Perfecting your coffee experience

[kmnguyen1124]

Go to a Vietnamese restaurant and order the iced coffee. Black or with condensed milk. You won't regret it.

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[Dianyla]

If you like coffee, you need to check out the forums over at Coffee Geek. It's like the SDN of coffee, except that people are better behaved.

there was a thread on coffee on SDN a year or two ago, and people kept mentioning Peet's. I'd never heard of it, but a couple months later I spotted it at a supermarket and decided to give it a go . . . now I can't drink any other kind! it really is good. I wish Peet's (cafes) would expand to Chicago.

Are you kidding me? Get thee to Intelligentsia. Now!

Philz Coffee in San Francisco... speaking of hipsters.

Meh. And Peets is pretty substandard, as well. I recommend Four Barrel, Ritual, and eventually the new Ecco brick-n-morter cafe will be open up on Potrero Hill. If you ever get over to Santa Cruz, check out Verve.

Apply to OHSU. Portland is a mecca for coffee and beer enthusiasts. With our weather, you would soon understand why.

Yep. Here I recommend Stumptown, Barista, NW Coffee House, Albina Press, and many others.

Go to a Vietnamese restaurant and order the iced coffee. Black or with condensed milk. You won't regret it.

I adore the espresso + condensed milk. They always bring a little carafe of hot water to dilute it with, which I can't begin to comprehend! 😍

 

[gravitywave]

If you like coffee, you need to check out the forums over at Coffee Geek. It's like the SDN of coffee, except that people are better behaved.

+1

i think starbucks tastes like sucking on a warm brick. it's over roasted and i've always just thought of the palate as being really.... monolithic. it's the only word i can think of that describes it.

(grind at home w a burr grinder, coarse, french press) ftw. i always wanted to roast at home too, but i havent gotten there yet.

Kona on the Big Island was my best cup ever. absolutely addictive (much like the rest of that place)

 

[Electronegative]

 

[glasshalfMD]

+1

i think starbucks tastes like sucking on a warm brick. it's over roasted and i've always just thought of the palate as being really.... monolithic. it's the only word i can think of that describes it.

(grind at home w a burr grinder, coarse, french press) ftw. i always wanted to roast at home too, but i havent gotten there yet.

Kona on the Big Island was my best cup ever. absolutely addictive (much like the rest of that place)

Yes. Thank you for having the same opinion of Starbucks that I have.

Beware of Kona 'blends' in the contiguous states - technically they're only required to have a minimum of 10% Kona - ripoff. And if you're getting 100% Kona, you're looking at $30-50/pound. Woof. 😱

 

[AGLAIA]

Yep. Here I recommend Stumptown, Barista, NW Coffee House, Albina Press, and many others.

I adore the espresso + condensed milk. They always bring a little carafe of hot water to dilute it with, which I can't begin to comprehend! 😍

Don't forget Allann Bros...I was weaned on it growing up in Salem. Or Tully's (my husband's the fan there).

Where do you get your Vietnamese? I live in the NE and am a little burnt out on the one near my house.

 

[nlax30]

PLUS

😉 No cream, no milk, no sugar.... just as is. Went to Jamaica two summers ago and had to bring back several bags of this as it's like $50/lb here.

 

[StarryNights]

Being the addict that I am, I couldn't stay away from this thread...although I tried. I'm in the Seattle area, and the original Starbucks gets so many tourists, it's hilarious. Around UWashington though, there's a place called Sureshot that serves white coffee (I like White Angel or White Lightning), it's supposed to have higher caffeine content while being gentler on your stomach. Drinking it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning doesn't bother me. If you're around the Ave, you need to try it...but it's even pricier than Starbucks

 

[pmc2025]

^^ I made my Seattle Starbucks pilgrimage a couple years ago, you may now judge me! But out of curiosity, where do you stand on the Tully's/Starbucks debate? Some of my friends in Seattle swear by Tullys, but others swear AT the brand.

I've found Godiva coffees at Costco are pretty freaking amazing. My favorite by far is Creme Brulee. Its a very mild medium roast with strong vanilla and caramel tones. I've tried most of them, and considering the name as well as the quality of coffee, their cost is very reasonable.


My personal perfect recipe:

Godiva Creme Brulee coffee
+ Starbucks French Press
+ Hot (just below boiling) H2O
+ 1/4 cup skim milk
+ 1tbsp Dixie Crystals Sugar (or equivalent)
+ 1/2tsp Cinnamon
+/- Whipped Cream topping

= The ULTIMATE wake up or Study sesh drink 🙂

 

[lord_jeebus]

I like to combine a very expensive coffee (hand-ground at home)

Hacienda La Esmeralda

with a very inexpensive coffee-making device

Aeropress

I can't afford to drink that all the time, unfortunately, so this is everyday coffee:

Finca Cerro Paldo

 

[Practitioner]

If you like coffee, you need to check out the forums over at Coffee Geek. It's like the SDN of coffee, except that people are better behaved.

👍

Home Barista is also a great resource.

Are you kidding me? Get thee to Intelligentsia. Now!

Yeah, their Black Cat and Counter Culture Toscano are both great, and the highest nominated espresso roasts on HB. Personally, my go to is Caffe Fresco's Ambrosia and Gimme Coffee's Leftist. I own a Gaggia Classic and just modded a PID on it, so I might revisit some of the other blends I've tried but found too harsh. I haven't tried single origin roasts yet either.

I also use a Vario grinder and own two of these.

Starbucks is okay for drip coffee, but for espresso it's not very good. Even their espresso based drinks are crap without flavoring. Freshly roasted (medium roast), freshly ground, and home made is the way to go.

 

[StarryNights]

^^ I made my Seattle Starbucks pilgrimage a couple years ago, you may now judge me! But out of curiosity, where do you stand on the Tully's/Starbucks debate? Some of my friends in Seattle swear by Tullys, but others swear AT the brand.

To be honest, neither are that great to me because Seattle has so many coffee shops with amazing coffee. Vivace is really good, for example. I also like the Ugly Mug, but it's a bit hidden. But if I were to choose it'd be Starbucks because one of my favorite drinks (White Choco Mocha) is always better from Starbucks. Of course sometimes it's better and sometimes it's not as good, but even when it's not as good, it still tastes pretty darn great and Tully's has never been able to make it right for me 🙁.

 

[T1R3KO]

For those of you in the NY area:

1) Go to Fairway.
2) Find the coffee bar.
3) Get a pound of whole beans. Half Fairway Supreme Blend, half flavored coffee (I like the Chocolate Raspberry, or the French Vanilla). They'll mix it for you.
4) Pay $7 for it.
5) Go home with your nose in the bag. Can't... stop... sniffing...

I guess you can make coffee with it, too. Coarse grind, French press, litta-bitta milk and sugar. Bam. Rinse and repeat 1-2 months later.

Dunkin coffee is surprisingly good when you brew it yourself, too. But at $10/lb, I'll stick with Fairway.

 

[Abby_Normal]

There's a Green Mountain Coffee machine in the library at my college and I usually make a cup of coffee there to give me something to sip during late night writing center shifts (plus, even though caffeine doesn't do much to wake me up, it generally improves my mood and consequently my dealing-with-students skills).

Otherwise, my preferences are tea and espresso (or cappuccino). I (usually) do not put sugar in my espresso/cappuccino and do not drink the really sweet coffee drinks (and that pre-sweetened cappuccino from the machines that is more like syrup than anything else does NOT count as coffee in my mind).

As to tea, at school, I keep an electric kettle on my desk, and it is probably the beverage I consume the most. I will drink most kinds (green, black, herbal, etc) but I draw the line at the flavorless lipton that is the standard at so many US restaurants. Loose tea is nice when convenient, but I'm perfectly happy to us the bagged variety. And for good tea, I try to follow the directions for preparation of the leaves, water temperature, and steeping time, but for everyday tea, that is too much effort.

 

[betheltim]

Funny thing - rooibos isn't actually tea as it doesn't come from the camellia sinensis plant. A lot of people don't realize that. Tea made from rooibos is actually a tisane, or an herbal infusion. I personally don't like rooibos as it tastes like tobacco to me, but I know a lot of people that just love it.

Sorry to share unwanted info but I'm a huge tea nerd, I couldn't help myself 😳

😍

I love a good cup of black black... Any full-bodied tea, really. And, of course, a good old fashioned, well-prepared Jasmine green tea.

 

[Omni]

Go to a Vietnamese restaurant and order the iced coffee. Black or with condensed milk. You won't regret it.

Are you sure? Cause I don't want to wake up the next morning and go "uhhh...what happened? what did I--oh no! no! Please don't tell me I did that! NOO!!"

If that happens, Im gonna have to ask you to refund my money.

 

[pmc2025]

Are you sure? Cause I don't want to wake up the next morning and go "uhhh...what happened? what did I--oh no! no! Please don't tell me I did that! NOO!!"

If that happens, Im gonna have to ask you to refund my money.

What happens in Saigon....










Can usually be treated with Penicillin

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

Yep. Here I recommend Stumptown, Barista, NW Coffee House, Albina Press, and many others.

I just laugh quietly when non-NW people (especially East Coasters) start talking about good coffee. I feel sorry for them.

To the OP, there are very good non-dark roasts of coffee out there. Try Stumptown.

I like Albina Press (both SE and N) for studying.

 

[AbbyNormal]

Anyone fond of iced coffee? IHOP has the best iced coffee I have tasted so far but it probably has a gazillion calories. Starbucks light iced coffee is pretty good but nobody here stocks it anymore, not even Starbucks, so I have to order by the case.

I was reading recently that coldbrewing coffee produces a more flavorful coffee. Gotta try that.

 

[jesse120]

Don't drink a large cup of coffee all at once. Drink a little at a time, about 2 ounces/hour. If you haven't already developed a tolerance, this can help you sustain energy without crashing

 

[kmnguyen1124]

What happens in Saigon....










Can usually be treated with Penicillin

Cipro actually. Been in Saigon for six weeks and that little white oblong shaped pill has been a lifesaver

 

[Practitioner]

I just laugh quietly when non-NW people (especially East Coasters) start talking about good coffee. I feel sorry for them.

-,-

We still do have good coffee out here (few and far in between), just not like across the continent.

 

[Backpack]

Mmmmm WaWa

For this reason alone, I hope to get into a Philly school...
and if Wawa exists outside of Philly, please let me know (so I can apply to those medical schools)

FutureDr -- what would you call ice cream + coffee?
Ice cream is the best type of creamer.

I'm from Boston and I go to school in Philly. First time I saw WaWa I was in amazement. Hot sandwiches, slushies, milkshakes, can't wait till I go back to school to make another trip there

 

[mccarty7]

This. Tea is way way better than coffee. I'll take a strong cup of Yunnan over coffee any day. 🙂

I can never make a good cup of tea. How much water should I use for one tea bag? It's always either too watery or too strong. Grr...

 

[Abby_Normal]

I can never make a good cup of tea. How much water should I use for one tea bag? It's always either too watery or too strong. Grr...

It depends upon the kind of tea you're using, water temp, etc. Here are some pointers:

• Do not microwave your water. I don't really understand why, but microwaved water, in my experience microwaved tea water does not steep as well or stay hot as long. Haven't done any formal testing on this, but most people I've talked to have noticed this trend as well.
• Make sure you are using the right water temperature. Black tea should be made with boiling water, oolong tea slightly below boiling, and green tea slightly below that. Boiling green tea will make it taste bitter. If you have any questions, refer to the tea box, which may (hopefully) have instructions.
• Most boxes of tea will have guidelines for how long to steep (usually 3-7 minutes, depending upon type) and how much tea to use (usually 1 tea bag or 1 tsp for loose tea per cup). If you are drinking loose tea, it helps to scald the leaves (pour hot water over them and then pour that water out) before steeping. But, really, strength of tea is a matter of personal preference (and as far as I can tell, the guidelines don't really take into consideration the varying sizes of cups/mugs/glasses) so experiment until you find a steeping time and amount of tea that works for you.
• If you haven't already, try different kinds of tea as some have more body or a more complex flavor than others. Irish breakfast (or any traditional Irish blends--my preference is Lyons original blend) will have a lot more body than standard US lipton. Other teas, such as Darjeeling and Earl Grey are on the light side (in fact, you do not want to oversteep Darjeeling as it can suddenly turn quite bitter) but have complex flavors. Twinings is nice because on the tea boxes, they explain the flavors and rate their strength on a scale of 1-5. Etc.

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

Damn some of you people talk about coffee with the same adoration of drug addicts to their substance. Drink some cherry coke

Cherry Coke is the nectar of the Gods.

Cops in NYC (at least, I don't know where else) use Coke to clean blood up from crime scenes, lol. I don't think I want to put that stuff in my body.

I am a big Wawa junkie, they give all fire/ems personnel free drinks around the clock where I live.....and I do happen to love the coffee they have (yes, enough to buy it when I'm not on duty)

I use the latte machine and my own personal recipe:
3/4 caramel
1/4 french vanilla
shot of french vanilla cream
2 shots of irish cream

I love it, but boy does it make me have to piss like seabiscuit

Wawa ftw! I haven't had some good Wawa coffee since I graduated undergrad. Caramel with a little french vanilla is way tooo good!

 

[bold text]

To whom it may concern,

I'm drinking coffee right now.

 

[Coal]

I wasn't a big coffee drinker until recently partly because I'm a super-taster (I taste bitter much stronger than most of the population). One of the reasons I drink coffee now is discovering the chemex coffee maker. The filters that come with it are meant to reduce the bitter taste, it's pretty inexpensive, and it's really pretty to boot!

 

[startswithb]

I like adding vanilla soy milk to my coffee! It's sweet enough that you don't have to add extra sugar! The !! are because I'm drinking some right now!! ! !!

 

[Kaizer]

Actually they probably just use coke because of the carbonic acid present in a lot of carbonated drinks. My family friend used to polish his golf clubs by dumping them in a bucket of coke.

Now decaf (which no one I know drinks) is definitely not safe. The chemicals they use to remove the caffeine are probably stuff to keep away from your body.

 

[MaryLennox]

Are you kidding me? Get thee to Intelligentsia. Now!

Meh. And Peets is pretty substandard, as well.

to be fair, i've never been in a Peet's and bought coffee from them. i've only bought their bagged coffee at the supermarket, and it IS far superior to any of the other options. i really like it.

i suppose i've never been interested in going to Intelligentsia because the name alone gets under my skin . . . might as well be "pretentious-yuppia." i'm not saying their coffee is bad, i don't know, but thats my personal reason for having not experienced it. in any case, its not located any more conveniently than Peet's, so my options are Starbucks, Caribou, Peet's at home from my own coffeemaker, or one of the local coffee roasters who think they are awesome because they are local roasters but actually their coffee tastes like burnt arsehole. i swear i think sometimes people will claim that locally brewed/independently owned coffee is great, even when it sucks, just because it makes them feel like they are stickin' it to starbucks. 🙄

. . . so i am stickin with Peets in my coffeemaker

 

[addo]

I wasn't a big coffee drinker until recently partly because I'm a super-taster (I taste bitter much stronger than most of the population). One of the reasons I drink coffee now is discovering the chemex coffee maker. The filters that come with it are meant to reduce the bitter taste, it's pretty inexpensive, and it's really pretty to boot!

let me guess....you also dont like wine, and if you do at least not full-bodied wines. I actually came across the "super taster" idea in wine circles.

 

[gravitywave]

Yes. Thank you for having the same opinion of Starbucks that I have.

Beware of Kona 'blends' in the contiguous states - technically they're only required to have a minimum of 10% Kona - ripoff. And if you're getting 100% Kona, you're looking at $30-50/pound. Woof. 😱

true story. and i've had 100% Kona both before i went and since i've been back.... and it's just not the same. maybe it's the fact that it costs like half as much when you're actually on the island. or it just loses something in the 5,000 miles it takes to get here. anyone been to Europe and then not be able to figure out why the beer isn't as good when you drink it back in the States? The Guinness really is better in Dublin....

 

[Coal]

let me guess....you also dont like wine, and if you do at least not full-bodied wines. I actually came across the "super taster" idea in wine circles.

Nail on head.

I do like wine, a lot, but not full bodied wines. I also HATE beer. This posed a major problem in college but I'm older now, and a girl, so I'll stick to my wine and leave beer to people who don't think it just tastes like bitter liquified (and yes, even the good beers still taste bitter to me). I love my chemex coffee maker though!

 

[eatsleeprepeat]

Basic food group, the real black gold. I was a hold out for a number of years, but junior year cracked me. Now it's mutual love. Since I'm relatively new to the delicious little treat, I'm asking for your take on the perfect coffee. What I've learned so far:

1) Starbucks is not good. For espresso addicts & hipsters.
1a) Get a grinder, buy whole beans, and make your own.

2) French/dark roasts only. Light roasts are little more than a weak diuretic.

3) No more than 1 cream / 1 sugar per 10 oz of cheap coffee. Less if it's better quality. Better yet, man up and go black.

4) If you live / go to school in a small community, coffee shops may be places for studying. Otherwise, it's a good chance you're like that guy at the gym just looking for an excuse to wear a muscle shirt (except you have a computer or something).

5) 10 pm lab coffee is heaven.

Anyone with a favorite brand they'd like to share? I'm looking to expand.

In response to your bullet points:
1) Starbucks IS good. Not the best, and yes their espresso is a bit acidic straight up, but I don't get why some people slam it so hard. Their machines make their espresso a cut over most cafes (unless you live in an area where coffee is religion) just by default because of how good they are, and just getting their straight coffee actually tastes just quite good, just ask for the "bold pick" instead of the usual Pike Place that they serve. They switch their "bold picks" almost daily, which makes things more interesting. I'm partial to the Yukon Blend, Cafe Verona, Sulawesi, and the Shade Grown Mexico.
1a) If you are going to get a grinder, I suggest a conical burr grinder, they yield the most uniform grind, and therefore the most consistent and best tasting presentation of whatever coffee you're using.

2) I am not a huge fan of the French Roast, it's a bit too one-dimensional. Beyond that, it has probably the least amount of caffeine than any other coffee bean (if that's your ultimate goal). There is a reason that the "Breakfast Blend" for any coffee brand is a light roast.

3) Like you, I only add cream/sugar to stuff I really don't want to taste (ie Foldgers). Otherwise, try seeing if you can differentiate the taste of coffee you're drinking from other coffee roasts/blends you've had in the past, it's kind of fun.

4) I agree, cafe's were my favorite study spot in college. Hope to find a good one at med school.

5) I love coffee anytime of the day 🙂

Try these brands if you can find them:
Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia, Cafe Umbria. You can also find a bunch of stuff at www.coffeereview.com

 

[pdxjazz]

In Portland I recommend Spella, in Seattle Caffe D'arte.

 

[DoctwoB]

CoffeeBeanDirect beans from Amazon . . . . . . $25 for 5 pounds/free shipping

Cheap Burr grinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$40

French Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20

Coffee better than any cafe/coffeeshop
for less than $0.15 per mug. . . . . . . . . . . . .priceless

In all seriousness though, the beans from coffeebeandirect.com are amazingly high quality (they roast them just before shipping) and cheap (i order through amazon for the free shipping). The only problem is that you need to buy in 5 pound quantities, which can take a couple months to go through. If you seal them in an airtight container and put them in the freezer (only once, i just take out what i'm going to use for the week and leave the rest in the freezer, multiple freeze-thaws will kill the flavor) then they will last for a long time without loosing their taste.

Still the best cup of coffee i've ever tasted

 

[betheltim]

It depends upon the kind of tea you're using, water temp, etc. Here are some pointers:

• Do not microwave your water. I don't really understand why, but microwaved water, in my experience microwaved tea water does not steep as well or stay hot as long. Haven't done any formal testing on this, but most people I've talked to have noticed this trend as well.
• Make sure you are using the right water temperature. Black tea should be made with boiling water, oolong tea slightly below boiling, and green tea slightly below that. Boiling green tea will make it taste bitter. If you have any questions, refer to the tea box, which may (hopefully) have instructions.
• Most boxes of tea will have guidelines for how long to steep (usually 3-7 minutes, depending upon type) and how much tea to use (usually 1 tea bag or 1 tsp for loose tea per cup). If you are drinking loose tea, it helps to scald the leaves (pour hot water over them and then pour that water out) before steeping. But, really, strength of tea is a matter of personal preference (and as far as I can tell, the guidelines don't really take into consideration the varying sizes of cups/mugs/glasses) so experiment until you find a steeping time and amount of tea that works for you.
• If you haven't already, try different kinds of tea as some have more body or a more complex flavor than others. Irish breakfast (or any traditional Irish blends--my preference is Lyons original blend) will have a lot more body than standard US lipton. Other teas, such as Darjeeling and Earl Grey are on the light side (in fact, you do not want to oversteep Darjeeling as it can suddenly turn quite bitter) but have complex flavors. Twinings is nice because on the tea boxes, they explain the flavors and rate their strength on a scale of 1-5. Etc.

All good information! Another important note:

Whatever you do, do NOT steep your tea longer than the recommended time. It does NOT make your tea stronger, just more bitter (but hey, some people like bitter tea). If you want stronger tea, use more tea (and vice versa). It is harder to make more delicate teas (those that approach green and white), so you'll probably have an easier time with black teas.

You should also make sure the tea you are using is fresh. If it smells bad or the tea tastes spoiled in any way, try getting some new tea.

I have never tried microwaving my water, but someone else suggested not to, as well... So I have an electric water heater that I use (they cost about $20-25 at Target).

 

[mommy2three]

my tassimo machine which can brew one cup at a time and my assortment of seattles best coffees, genalvia lattes, teas and of course my favorite swiss hazlenut 😍

 

[Klemptor]

AMH and betheltim are right on with their tea advice. And looseleaf is really best; most bagged teas lack full taste because they're made of fannings, or the low-grade tea "dust" that's left over after loose-leaf tea has been packaged. Also, if you want more than one cup at once, try using something like the triniTEA. It takes the guesswork out because it has adjustable brew times and temps. And if you plug it into a timer, you can have freshly brewed tea waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. I love mine. 🙂

 

[Dianyla]

Don't forget Allann Bros...I was weaned on it growing up in Salem. Or Tully's (my husband's the fan there).

Allann's beans are fine in and of themselves, but the problem is that they often sell to coffeeshops where the "baristas" overfroth and scald the milk. Not to mention the poorly tuned espresso machines that turn out either a sour (too cold) or bitter (too hot) shot.

Where do you get your Vietnamese? I live in the NE and am a little burnt out on the one near my house.

Been pretty happy with the local Pho Van family chain. 🙂

Yeah, their Black Cat and Counter Culture Toscano are both great, and the highest nominated espresso roasts on HB. Personally, my go to is Caffe Fresco's Ambrosia and Gimme Coffee's Leftist. I own a Gaggia Classic and just modded a PID on it, so I might revisit some of the other blends I've tried but found too harsh. I haven't tried single origin roasts yet either.

I also use a Vario grinder and own two of these.

Excellent! I use a manual lever-operated La Pavoni, myself. Just needs new gaskets every year or so. My burr grinder almost died a cruel death last year but I managed to revive it. When it goes again I've got my eye on the Rocky Rancilio. For backpacking trips, the Snow Peak titanium french press is my trusty companion. 😍

The cooler grouphead temps of the manual machines certainly does limit bean selection. I've done various single-origin roasts no problems, as long as I stay with mildly roasted beans it does quite well. I'll drink anything roasted by Ecco, and my hands-down favorite is the Ethiopian Yirga Cheffe dry-process beans. Died and gone to heaven! 😀

I just laugh quietly when non-NW people (especially East Coasters) start talking about good coffee. I feel sorry for them.

I know! But, on the other hand, Stumptown has opened up operations in NYC! There are a few really good shops, depending on which city you're in.

to be fair, i've never been in a Peet's and bought coffee from them. i've only bought their bagged coffee at the supermarket, and it IS far superior to any of the other options. i really like it.

i suppose i've never been interested in going to Intelligentsia because the name alone gets under my skin . . . might as well be "pretentious-yuppia." i'm not saying their coffee is bad, i don't know, but thats my personal reason for having not experienced it.

You can get Intelligentsia beans at various Chicago-area supermarkets, BTW. I hear you about the name, though, and I agree that one must elbow their way through a whole lot of "Hipper than Thou" skinny jeans and chuck taylors and deliberately ugly eyeglasses to get to the good coffee. Just trust me on this, it's worth it!

or one of the local coffee roasters who think they are awesome because they are local roasters but actually their coffee tastes like burnt arsehole. i swear i think sometimes people will claim that locally brewed/independently owned coffee is great, even when it sucks, just because it makes them feel like they are stickin' it to starbucks. 🙄

I totally agree with this. For all that there is some amazingly good coffee in the NW, there is also some astonishingly awful coffee. I used to try to support some of my local coffee shops just on principle of being local, but just couldn't bring myself to drink the swill anymore. Ack bitter bleh.

 

[betheltim]

AMH and betheltim are right on with their tea advice. And looseleaf is really best; most bagged teas lack full taste because they're made of fannings, or the low-grade tea "dust" that's left over after loose-leaf tea has been packaged. Also, if you want more than one cup at once, try using something like the triniTEA. It takes the guesswork out because it has adjustable brew times and temps. And if you plug it into a timer, you can have freshly brewed tea waiting for you when you wake up in the morning. I love mine. 🙂

How did I know you were an Adagio user...

Hahaha...

 

[NickNaylor]

I would like all of you high brow folks to know that I'm enjoying some Starbucks coffee at this exact moment.

I'm so hip.

 

[Dianyla]

I would like all of you high brow folks to know that I'm enjoying some Starbucks coffee at this exact moment.

I'm so hip.

Way to take a hit for the team. Thank you, ColeOnTheRoll, for saving me from a crappy cuppa joe. 👍

 

[StarryNights]

Oh and apparently people call us in the NW coffee-sippin liberals.

 

[dmblue]

best way to enjoy coffee: use it as part of a dry rub on a steak

or..drink it black

 

[MaryLennox]

so i'm reading this book about medical myths (and truths) and was surprised to read that unfiltered coffee may raise cholesterol. (I googled and found this article, too.)

not to rain on anybody's french press parade. but if you use it a lot, might be worth thinking about.

 

[addo]

Anybody tried Mocha Joe's?

 

[jzrull]

My uncle attends coffee cupping parties, sort of like whiskey sipping parties.

It's great though, coffee that is. I have really good luck with french presses. you need a bit coarser of a grind, but I've never had a stronger cup of coffee before in my life. I started early, my mom starting replacing hot chocolate with coffee for the ride to my high school. By the time I was driving myself the 20 minutes Junior year, I was at two cups a day. Needless to stay, I need to keep myself in check for the marathon.

Med school: 4 cups a day
Residency: "per day" not applicable.
Parenthood/Work: I think Jack Kerouac used Coffee and Benzedrine to stay awake to write On the Road, ha.

 

[jzrull]

Oh, and 'bucks burns the tar out of their beans. If you're in the mood for a 25 dollar bowl of oatmeal, though, I guess you can't do better.