I like my coffee like I like my women... Ground up and in the freezer.... Oh, wait, that's one for the Dirty Jokes board. I previously lived in the Pacific Northwest, so I have probably tried every possible combination of coffee, milk and flavorings out there, but since moving to Puerto Rico I definitely have become fond of a traditional 6oz café con leche (basically a shot of espresso and a little steamed milk, a small latte) with a little sugar. I do my best at home with a Moka pot on the stove and heating up the milk in the microwave, but it's never quite as good as the panaderias (bakeries) around here make it.
Pretty lucky on this front. Lavazza, Intelligentsia, and about 3 Starbucks within walking distance from work. At home I'll brew beans purchased from one of these shops or will occasionally pickup some Peet's Major D Blend. When lucky, I'll score some beans from Blue Bottle. No sugar or sweetener, just a little Half & Half
I do my own mix of several flavors from the bulk, rough grind it there for my French Press. I prefer to have a small bit of Irish Creame' to sweeten it for me. But the last few months I have been drinking more tea (Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast and Earl Gray), there I use 1 suger, and 1 teaspoon of the Irish Creame' with a drip or two of lemon juice to taste.
My regular daily is Mehmet Effensi Turkish Coffee with no sugar.....When I make expresso at home generally Lavazza...And I approve of Lavazza's calenders aswell...
Total necroposting but I didn't want to open a ne thread when there was one already My coffee right now: Picked up a pound of Starbuck's Willow coffee. Never tried it before but since I like blonde coffee more and more lately I decided to give it a try. Having the second cup of it today and I must say I really like it.
No hoity-toity-fru-fru coffee for me, thanks. I like it black but not so hot to scald the tongue. I can drink it cold too.
From coffee crossroads.com: In general, though, we can categorize the most common coffee roasts from light to dark as follows: Light Roasts Light roasts are light brown in color, with a light body and no oil on the surface of the beans. Light roasts have a toasted grain taste and pronounced acidity. The origin flavors of the bean are retained to a greater extent than in darker roasted coffees. Light roasts also retain most of the caffeine from the coffee bean. Light roasted beans generally reach an internal temperature of 180°C – 205°C (356°F – 401°F). At or around 205°C, the beans pop or crack and expand in size. This is known as the “first crack” (for the “second crack,” see below). So a light roast generally means a coffee that has not been roasted beyond the first crack. Some common roast names within the Light Roast category are Light City, Half City, Cinnamon Roast (roasted to just before first crack), and New England Roast (a popular roast in the northeastern United States, roasted to first crack). Medium Roasts Medium roasted coffees are medium brown in color with more body than light roasts. Like the lighter roasts, they have no oil on the bean surfaces. However, medium roasts lack the grainy taste of the light roasts, exhibiting more balanced flavor, aroma, and acidity. Caffeine is somewhat decreased, but there is more caffeine than in darker roasts. Medium roasts reach internal temperatures between 210°C (410°F) and 220°C (428°F) — between the end of the first crack and just before the beginning of the second crack. Common roast names within the Medium Roast level include Regular Roast, American Roast (the traditional roast in the eastern United States, roasted to the end of the first crack), City Roast (medium brown, a typical roast throughout the United States), and Breakfast Roast. Medium-Dark Roasts Medium-dark roasts have a richer, darker color with some oil beginning to show on the surface of the beans. A medium-dark roast has a heavy body in comparison with the lighter or medium roasts. The beans are roasted to the beginning or middle of the second crack — about 225°C (437°F) or 230°C (446°F). The flavors and aromas of the roasting process become noticeable, and the taste of the coffee may be somewhat spicy. Among the most common names for a medium-dark roast are Full-City Roast (roasted to the beginning of the second crack), After Dinner Roast, and Vienna Roast (roasted to the middle of the second crack, sometimes characterized as a dark roast instead). Dark Roasts Dark roasted coffees are dark brown in color, like chocolate, or sometimes almost black. They have a sheen of oil on the surface, which is usually evident in the cup when the dark roast coffee is brewed. The coffee’s origin flavors are eclipsed by the flavors of the roasting process. The coffee will generally have a bitter and smoky or even burnt taste. The amount of caffeine is substantially decreased. To reach the level of a dark roast, coffee beans are roasted to an internal temperature of 240°C (464°F) — about the end of the second crack — or beyond. They are seldom roasted to a temperature exceeding 250°C (482°F), at which point the body of the beans is thin and the taste is characterized by flavors of tar and charcoal. Dark roasts go by many names. As a result, buying a dark roast can be confusing. Some of the more popular designations for a dark roast include French Roast, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, Continental Roast, New Orleans Roast, and Spanish Roast. Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends. So there you have it — a short guide to the common coffee roasts from light to dark. To summarize the differences, in addition to the color gradations: As coffee roasts get darker, they lose the origin flavors of the beans and take on more flavor from the roasting process. The body of the coffee gets heavier, until the second crack, where the body again thins. Lighter roasts have more acidity than darker roasts. Light roasted beans are dry, while darker roasts develop oil on the bean surface. The caffeine level decreases as the roast gets darker.
I have yet to find a light roast that compels me to try it a second time. I've done a few light roasts at home, but perhaps I'm just not a fan of the brightness & acidity on the tongue so many of the light roasts seem to inherently have.
I prefer medium-dark roasts. Currently my only coffee options (at home and work) are via a Keurig machine and I buy Gevalia or Lavazza K-Cups, sprinkle a little bit of stevia extract into it and real half-n-half in my stainless steel double-wall insulated mug.
I know what you mean - initially the increase in acidity worried me as well but after a few pounds of coffee I found that I much preferred the acidity of the light roast to the bitterness of the dark. I also rather enjoy the extra caffeine kick in the lighter roast and that I taste more of the beans themselves (all dark roasts started to just taste the same to me regardless of what beans were used). I might just be a light-roast-guy going forward
I agree. Dark roast mask the taste for me. If I have to drink dark roasted coffee, I will add some almond milk to mask the roast.
