Has store bought coffee changed?

[LeeVing]

I usually have Starbucks Sumatra at home. I grind most of the time and usually use my french press.

I was going to buy a huge bag of Community Coffee when I was down in Mississippi for my dads funeral, but had no way of bringing it home in my bags.

CostCo also has decent beans that are usually roasted on site, depending on your store.

 

[Gibsonian]

Well throw whole beans in your coffee maker and see what you get. Grind coarse and see what you get. Grind fine and see what you get.

Smaller particles = more surface area exposed to hot water = more coffee dissolving into the water.

I am looking for reasoning on why not to pulverise the beans, as that was mentioned a couple times. I agree with your last statement, but don't plan on conducting your recommended experiment, I'll leave that to you.

 

[Ed in Tx]

I've noticed the finer toward powdered the coffee is, the more acidic or bitter it will taste. I grind mine at a fine "filter" grind. I can go much finer but it doesn't taste as good; much coarser and it's weak. When I bought a new grinder it took a few tries to find the right grind for my taste.

 

[trhee]

It depends on your brewing method.

As someone has stated, the finer you grind coffee, the stronger the taste. The opposite is true as is everything in between. However, the coarseness of grind really depends on your brewing method.

A fine grind over a long brewing time will result in a coffee that is overly strong, bitter and very harsh tasting. Not good coffee, IMO.

While I love strong coffee, I don't like one that's harsh with burnt aftertones. For me, a medium-coarse grind with a French press works great for general coffee that's served black.

There are many preparations of coffee and for anyone that takes their coffee seriously, they spend time to find the perfect marriage of grind size, grind method, brewing method and brewing time.

I am looking for reasoning on why not to pulverise the beans, as that was mentioned a couple times. I agree with your last statement, but don't plan on conducting your recommended experiment, I'll leave that to you.

 

[rswojo]

I am looking for reasoning on why not to pulverise the beans, as that was mentioned a couple times. I agree with your last statement, but don't plan on conducting your recommended experiment, I'll leave that to you.

I read your post and interpreted it backwards. I sincerely apologize. I don't plan on experimenting as I never touch the stuff.

 

[elcoholic]

Coffee is very complex. Several years ago Scientific American had a 8 page article on the chemistry of coffee. Don't quote my exact numbers, but the gist is that a raw bean has 200 identifiable compounds, chemicals and extractives. Roasting causes chemical reactions that result in 800 identifiable compounds, chemicals and extractives. Most of them add to the flavor, but many are bitter. There is an ideal extraction of 60%. Time, temp and the amount of coffee are all variables along with the method. Generally too fine for too long results in bitterness. People get confused between strong and bitter and back off on the coffee amount when in reality the should be adding more coffee. This is because most autodrips don't get hot enough and run too slow so they over extract. Adding more coffee reduces the percentage of extraction since time and temp are fixed. Another point of confusion is that a standard cup of coffee is 5 oz., not 8. Don't ask me why. If you don't know this and your following the general starting point of of 2 tbls of coffee per cup you're about 40% light on the amount of coffee. This definitely leads to bitterness. Grind should match the method, time and temp should be constant and then the amount and type of coffee can be adjusted to taste.

BTW: When I use cheaper beans from Costco, CB&TL or Pete's, a very slight pinch (10 grains) of kosher salt per Alton Brown's advice as "insurance against bitterness" does help.

 

[spaceman]

Hmm, I never heard that, about a pinch of salt, might have to try it. I've been using a french press for several years now, & it's definitely my preferred method. I went through a phase of using espresso machines, but found very little difference, & the clean-up time wasn't worth the difference, to me. I also learned through experience what you guys mean, about you can grind it too fine. It "seems" like finer is better, especially if you're thinking espresso, but it just isn't so, taste-wise.

 

[elcoholic]

Alton has yet to steer me wrong. Just make sure you use kosher or sea salt. You have to spend mucho dinero to get steam and if you don't have steam you don't have espresso. My espresso machine didn't last too long until it went to the GW.

 

[hdewees]

My friends comment on how they like my coffee. I think most people don't add enough coffee grounds when they make it. I buy Caribou beans and grind them myself. Pretty good. I don't care for Starbucks. I've also tried Sam's Club Black Velvet and it's pretty good. I'd like to find the 8 o'clock coffee and try it. I really, really don't like "flavored" coffee and will not let my wife make in in our coffee machine. Taste is a personal thing, just like speakers.

 

[usedto]

I like it strong with creamorra and sugar

Tough to blame the coffee with that stuff in there.

 

[trhee]

When it comes to cooking, salt is the cure-all to everything and is a must in almost every situation including baking and pastries. It is the single most important ingredient in all of cooking, period.

BTW: When I use cheaper beans from Costco, CB&TL or Pete's, a very slight pinch (10 grains) of kosher salt per Alton Brown's advice as "insurance against bitterness" does help.

 

[Satcom123]

Well, steered in the right direction for a good cup of joe. I will buy a french press. Experiment with the grinding and make sure the water is boiling.

Bentpencil, I will try again for a cup of black straight up coffee. :thmbsp:

I wonder how many of us are vibrating after this posting?

 

[kneeOhFight]

Well, steered in the right direction for a good cup of joe. I will buy a french press. Experiment with the grinding and make sure the water is boiling.

Bentpencil, I will try again for a cup of black straight up coffee. :thmbsp:

I wonder how many of us are vibrating after this posting?

the french press, and coarse grinding are essential...drip coffee is dreadful by comparison, as you'll soon see. In my 37 years of pressing coffee, water just off a boil seems to yield a smoother brew. I think you'll find a need for either real cream or soy creamer once you make the change to good, properly brewed coffee. That Cremora stuff is ghastly, whether you read the ingredients or not.

Enjoy, you're in for a real treat

 

[usedto]

Bentpencil, I will try again for a cup of black straight up coffee. :thmbsp:

I used to drink my coffee with cream and sugar, too. I went to work at a warehouse that had a woman bookkeeper, and one day I was complaining because they had run out of sugar. She asked if I'd like to wean my self from the additives, so I asked her how.

She said the next morning, pour my coffee black, and make myself drink it if I could. She said I'd probably quit after a third or half of the cup, but no cheating.

Day after that - same thing. MAKE yourself drink it black. If all you can take is a part of a cup, so be it.

Do that for four days. Then, on the fifth, put a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee. It will taste so crappy you'll dump it out and pour one black. THEN, you'll see what REAL coffee is supposed to taste like.

That was back in 1979. Haven't put anything in my coffee since. Well, maybe a little booze from time to time!:thmbsp:

 

[Bozzmonster]

Interesting discussion about coffee here! I do like the Tim Horton's coffee or even Dunkin' Donuts, but despise Starbucks. Starbucks has always tasted burnt to me due to the roast. I found 8 O'Clock to be very good for a basic brew, and some good choices can be found also at Costco or Trader Joe's. Currently working on a can of Trader Joe 'Joe' brand beans - medium roast and a good price at approx four bucks a 13 oz can of beans. Grind them myself in small batches. Currently use drip, but might try the French press next.

One thing to consider is the quality of your water impacting brew quality. If you taste it in your water, you're gonna taste it in your coffee. That includes chlorine, hard water issues and salt from a water softener. Another thing to consider is hard water will not permeate the coffee grounds as well as soft water. Think of it like having a hard time lathering up soap in hard water. Since there is already 'something' in hard water (namely minerals) there's less of an ability for the water to extract the oils, flavor and aroma as it flows through the grounds. The hard water is already permeated with minerals and can't hold the 'good' stuff as effectively. I found it made a big difference when I switched from our municipal well water to bottled water - not the type with added minerals. The taste of my coffee became more 'alive.'

 

[elcoholic]

I take mine with half/half and sugar or black or Jameson's depending on the occasion. Good, full flavored coffee can be enhanced by a little cream and sugar. Most of the time I drink restaurant coffee black because it's too weak for cream and sugar. The occasional Vietnamese or Moroccan coffee makes a nice change of pace too. One of these days I would like to try a vacuum pot, heard good things about those too.

 

[spaceman]

There ya go, Moroccan coffee is pretty darn good. :thmbsp: Another good STRONG coffee is Cuban coffee, it makes espresso seem weak. I use those flavored creamers, but I don't get carried away, just a little, to enhance the flavor of the coffee, not cover it.

 

[Jack G]

If you want the best, freshest coffee, roast your own beans. Its cheaper, you have control over how it is roasted, and there is a huge variety of beans to choose from. I've been doing this for about 6 years or so. Once roasted, beans lose their freshness after about 7-10 days, even in sealed bags.
As for the grind, that will depend on the brewing method. Coarse for a french press, fine for drip. The exact grind depends on how long it will be exposed to water. Too coarse, and the coffee is weak-too fine and it will be bitter. You want to get all of the flavor without getting the bitter parts. There are drip machines out there that heat the water to 200 degrees, and distribute the water evenly over the coffee. They are the minority though. I use a drip for my every day coffee, and a French Press for special occasions. I prefer my French Press, It gives a richer more full bodied coffee, but I'm just not up for dealing with it at 5 AM.
I'll never go back to pre-roasted beans again.
Jack

 

[elcoholic]

I'm lucky to live near Kean Coffee (Martin Diedrich) in Costa Mesa. They roast small batches daily. Each bag is signed and dated by who roasted it. At $1 oz and up it's my splurge coffee. They will also sell raw beans. I may try roasting when a hot air pop corn maker presents itself at GW or on Freecycle. I do the press at 05:00 but I use a digital timer to start the kettle so the water is ready when I stumble into the kitchen. The beans are all ready in the grinder so it takes about 5 minutes if I have my sh!t together the night before. I make a 2nd pot of water for my wife's tea while my press is steeping, so it's pretty efficient.

Oh goodie, I just realized it's Thursday which is coffee night with a friend at Kean. Best cappuccino on earth!

 

[dumptruck]

I'm not a big coffee snob, but every time I read a coffee thread on here there's so many subjective opinions that seem insane to me, plus a considerable amount of misinformation. I end up losing the urge to join the discussion by the time I get to the reply box. I wonder if there's a coffee forum nerd with a passing enthusiasm for hifi that feels like this when an audio thread pops up.

If Folgers is worse than it used to be, I'd guess it has to do with rising supply costs for them. They need to keep their prices low enough to avoid competing with coffee that actually tastes decent.