I was wondering how the fine ladies and gentlemen of The Shave Den are enjoying their coffee; like what kind of brands, what kind of roasts etc. Or do you drink coffee to begin with? Here's how I like mine: Brand: Never packaged well-known brands (like Folgers, Maxwell House etc.), currently I buy it at Whole Foods by the pound. I always try a different blend. Roast: Usually medium roast. I might go for a dark roast occasionally. Preparation: I buy whole beans and grind them at home to brew in a drip machine. I also have a French press, but I never use it. Serving: No cream, no sugar. I thought someone might have brought this up before me and searched it, but could not find anything significant. I apologize if this was discussed before. Thanks in advance for your replies.
At home and/or on the road to work in my travelmug I have the brew from a Philips Senseo machine At work we have a Smit & Dorlas White Edition with fresh beans in either Classic or Arabica roast My coffee is never with milk or sugar, always the real deal
I stop in at a coffee shop on campus called Espresso Roma, run by an Italian family. Always espresso restretta dobla con panna. Translates to Double restricted espresso with dollop of whipped cream.
My regular coffee is Starbucks Sumatra, whole bean, ground every morning and made with a French press, with three spoonfuls of pure cane sugar and 1/2 & 1/2. I try other flavors from time to time but I love Sumatra the best.
I gave up regular coffee consumption a few years ago as I was gunning down at least a pot a day. I've become a tea drinker and have some strong black tea for breakfast, then a few cups of green tea throughout the day. Every so often, the want of coffee visits and I stop for cup at a small drive through near my house. I think they use Green Mountain coffee. All I ever order is a drink called the Hammerhead. It is a double shot of espresso dropped in a 16oz cup and filled with their house blend. I drink it black. I still have a stove top espresso maker, but havent used it in a while.
I roast my own. I try different kinds from Sweet Maria's, but have come to enjoy the Kenya beans. I take it to Full City/Full City + on the roast (just a touch past medium, just a touch under dark roast). Medium grind, then drip brew. I've come to prefer cone filters over basket filters. Cones seem to concentrate the flavor more. BLACK. Always BLACK. If I'm on the road, I'm not too picky. DD, *$, Wawa, what ever is closest when I'm ready for a cup. At work a few of us chip in to buy Maxwell House French Roast or Dark. The company supplies Folgers, but there are a few of us who just don't like Folgers.
I guess I'm just a complacent hum drum average Joe. I don't do the fancy or higher priced coffee. Folgers black silk or the Colombian (when it's on sale) combined with freshly ground 8 o'clock beans (thanks Bob for the tip) mixed into the Bunn drip coffee maker. Can't imagine life without it. Yummy.
Depends on certain factors/circumstances: In the mornings on work days, only have time for the drip machine usually. Either Community of Folgers most of the time (there are occasional exceptions). When I have the time, 8 O'clock or Community whole bean that I grind for the french press. If it's from the drip, it's a 50/50 chance of either cream and sugar or black, depending on how first sip If it's pressed, the times are rare that it's not black. At work, it's the Aeropress, again, nearly always black
I like a good colombian coffee with one sugar and no milk/cream. I have a french press but i prefer my normal coffee machine.
At home: I'm always trying different coffee beans. I always buy whole bean and grind them myself. My favorite coffee is Kenya AA. I brew it in a French press and add just a little creamer. At work: whatever we have. Bunn drip that brews the coffee into an air pot. I'm really not that picky about coffee and have been known to make coffee in a drip coffee maker (at work especially) and leave it in the pot all day and drink the sludge that's left late in the afternoon (when some of the water seems to have evaporated off).
Brand: My favorite is to buy from my local roaster (Crowfoot Valley), but it costs a bit more. So, about 1/2 the time I settle for Caribou or Archer Farms (the Target brand which is surprisingly good). Roast: I think bean origin rather than roast. The roast should be such to bring out the best in the beans and will vary from very light to reasonably dark. Favorite beans are Kenya AA, but also like Sumatra (a region in India), and most beans from Central America and the Caribbean. Preparation: I buy whole beans and grind them at home to brew in a drip machine. Occasionally TWGW grabs a package of pre-ground which we use immediately so they don't get too stale/bitter. Serving: BLACK. "Wimpies" are purely for making bad coffee into something I'm capable of sucking down in a really desperate situation. Now, aside from coffee I drink at home most of the time as it's what the wife prefers, I like tea more often. Mostly black teas with Assam and Kenyan getting the most attention. Occasionally a green or Silver Needles (the only white tea worth drinking IMHO). I will occasionally add cream to tea, but more often drink it black.
Full Vengeance from The Roasterie -- The absolute best coffee blend I've ever had. It's one of those rare dark roasts that does not taste bitter or burnt. Very smooooth. http://www.theroasterie.com/coffee/dark-line/full-vengeance-dark-blend/ I have a cuisinart grind-n-brew, so I don't really have much control over the type of grind.
Im a folgers guy. I also like the breakfast blend that a vendor has put in the local wallyworld. I can take it black or with cream and Sweet and low(diabetic) I do ocassionally induldge in starbucks.
Coffee: The operative words here are strong and dark. Favorite blends include Folgers Black Silk or just about anything French Roast. For a true pharmacuetical grade caffiene blast, I'll pick up Cafe Bustello or Naviera, both are Cuban coffees designed for Cafe con Leche. Naviera also has a very nice chicory flavor mixed in. A couple of these and you can actually hear your beard grow How do I take it: I can drink coffee just about any way but my good coffee is usually really strong so a bit of creamer and a bit of sugar is preferred.
:signs097 I used to grind my own beans and preferred any of the 8 o'clock varieties other than decaf, as my Dad attributed above. But lately I've been trying to find good ready ground coffees. It isn't easy to do because there is a lot of schlock out there but occasionally a blind squirrel finds a nut. And black 90% of the time. Only in a restaurant do I use cream and sugar. Lately though, I've been chugging down about 12 cups a day so as a New Years resolution I'm going to realign qty vs quality and cut back to a cup or two a day and start going with higher end coffees and grinding my own again. Actually, Steve (swarden) has inspired me to get some raw beans and try roasting myself to get a better more meaningful cup of joe; I've been kicking around the idea for months but am actively going to do something about it soon. I'm going to start learning about the process and the right beans to get to do so in a few days as I begin to implement my resolution. Great thread Oscar. Its interesting how personal and introspective we all are toward our coffees.
Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso is my bean. I grind it every morning and usually make it in a stove top espresso maker and drink it with a slight amount of sugar and cream-sometimes whole whipping cream which is amazing and decadent. I often drink it black and about once/week I'll make it in a french presss for variety.
Thanks for your compliments. It definitely is unique to each person; just like the way you only put cream and sugar in restaurants, I drink brewed coffee in the mornings and instant coffee in the evenings. I don't consider instant coffee as "coffee" though, it is something else that I enjoy.
I am not a connoisseur; I drink it for the the sweet drug called caffeine. When I was in the Navy, it was always black because after a few days at sea... the only people that had sugar were the people who smuggled it aboard in their seabag, and the "cream" was that nasty no refrigeration needed milk-ish stuff. So now, when I go to the store, I buy what is cheap, but I will spring here and there for the Bustello or Don Fransisco and then slap Splenda and half and half in it, with an ice cube because I need to down that nectar fast and get it in to the bloodstream without scalding my gullet. I mostly use a Bunn, but will from time to time use a French press for the Bustello. Other times, I skip the coffee altogether and slam down a Pepsi Max or two for my morning jolt.
Wow, you squids lived high on the hog. In the Marines we drank "combat espresso" - pour the packet of coffee from your MRE directly in your mouth, then take a drink of plastic-and-iodine flavored water from your canteen.