rjohn79395 wrote: Does a trip to "Duncan Donuts" count???

Rick

Sure does Rick...Duncan Donuts actually makes some pretty good coffee.

I agree, Duncan Donuts coffee is reasonably good. If I am purchasing from the local grocery store in a pinch, or a big box store, Duncan Donuts would be my pick.

I'm with Murphyslaw1978, I like my coffee black: no sugar or cream. I also have Breville gear and it works very well. My double boiler Breville espresso machine and grinder produce a great espresso but for coffee, nothing beats a good pour over. The Kalita Wave makes an amazing cup and the cost is pretty inexpensive.

There are a lot of factors that go into the brewing of a great cup. Murphyslaw1978 has touched on the most critical. Freshness of the coffee and the consistency of the grind is key. Water is also critical. Bad tasting water is going to make bad tasting coffee! Too few solid and you will fail to extract all of the flavor from the coffee. Fiji Water works well but any good tasting mineral water would be good. The last bit is in the brewing process. There is a prescribed brew time for each device and you control the brew time by the size of the grind. Finer grind will create a longer brew time and a courser grind will produce the opposite. Too long a brew time will lead to over extraction and a bitter cup of joe. Too short will lead to under extraction and give you a thin and sour coffee.

Okay, enough coffee pondering. Time to brew a cup and enjoy. Today's flavor will be JBCs Rock the House Blend in a Cuisinart coffee machine. Life is full of compromises...

Cheers,

T Cobe

Thanks Guys,
I appreciate the follow up.
Murphyslaw, you sound like another coffee expert.
I don't know about Dunkin Doughnuts, nor Trader Joes, matter of fact, about all I can say to feel like I am in this club is that I too drink it black, no sugar. That way, you can really taste the coffee, but that way, it really needs to be a good cuppa Joe.
I am still stumbling along.
God Bless,
Wayne

WayneWilmeth wrote: Murphyslaw, you sound like another coffee expert.

Sadly, just a wanna be. I do, however, drink [coffee] daily and have some expert friends. I reached out to them when I wanted a better cup of coffee, and they all unanimously agreed that coffee bean shelf life and freshness was something I should not take lightly. The water is easy, I live in Chicago, and Chicago's water is ranked pretty high in terms of quality.

They also all agreed - and I think it's easy to see why - the French Press is one of the best-tasting cups you can make.

I have a French Press, of course, but for me, Breville is the brand that allows me the microwave-oven-convenience but still is able to get a good tasting cup. The same goes for tea. My Breville tea maker allows me to dial-in the exact temperature and brew cycle needed for the specific tea leaf choice.

I have the French press, decent water, but I have to find some better way to get my coffee ground and better way to keep it.
I am the only one who drinks it and only a coupla cups a day. Not sure how to buy that small an amount of coffee to keep it really fresh. Honestly, I have decided that it is not worth it to buy a good grinder (I find that being retired on a fixed income, I have to live with financial restraints). I think I will just let the place where I buy the coffee grind it for me. But I will stop keeping it in the freezer. Thought I was being smart, now I found out it is not.
Thanks guys,
God Bless,
Wayne

Wayne,

Grinding your beans doesn't have to be expensive. You can get a manual grinder like the Hario I've linked below for pretty cheap. If you're only brewing a little each da, it should work perfectly.

www.amazon.com/Hario-Ceramic-Skerton-Sto...=hand+coffee+grinder

On another note, your situation may warrant looking into roasting your own beans. Green beans are stable for much longer. You can roast them on your fancy grill with an aluminum popcorn popper. They are also inexpensive. Additionally, green beans are cheaper as well if you can find a source.

www.amazon.com/Great-Northern-Popcorn-St...keywords=Popcorn+pan

Just a couple of ideas. If you like what you're drinking now, I say press on and don't worry about it, but if you want better coffee, it can be has without spending a large sum of money.

Cheers,

T Cobe