How do you all take your coffee?

[thedeep]

Blacker the better. Freshthyme has some nice coffees. I've been drinking their coffees for a couple of years. A good espresso always sits well. Like my cappuccinos, too. My wife thinks I drink too much coffee.

 

[Ranger107]

Hot, black and strong. Found this Costa Rican blend from Costco thst I really like. Makes excellent cowboy coffee.

 

[Carlos]

I grind whole beans from Coffee Beans Direct. Sometimes the Roaster's Blend of the month. Sometimes a single origin. I always seem to come back to a Costa Rican or Colombian. Light and medium roasts mostly. Used to use Coffee Mate creamer. Now it's Half & Half. No sweetener. I love my coffee. I use a Chemex for brewing. And an old Simplex copper tea kettle to make the hot water.

 

[DWSmith]

Hot, black and strong. Found this Costa Rican blend from Costco thst I really like. Makes excellent cowboy coffee.

+1 for cowboy coffee. If you boil it right, which is easy-peasy, it's excellent. Much better that coffee made through a paper filter.

I also like coffee made in a Bialetti. That coffee is an occasional evening treat for me with half & half and sugar.

Other than the coffee from the Mocha Pot I take my coffee black.

 

[Blackhorse]

Coffee Splurge! I’m a very long term customer of Sweet Maria’s Coffee (out of Oakland, CA) and have bought several roasters, innumerable pounds of green coffee beans, grinders, different kinds if brewers, etc., etc., etc. During a recent visit to their all too tempting website I caved…in what for me is a total indulgence…and provides education as well (showing what a specific bean is capable of).

I ordered two 1 pound bags of coffee custom roasted at their site…using their big roaster…roasted and rested properly to match the best a specific variety has to offer. So, every “single origin” coffee has a specific roast profile (how fast you bring it to temp, how long you hold that temp and how quickly the heat is eased off) and what roast level that profile brings the beans too…like City, Full City, etc. Hitting the roast exactly right isn’t an easy thing. After years of home roasting I think I was getting really good roasts maybe 10% of the time. I was getting pretty close a lot. I was totally missing it about 20% of the time. Now, pretty close results in a very good cup but right on (depending in the beans) is nirvana. Ask Brewdude what a little home roast batch can be like when a great bean is perfectly done.

Anyway, the “Coffee Club” thing isn’t cheap, but it’s not far off what top roasters are charging for top beans. Plus it includes shipping. And you really don’t want to know how long your regular coffee sits in a warehouse then on a store shelf before you buy it (weeks - months). Coffee should rest for about 1 - 3 days after roasting…not weeks, etc.

I signed up for the “Club” and after the one shipment I’ll stop and see how long the two pounds lasts. You just don’t know what beans your roast will be…so I could get African, or South American, or one of their blends…well, I’ll find out.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/rstd-subs-1050.html

 

[Swede]

Nice, and I always wondered what I might be missing by not getting their roasted beans vs my own attempts. Been home roasting for over 15 years, and all from Sweet Maria's. I have a funny story about my first roasting experience and my family-maybe for a later post. Lately in my old powerful vintage Westbend poppery, I've paid more attention to stopping the roast before full city. It's not easy, and some beans go over to full. Since this is a weekend thing for me, I roast on Thursday. Then the only thing left for Saturday is what pipe tobacco to smoke and in what pipe. Ah, the enjoyment to be found in simple pleasures, especially in the out of doors. Swede

 

[ftrplt]

Nice, and I always wondered what I might be missing by not getting their roasted beans vs my own attempts. Been home roasting for over 15 years, and all from Sweet Maria's. I have a funny story about my first roasting experience and my family-maybe for a later post. Lately in my old powerful vintage Westbend poppery, I've paid more attention to stopping the roast before full city. It's not easy, and some beans go over to full. Since this is a weekend thing for me, I roast on Thursday. Then the only thing left for Saturday is what pipe tobacco to smoke and in what pipe. Ah, the enjoyment to be found in simple pleasures, especially in the out of doors. Swede

Ahhh...Sweet Maria's!!!! Only green beans I use!!!! FTRPLT

 

[Zeno Marx]

thought about starting a thread in the general section, but here I am instead. I've found while being on the computer that I cannot swirl liquid (coffee, tea) around my cup with my left hand without splashing and spilling, which is my non-dominant hand. With my right, it's second nature and no mess. I can switch hit in baseball, and to be honest, my non-dominant side of the plate is a more natural, even, pure swing. Thank goodness for playing whiffle ball with a tennis ball. I can throw a football with my weak hand pretty accurately up to 40 yards. I can do lots of athletic things fairly well with my weak hand, but I cannot swirl coffee in a mug. I can't shave with my non-dominant hand either, but that is for another time.

 

[EricC1]

Solo - w/o additives, except on rare occasions (or if it can only be made palatable by cream & sugar).
Extra dark, or dark roast, followed by medium dark. Freshly-ground beans in French press, or stove-top moka pot (or both).
If I can see light through it, then it's tea.

 

[gbann57]

Black from fresh ground beans with just a touch of salt before brewing.

 

[lgoldberg]

I drank it black for decades. Once I had Covid, when my taste returned, I discovered that I hated coffee. After a few weeks, I tried it with sugar, and I liked it again. So now I have to have sugar.
Hazelnut creamer is the sauce of the devil.

 

[DurinsRest]

Normally black and main lined straight into my arm with the biggest IV I have available.

ED RN XD

 

[Book]

Sweet Maria and I often go out on coffee dates. Been seeing her for years.

Me, too, Blackhorse. There's little better than coffee that's roasted at home, and Sweet Maria's has great equipment and great prices on green beans.

On the other hand, I've never grown and aged my own tobacco, so maybe there's some competition out there for the top slot in the "homegrown" experiences list.

For coffee, I drink it hot and black, except for Starbucks: those poor, over-roasted beans need all the milk they can get. (Lattes forever!)

 

[Ranger107]

Hot and black. Cowboy coffee is my favorite when I have time to make it.

 

[Hermit]

I make it pretty strong and like a little Half 'n Half in it.
If I'm at a restaurant, I'll take it black.

I grind, but not roast. My favorite is Community Dark Roast Whole Bean.

 

[Balisong]

I Medium roast green beans and make a slightly strong brew, black no sugar.

 

[Bud Savoie01]

Black. Period. No flavorings. No sweetener. No nonsense.

Guy in the Army told me that he liked his coffee the way he liked his women----BITTER!

 

[Rasher-Roll]

Typically black and strong enough to show up on a drug screen. Occasionally with a little baileys added in on the weekends.

I spent a few years after high school managing a coffee shop, and picked up a small home espresso machine a few years ago. Most days I don’t have time before work to make coffee in the percolator on the stove, so I’ll make myself a latte for the commute. 2-3 small bar spoons of raw sugar or a little less of brown sugar to smooth it out.

Never hazelnut coffee mate

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've had one of those inexpensive stove-top mocha pots for years now, and I've watched for a stainless steel model to upgrade. I finally got one (Kontessa). Same process and everything. The main difference is everything is made sturdier, and you don't feel like you're using a toy. Feel better about cooking with something out of steel rather than aluminum (I'm not fanatical about this sort of thing, but you know...), but there are some cons to this thing vs the cheapo. First thing I noticed is that the top knob/button on the lid gets so hot, you can't check on the process, where as you could with the junkie little plastic knob on the other maker. Second, the ornate, oddball shape of the base of the Kontessa kind of makes it difficult to squeeze to tighten and loosen. So I also more appreciate the octagon shape of the cheapo. In conclusion, the Kontessa is a lot prettier, but I'm not sure I actually upgraded this tool. Oh, and the Kontessa does pour a little nicer, as you had to pour really slowly and carefully with the cheap model.

 

[EricC1]

Another stove-top moka pot consideration: rubber gasket replacement.
I had a beautiful stainless Bialetti that I found in a sale at an outlet store (win/win). However, finding replacement gaskets that fit it was a chore. I finally let it go, and went back to my old, more common, large, aluminum octagon.