches,
and blended to ensure the highest quality

Our family oversees this entire process
to bring you the distinctive intense flavor
of the world's finest Kona Blend Coffee

Centuries ago King Kamehameha
cultivated his royal fields on the fertile
volcanic mountain slopes of Mauna Loa
where today the Parry Estate thrives

Hundreds of acres have been preserved
to protect the ecological and historical heritage
of this extraordinary paradise
exotic wildlife and lush rainforest vegetation flourish
in our carefully planned natural habitats

We are passionately committed to preserving the
fertile soil and crystalline waters for future generations
through sustainable agricultural practices

[Emil Miller]

[QUOTE=Melanie;1280393]Coffee…The package description of Hawaiian Kona Coffee reads like seductive poetry (see below)


Wow! Talk about poetic licence. Your signature should read: 'Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink Hawaiian Kona Coffee.

[Helga]

That poetic description sounds great, I'd like to try it someday.

I have found that I prefer African coffee, a strong black cup of some good African coffee is hard to beat. I brew in my Bialetti.

I actually wrote a poem about my black cup once, and my brother turned it into a song. It's probably my only real love poem, and coffee my only real love.

[108 fountains]

I also like African coffee. I should be more specific and say Ethiopian coffee as that’s the only African coffee I’ve had. The Ethiopians believe that the drink originated there in the area around Kaffa in the southwest. They have an elaborate coffee ceremony for brewing at home. Both the ceremony and the coffee are wonderful experiences. (Coffee brewing is definitely an ancient practice in Ethiopia, but since it is an ancient practice in many parts of the world, I have doubts about any country’s claim to be the origin.)

I also like coffee that is blended with chicory. The first place I ever had that was at Café du Monde in New Orleans. It gives it a somewhat bitter, chocolaty flavor. It’s best when you add milk to counteract the bitterness; at Café du Monde it’s served as café au lait.

Another interesting coffee is Vietnamese “chon” coffee. The beans used to make this coffee are extracted from the feces of civet cats (a kind of weasel) that have eaten them but only partially digested them. I’ve had it several times and will admit that it really is good, but I always wondered who the first person was to dig those beans out of a pile of civet feces and say, “Mmmm… I think I’ll try brewing these!”

[Helga]

Another interesting coffee is Vietnamese “chon” coffee. The beans used to make this coffee are extracted from the feces of civet cats (a kind of weasel) that have eaten them but only partially digested them. I’ve had it several times and will admit that it really is good, but I always wondered who the first person was to dig those beans out of a pile of civet feces and say, “Mmmm… I think I’ll try brewing these!”

This is done with beans from feces of other animals too. I once heard that the workers who had to pick the ripe berries and slave all day long to get the beans ready for sale were not allowed to use them themselves, but they saw the animals eat the berries and the beans came whole in the droppings so they cleaned them and roasted and had what is now some of the most expensive beans you can get.

What I like about African coffee is that it often has more acidity than many others. my local barista is a multiple brewing champion and I get all my info from him, he has the best coffee too.

[Pompey Bum]

I used to eat the civets themselves when I lived in Africa, but that was another day. A nice cheery cup of bug poop tea is about all I manage anymore. I told you getting old was no fun.