Coffee

[davidgoodburn]

For those of you that love the Keurig single brew machines, I would highly recommend that you invest in a mid range grinder (about $100 or so) and a refillable cup. Even with buying more expensive beans you will save a ton of money in the long run, drink way better coffee and all for a few extra seconds every morning to grind beans. literally hit the grind bean button and hold until cup filled.

[doulos]

There is a huge difference in "expensive" coffee compared to the Maxwell House/Timmy's blend etc. Good coffee has actual flavour notes in it from the soil its grown in and the processing used to dry the bean. usually the ones down the organic aisle at the supermarket have a pretty decent flavour and on sale are about $10-12 a lb. One of my favorite commercial brands is Kicking Horse.

I would say there is certainly a difference, but is it the case that I would actually prefer the more expensive coffee? Hard to say. The wine industry thrives on creating a sense of 'more expensive is better' when the reality is the top wine judges can't even tell the difference between expensive and cheap wine (in the sense that they will say they prefer the cheaper wine just as often as the most expensive) when put into double-blind situations. The wine industry is a huge scam.

Maybe coffee is different, I can't say. But I am very skeptical.

[agoodburn]

I would say there is certainly a difference, but is it the case that I would actually prefer the more expensive coffee? Hard to say. The wine industry thrives on creating a sense of 'more expensive is better' when the reality is the top wine judges can't even tell the difference between expensive and cheap wine (in the sense that they will say they prefer the cheaper wine just as often as the most expensive) when put into double-blind situations. The wine industry is a huge scam.

Maybe coffee is different, I can't say. But I am very skeptical.

Not at all the coffee I buy typically runs that $6-8 range per pound, and then shipping, so it usually costs me about $10/lb. the site I buy from doesn't carry blue mountain as it is too expensive and not high enough quality.
Coffee takes on the flavour charactistics of the soil it is grown in, so regions do have different flavours of beans.
I wanted to cut out extra sugar, so I started drinking black coffee, which is what turned me into roasting to begin with. Fresh roast doesn't have the acidity that preground folgers/maxwell house, or even keurigs have.
My wife ruins my coffee by putting international delight in it, but she won't let me segregate our coffee.

[Daydream Nation]

Not at all the coffee I buy typically runs that $6-8 range per pound, and then shipping, so it usually costs me about $10/lb. the site I buy from doesn't carry blue mountain as it is too expensive and not high enough quality.
Coffee takes on the flavour charactistics of the soil it is grown in, so regions do have different flavours of beans.
I wanted to cut out extra sugar, so I started drinking black coffee, which is what turned me into roasting to begin with. Fresh roast doesn't have the acidity that preground folgers/maxwell house, or even keurigs have.
My wife ruins my coffee by putting international delight in it, but she won't let me segregate our coffee.

I have high-end coffee drinking friends and while their coffee is definitely better than my Folgers, it is not 3x better. I get my Folgers Black Silk for $6 for 1.8 lbs at Target.

[MXHockey]

My wife and I realized our Starbucks routine was getting out of hand so we bought the Nespresso machine. It's great, no regrets - perfect way to start the day.

[blayze]

Okay, so you guys are going to force me to go look into the research on this. I am almost positive that despite what you think about the distinct taste, that the reality is people can't tell the difference and most of the taste difference comes from the brain being tricked by brand marketing.

However.

I could be completely wrong on this. So time to go see what I can find out.

You are completely wrong. As a former hardcore coke addict, I can tell the different between coke and pepsi in my sleep. Sometimes, I find it baffling that some people struggle to tell the difference because it's so distinct to me.

With regards to coffee... none of the usual suspects (sbux, tims, mcds) are anywhere near what would be considered "good" coffee. The local specialty shops produce much better coffee - but in most work/school environments, those shops aren't readily available, so you're stuck with the "big 3".

Personally, I prefer sbux. It tastes a little burnt, but it comes much closer to what I would consider "good" coffee than Tims and McDs which both taste like sugar water to me. I think people who don't like the strong taste/aroma of coffee beans prefer Tims or McDs because of the fact that it's much got much more sugar and cream/milk (if you go for those options). If you really want to compare the actual quality/taste of the coffee, drink it black first.

[Atomic Wedgy]

I don't want to offend anyone, but if you are getting your coffee at Timmys or MacDs and you like it, you don't yet understand what a good coffee is. Good coffee ain't for everyone. Some folks don't want to pay more for a good coffee. Some people won't pay more for a good beer or a good wine. I personally don't understand the menatality. You get what you pay for. It only takes a few tries to understand the difference.

There is a science and a methodology to making good coffee. It starts with good product and it ends with a skilled barista.

[The Bottlenecker]

I have at least two cups of Joe per day, and have since university where I drank pots of coffee.

My parents bought my wife and I a Keurig two Christmases ago, and it gets used quite a bit. My wife loves flavoured coffee, and the Green Mountain Company's Hazelnut seems to be her favorite. My two favourites are Timothy's Bali Samsara which has a slight woodsy aftertaste and Folger's Black Silk.

If I am on the road, I prefer McDonald's coffee over Tim Horton's (sacrilege, I know), but I think the McD's blend has more flavour and is consistent from store to store. It isn't like I won't go to Timmy's for coffee, but I have had some really weak and some really strong brews from them depending on the store. McDonald's coffee is the same no matter where I get it, and that is important. It is probably why I like my Keurig so much. Consistency.

[Axeman33]

Im enjoying a nice cup of Instant Maxwell House right now as I type this, and do research for my rookie draft for my NFL Dynasty League.

[butch]

For those of you that love the Keurig single brew machines, I would highly recommend that you invest in a mid range grinder (about $100 or so) and a refillable cup. Even with buying more expensive beans you will save a ton of money in the long run, drink way better coffee and all for a few extra seconds every morning to grind beans. literally hit the grind bean button and hold until cup filled.

My wife and I have tried pretty much everythng that fits in a keurig brewer back when k-cups were cheap (under 50 cents per avg.)
We even bought the adapter so you could put your own coffee in but were never successful at making a cup without having loose coffee grains find their way in.

we've settled on the coffee sold at the loblaws food store chain up here in canada called ''the great canadian'' which fits the kerurig brewer and is actually a pretty good tasting every day coffee .I think you can buy it at no frills for 16.99 for 40 cups = 42 cents a cup .

I like your idea though as a weekend treat but for some reason cant make a good cup with that keurig adapter (grains)

[butch]

Im enjoying a nice cup of Instant Maxwell House right now as I type this, and do research for my rookie draft for my NFL Dynasty League.

if your like me , you'll be heading to the bathroom in 3.....2......1......blast off !

[petegreg21]

I always just have the Van Houtte French Vanilla. Part of me wants to expand and try other coffees but I just don't know enough to pick a new brand.

[STLblues]

Going out the door, with Netflix, into car… I’m thoroughly annoyed because my coffee got on the Netflix envelope. Sloppy.
Out of the driveway, over the ridge bump, a bit spilled in the car console. Sloppy.

perhaps the oddest thing about this day is you still use the nextflix snail mail service?

[doulos]

perhaps the oddest thing about this day is you still use the nextflix snail mail service?

That's the first thing I noticed about this as well. Also that one of the top 5 most embarassing moments involves having coffee spilled on you. That wouldn't be top 50 for me.

[davidgoodburn]

My wife and I have tried pretty much everythng that fits in a keurig brewer back when k-cups were cheap (under 50 cents per avg.)
We even bought the adapter so you could put your own coffee in but were never successful at making a cup without having loose coffee grains find their way in.

we've settled on the coffee sold at the loblaws food store chain up here in canada called ''the great canadian'' which fits the kerurig brewer and is actually a pretty good tasting every day coffee .I think you can buy it at no frills for 16.99 for 40 cups = 42 cents a cup .

I like your idea though as a weekend treat but for some reason cant make a good cup with that keurig adapter (grains)

I suspect that the standard grind on supermarket coffee is too fine for they up hence the grinds going through. Might want to see if there is something on the shelves in a French press grind. Might solve your problem