OK I Admit It - I'm a Coffee Snob. Who Else??

[seenred]

Hey buddy, nice thread! The fam and I love coffee and try different roasts when we can! One of our favs is a local roasted brand! I will also say that during our exchange this last Christmas, @JLeonard sent some tasty coffee that was local to him!

Thanks my friend!

In the early 2000's Bunn had a recall on these . The lid switch was catching fire and burning houses down . I had mine registered , and they sent parts , or I would have never known about it . When I took it apart the wiring was melted and the switch was charred . I replaced the parts , but never trusted it again and tossed it in the trash .
I wasn't going to bring it up , but since people are talking about older equipment and Bunn coffee makers I'll just put it out there for FYI .
I think the dates were 2005 through 2009 .

Yikes! Never heard this - and I'm pretty sure we used a Bunn for several years during that same time frame! Scary to think that we might have had a ticking bomb in our kitchen and didn't even know it!

Red

 

[zwiller]

In the early 2000's Bunn had a recall on these . The lid switch was catching fire and burning houses down . I had mine registered , and they sent parts , or I would have never known about it . When I took it apart the wiring was melted and the switch was charred . I replaced the parts , but never trusted it again and tossed it in the trash .
I wasn't going to bring it up , but since people are talking about older equipment and Bunn coffee makers I'll just put it out there for FYI .
I think the dates were 2005 through 2009 .

Forgot all about that! That's when we had ours. Our serial # or something confirmed it was safe but that was freaky. Bunn fast coffee magic is killer though. Have one here in the offfice still.

 

[GaryHibbert]

I used to grind my own beans, but it became too much of a PIA, being on the road most of the time. So I switched to store bought pre ground. I like dark roast, and the best I've ever found is Van Houte Medium--it is better than any other Dark Roast.
I drink 3 mugs black every morning and then fill my thermos--there aren't any coffee shops when you're hauling gravel or logs off road. The coffee keeps me going when I'm working 10 to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Couldn't live without it.
Gary

 

[fltsfshr]

I have a collection of old makers both hand and stovetop. Currently I use a Brevelle Coffeemaker. It has settable brew temps, bloom times, flow rate etc. and a thermal carafe. You can change them depending on the roast you are brewing. Excellent coffee maker. https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/coffee/bdc450.html?sku=BDC450BSS1BUS1

 

[noboundaries]

Ahhhh, coffee.

I grew up on Folgers because that's what my dad drank until the day he died in his mid-80s. I do not recall EVER seeing him drink water. It was coffee, soda, beer, and cocktails in that order. He drank at least 6 cups of coffee a day, and often two pots.

I worked dorm security from midnight to 8 AM five nights a week to help pay my portion of costs thru uni. Folgers was my sleep defense brewed in a percolator I carried with me to work. This was well before the explosion of Starbucks-like coffee shops.

Then came Navy coffee until a port call in Singapore. I took one sip in a hotel restaurant and my life changed forever. That was the richest, least bitter-tasting coffee I'd ever experienced. A port call in Mombasa, Kenya delivered the same taste experience. I spent years searching for that rich, powerful flavor once I returned to the States.

Local coffee roasters helped, but I was still using a percolator. One of the coffee roasters suggested a Melita pour-over cone, which I still own to this day. It has been replaced by a newer Melita cone, but the result is the same. One's technique does make a difference. Still, it wasn't the same, but it was MUCH closer than a percolator.

Then I bought an Italian Bialetti brewer. BINGO! The Bialetti gives me the exact flavor I remember from Singapore and Mombasa. I grind the beans in my Breville grinder just before brewing. The pour-over is quick, satisfying, and easier to clean, so I use it in the morning, but the 3-cup Bialetti (6 oz total) is often my afternoon delight.

As far as Starbucks? Nice bathrooms on the road. I don't drink their coffee. 90% comes from Vietnam, which doesn't have the elevation for the type of beans I like.

I bought beans at the store or at coffee roasters for years. Then someone here on SMF put the thought in my head of roasting green beans myself. I did it once in a frying pan and have been roasting my own ever since. My technique and equipment have changed over the last five and a half years, growing from 8 oz of green beans to 20-22 oz, but the results are what I want. Pre-roasted beans go flat after 2-3 weeks, and everything in the grocery store is well beyond that point. Heck, I can see and taste it in my own beans because 20-22 oz roasts down to 16-18 oz which lasts me 3 weeks. The flavor difference is subtle, but not to THIS coffee snob...uh...lover.

My favorite beans are from Central and South America. Many African beans have a "spice" element that makes the beans taste dry and bitter to me as if I sucked on a cinnamon stick. Some are wonderful, but it's a crap shoot I avoid.

There's a thread in here somewhere about my roasting journey. It might plant an idea in your mind like someone here did in mine.

Enjoy the brown juice!

Ray

 

[seenred]

Ahhhh, coffee.

I grew up on Folgers because that's what my dad drank until the day he died in his mid-80s. I do not recall EVER seeing him drink water. It was coffee, soda, beer, and cocktails in that order. He drank at least 6 cups of coffee a day, and often two pots.

I worked dorm security from midnight to 8 AM five nights a week to help pay my portion of costs thru uni. Folgers was my sleep defense brewed in a percolator I carried with me to work. This was well before the explosion of Starbucks-like coffee shops.

Then came Navy coffee until a port call in Singapore. I took one sip in a hotel restaurant and my life changed forever. That was the richest, least bitter-tasting coffee I'd ever experienced. A port call in Mombasa, Kenya delivered the same taste experience. I spent years searching for that rich, powerful flavor once I returned to the States.

Local coffee roasters helped, but I was still using a percolator. One of the coffee roasters suggested a Melita pour-over cone, which I still own to this day. It has been replaced by a newer Melita cone, but the result is the same. One's technique does make a difference. Still, it wasn't the same, but it was MUCH closer than a percolator.

Then I bought an Italian Bialetti brewer. BINGO! The Bialetti gives me the exact flavor I remember from Singapore and Mombasa. I grind the beans in my Breville grinder just before brewing. The pour-over is quick, satisfying, and easier to clean, so I use it in the morning, but the 3-cup Bialetti (6 oz total) is often my afternoon delight.

As far as Starbucks? Nice bathrooms on the road. I don't drink their coffee. 90% comes from Vietnam, which doesn't have the elevation for the type of beans I like.

I bought beans at the store or at coffee roasters for years. Then someone here on SMF put the thought in my head of roasting green beans myself. I did it once in a frying pan and have been roasting my own ever since. My technique and equipment have changed over the last five and a half years, growing from 8 oz of green beans to 20-22 oz, but the results are what I want. Pre-roasted beans go flat after 2-3 weeks, and everything in the grocery store is well beyond that point. Heck, I can see and taste it in my own beans because 20-22 oz roasts down to 17-18 oz which lasts me 3 weeks. The flavor difference is subtle, but not to THIS coffee snob...uh...lover.

My favorite beans are from Central and South America. Many African beans have a "spice" element that makes the beans taste dry and bitter to me as if I sucked on a cinnamon stick. Some are wonderful, but it's a crap shoot I avoid.

There's a thread in here somewhere about my roasting journey. It might plant an idea in your mind like someone here did in mine.

Enjoy the brown juice!

Ray

Wow cool story Ray! And I thought I was a coffee snob...uh...lover!

Red

 

[noboundaries]

Who roasts their own coffee on their BBQ or Grill?

I love coffee, have since I was a kid delivering papers early mornings. Grew up on Folgers, then fell in love with coffee overseas when in the Navy. I've been searching for that perfect cup ever since, but for some reason I never considered roasting my own beans. I was perfectly happy buying...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Careful. Roasting coffee is as addicting as smoking meat.

 

[fltsfshr]

That is very true. It's an art, one that involves your ears and your nose. And it's fun to do.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I used a Bunn for a few years. Brews a decent pot...and faster than most machines we've owned. We finally had to throw it out when the reservoir started leaking.

We've been using a Bunn for maybe 25 years, we're on our 3rd one. We actually have a commercial Bunn with 2 pots and warmers that we take on family vacations to satisfy the crowd...

 

[LoydB]

I've been roasting my own coffee for about 20 years. It is literally the only hobby I have that saves money.

 

[crazymoon]

I need my black coffee every morning to start the day. I have had coffee brewed in a 10 gallon pot with the grounds in an Army cook's T- shirt to a cup from A 5 star hotel. It doesn't matter as long as I get my coffee every AM ! :)

 

[Brokenhandle]

I never thought about it earlier... how many of you have had egg coffee before? We don't have it much anymore but did more often when wife's great grandmother made it.

Ryan

 

[fltsfshr]

Egg coffee is always good. When I make it I do it Cowboy style and throw a little cold water in to settle the grounds. I only use the egg white in my version.
I still have my blend book.

 

[crazymoon]

I never thought about it earlier... how many of you have had egg coffee before? We don't have it much anymore but did more often when wife's great grandmother made it.

Ryan

I had a good friend that always put a raw egg on top of the coffee grounds in a percolator basket at deer camp. I never cared what was there as long as I had my caffeine! :)

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Who roasts their own coffee on their BBQ or Grill?

I love coffee, have since I was a kid delivering papers early mornings. Grew up on Folgers, then fell in love with coffee overseas when in the Navy. I've been searching for that perfect cup ever since, but for some reason I never considered roasting my own beans. I was perfectly happy buying...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Careful. Roasting coffee is as addicting as smoking meat.

Just Great. Now you got me looking at roasting beans! Enablers

 

[Buttah Butts]

I use lavazza super crema whole bean coffee in my Technivorm Moccamaster drip coffee maker. Its the best combo for my taste also have a Jura S8 super automatic espresso maker. If you want to go down the rabbit hole of coffee check out James Hoffman on youtube

 

[Winterrider]

I'll second the Black Rifle Coffee, very good tasting. Have tried 4 different, not really a preference. Coffee or Die may get slight edge.

 

[Hijack73]

I am totally a coffee snob. I think it tastes like burnt water lol.

 

[fltsfshr]

Coffee like wine depends on the year. The trick with coffee is to keep it moving while it's roasting and moving while it's cooling. Chemical changes in coffee that's roasting and cooling are very complex and the change needs to be as even as possible. A coffee tasters job is to make sure the blend of beans taste the same with every batch.

 

[clifish]

Just Great. Now you got me looking at roasting beans! Enablers

me too, just put 1.5lbs in my Amazon cart..lol