Coffee Prep Tricks

[Boho]

I just got a new "Primula Madison Ceramic Pour Over Coffee Dripper." My trick is how I use it with a cup too big for it. I can even use it with a bowl if I want the coffee to cool even faster. I bent a stainless steel skewer into a U shape, making the sides of the U close enough together to hold the cone, and I place it on the cup. For the first year or two I used two skewers but they took up much more counter space.

I don't know how people can drink their coffee and tea as hot as they do. When they said very hot tea causes cancer, I thought "it burns anyway, so why would people drink it?" I'm even stopping my whitening toothpaste because I'm afraid of the burning feeling on my tongue.

 

[DayDreaming]

I was looking a simple 1-cup coffee brewer and settled on this a few years ago - a Coffee and Tea Infusing Mesh Brewing Basket, where I brew my coffee right in the cup. To me it tastes as good as any other coffee maker coffee, and much better than Keurig coffee IMO:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I68NCS/

 

[target2019]

A simple French press coffee maker is $20-25. A simple bean grinder (rotary blade, not burr) is another $25 or so. I would suggest getting the French press first and use already ground coffee. See if you like it. If you do, buy the grinder and grind your own beans.

P.S. - We compost our grounds. They're good for the garden.

I was looking a simple 1-cup coffee brewer and settled on this a few years ago - a Coffee and Tea Infusing Mesh Brewing Basket, where I brew my coffee right in the cup. To me it tastes as good as any other coffee maker coffee, and much better than Keurig coffee IMO:

We have two French presses, and the Mesh Brewing Basket is tempting...

Without the filter paper of a basket or cone brewing system, the granule size and consistency of the grind will affect taste and appearance. I usually forget this, and the finer grind from the burr grinder will absolutely give you a stronger drink from the French press.

There's a set of baskets you can use to sort out your grinds if your machine isn't consistent enough. I wasn't able to locate it again though.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Grind mine before brewing in a bladed grinder... the burr I had prior was just too dusty and messy and use a french press. Usually lightly sweeten with splenda or stevia in the press and froth milk or cream in my mug (If I really want to treat myself, I use sugar in the frothed cream and nothing in the coffee). I like the process and results and is a bit of luxury on "coffee days."

 

[gerntz]

My grinder has never failed: Folgers Plant.

10 sec to get out filter - unless stuck together. 3 scoops Folgers Plant ground coffee - 15 sec. half pot of water - 15 sec. Pour in water to Mr. Coffee. Wait 7 minutes to brew for 9-10 min. total. I'm good. No Starbucks burnt taste.

 

[kingkarmann]

DW and I love our coffee.
We got tired of hassles especially with parental caregiving duties.
We did a kitchen remodel around 3 years ago and decided on a built-in Miele coffee system.

 

[troutnut1]

After a bout with Gerd in January I found I loved cold brewed coffee which has less acid. I still use my favorite coffee (Rise from BigCreekCoffeeRoasters.com) but I cold brew a carafe of it at a time. I originally bought a Filtron system which costs way more than it’s worth. Now I just buy some cheap cheesecloth draw string bags on Amazon. I put 12 ounces of ground coffee in the bag and submerse it in a large bowl with 58 ounces of water. I cover that with plastic wrap. 24 hours later I have a great coffee concentrate. Because I am cheap, I repeat for another 24 hours with half the water to get all the coffee goodness out of the grounds. Then I mix the two batches together and use 4 tablespoons to eight ounces of heated water to make my morning cup. I’ll never go back to hot brewed coffee. This keeps a long time in the refrigerator. I’m told 6 weeks, but mine is gone lomg before that.

 

[rick55]

We use the Quisinart grind & brew, and Mayorga(currently) organic dark beans from Costco. I put a sprinkle of cinnamon in the filter when I set everything up the night before.

The best cup of coffee I ever had was from John’s diner in Richmond Hill Queens when I was working. Vassillaros coffee brewed to perfection.

 

[Freedom56]

We just buy pre-ground Lavazza espresso coffee use on our Breville espresso/cappuccino machine and use it to froth the milk. It makes the perfect cappuccino using whole milk and okay cappuccino with 2% milk.

 

[Chuckanut]

One of the great things about making coffee at home is that it is cheap enough to try various blends and types without going broke. Buy a pound of Cafè Swampswill and give it a try. If you don't like it as much as your regular coffee, so be it. My guess is you can mix it 50/50 with a favorite and still get a good cup.

The only coffee I never liked was an orange flavored coffee. Even 50/50 with French Roast that darn taste still lingered. I tossed the beans.

 

[Winemaker]

I tossed the beans.

Thank goodness it didn't make you toss your cookies!

 

[target2019]

I asked Google, "What's a good meal for breakfast?"

Answer #3 - "Coffee is an amazing beverage to start your day."

Carry on, folks...

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We honestly have tried many kinds over the years. We prefer...... wait for it....... Bog Standard 8 O'clock Hazelnut whole bean. Available every 6 weeks at Publix, buy one get one 11oz. for $6.71 (for 2).

OK., all you coffee snobs, our next favorite is Lavazza, but has to be ordered mail order and honestly, at the end of the day is not worth the premium or hassle.

 

[FIREarly]

+1... My trick is to put the k-cup in the holder, press down the lever and push the lighted button.

Great tip. Also, do not forget to wash your hands for 20 seconds, stand 6 feet apart, and wear a mask until you are ready to drink your coffee.

 

[albireo13]

Any recommendations for a good burr grinder?
I have been using an electric mini blender so far. Not happy with it.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We use the Solofil grinder, it has been ok.

https://solofill.com/product-category/grinder/

 

[Ian S]

Any recommendations for a good burr grinder?
I have been using an electric mini blender so far. Not happy with it.

Have had this OXO burr grinder for over a year and it has worked flawlessly. The timer gives you consistent amounts of grounds every time and the stainless steel grounds receptacle virtually eliminates the static electricity problem. https://www.amazon.com/OXO-BREW-Con...grinder&qid=1598537296&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-20

 

[swakyaby]

Any recommendations for a good burr grinder?
I have been using an electric mini blender so far. Not happy with it.

I have been happy with Breville Smart Grinder, a programmable burr grinder. It adjusts the grind depending on espresso, French press, percolator, drip, and number of cups or shots. I’ve had it for about 7-8 years, and if it stops working, I would buy again.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

On a side note, cold brew coffee (or even icing leftovers but cold brew is better) with a bit of sugar, black walnut bitters, and bourbon makes a fine drink!

 

[finnski1]

Having worked as a coffee buyer, roaster and taster for 28 years (and as author of the book "Coffee Basics") it delights me to see someone get the details that matter right!

There are only a handful of home electric drip coffee makers that deliver correct brew time and temperature, and fewer still that can brew truly freshly-roasted coffee (less than 2 weeks from roast in whole bean form) without overflowing. And there is only one brewer (the Behmor Brazen) that can do all that at high altitude. Other brands include Technivorm and Bonavita.

Brewing less than a full pot is a bad idea because the rules (195-205 degree water and a contact time between grounds and water of 4-6 minutes) don't change. If you want just a single cup or large mug, I recommend buying a full-immersion brewer such as the Clever Dripper or Aeropress. And if you like French Press coffee, the Espro Press series is in a league of its own, offering plunger pot richness without the grit due to its patented filter.

Info on all of these brewers, as well as a gateway to the best way to save money on great coffee of all (roasting your own in a $20 hot air popcorn popper) can be found at what is now the single best source of coffee information on the web:

https://www.sweetmarias.com

The Specialty Coffee Association has a list of certified brewing machines on their site that meet their stringent standards for temperature , time etc. as well.



I bought A Bodum automatic pour over shower head design based on that list a few years ago and it has worked very well.
Interestingly I don't see it listed on the site anymore.
As a Finn I like strong coffee done at the right temp etc.

 

[kevink]

Here's a Specialty Coffee Association certified brewer that I just learned about. I think it may be of interest to many here because it can brew both a full pot and a single mug with the same brew strength.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Cup-Coffee-Maker-8718800/dp/B07H9G93WK

 

[Winemaker]

We have a NuWave coffee maker that has a specific brew temperature, and has options to brew a K-cup, single cup, half or full carafe. I am well pleased with it. It failed about two months ago, and we sent it back after they sent a replacement. Great customer service.

 

[zinger1457]

I purchased a Capresso 560 Burr Grinder back in 2006, still works great, believe they still make the same or similar model.

 

[MRG]

My grinder has never failed: Folgers Plant.

10 sec to get out filter - unless stuck together. 3 scoops Folgers Plant ground coffee - 15 sec. half pot of water - 15 sec. Pour in water to Mr. Coffee. Wait 7 minutes to brew for 9-10 min. total. I'm good. No Starbucks burnt taste.

One office I had at Megacorp overlooked the Folgers plant in KCMO. No wonder I don't smell coffee like I should. I don't smell anything I've been exposed to "many" times. This includes coffee and the stuff in natural gas and propane.

 

[Jen90]

I just recently got into coffee due to my newfound love of Cafe Britt Tarrazu coffee and have never owned a coffemaker myself. I live in a tiny apartment & alone, and use a little beast, [Mod Edit] just the perfect size to brew one coffee in the morning (& a dessert coffee with Baileys at night hehe). It makes a great tasting cup and for those of you with an echo product this coffeemaker DOES work on a smartplug with Alexa you just have to remember to press the button in the night before when the plug is "off". This was a big must for me when finding a coffeemaker & I was nervous it wouldn't work as I didn't see any review mentioning this. Plus it is a button not an actual on/off switch. But it does indeed work like a dream I have this set up for my 'goodmorning' alexa routine. I just fill the coffee maker with my preferred scoops of coffee, fill it up with water (and I add some icecubes so the water will be cold in the morning as I feel like it makes the best coffee this way and it is mentioned in the instruction manual).

The only negative (which honestly for the price isn't really a negative) is that the coffee cup it comes with is plastic inside so if you're like me and don't immediately drink your morning coffee it gets cold fairly quickly. But this could be a plus if you don't like your coffee mouth burning hot and prefer it cool quicker. Which the coffee that comes out of this maker is SUPER hot like I burned the crap out of my tongue because like an idiot I just curious to see how hot it was right off the bat haha. But if the cup thing is an issue (and you don't need a full 15oz coffee) , you can be like me & get the simple modern 12oz cups which are super cute, fit in this maker easily & keep coffee warm for a good amount of time especially when you put the lid on right after brewing!