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Thread: Coffee. Java. Joe.

  1. #1

    Coffee. Java. Joe.

    While an argument can certainly be made that a detailed discussion of coffee is appropriate subject matter for the Law Enforcement Forum, I thought a discussion which those of us who do not wear a badge could post freely in would be useful.

    So.

    My father was a cop, my mother was a nurse, and I spent 20 years in the Army, retiring as a Sergeant First Class, with a couple of stints as a company First Sergeant or Operations NCO under my belt. So I drink coffee.

    Yes, I live in Martin Luther King* County, just south of Seattle. Yes, in downtown there is a Starbucks in every intersection, and at one time it was true that sometimes there would be a Starbucks across the street from the Starbucks.
    No, we don't all live on coffee, and those of us who do, often pass on Starbucks if possible.
    Having options is good; at work, I have several options, and will hit up Starbucks depending on what I feel like, how long the lines are, and whether I have come into a loaded Starbucks card.

    Post your thoughts about coffee here. Sources. Tips and techniques. Whatever.

    Just remember: De gustibus non est disputandum.

    *No kidding, the county council changed the name about 20 years ago because the vice president it was originally named after was a slave owning Democrat. Of course, they did and still do ignore the fact that the "slave owning Democrat" was redundant.
    Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
    “It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
    Glenn Reynolds

  2. #2
    I was an NCO in the Marine Corps, which means I was required to drink way to much coffee. I currently drink pre-ground dunken doughnuts dark out of a crappy 4 cup coffee machine. I was content with this until I recently had someone grind up beans in front of me and then use a french press to brew it... by far the best coffee I have ever tasted.


    Anyone got any links for a started french press set up?

  3. #3
    Chambord Coffee Press by Bodum®, 8-cup | Starbucks® Store

    Or, you know, Amazon.
    Just remember that for a French Press you want the coffee ground coarse.

    Making a Delicious Cup of Coffee - I Need Coffee
    Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
    “It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
    Glenn Reynolds

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    DFW, TX
    Good coffee - like a lot of things, making coffee is easy to do, but doing it well takes some technique and practice. Thankfully, unlike a lot of things, the technique is easy, and the practice and time commitment is minimal. There are a million ways to make coffee; this is how I do it.

    Supplies you need: a French press, a grinder, and decent quality beans. I also like an electric kettle. This is the French press I use:



    I buy beans from Sam's or Costco. You do not need $25/lb coffee. Bad technique ruins good coffee, good technique makes decent coffee good.

    Start heating the water. The French press comes with a scoop. I put four scoops of beans in the grinder. I use a blade grinder and pulse and shake it until I get a consistent course ground. That goes in the press. Your water should be boiling at this point. Take it off the heat and just cover the grounds with water. Let it sit for 30 seconds; the grounds will fizz and bubble. This is good because chemistry. Swirl or stir the grounds and add the hot water. Let it steep for 4 minutes while you make your cornflakes. Then press and pour. Total time, including cornflakes, is about 10 minutes.

    The coffee will be light and almost sweet and *good*. You can add more coffee or a darker roast if you want more body, etc. Play around until you find what you like. It doesn't take long and I think it's worth it - beats the hell out of the choice of watery Aramark or sweatsock Starbucks we have at work.

  5. #5
    Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
    “It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
    Glenn Reynolds

  6. #6
    Thanks for ya'll service, very much appreciated.

    On to coffee...at home

    A local spot got me hooked on Lavaza Espresso Coffee - then I found another place that actually sells it in bulk packaging -> though its available on amazon. I would highly suggest trying this if you can find it locally or order an 8.8 ounce bag of it.

    I have a standard drip-style coffee machine, I put about 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce of grind in it for a good cup (per cup), since I like it strong. I highly recommend letting it sit in the cup for about 5 minutes before you drink it completely black - do not add anything to it for the first time to taste the coffee.

    At work...

    I normally hit Wawa and get their Signature blend since I enjoy a black "Arabica" style taste more than other tastes, also its free, so cannot say anything bad about that...

    If Wawa is out of the mix, I find a Dunkin and get their Dark Roast because it has a more traditional taste I remember drinking in Italy and other parts of Europe.

    I like my coffee black and not hot.
    VDMSR.com
    Chief Developer for V Development Group
    Everything I post I do so as a private individual who is not representing any company or organization.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by TR675 View Post
    I buy beans from Sam's or Costco. You do not need $25/lb coffee.
    Spoken like a man who has never had a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain...

    OTOH, I was once discussing a wine tasting my wife and I had gone to with my manager, and one of my team members observed that he and his wife had never found a wine they liked that didn't come from a box.
    He seemed shocked when I told him that, if that's what they like, that's what they should drink.

    And, no, I have never spent $50 for a cup of coffee made from beans that have been processed through a civet cat's digestive track.
    Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
    “It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
    Glenn Reynolds

  8. #8
    Member orionz06's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I wasn't a coffee drinker until 3-4 years ago. I could drink a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte but that is syrup and sugar, not even a coffee drink really. When I was a server we had an automatic espresso machine that I now know didn't make true espresso but the steamed/foamed milk and espresso-like drinks were good with sugar and syrup. I was a fan of what most people like to think of as coffee. The Keurig came out and my wife wanted one so we got one. Had some drinks from it and they weren't bad. Eventually had a plain cup of coffee with minimal sugar and didn't mind it. This lead me over a few weeks of looking into "real" coffee. I had known enough to know that the Keurig wasn't likely proper, just like microwaving a steak or how most people poach eggs. After a few trips to real coffee places (fresh roasted beans) I bought a french press, the standard $19.99 one that everyone should own and a bag of preground beans. Went to town and determined that real coffee was much stronger and more flavorful. Eventually acumulated a variety of coffee making devices and a killer Baratza grinder. I've been fresh roasted beans and a press pot of some sort ever since.

    Favorite beans are Hawaiian or other nutty tasting beans with lower acid. Dark roasts occasionally but they're usually a little too heavy and chocolatey for me. My tastes for lattes has changed, I really love a plain latte now. The most interesting thing that has happened has been my ability to taste has gotten better. May be some aging too, not sure. I can better appreciate some scotch-whiskey-bourbon and have a harder time with some beers as I taste a lot more different things I never noticed. My brewing friends have mentioned the same. Once they concentrate on it and learn to taste they find things they never noticed before and often begin to dislike things they once loved.

    To brew I have a regular Bodum French press like everyone else but I found a few others that are a little easier for me and the main one won't break. I'll rotate between an Espro Press, Sowden Soft Brew, or a Chemex. The Espro Press is the best balance for me, I don't get all of the fines that the standard french press passes through and it cuts the acid a little. Not as much as the Chemex does though. I tend to taste the filter with it. The Soft Brew is great too, perhaps even less fines but it's a little easier to make and I can squeeze an extra cup outta it.


    The coffee beans I get generally runs from $29.99-45.99/lb. This gets me 6 days worth of 40 ounces a day. A weekly rate of $53.66 and about $2.56/cup using current rates at the work cafeteria. I don't eat breakfast and don't smoke or drink too much so when you factor in what I spend for coffee against what my coworkers and friends spend on their bullshit I am ahead of the curve.
    Think for yourself. Question authority.

  9. #9
    Member JHC's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Georgia

    Arrow

    Quote Originally Posted by TR675 View Post
    Good coffee - like a lot of things, making coffee is easy to do, but doing it well takes some technique and practice. Thankfully, unlike a lot of things, the technique is easy, and the practice and time commitment is minimal. There are a million ways to make coffee; this is how I do it.

    Supplies you need: a French press, a grinder, and decent quality beans. I also like an electric kettle. This is the French press I use:



    I buy beans from Sam's or Costco. You do not need $25/lb coffee. Bad technique ruins good coffee, good technique makes decent coffee good.

    Start heating the water. The French press comes with a scoop. I put four scoops of beans in the grinder. I use a blade grinder and pulse and shake it until I get a consistent course ground. That goes in the press. Your water should be boiling at this point. Take it off the heat and just cover the grounds with water. Let it sit for 30 seconds; the grounds will fizz and bubble. This is good because chemistry. Swirl or stir the grounds and add the hot water. Let it steep for 4 minutes while you make your cornflakes. Then press and pour. Total time, including cornflakes, is about 10 minutes.

    The coffee will be light and almost sweet and *good*. You can add more coffee or a darker roast if you want more body, etc. Play around until you find what you like. It doesn't take long and I think it's worth it - beats the hell out of the choice of watery Aramark or sweatsock Starbucks we have at work.

    +1 I only was converted to the French press last year. The best.

    I like dark roast, Espresso roast or Italian roast if possible; very strong. Black.

    I grew up associating black coffee with how men drink it. Black. It's not logical or legit by any means. But when a relative would ask my dad how he wanted his coffee he would slap the table and say "BLACK". He was a pipehitting stud and the uncles who took cream and sugar had no guns, lived in the city and argued for the Chicago Democrats and Hubert Humphrey. So I got wired for BLACK.
    “Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    DFW, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by Drang View Post
    Spoken like a man who has never had a cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain...

    OTOH, I was once discussing a wine tasting my wife and I had gone to with my manager, and one of my team members observed that he and his wife had never found a wine they liked that didn't come from a box.
    He seemed shocked when I told him that, if that's what they like, that's what they should drink.

    And, no, I have never spent $50 for a cup of coffee made from beans that have been processed through a civet cat's digestive track.
    I wish every winemaker would put their wines in boxes. It is better packaging.

    For me, the tip top coffee is in the same category as expensive scotches...I can definitely tell a difference when you put them side by side with midrange quality. But, Johnny Walker Black is still pretty good - and its 1/2 the price. So for everyday drinking - yeah, I'm cost conscious. I don't eat filet every night either .

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