I know Jacob is into roasting his beans--I had a similar phase when I was obsessed with espresso--but lately my coffee comes pre-roasted and pre-ground from Trader Joe's. The French Roast and Medium Roast are $3.99/14oz. Can this price be beaten for "good" coffee, roasted or green?
Also, I am lucky to have invested pre-ERE in this and a box of these for easy brewing. If the plastic thing ever breaks, I will give Jacob's paper clip method a shot.
ERE Coffee
-
AlexOliver
- Posts: 461
- Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:25 pm
I think you have a great price there at $3.99. While not nearly as cheap, I like Millstone brand beans in flavors and house roast.
I think I pay $6.99 a pound for Millstone at Wally World. You can grind them for free, but I have my own grinder so I take the bag of beans home and put in the freezer till I am ready and take out as I need them. We usually have the flavored in the afternoon. For a great coffee, try "8 O'clock". It is pretty inexpensive and a great color and flavor for a standard coffee.
I am a Folgers guy in the morning however.
Good coffee is one of life's little pleasures for this old guy and giving it up would be tough.
I think I pay $6.99 a pound for Millstone at Wally World. You can grind them for free, but I have my own grinder so I take the bag of beans home and put in the freezer till I am ready and take out as I need them. We usually have the flavored in the afternoon. For a great coffee, try "8 O'clock". It is pretty inexpensive and a great color and flavor for a standard coffee.
I am a Folgers guy in the morning however.
Good coffee is one of life's little pleasures for this old guy and giving it up would be tough.
I think Alex is correct that not avoiding a caffeine addiction is simplest and cheapest.
I started drinking strong tea in the afternoon instead of coffee. You don't need any equipment for tea, just a source of hot water.
I still have coffee in the morning, but I brew it in a Bodum press that I found at a thrift store. A press doesn't need disposable filters and has no moving parts, so one will last a very long time.
I started drinking strong tea in the afternoon instead of coffee. You don't need any equipment for tea, just a source of hot water.
I still have coffee in the morning, but I brew it in a Bodum press that I found at a thrift store. A press doesn't need disposable filters and has no moving parts, so one will last a very long time.
-
jacob
- Site Admin
- Posts: 15996
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
- Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
- Contact:
Coffee stabilizes and increases blood sugar levels and thus prevents snacking. In that regard, it probably reduces one's grocery bill slightly. I find the warrior diet without any food during the day much easier if I had a cup of coffee.
I drink two cups, black, a day, as in measuring cups.
I don't roast myself anymore. I was paying the same for the beans roasted or unroasted and found I couldn't reach the same roast consistency consistently. The caffeine kick of freshly roasted beans is much stronger though.
I now have one of these
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Frieling-Swis ... t/11369126
I use a meat thermometer to heat the water to 194F exactly. This turns out to be the most important part wrt taste.
I drink two cups, black, a day, as in measuring cups.
I don't roast myself anymore. I was paying the same for the beans roasted or unroasted and found I couldn't reach the same roast consistency consistently. The caffeine kick of freshly roasted beans is much stronger though.
I now have one of these
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Frieling-Swis ... t/11369126
I use a meat thermometer to heat the water to 194F exactly. This turns out to be the most important part wrt taste.
@jacob: very elegant solution... I am thinking about adopting this. Although, I must admit that plastic makes me a little nervous on something I use daily with very hot water.
They have it on Amazon for a little cheaper, with good reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Swissgold-300-One ... UTF8&s=hpc
They have it on Amazon for a little cheaper, with good reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Swissgold-300-One ... UTF8&s=hpc
@S ---- I can get tea in "pearls" which I found when looking for loose leaf tea. We have a Japanese tea set, which I find rather feminine in nature, but like the tea. my wife is a freak on the "aromas" and prefers jasmine where I like a strong black tea instead. She makes the egg rolls and stir fry, and that is when the little glass tea set comes out. It has to be a ritual thing when she drops the pearls in the boiling water and we have to sip it as we savor the aroma :-> (whatever floats her boat you know?)
-
jacob
- Site Admin
- Posts: 15996
- Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
- Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
- Contact:
@HSpencer - Maybe DW would be interested in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony
It's likely hard to find in the US though. This book gives some more background.
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Japanese-A ... 188065671X (also recommended for anyone interested in substituting budo for consumerism).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony
It's likely hard to find in the US though. This book gives some more background.
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Japanese-A ... 188065671X (also recommended for anyone interested in substituting budo for consumerism).
I was hardcore into Japanese culture many years ago (also a source of a lot of clutter on my part), and I always wanted to do a Tea Ceremony...
I am also considering joining the Buddhist ways...
On topic - I buy starbux french roast blend for $15 on sale @ Costco when they have it on sale. 2.5 lbs.
I didn't like 8 o clock at all. I had another coffee recommended based here locally, so, I'll give them a shot and report back.
I am also considering joining the Buddhist ways...
On topic - I buy starbux french roast blend for $15 on sale @ Costco when they have it on sale. 2.5 lbs.
I didn't like 8 o clock at all. I had another coffee recommended based here locally, so, I'll give them a shot and report back.
Good day, everyone.
Although I work at a coffee shop, my recommendation echoes AlexOliver's.
Nonetheless, it all depends on you sensibilities toward coffee. Which level of quality is enough for you? Although Starbucks has trained me to have a very discerning palate, any whole-bean coffee usually works fine for me because (1) I rarely drink coffee (you get sick of it when you spend 8 hours a day near it, right?) and (2) when I do drink coffee, I am usually after the caffeine, so I drink it like one drinks medicine.
So the question remains... are you after the caffeine, or the flavor? My answer is not romantic, but it is what it is.
Although I work at a coffee shop, my recommendation echoes AlexOliver's.
Nonetheless, it all depends on you sensibilities toward coffee. Which level of quality is enough for you? Although Starbucks has trained me to have a very discerning palate, any whole-bean coffee usually works fine for me because (1) I rarely drink coffee (you get sick of it when you spend 8 hours a day near it, right?) and (2) when I do drink coffee, I am usually after the caffeine, so I drink it like one drinks medicine.
So the question remains... are you after the caffeine, or the flavor? My answer is not romantic, but it is what it is.
-
DividendGuy
- Posts: 441
- Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 9:58 pm