jaysonwhelpley Senior Member Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 2 Location: Edinboro Expertise: Intermediate
Grinder: not yet. Drip: yep. Roaster: riiiight...
Posted Thu Feb 20, 2003, 3:02pm Subject: Questions... general.
Hey,
I am completely new to coffeegeek.com (just read the article in USA Today). I have considered myself well versed in coffee 'wisdom' or at least among my peers here in PA. I have found by browsing the site that I have a lot to learn. I don't plan on making coffee more than my luxury for my days, I don't plan on competing, or even roasting my own beans or whatnot.
On the other hand, I do have a great love for good coffee... and that's where my questions lie. I am a recent college graduate, working a temporary job until I begin working as a campus minister (not the highest paying job in the world by far). So, what are the best economically fair beans, preferrably fair-market? Best affordable way to brew them? Drip? French press? I am looking for advice on things like this.
Also, where am I able to get that "taste wheel" chart that shows the different overtones and stuff of different beans and blends?
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Thu Feb 20, 2003, 4:12pm Subject: Re: Questions... general.
I kid you not. The cheapest high quality beans by a margin of 50% are unroasted. A hot air popper for roasting them cost $20. If you do a pound of coffee a week, you'll save about $230 per year roasting your own, but you'll spend an hour or so a week doing it.
You can find out more (including brewing and general coffee buying tips) at the home roasters' mecca (Rome, Jerusalem, Canterbury?) www.sweetmarias.com
Posted Fri Feb 21, 2003, 6:24am Subject: Re: Questions... general.
When I first bumped into some coffee sites three years ago, I also figured home roasting was a bit over the top. However a few months later, I took the plunge and have been home roasting for 2 1/2 years now. The two factors that have made vast improvements in my coffee (regardless if it's drip, French press, espresso, vac pot, etc) over the years are 1) using bottled water instead of tap water and 2) using freshly roasted (home roasted in my case) beans. It sounds more "out there" and complicated than it really is.
Posted Fri Feb 21, 2003, 6:38am Subject: Re: Questions... general.
There are many differing schools of thought on what makes for the best cup of "regular" coffee (vs espresso). Many folks swear by vacuum pots but I have yet to try one. I use a one cup Melitta cone with filter for drip coffee and it's great for doing a cup at a time. If you want convenience get a drip maker that brews at correct temp and has a thermal carafe. If you want the best combination of full body and convenience many swear by the french press method.
As other have pointed out... roasting your own will truly save you money. It also offers you access to the best possible selection of fair trade coffees and although it takes some time there's the time savongs of not having to run out somewhere to find fair trade coffee (the only easy place to find for most folks is the limited selection available at Starbucks - don't get me started on how they horribly overroast their beans). The really cool thing about home roasting is that green beans store really well at room temp whereas roasted beans are good for no more than about ten days, even ina sealed container. I have a geat selection of beans in the cupboard and roast what I need once a week. I get to play with my own blends also - it's fun. My total investment thus far (apart from buying beans) has been $0. My parents had an old West Bend Poppery in the closet that I got for free - they can usually be fouund at thrift stores for $3-5.
Important - get a grinder! If you can swing the investment a Solis Maestro at $129 is the best entry level burr grinder that you can also use for espresso if you get into that. I use a $20 Krups to make drip coffee at the office and it's okay for that but burr grinders are better. Avoid cheapo burr grinders - a waste of money. Best grind for the money is the Zaussenhaus (sp?) manual grinders. They're in the $50-$80 range and have more durable burr sets than the Maestro.
ljguitar Senior Member Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 2,450 Location: Cheyenne Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Pulsar Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly, Solis Drip: Bunn Roaster: iRoast2
Posted Sat Feb 22, 2003, 7:36am Subject: Re: Questions... general.
jaysonwhelpley Said:
Hey, ...I don't plan on competing, or even roasting my own beans or whatnot.
On the other hand, I do have a great love for good coffee... and that's where my questions lie....what are the best economically fair beans, preferrably fair-market? Best affordable way to brew them? Drip? French press? I am looking for advice on things like this. Jayson Whelpley
Hi Jayson... Yet...just say I don't plan on roasting my own beans YET. Most of us have said that at one time or another (except for the die hards who dove right into roasting).
http://www.sweetmarias.com will have some of the most comprehensive info on your questions. They have diagrams, pictures, comparisons, products etc. Everything but roasted beans...
I have an array (ever escalating collection would be more accurate) of coffee prep devices, and for great drip coffee, we move freely between our Bunn drip pots, our French Press, and our one cup drip. Each has a distinctive, and all make great coffee.
It is hard to prepare for a crowd in the one cup or French Press, and 1/2 pot in the Bunn is about the same amount as a French Press (perfect amount for my wife and I). On the other hand, the French Press is messier and takes longer than the Bunn so by default we use it the most.
Keep us posted as you work your way through these solutions.
jaysonwhelpley Senior Member Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 2 Location: Edinboro Expertise: Intermediate
Grinder: not yet. Drip: yep. Roaster: riiiight...
Posted Sat Feb 22, 2003, 1:50pm Subject: Re: Questions... general.
Okay, so maybe I should have said 'yet'... 'cause after reading all the replies I am considering the popcornpopper method, I know of a company (husband & wife) around here that might be interested in helping me get into it, I've considered seeing if they might need a new employee...
I have decided to get a french press for sure and I definitely need a better drip brewer, mine's crappy and old.
Speaking of drip brewing, what is the best way to clean and maintain one that is electric. As far as cleaning the caraffe with dish detergent, does it ruin flavor? Dishwasher? And the machine itself, what is the best way to keep the resivour clean and all the other parts that affect the coffee brew itself?
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 