Java

[JEM]

I'm no coffee snob but I do appreciate a good cup of joe that is unmolested by sugar and cream.

I've tried many of the supposed "high end" brands: Starbucks, Caribou, etc, at the coffee houses whenever a coupon presented itself because there's no way I'm spending $3-$4 every day on a stupid cup of coffee. I'll brew at home, thank you.

Today I tried perhaps the most satisfying brand I've had to date: Dunkin Doughnuts. The beans are not the cheapest but they are more reasonable than the top-shelf stuff that taste like someone burned the beans.

I was pleasantly surprised!

 

[Kayak Jack]

Matt, you buy beans and grind your own? May I ask, what kind of grinder? And, do you do it by the pot? Or in a press?

A buddy of mine buys something from Bigby's & grinds his own. It's stout coffee, but after the first shock it's darned good.

I have a theory that given a pot of boiling water, a fella can easily add coffee in a clean cloth sack (like, say, a clean sock?) and remove the pot from off the heat to let the brewing take place quietly and undisturbed. Amounts of coffee and time to be determined.

 

[JEM]

I had one those that grinds and then dumped the beans in but it stopped working. Then I had a grinder (don't remember the brand) and just dumped the ground into a plain drip machine.

Then my wife manged to submerge the grinder in water (don't ask) so now I just buy the pre-ground stuff. My unsophisticated pallets doesn't detect much difference. I keep it in a small sealed tub which keeps the grounds pretty moist.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Well, thanks. But, I have a feeling the best part of your entire post is hidden within the "don't ask" part. sigh

 

[oldsparkey]

Matt...

I'm with you Dunkin Donuts has some good coffee. Working the midnight shift out here in the boon docks I would stop by a D.D. on the way to work and fill up a thermos I had , believe it or not it was a thermos that they sold. White with a black top and said Dunkin Donuts on the side of it. It is some place around here. :lol:

That was a life saver out here since there was no place to stop for a cup from 11PM to 5AM and around 4 you sure want something to kick you in to gear. A cup of coffee siting on the hood of the patrol car and a few laps around the buggy with a sip everytime you passed the cup would wake you up. Only way to enjoy it is black , no nothing in it , the same way I like my coffee today.

Chuck.

 

[JEM]

Well, thanks. But, I have a feeling the best part of your entire post is hidden within the "don't ask" part. sigh

Let's just say every once in a while, my wife has some "interesting moments" of logic. :mrgreen:

 

[Kayak Jack]

All women do that, Matt. We think with logic; they think with emotion. Only infrequently do the two paths merge. Never, however, does a convergence of logic and emotion occur whilst in the act of driving.

 

[oldyaker]

Agreed on the DD brand of coffee........But I also like 8 O'Clock coffee. Not expensive and a smooth straight forward cup of Joe. At one time you could only get it at A&P Markets it is now offered by other markets. 8 O'Clock has a bean grinder everywhere it is sold. You buy a bag of beans and take them home to grind or you can grind the whole bag at the market before you take it home. When you grind a bag of beans, the incredible coffee aroma drives you insane!
Starbucks and many others are highly over rated. I never buy specialty coffee, on the run it's Sheetz.....711......donut shop or whatever.

 

[stickbow]

There's a place here in town that roasts coffee, and I know the guy. I keep meaning to get some green coffee beans and roast 'em over the fire and make coffee the way I understand it really was done "back when". From what I've read, it's not much different than some folks do it today:

I had home-roasted and ground coffee when I was staying with a family in Costa Rica, and it was goooood. They roasted it in a frying pan, ground it with a hand grinder, and brewed it in a stainless steel coffee pot that didn't use the "percolator type strainer" or have a glass bulb on top - they put the grounds into water that had just boiled and simmered it for a few minutes. THe spout had a little fine strainer in it, but you had some really fine grounds in the bottom of your cup when you finished.

Either way, I really like the just-roasted coffee I can get from Cafe Campesino best, especially the Guatemalan stuff: http://www.cafecampesino.com/.

 

[gbinga]

We use a stainless electric percolator at home. I use filters like you use in a drip coffee maker. You have to fit them over the perc tube, but it gets rid of the grounds. Some coffee snobs say a percolator is a horrible way to make coffee but I've always liked the taste.

In the camper, we use a french press. Makes a good cup of coffee, but of course it doesn't stay hot very long.

George

 

[tx river rat]

Best coffe I ever had was cowboy coffe ,pot of water over the campfire throw in a hand full of coffee boil for a few minutes the drop some crumbled up egg shell in the stuff to settle the grounds
Hummmmmmm dont get no better than that.
Ron

 

[hairymick]

Instant is good enough for me. Hot, strong, very sweet and white. oh yeah, and LOTS of it.

Not at all keen on the drip filter stuff.

 

[gbinga]

Not at all keen on the drip filter stuff.

I haven't tried filter packs.

French press works well and saves space. It's a glass cylinder, with a fine wire mesh plunger that fits into it. You put in a measure of coffee, then fill it with boiling water. Put the plunger on top and leave it a few minutes to brew. When you think it is ready, you slowly push the plunger all the way to the bottom. The grounds end up trapped on bottom, and the brewed coffee, filtered through the wire mesh, ends up on top ready to pour. Typically about three cups per batch, 'though they come in different sizes.

It's the most compact coffee maker I've noticed, but of course the filter packs would be the best solution if weight and space were the absolute priorities, since they require no dedicated hardware at all.

George

 

[oldsparkey]

Out camping something that takes next to no space are the individual Folgers Coffee bags ( like tea bags) for a cup of coffee. Heck it is camping and not going to Dunkin Donuts. :roll:
I take both the Folgers coffee bags and the Constant Comment Tea bags by Bigelow so I can have a choice. ( The tea has Orange peal , spices and clove in it) . I do not add anything to either of them , just water to brew them.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I agree with Chuck on this. A simple packet of coffee, and a simple tea bag. Tastes good, quick, easy, no special hardware.

 

[bluegrasslover]

French Press for me. The only problem is that the ones I have are all glass which isn't the best thing to take camping with you. There's a couple other good options. The Aeropress was made more to make espresso type brew but you can make Americanos (1/2 espresso, 1/2 water). It's small and really nice, tough plastic. It's like a big syringe. I haven't tried it yet but somebody has a french press thing that works using the water in your mug. I did have a coffee cup that was actually a French Press. It was really cool including the hidden compartment in the bottom of the cup to hold coffee for another cup or whatever else you want to stash.

I roast my coffee using a small convection oven and the bottom part of an old Stir Crazy popcorn popper. There is no better coffee to me...you can roast dark like a starbucks or light like Duncan Donuts.

 

[jezzicaz789]

Well, thanks. But, I have a feeling the best part of your entire post is hidden within the "don't ask" part. sigh

Hi all!
I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks.