mmmmmm Coffee

[ckelly]

Nothing like some of these fresh ground to get you up in the morning :)

[Army]

Working my way thru my 2nd cup, still hav'in a hardtime getting the eyeball's pried open. :sigh:

Couldn't function without it most mornings :no:

[Celt]

Slurpin' on mine as I type this... It gives me a kick start in the morning. :yes:

[Fisherdude]

I've been retired for the past two years. Completely enjoying it, but I'm starting to miss being around people in a "work" environment, if you know what I mean. So I started just fishing around for something parttime. I figured it would have to be something involving music/stereo, or golf, or my other passion, coffee!

I got invited to apply for a job managing the Learning Center, (driving range, short-game area, etc.) at the local golf course, but no benefits.

I've been asked to work at the local pro shop, but I'd have to work Saturdays and give up golf with my buddies.

Well, I talked to the manager of one of the local Starbucks, and lo and behold, I'm a barista! The Clayster....workin' the bar....makin' capuccinos! I'm having a ball!! And, I spend all day surrounded by college girls!! Life is good! It's such a great place to work, that after one week of listening to me, my wife quit her job and went to work at a new Starbucks being built about 15 minutes away.

Best of all, for a minimum of 20 hours per week:

1. Family medical insurance.
2. Family prescription drug coverage.
3. Family dental insurance.
4. Family vision insurance.
5. Employee discounted stock purchase program.
6. Company matched 401K profit sharing program.
And, drum roll please....
7. One free pound of coffee every week!

All kidding aside, this is just one of the greatest companies I've ever been involved with. They truly do care about their employees. And, they walk the talk. It's not just lip service like everywhere else.

And, since I've been a 100% devoted Starbucks junkie for well over 10 years, well, this is just heaven!

Edit: I just noticed, why is this in "Cameras and Photography"?
Edit2: The macro of the beans! Never mind!

[Reel 2 Reel]

The wife would love those in the morning...but ...My coffee comes in 12 oz cans!!!!!! :beerchug: ...LOL

[RichPA]

Well, I talked to the manager of one of the local Starbucks, and lo and behold, I'm a barista!

. . .

And, drum roll please....
7. One free pound of coffee every week!



Very cool - who cares about medical, when you get a free pound of Starbucks every week? :D

Seriously, hope you enjoy it - post a pic, then it will fit a thread in this forum!

[Dave918]

Edit: I just noticed, why is this in "Cameras and Photography"?
Edit2: The macro of the beans! Never mind!

A great story Clay, fit or not :thmbsp:

-dave

[Fisherdude]

A great story Clay, fit or not :thmbsp:

-dave

I never met a thread I couldn't hijack!! :D

[jstout66]

I LUVS my coffee as well!!!!! Speaking of.... for those of you brewing your coffee in a BUNN home coffee maker, you better check and make sure it's not one of the models they recalled recently. I guess the plastic can melt and the maker could burst into flames. I have a BUNN, and lucky me.... it's recalled and they say to unplug and stop using immediately. I'm living "on the edge" and still using mine. I can't be without my coffee, and I haven't made it out to get a replacement yet.

[bordeno]

Not only do I love coffee, I'm proud to say I am addicted to it, one thing to be addicted to that I don't mind one bit.

For kicks acouple of years ago, I thought I'd try not drinking coffee until 12 noon one day. At 12 noon my pot of Starbucks was ready. I had an awful headache. End of ridiculous experiment.

Coffee rules. I used to travel the world in my old job. Got pounds of Columbian beans in Venezuela for $1 a pound. Went to Jamaica, got Blue Mountain coffee (the real thing, not some wacky blend) for $12.00 a pound, costs average $35 in the states. Had Kona coffee in Hawaii. (What's the perfect breakfast? Fresh pineapple and Kona coffee in Hawaii.)

Here in America I tend to buy Starbucks by the 2 pound bag at BJs, $8.50 a pound, not bad.

But I have to say maybe the best coffee in America I've had was in Portland Oregon where they have coffee shops everywhere.

Coffee: the only addiction I have left, (except vintage stereo equipment) and one I'll proudly never give up. :thmbsp:

[ManFromPorlock]

I can't be without my coffee, and I haven't made it out to get a replacement yet.

Boil some water in a pot; turn off the heat and throw in one heaping Tbsp. of ground coffee for each cup of water in the pot; stir, cover and let sit for five minutes. Now, throw in some crunched-up eggshell (from cooked eggs, please, no point in inviting Salmonella) and the grounds will mysteriously settle to the bottom of the pot. Pour and enjoy!

[OvenMaster]

I've been drinking this stuff since 1978 and I am always searching for the perfect cup of coffee and the best way to make it. I can't resist trying it in a new restaurant and mentally filing it away in my rankings! Flavored coffee? Feh! No way, gimme straight Java, the true nectar of the gods.

Coffee hound Tom

[Iolaus]

Man, you guys are making me want to break out my coffee roaster and have a real, fresh roasted, cup of coffee!!! :beatnik:

[Filmboydoug]

Hey coffee lovers,

I have been trying different flavors and find I like Columbian Supremo and Foglifter. What other flavors should I try?

[Mark B]

Hey coffee lovers,

I have been trying different flavors and find I like Columbian Supremo and Foglifter. What other flavors should I try?
French Roast is mellow & non-acidic. Also good is a 50/50 blend of French Roast and Columbian.

IMO buying whole bean & grinding it yourself is the only way to go.

[luvvinvinyl]

The local coffee wholesaler buys beans and roasts them. They have a terrace-grown Costa Rican, which is really nice, 50/50 with Guatemalan. I also like the fact that they will sell to me at wholesale prices on 5 pound bags of fresh roasted beans, <$6/lb, CDN$.

[Filmboydoug]

French Roast is mellow & non-acidic. Also good is a 50/50 blend of French Roast and Columbian.

IMO buying whole bean & grinding it yourself is the only way to go.

I don't have a grinder so I use the one at the supermarket. That works fine except the bottom of the last bag I bought tasted chocolaty. I have actually stayed away from french roast as I tried some at a coffee bar and it was quite atrocious. I'll give some a try tho.

BTW, I once had a cup of coffee at the local Krispy Kreme. My friends, I am here to tell you it would've given battery acid a bad name! :yuck:

Are they all that bad?

[luvvinvinyl]

BTW, I once had a cup of coffee at the local Krispy Kreme. My friends, I am here to tell you it would've given battery acid a bad name! :yuck:

Are they all that bad?
Well, the Krispy Kreme opened here in Windsor, and closed up, less that 2 years later. Couldn't whip Tim Horton's, in the open market, I guess.

[OvenMaster]

I stay away from coffee served in big urns in buffet-style restaurants. Must be cheap stuff, because it always reminds me of Diesel fuel. Some diners are like that too... they must be brewing it deliberately strong. Yecch!
What's the best way to make it? I've tried Mr. Coffee style drip machines, single-cup drip contraptions with gold-plated, plastic, or paper filters, and a stainless stovetop percolator. Instant of course for us lazy types too. The perk makes the house smell fantastic but the results are way too variable. I've tried so many brands of coffee from the market it's not funny.

Tom

[Celt]

I use a 4-cup NLX5 Mr. Coffee with a gold-filter. Always start with ice cold water and if I want good results, grind my own beans that I purchase locally from Cafe' Java. I've spoiled myself to this and Seattle's Best or Staryuck's coffee (now $8.50 for 12 oz.!). Can no longer tolerate the weak/weird taste of Folger's, Maxwell House or Yuban.
Note that the Folgers whole beans seem to be better than their ground crap. I'm also a stickler for time. If it sits over half an hour, it's undrinkable IMO...and is why I use a 4-cup machine.

[Randy Bassham]

I usually use my Bunn, but occasionally I'll break out something different like my Dad's old West Bend Flavo-Matic Percolator but IMHO some of the best coffee comes from my Sunbeam Coffeemaster Vacuum Pot, makes great coffee and it's a blast to watch it work. I like the Millstone Foglifter whole bean but I'm having trouble finding it now....

[Fisherdude]

The problem with percolators (memories of my childhood!) is that as soon as the coffee starts dripping down into the water, you're actually boiling the coffee, which is a horrible no-no. Acrid, rancid tasting coffee.

Any drip coffee maker, such as a Mr. Coffee or Melitta type, using a filter basket, will make great coffee. Vacuum pots are terrific, too, but they're getting hard to find.

The absolute best maker you can use, which is the method used by professional coffee tasters when they "cup" coffee, is the french press style. You use a coarser grind than drip, coffee goes in the press, and then boiling water. Stir, wait 4-5 minutes, and then push the press down, pour, and enjoy.

The difference is striking. The downside is that you have to boil the water separately, and cleanup is a pita.

I've used a drip maker for years, but I'm the only one in the house who drinks coffee, so I just make it one (big) mug at a time. So, I just walked in the door this afternoon with my brand new Barista Aroma Solo coffee maker, which makes 16 oz of fresh drip coffee directly into an insulated mug. And, employee discount, too! Woo-hoo!

[Mark B]

The absolute best maker you can use, which is the method used by professional coffee tasters when they "cup" coffee, is the french press style. You use a coarser grind than drip, coffee goes in the press, and then boiling water. Stir, wait 4-5 minutes, and then push the press down, pour, and enjoy.

The difference is striking. The downside is that you have to boil the water separately, and cleanup is a pita.


You're right about the french press - great tasting coffee! Rarely use mine though because I'm too lazy. I've got a Krups drip coffee maker that makes an excellent pot of coffee. I grid the beans using a KitchenAid burr grinder just before making a pot. Using just the right amount of grounds when brewing is important - the coffee isn't nearly as good if it's too weak or too strong.

[Celt]

My mom had one of the Sunbeam vacuum pots when I was a leedle kid. Was given a French Press one year for Xmas. Used it a couple of times and the results were quite wonderful...then it accidentally got bumped in the sink during cleanup and well...that was that... :(

[OvenMaster]

Hm. I just may end up giving myself an early Christmas gift of a french press coffee maker. Thanx, guys! :thmbsp: I shall start looking!
Tom

[Fisherdude]

Keep in mind that a press requires a coarser grind than a drip coffee maker. If you use too fine a grind, the metal screen will clog, and you won't be able to push it down.

I would strongly suggest that everyone who grinds their own beans should invest in a burr grinder. This is the only type of grinder that can be set to a specific grind, and will do an excellent job of it. A blade grinder is totally dependent on how long you hold the button down, and it will end up with a mix of some too fine, some just right, and some too coarse, all in the same pot. You'll never really know how your coffee is really supposed to taste.

A good burr grinder can be expensive, $75-$125 depending on brand, but it's really worth it. If you just go through a pound of quality beans every two weeks or so, that's $250-$300 worth of beans in just one year. A good grinder will really get your money's worth (best flavor) out of the beans.

[Bogframe]

At home we use Columbian Supremo brewed in a cuisinart grind and brewer. When we're out, we go to Starbuck's, but I have to agree with my wife when she says the best out-of-home coffe is Tim Hortons. I wish they'd hurry up and set one up here in Brooklyn!

[2DualsNotEnough]

I never got into coffee much,until 3 or 4 years ago when I started going to the movies next to an all night starbucks,and we started getting the vanilla sugar free lattes to take into the theater.Then I was hooked.Funny thing was,I didnt even know they had sugar free flavors until the guys in the motorcycle club in front of me one night were all ordering them in their harley leather jackets. :lmao:
Jimmy

[OvenMaster]

Finally did it this past Monday. Bad Breath and Beyond had a Bodum 4-cup french press coffee maker for just $20. Put in some Trader Joe's coarseground and boom! Coffee from Heaven! Thanks for the guidance, guys! Much appreciated.
Tom

[Fisherdude]

Another convert!! :thmbsp:

[Celt]

Hey, speaking of coffee...anyone noticed a shortage and higher prices? The shelves are near empty around here. I was told it was because of Katrina. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? :scratch2:

[OvenMaster]

With apologies to King David:

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.

It maketh me to wake in green pastures: It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.

It restoreth my buzz: It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction, I will fear no Equal(tm): For thou art with me; Thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me.

Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of Juan Valdez: Thou anointest my day with pep; My mug runneth over.

Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the House of Folger's forever.

Amen