As usual, love your blog Barry.

My formulas for coffee.

For brewed coffee the following methods:

1. vacuum - the Bodum glass model - not the plastic one - is serviceable. The better is Cona
http://www.espressozone.com/cona-cc.html

2. French Press

a. cold - grind coffee very coarse, use cold water, let steep for 10 hours.
b. 2 press method - make in one, immeadiately transfer to the other.

(will someone please make a piston system?)

3. espresso

a. Krups semi-automatic - hand tamped and ground. Very packed for the slowest possible draw.
b. bialetti electric - serviceable and convenient.

I've tried the all in one machines - they clog too often under my usage, but there are several that make servicable espresso.

the capresso ultima is average, and while clean a poorly made unit.

Posted by: Stirling Newberry | Apr 25, 2004 8:09:00 PM

In general I agree with you, but there are a few points to clarify:

Almost without exception, drip coffeemakers don't put hot enough water through the grounds. Testing showed that the *vast* majority was filtering water in the 155-180 degree range. For full extraction of flavor and oils from coffee, water should be just off the boil -- 208.

Also, traditional drip coffemakers, even if they made good coffee, proceed to destroy it because they have that hotplate that the glass carafe sits on. The continuous heating of the coffee breaks down critical elements of the flavor within minutes.

I personally use a $6 "melita method" machine which percolates down into a vacum pitcher, which I fill with just off the boil water from a small electric kettle. I'm regularly told that it's the best cup of coffee people have ever had. (Oh, and a burr grinder helps keep things consistent.)

Posted by: Joshua Barratt | Apr 26, 2004 1:01:13 PM

5. You have a build up of burnt, bitter oils in your carafe and filter basket. Wash them off with *soap* between every pot. (This is different than running vinegar through your machine, which removes hard water deposits. If you use distilled water you'll never need to de-scale your coffee machine, but you still need to wash the pot every time.) I'm always surprised how many people just throw the carafe, full of dried coffee stains, back in for the next pot, and almost nobody washes their filter basket.

6. Rinse your paper filter and insert it wet. It rinses off the papery taste and being pre-moistened means that you have less of the first (and yummiest) bit of the extraction wicking up to the top of the filter.

Posted by: Brad | Apr 26, 2004 3:47:40 PM

I was taught when I worked in a coffee shop decades ago to NEVER NEVER NEVER to use soap to clean a coffee pot. It leaves a residue and spoils the taste of your coffee.

The glass you can clean with a mix of ice and salt (try it, it works).

If your dishwasher gets hot enough, you can wash it in there also -- but use less soap than normal.

The machine itself run thru with a vinegar and water 50/50 solution . . .

Posted by: Barry Ritholtz | Apr 30, 2004 5:54:45 PM

Barry,

Congrats on your site. I read your articles frequently (I picked you up through Altercation) and I like your writing stile and your comments.

Now... on the coffee topic! Being Italian and a coffee addict, I believe I have some authority on this issue! :-)

First: coffee can't be brewed. It may sound a little radical but sorry, no exceptions here. Same with flavored coffee. Either you have coffee or you have cinnamon. Cinnamon-flavored coffee is an absurd. Creamers are worse. Flavored creamers are... dangerous! How do you know what's in there?

If you intend to enjoy coffee you have to switch to espresso and avoid foreign flavors. In case of war, national emergency or earthquake, I'd take any alternative method (coffee press, gravity-filtered or Turkish coffee) over drip.

I know this puts me at odds with 99% of America, but this is about good coffee, not a popularity contest! The sad fact is, American's don't know how to drink coffee! They care more about volume than taste. You don’t drink coffee by the bucket, two ounces is all it takes, four if you like it light.

The espresso method was developed to extract the flavor of coffee under pressure while also extracting a reasonable amount of caffeine. Brewed coffee, on the other side, because of the longer time of contact between ground coffee and water, yields a higher caffeine ratio than the espresso method.

I wish I could find evidence on this, if I do I'll send them to you. I bet some espresso maker has them.

Espresso machines aren't practical: they need to be operated every time you want a cup, and they require a little more cleaning than drip coffee machines. The coffee is not there waiting for you, but it's fresh every time. Again, not practical, but if it was about practicality we'd be all drinking soluble coffee.

Still the results are worth the extra effort: even people who find espresso too strong for their tastes (most of my friends do) say that my "watered-down" version of espresso beats their brewed coffee hands down. Another option is the "Americano," a shot of espresso plus hot water. I wouldn't drink that if my life depended on it, but most of my friends do, especially when they're in Italy (it's no coincidence it's called "Americano!") since they find the Italian coffee to strong.

There are two keys to a good espresso machine: pressure and timing. You need good pressure to get the flavor out of the grains; while you can't hurry or go too slow on espresso, the rule of thumb is 1 cc per second, give or take (adjust for each machine). Faster than that you may get washed-out coffee. Slower may result in heavy, bitter coffee.

Most automatic machines offer a reasonable solution to this problem. The ideal is a manual machine such as La Pavoni (handle operated) and a good "barista" who knows the perfect timing for his particular combination of machine, coffee and water. Of course, this is hard to get and a little impractical. If you can afford the automatic machine, go for it.

Somebody mentioned that you shouldn't use dish soap or chemicals to wash coffee machines, which is correct. There are some special products for that and you can also use some vinegar, but the favored Italian method is to use a lemon. You can use the lemon juice to cut on the coffee oil and even use the lemon to rub on some surfaces. Of course, you need to wash everything thoroughly after you're done.

The coffee can be freshly ground or can be ground and vacuum-packed, if possible bought from some store with a reasonable turnaround in their stock. You don’t want to buy coffee that’s five years old!

We use both methods, but lately we seem to obtain better results with ground coffee. We used to buy Illy and ground it ourselves, but finding the right point is hard. Some people make careers around finding the right toast and the right grinding point for coffee, so it’s understandable that we find it hard to get the appropriate grind with a small coffee mill at home.

Currently we use ground, vacuum-packed, Lavazza brand coffee, and keep in the fridge in an airtight container. The results are excellent as long as the coffee doesn’t stay in the fridge too long. In our case we go through a pack per week, so ground or grain makes not much of a difference in terms of flavor and aroma.

You can see a bias towards Italian coffee here… but in my experience most American coffees are over toasted.

We had mixed results buying coffee at specialty shops, but it may be a result of the area where I live. In my experience, while you can find some good coffee mixes sometimes, there is little consistency in the quality, so the same type of coffee may not be so good the next time. Not to mention that it’s more expensive than buying a can of Illy at Whole Foods.

I agree with your recommendation of using filtered water or bottle water if you don't have a filter. It makes a huge difference in the final result.

Finally, try holding off the sugar. If you currently do use sugar, start cutting down on it, you'll see how the true flavor of the coffee starts appearing. After a few months, when you're drinking coffee with no sugar at all, you'll wonder how did you ever put sugar in your coffee!

Oh, and just for the record, before anyone asks, Starbucks sucks. Big time.

Thank you!

Posted by: Felix | Jul 21, 2004 2:54:08 PM

Living in Melbourne, Australia - where we have a huge coffee culture - means that I know that Felix is 100% correct about how to prepare coffee.

As for Starbuck's... Here's a real-life story about Starbuck's I had to deal with. England 2003 - young Starbuck's man wearing a stap-on thermos flask on his back approaches, "Would you like to try Starbuck's new expresso?", "Yes, certainly, please", "Here you go, what do you think?".... without even tasting it I could tell the poor man that the product was absolute crud. "How?" the poor man queried. "I can see the bottom of the cup" I replied...

In my experience people in the USA, canada & UK don't like coffee - they like coffee flavoured milk/water.

Posted by: Tony D | Aug 16, 2004 2:45:20 AM

Starbucks is nothing more than a fad!!
The corp.dept. has done nothing more than get
a "legal" drug,CAFFINE; and move to promote it.
When you have the addiction "crave" added to
your saleibility;well, need I say more!!!
That is how we got into cigerettes,booze,
and ALL the other vices! Hey, If as a country,
we are to GROW less "dependent" than lets stay
away from addictions;in ANY shape or form.

Paladinghh

Posted by: paladinghh | Sep 21, 2004 1:30:30 PM

Ah yes, the elixir of the heavens - the java.....the smell of the beans, the mechanical process of grinding the beans and brewing it up. I love it. I work Help Desk for an IT Dept. and it's our life's blood. I have found that Boca Java is a grand brand - they have many different roasts and "flavors". I prefer the tried and true espresso. Here in Phoenix iced coffee is the ticket and I brew up a HUGE carafe of it each night via french press and let it steep a long time. Then it goes into a glass carafe placed in the 'fridge for easy decanting and icing in the morning. Add ice, add chocolate syrup and some sweetner and you have the Breakfast of Champions.

Posted by: Heather | Sep 28, 2004 10:16:37 PM

Starbucks sucks because they buy low quality coffe beans. To hide that fact, they over-roast their beans, and that is why you get the burnt coffee taste.
They cannot tell the different between latte and cappuccino. Latte should not have any foam. Cappuccino is the drink that should have foam. Otherwise, what is the difference between the two?
The biggest reason why they suck is that they are opening too many stores and putting all other small coffee shops out of business. I don't mind that there are Starbucks around, but as a customer, I would like to have some choices as to where I get my coffee. Please stop buying from them and helping them have a monopoly of the coffee industry.

Posted by: Vivian | Oct 4, 2004 3:16:24 PM

For good, cheap, already-ground coffee (perfect for the office, where you don't have time to be grinding and you have lots of moochers sucking down your excellent brew), you can't beat the Latino espresso brands, such as El Pico, Café Bustello, or (if you must) Goya. Although made for espresso machines, I brew it in my standard coffee maker and end up with a fine pot.

Posted by: Queixa | Nov 8, 2004 7:21:02 AM

Stirling Newberry:

For the love of god, please don't make coffee cold! And steeping coffee for 10 hours! That's insane and scary. Making coffee with cold water will get you nothing but the bitter acids coating the ground coffee without extracting any of the flavorful oils from the beans. Yeugh!

Posted by: Alex Bernson | Feb 23, 2005 12:14:12 AM

Hi Barry,

Just a spillover reader from RealMoney ... wanted to add my $.02.

First, web design. I'm running IE 6.0, and the black left sidebar in your design overlaps with the dark blue text in your posts, and makes it tough to read. Otherwise the design looks good.

Second, I have to plug my favorite coffee supplier, Armeno (www.armeno.com). They also have a great little shop in Northborough, MA. I used to drive out of my way to Ithaca, NY on the trip from Boston to Buffalo (not a minor detour) in order to stock up on coffee from a little shop near my alma mater that I later found out they supplied.

Finally, I would like to add that too many people are knocking brewed coffee as an fundamentally inferior American concept, and it seems a little close-minded. Is a Pinot Noir inferior to a Rioja because it is not as assertive? Is Mozart inferior to Metallica because he's not as Forte or Allegro? My point is that espresso brewing, to me, extracts too much flavor to appreciate the nuances in finer coffees (Celebes Kalossi, Kenya AA, Kona), with lighter roasts (Full City/Vienna). At the very least, the subject is open to debate.... Anyway, the best way to brew coffee is still however you enjoy it most!

Posted by: Andy | Mar 18, 2005 1:42:17 PM

Thanks Andy -- I will check out Armeno (www.armeno.com).

Posted by: Barry Ritholtz | Mar 18, 2005 6:49:39 PM

Porto Rico!!! I've been ordering from them since a New Yawker friend took me there. I'm a very big fan of the Aggie's blend. I also dabble in their fair trade & bird friendly beans. I would probably have to pay $20/lb to get anything that was appreciably superior to their beans.

Biggest improvement in my coffee came when I went from crappy grinder to slightly less crappy burr grinder. I grind the beans a little bit more fine than suggested, and I have yet to have a person complain.

I'm all over that Capresso -- it looks like there's an additional $25 off at Amazon, so you can get it for $175.

Posted by: David | Mar 31, 2005 9:34:48 AM

There's about fifty "Capresso" machines for sale on eBay right now.

Posted by: David Wade | Apr 6, 2005 6:45:23 AM

Just so everyone understands - not EVERY American is in love with CRAP coffee - just the majority that have bought into the same CRAP fast-food, CRAP beer, CRAP Wal*Mart, CRAP sport-utility-vehicles, CRAP president, CRAP.

There are many of us that prefer good real aromatic coffee. Really.

Posted by: James W | May 9, 2005 10:48:38 AM

Well.. Italians dont have the definitive answers for coffee, as they seem to think they do. The Greeks, and the Arabian countries around the med, have been drinking coffee way before the Italians (coffee was only inported into central Europe in the 1600)... And imo the best method to drink coffee is the Turkish/greek method (which comes from constantinople)...

Get a small pot, (Briki) add water some sugar if your like, and then add greek coffee (greek coffee is prepared in a certain way) to the mix... bring to the boil, take the pot of and do this 3-4more times, then pour into small cups...

very strong, very tasty coffee...

Posted by: best_coffee | May 22, 2005 5:52:08 AM

Let's keep it simple. Vacume or FP is great, but I don't have the time for all of the ritual along w/everything else that's packed into each day. However, I do love a good cup or 4 every day, so the trick is a decent set of compromise products.

Brewer is Technivorm Moccamaster -- 200 degrees+ brewing temp. [Boyds Coffee]

Filter is swiss gold -- paper traps those essential oils!

Grinder is Rancillio -- direct drive [no tiny motor over worked by a gear box] w/50+ settings so that you can really fine tune the grind and it does the same thing day in/day out. [Abree Coffee]

Coffee from a local roaster [Baltimore Coffee & Tea]

Use bottled spring water and as soon as it's brewed, place into a preheated SS Nissan thermos.

Fast, efficient and in the top 95%.

Bob

Posted by: Bob | Jun 12, 2005 12:23:53 AM

It's great to see all you coffee lovers here, but I'm disappointed there is no mention of America's own coffee. Hawaii abounds in great coffee beans. Kona is well known, and I use pure Kona for a particularly fine cup -- or a Kona blend for everyday wake-up coffee. But there are some other good coffees starting to come out of Hawaii's other growing areas on the Big Island, Kauai, Maui and even the north shore of Oahu. I live in Honolulu, but many of these coffees are available via the net.

I always use a French press. The fancy machines sure look impressive, but nothing beats the simplicity and easy cleaning of a press. The combination of a press with Hawaii coffee never fails to impress my guests. And nothing beats a sunny morning on my lanai with a great cup of java!

Posted by: Steve Craven | Jun 18, 2005 9:17:23 PM

Enjoyed your coffee rant and the comments that followed. Sadly, no one knows the true art of coffee making anymore.
Forget the thousand dollar (or 29.95) gizmos. My grandmother taught me how to make the real deal. I always call it cowboy coffee because that's who drank it. (I grew up in south Texas on a ranch, go figure)
Here's what you do: Get a big pot or one of those old humongous blue coffee pots. Fill it up with water (distilled is a good idea but not really necessary unless you live someplace where the water tastes like crap)put one to three handfulls of ground coffee and a tiny bit of salt (I mean way less than a pinch)in it and heat on low. When it gets hot, add an egg shell to settle the grounds. Drink and enjoy! Also, never turn it off. Just add more water and coffee as it gets used up.
My Grandma always had a pot going for the men (and, truth be known, herself) 24/7 and it was wonderful! I do the same today so there's always coffee, hot and ready, if folks come by or I get an itch for a good cuppa.
Your right about the beans being better but if I'm out I like French Market ground with chickory. The good thing about this way of making coffee is that it's self correcting. You make a mistake, you just adjust what you did last time.
Frank in San Antonio,Tx

Posted by: Frank Whitecotton | Jun 19, 2005 10:39:18 AM

Although I agree with many comments on this site, I must protest some of the negativity towards Starbucks in general. Before the company began shifting the stores to the automatic machines, a good espresso bar person could do wonders with the LaMarzzocc machine. Before the advent of the grind and brew machine, there was an artistry behind the drink. There is nothing more beautiful than a handcrafted, free-poured cappuccino.
When the company phased to the auto machines, I was really concerned that the quality would decrease- and it has. I can determine the difference between the Verisimo shots and the LaMarzzocco. It is unfortunate that the company has changed.
However, witnessing some of the "baristas" makes me think, maybe the art of the espresso bar is the relationship you develop with the customer instead of the machine that makes the drink. Being able to say "I have a triple grande nonfat latte for Mike" does make a difference. I would like to be recognized as a regular customer instead of another person in line, and I think in most cases, Starbucks has done this.

Posted by: MJ | Jul 25, 2005 12:55:34 AM

Someone has already mentiond a French Press. They are not expensive and make a good cup of coffee. Just for those that want to make 'good coffee', but may not have the money for a quality coffee maker. (We live in Berkeley and drink Peets.)

Posted by: LS | Aug 3, 2005 6:58:16 PM

Queixa is right on the money. If you like good coffee that tastes like coffee (not hot water), Latin espresso is far and away the best bang for the buck, especially when the convenience of pre-ground coffee is helpful. It's not ground quite as finely as Italian espresso so it works for filter drip methods. I recommend a paper filter, not the gold mesh types, if you're using this type of coffee -- better results.

American coffee (Maxwell House, Folgers, etc.) is crap -- don't ever buy it, not even their so-called "French Roast" blends, which only produces a slightly darker cup of hot water.

I'm not a Starbucks evangelist, but I give them credit for at least improving the quality of coffee you can get on the run. Maybe on the West Coast you always had good coffee available, but before Starbucks came East, you had to go to a 4-Star restaurant here to get a decent cup of joe away from home. Just don't buy the rip-off "drinks" at Starbucks. Stick with the regular brewed coffee -- it's hot, it's fresh, and it tastes like coffee, not dishwater. Dunkin' Donuts is an okay alternative, but I usually find their coffee a little watery -- better than 7-Eleven, but not by much. I wish some competition (Seattle's Best, Peet's, etc.) would come East and challenge Starbucks, but I don't see it happening, unfortunately. Still, any improvement over that horrid swill that came in those Greek-themed blue-and-white paper cups was welcomed, and I give Starbucks grudging props for it.

Posted by: West 12th Street Guy | Aug 19, 2005 10:22:00 AM

Sorce matters, and in my opinion, Guatemalan beans are the best, but not as good as they used to be; Ethiopian as well, where it seems they still sun 'roast'.

Posted by: juan de la O | Dec 2, 2005 10:45:46 PM

These cooments miss EVERYTHING. Ignore them all and buy GREEN beens and roast them yourself. Then you know they
re fresh. I buy from Sweetmarias.com...and from Theme Gifts in Scarsdale, NY

Posted by: Howard Caine | Jan 21, 2006 3:45:11 PM

I'll stick with my vacume pot brewer.

Posted by: larry | Feb 15, 2006 1:05:58 AM

What, no moka pot users? When the powers of my Bialetti and some Lavazza or Illy coffee combine I drink and smile. And the damned thing only cost me $20, which I'd point out is a lot cheaper, smaller and easier to use than your space shuttle, counter space-hogging automatic espresso makers. Does coffee make anyone else have to poop?

Posted by: Matt | Mar 23, 2006 10:29:22 AM

do you know where to get coffee in those famous greek blue and white paper cups???

i don't even care if it is quality brew, i just want to drink it out of one of those nypd blue cups. it would be a bonus for the coffee to be fresh and delicious.

thankyou

Posted by: rosanne | Mar 26, 2006 1:36:35 PM

Grind my beans every morning and then pour hot water over them. God, it's nirvana every day. :)

Posted by: Maulleigh | Apr 8, 2006 7:19:09 PM

I'd like you all to give yourselves a pat on the back. What a fine cultured bunch you are!

I lived in Charlotte, NC for two years prior to 9/11. The two things that bothered my wife and me most about living in the USA were the poor food and the lousy coffee. But no one seemed to know or care.

Here I see a bunch of folk who take the time to get it 'right'; though I am not sure about salt and egg shells in my coffee.

A few years ago, I heard an interview on our national broadcaster (Australia) with the VP of Marketing from one of the world's largest coffee suppliers. He was from the UK, and despite any misgivings I may have about their culinary expertise (e.g. bangers and mash!), this guy really knew his stuff.

His story is that there are about five levels of quality in beans; and they are distributed on a national basis:

1. The best stay in their country of origin.
2. Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Portugal and well-heeled Middle East Countries.
3. Australia, New Zealand and a few Scandinavian countries.
4. Most other first-world countries including the UK, Germany, etc.
5. The USA and the rest of the world.

He was pressed by the interviewer on level five quality and he was insistent that most brewed American beans were what was left; that it stood to reason that you consume so much of it that it has to be that way. Of course, this does not include the fine Konas, and the more up-market beans that some of you folk are paying extra for. But it seems that bye and large, the brew served up at your local diner should have been left rotting on the ground where it lay!

It's 5:00 am downunder. Must be time for a nice cuppa (tea)!

And I too love your blog Barry!

Cheers!

Posted by: Rob Napier | Apr 16, 2006 3:28:48 PM

I received a Philips Senseo single-cup pressure coffee maker as a present. It requires single serving, very fine grind, coffee that comes sealed in filter paper. These are called coffee pods.

I love the flavor of a good rich cup of coffee; it is one of my favorite flavors. That taste preference was a family thing. Before I was born, my folks owned a road-side cafe next to a major highway (this was well before the Interstates. They named their place the "Red Circle Rest" after the A&P brand Red Circle coffee that they loved and served. Later, when my parents were involved with the frozen food industry, we tried one of the first instant coffees that was any good -- a frozen concentrate marketed by SnowCrop, who also marketed frozen orange juice concentrate. (It disappeared from the freezer cases even before stores started carrying freeze dried instant coffee on their shelves.) But I have not yet found a way to get good rich coffee flavor from the Senseo machine.

I have had very good coffee from a pod coffee maker, and was impressed by how fast the fresh brewed coffee came out of the machine. But that machine may have used a different pod design. The Flavia pods for individual brew machines in employee coffee rooms and business' waiting rooms are more complex than the simple filter bag pod and possibly are even more expensive per cup. Flavia does offer at least two types of decaf beans.

The medium roast Douwe Egbert coffee that Senseo packages in its pods makes coffee that, to me, resembles the Starbucks burnt coffee bean experience. (How that company has thrived is beyond me. I thought American coffee taste ran more to the Maxwell House, Folgers and Chock Full of Nuts roasts.)

Because of the infirmities of age, I'm supposed to avoid all caffein. That and the constraints of the pod holder limit what pods I can use. Although the pods that came with my machine were not decaffeinated, the literature that came with it said their decaf was similar in flavor to their medium roast coffee pods. Senseo offers only one type of decaf pods. There are other companies selling coffee pods that fit the Philips machine. I tried the Java One light roast Columbian Decaf and found it had a similar burnt taste as the Senseo pods, but was a little more watery. I am not seeking weak coffee. When I make a cup of instant decaf, I use at least twice the recommended amount. My favorite coffee experience was Kona coffee in Hawaii. So my ideal pod would use Kona beans with a roast like that of Chock Full of Nuts. (Trivia: Did you know that Jackie Robinson became a top executive at Chock Full of Nuts after he retired from baseball?)

Any suggestions? Return this machine and get a French Press? Buying coffee I like and trying to put it into hand made filter pods that fit the Philips machine is wrought with difficulties, danger (high pressure and clogged ports from a gap in the filter) and too much trouble.

Posted by: btm1 | Apr 29, 2006 5:44:55 PM

Wow Barry!
I read your blog several times a day, and since I'm writing from the center of the coffee universe, or perhaps coffee hell if you are averse to the home of Starbucks and drive-through espresso......I thought I would offer my source of coffee and excellent roasting/grinding/brewing equipment.

I roast my own coffee, the freshest and best of all.

I highly recommend sweetmarias.com.

I use a Iroast roaster, Solis Maestro grinder and a Technivorm Moccamaster brewer with swiss gold filter.

Water is reverse osmosis....pure.

Everyone has their favorite coffee source, but none has the selection or accompanying info like sweetmarias.

Vaccuum, French Press and drip fans are all coffee lovers at SM. Check it out....and it should be said, i have no financial or familial conflicts....

Posted by: Craig | May 24, 2006 6:06:17 PM

"The best stay in their country of origin"

Absolute tripe. Most of those who grow coffee cannot afford to consume it. Even the wealthy in coffee-growing nations typically consume/serve freeze-dried instant coffee.

Its amusing to hear the unusually humble aussie proclaim Melbourne a coffee mecca. Note that in the last World Barista Championship an aussie did not even make it to the first round (a bladdy septic placed third, however).

Posted by: bubba | May 27, 2006 5:14:34 PM

How do you feel about my old favorite..........Yuban? Just wondering what type of feedback I would receive.

Posted by: BC | Jun 20, 2006 8:03:37 AM

Back in 1978 and 1979 I stashed some vacuum packed canned coffee as part of my survival supplies, along with four hundred and fifty pounds of nitrogen packed wheat, beans, barley, rice, etc., and about two thousand rounds of ammunition, etc.

Shortly after 9/11, I revisited the stash. I had actually forgotten about the coffee over those years. There were about fifteen cans of (mostly) Maryland Club coffee, one of the better store brands in the area.

I opened a can that I had dated as being purchased in May of 1979, and brewed a pot. I was amazed. It was just as fresh as if it had been just purchased. Naturally, it was no gourmet roast, but it wasn't bad either. In fact, I really thought it was better than what could be currently purchased.

Over the next several months, my wife and I drank up all fifteen can of the coffee. All of it had kept well, and it really was better than current store-bought.

The ammunition kept well, too. But the medical supplies just went all to hell.

Posted by: Richard | Jul 8, 2006 9:19:52 PM

Sanka... mmmm... the best.

And if I run out of that, I just take a worn pair of black socks, ring the juice out of those, and heat that up. Oh wait a minute... that IS Sanka.

Posted by: Sanka-boy | Aug 10, 2006 7:33:43 AM

Barry,

Great coffee discussion. My favorite coffee website is coffeegeek.com. It's the last word!

Fight on....

Herb Greenberg

Posted by: herb greenberg | Aug 18, 2006 10:28:27 PM

Perfectly sensible advice: clean water, fresh-to-the-second ground beans, good coffee. Preferably Columbia Supremo.

But keep your mocha and fer godsake keep yer candy flavorings far, far from me. I want coffee to taste like coffee. I will take a little milk, for the fat content.

One tip, though: you don't need a machine at all.

Just get a cheap Mellita #6 cone filter and a glass carafe. Maybe 10 bucks. Heat water in a teapot. Pour slowly to wet the grounds. Let them settle for 2 or 3 seconds. Then continue to pour slowly around until the filter is full.

This may sound tedious, but it only takes half a minute once the water is hot. And standing there for that half-minute, you get the nose hit from oils foaming up from the grounds.

Why bury that moment in the innards of a machine?

Ahhhhh. It's Morning in America. If it gets cold, nuke it briefly in the cup. No way to burn it.

Makes about 10 cups, or 3 mugs, of perfect coffee. No hissing cranky hard-to-clean machinery involved. Hands on, and downright sensual.

Bob Giddings

Posted by: Bob Giddings | Sep 5, 2006 11:11:38 AM

To btm1: I have had a Krups Home Cafe pod machine for about a year, and I love it! But it took awhile to find the best coffee. Ruled out Senseo and Folgers' pods (too bitter). Found a WONDERFUL pod company named Betterpods.com (who charges only $4.99 for any size shipping) who makes a superb pod with lots of flavors: Kona, Decaf, blends, etc. They even have sampler boxes and tea pods, too. In a pinch, we came to also like Maryland Club House Blend pods, and their Decaf is wonderful. However, we have recently not been able to purchase them locally, so I have been buying them on eBay. My machine holds two pods at a time, so hubby and I can have two different flavors in one process! Good luck on that Senseo...I first bought one and returned it, then bought the Krups after many reviews. Jeanette.

Posted by: JJ in Yancey Texas | Sep 14, 2006 11:50:16 AM

OOPS.....disregard my previous comments about Maryland Club coffee pods...I meant to say Maxwell House.

Also, I recently purchased (on eBay) two packages of reusable coffee pods called Eco Pods. They are of plastic and mesh, and they snap apart for you to add your own flavored coffee. They work very well and fit easily in the deep pod holders that came as an extra set with my Krups. They also work in the Senseo machines. I think my winning bid was about 10 bucks for the two packages (each pkg. had 2 pods in it.) Neat deal.

Jeanette

Posted by: JJ in Yancey Texas | Sep 15, 2006 1:38:01 AM

Grind your own? Sure, it CAN be better, but if you use one of the suggested Burr Grinders you can get pretty uneven grinding.

Look at the grounds at various points during the grinding process and notice that you will have pieces of many different sizes. In order to get a consistent extraction from all of your coffee it is neccesary to have uniform grounds.

IF your burr grinder eventually gets a consistent powder that just happens to match the needs of your machine, then you are fine. Unfortunately for me, my Pavoni requires a finer grind than most home-style "pour through" grinders, and the burr just doesn't do a consistent job.

Sure, I can spend >$200 on a Pavoni grinder, but frankly I'm just as happy to buy a 1/2 pound ground just right, and get back to the roaster for a fresh batch once or twice a week.

Jefe

Posted by: Jefe | Sep 25, 2006 1:27:32 PM

to summarize, in case someone came here to learn something, instead of just rant about their personal preferences:

1) good tasting water
2) clean pot
3) the best (and freshest) beans you can afford
4) don't burn it

that should satisfy everyone, although 4) will no doubt piss off the 'cowboy coffee' crowd

... ok I can't resist a dog pile - columbian supremo dark, melita maker, RO water because there are no springs for spring water in Phoenix

Posted by: wmac | Sep 30, 2006 10:54:20 PM

If you REALLY want good coffee, the next step is to roast your own beans at home. I do. Been roasting at home since 1998.

Roasting Coffee in a Popcorn Popper

Posted by: MAS | Oct 7, 2006 10:01:37 AM

You all crack me up, especially the self-proclaimed coffee experts that insist there is only one "real" way to make coffee. That's like saying there's only one "real" way to cook an egg. One of the best things about coffee is that there are so many ways to make it. Each method results in a cup with different characteristics. This is probably one of the things I look forward to the most when I dine at various ethnic restaurants, or when I travel. How boring would it be if we all liked to do things the same way? Personally, I agree with the majority that think CHAR-Bucks coffee is NASTY, but, apparently millions of people like charcoal-sludge coffee, so let them drink and enjoy.

I appreciate those who stick to the basics - fresh beans, clean water, clean equipment, and correct brewing temperature ... beyond that, coffee brewing is an art that we all enjoy in different ways.

Posted by: CDR | Oct 7, 2006 10:57:09 AM

I agree with everything at the top. I use distilled water, a french press and organic Clear Mountain Brazilian. Here's my twist: I brew a full pot, but I don't want to drink it all at once. After it cools a little, I put it in some thick-walled glass bottles (Fischer's works great). You know those wine pumps that use rubber stopper-valves? Put those in the top, pump out the air, and refrigerate. A day or two later, you can microwave the coffee (not too much!) and it's like you just brewed it. Ahh!

Posted by: Beanhead | Oct 16, 2006 12:20:32 AM

french press is the way to go, hands down. Machines take the "earthy" appeal of coffee away.

grind beans fresh (2tbs/6oz) and let stew for 4 minutes. Perfection.

Posted by: toddZ | Oct 25, 2006 2:56:33 AM

Thank you for vindicating my insatiable need for a good cup of coffee. I have had the same discussion with many people, almost to the point of a heated argument, about the merits of a good brew. My wife and I tend to travel a bit, so we like to stock up when we are O/S. At the moment, I am sipping on a brew of freshly grinded ‘Arabica Beans’ from ‘La Casa Del Caffe Tazza D’oro” a famous little bean shop and coffee house located in a little alley across from the Pantheon in Roma… Hmmmm.

I personally think the degeneration of quality coffee drinking in the United States is derived from the general public’s chronic need for the caffeine hit. The social need to enjoy a good cup of coffee on your own or with some friends is foreign except to a select few.… God help the rest of then.

I love your work.

Cheers – Mr Knuckle Blend

PS My nick name ‘Mr. Knuckle Blend’ comes from a philosophical argument I recently had with a fellow work mate. I argued that a cup of hand grinded coffee beans (using a fine cheese grater) is better than his ‘top shelf’ foul-gers (folgers).

I have to admit that I have some shitty instant coffee in the cupboard (received as a token gift from an acquaintance). I save that for the days when some one I don’t like comes around and I am trying to motivate them to leave!

Posted by: Knuckle Blend | Oct 28, 2006 2:57:51 PM

coffee? pfft. Savages. Drink tea.

Posted by: sam | Nov 3, 2006 12:38:52 PM

I am not a big fan of Starbucks, but it does have its uses. Though I live in Honolulu now and drink Kona as my standard coffee, I lived overseas for fourteen years, split between Europe and Asia. A particularly memorable moment was a spectacular java mocha made at a private home on Bali, but I digress.

While working in Vienna, I became acquainted with and largely disillusioned with the venerable Viennese coffee house. Most are smoke-filled and I found myself stopping by only in warm weather when I could sit outside. Aside from the impact on one's lungs, smoke does nothing for the taste of coffee. But I was saddened to find that most of the Viennese houses only differentiated their many coffees by the amount of white they put into it. It was all the same coffee, but came in different shades of brown. I also noticed that most of the customers were retirees. Most younger customers had fled.

Then Starbucks came to town. They were opposed by many of the venerable coffee institutions, but younger coffee house owners were smart enough to see that Starbucks might revive what was then a declining business. And it has! The Viennese houses have been forced to make their premises more attractive and to offer more variety, and - with the help of Starbucks - they are attracting a younger clientele and have a bright future. Starbucks has helped to revive an institution.

Posted by: Steve Craven | Nov 11, 2006 2:31:08 PM

vivian (of the starbucks comments) absolutely correct. inferior beans, overroasted til burnt.

coffee maker? Get an espresso/capp machine. --

Never start with preground beans -- grind your own or use a high end e/c machine.

I got a Capresso 1500 -- over 2 yrs and doing great. Required min maintenance and great coffee or capp or espresso every time.

Too expensive? Then get a french press, use boiling water that has cooled for 3-5 minutes and grind your own beans.

Once you do these? you will never go back.

Posted by: coffee lover | Dec 4, 2006 9:23:35 PM

We serve lotsa fresh Green Mountain coffee at our Cape Cod B&B (Oyster Cove B&B On Wellfleet Harbor). Favs are Lake & Lodge, French Roast and Organic House Blend but they have dozens of blends, varietals and decafs on their website. We purchase in boxes of 50, vacuum bagged, pre-ground ...each makes one pot. We use our own well water (acidity neutralized) and whatever inexpensive Mr Coffee we can buy for $30 every 6 months. Very important to pour into a vacuum carafe as soon as brewed so does not burn on the 'warmer'.

Green Mountain offers many fair trade (grower gets a fair price) and organic (no chemical fertilizers) coffees. I recycle the grounds and filters into my compost pile for use in the veggie garden. Stock is GMCR.

I guess someone should say: "Wake up and smell the coffee!" Visit our 24/7 webcam at www.mywellfleet.com

Posted by: Oysterman | Dec 4, 2006 10:35:45 PM

I love this page. (and I love the Big Picture, when I'm working).
I've linked to it (your coffee sucks!) on my blog, Bad Home Cooking. Check it out...
http://www.badhomecooking.typepad.com/bad_home_cooking/

Posted by: Bad Home Cook | Dec 28, 2006 4:27:38 AM

Black and Decker coffee maker from Wal-Mart. $19.99 with a timer that starts brewing for you in the morning at the time of your choice. Paper filters from anywhere. Folgers big container from Wal-Mart for around five dollars. Cheap creamer from the dollar store. Add a little two per cent milk to cool it. Tastes fine to me.
I used to grind the beans. What a hassle.
Starbucks always tastes like burnt coffee, snobby people with the nerve of having a tip jar. For what? The coffe is always too hot, the lines too long, the price astronomical, annoying music, annoying snobby customers, crummy merchandise on racks that I would like to destroy, everyone acting normal after being financially raped for burnt coffee, Starbucks sucks.
The whole world of coffee and the snobbishness of it. Making a big deal out of a big nothing. I grind my own beans. Big whoop dee do. I roast my own beans. So what that makes you real stupid. The Italians squeeze every last drop of coffee out of a coffee bean because they figured out how to be the smartest cheapskates. Greek coffee. They like it thick like their sexual practices. Coffee is not as complex as it is made to be. When you order coffee it should come in one flavor... coffee. The milk, cream or sweetner is an afterthought. Not real complex. Coffee black or with cream (milk, etc.) or with cream and sugar. Sugar being granulated, the pink stuff, or nutrasweet or some other variety. Anything more than what is offered at a White Castle, MacDonald's, etc. is just fluff. Instant does suck in all forms but I'll still drink it if there is not an alternative.

Posted by: Fred | Mar 7, 2007 8:37:48 PM

Barry or any new yorkers.

Check out ROHR'S Coffee shop on 86th between 2nd and 1st. Great place, some of the best flavors you can get. Coffee is very fresh and good. The teas are also great. Just a great place to get coffee and hang out.

Posted by: costa | Jun 12, 2007 11:08:35 AM

One thing I've found about Porto Rico Importers is that they blow an air conditioner over the whole space during the summer, which tends to dry out their beans a bit and make them a bit more bitter. This is especially noticeable when you are using them for a cold brewed batch, which should have zero bitterness.

As for coffee machines, nothing I have tried beats a French press. A paper filter may remove some potentially harmful acids and oils, but no other method will get coffee that is as rich or as full of flavor.

Posted by: L'Emmerdeur | Oct 15, 2007 2:22:16 PM

In my opinion, I just don't buy Starbucks, the quality of the beans is poor. I do go to Seattle's Best Coffee every morning and I love the coffee and Baristas. They even grind fresh beans in front of you, and all of their machines are Manual. :)

Posted by: Kitosoma | Dec 10, 2007 10:03:16 PM

Problem of Starbuck's and others alike is: quantity overrules quality... Simple as that.

Posted by: Kona coffee love | Mar 10, 2008 5:21:26 AM

Porto Rico? Are you serious. I can pretty much agree with much of what you say--but as someone who lived around the corner from the Porto Rico on Bleecker for years, I gotta say the beans sucked--low quality. The only thing that I will say that is positive about them is that--unlike Starbucks--they didn't burn the beans. But the quality was missing.

Posted by: giuseppe | Mar 21, 2008 8:32:10 PM

Gotta agree on the Capresso w/Carafe, my last unit (the one with the burner) lasted about 6-7 years of daily service. I still have some vacuum thermos carafes I would pour the pot directly into when I had the older version, now it's one fewer step (though I find the carafe will leak from the top hole/valve)..

For beans, I recommend Contra Cafe.. I'm working off a half-year of monthly deliveries ;)

Posted by: Dr. Kenneth Noisewater | Apr 8, 2008 3:22:24 PM