How to get better coffee?

[seaurchin]

I drink coffee at home daily but I don't think it tastes that great and am thinking about what the best way is to improve it. I usually get ground 100% Arabica and make it in a small drip coffeemaker.

Does it make much difference to buy whole coffee beans and grind them yourself? I used to do that years ago but I don't remember if there was a difference. (I had a small, battery powered grinder and quit using it because it was loud and annoying to bother with).

Before that, I had a cheapo electric percolator and I recall the coffee being wonderful. But I was just college age and may not have known what really was good or not.

I've also had one of the Keurig things with the little pods. It was fun for a while but expensive and I didn't think the coffee was great.

I would buy different coffee, a coffee grinder, electric percolator or something along those lines but am not interested in a big expensive set up.

Help?

 

[Rfisher]

Does it make much difference to buy whole coffee beans and grind them yourself

I think so.

even ground original DunkinDonuts vs the same in whole bean is noticeable.
I notice less flat/single note flavor with grinding before brewing.

 

[pearlsngems]

My husband is fussy about his coffee. (I'm a tea drinker myself.) Nothing he tried satisfied his taste buds until he began buying whole bean coffee and using a French Press.

He buys Wellesley Farms Columbian Supremo at BJ's; they have a grinder right there to use. He selects the setting for coarse grind/French press.Then he stores the ground coffee in the freezer, keeping out (in an airtight container) only as much as he will use in about a week.

He has owned several different coffee grinders but none was ideal. When BJ's grinder is out for service, I grind his coffee beans in my VitaMix 3600, which has a metal container.

He uses 10 scoops (I measured; these scoops are equal to a slightly rounded Tbs.) for his 51 ounce French Press carafe, and 8 of these scoops when using his 34 oz. French press. (He uses the 51 oz. one when making coffee for himself and our daughter, and the smaller one otherwise. Sometimes when making it just for himself, he will make the large carafe and decant the coffee to a thermos to stay hot throughout the day.)

He pours boiling water over the coffee in the carafe and covers it loosely with the plunger thingie lid (LOL I don't know the right name.) I bought him a French press cozy (on Etsy) -- it's like a tea cozy but taller and narrower-- so it stays hot while steeping. He leaves it to steep for about 4 minutes, then slowly pushes the plunger all the way down.

 

[Rfisher]

@pearlsngems
I think your husband is on to something at having it done in store - can’t get my burr grinder to do coarse enough for press or cold brew.

 

[pearlsngems]

I saw a video on YouTube the other day that said it doesn't have to be as coarse a grind as people think:

 

[dk168]

A friend has his own coffee blend of coffee beans from a specialist coffee roaster and had a machine that is over 2k GBP at home, and swears by grinding his own beans.

For me personally, I CBA to grind enough beans just for one cup of coffee every morning.

I used to buy the best instant coffee I could find in my local supermarket which was Nescafe's Alta Rica.

I have since upped my game slightly in 2020 to use a French Press, the smallest one that is supposed to be for 2 cups (yeah right) for making just one cup of coffee for me.

Ground coffee of choice is Lavazza's Espresso, and I use 2 scoops just for 1 cup of coffee - I like a big caffeine hit in the morning.

I bought two French Presses in the same size at the same time so that I could keep one in my motorhome/RV.

I went to a coffee tasting event in 2022, and the host who owned a coffee roasting business advised freshly ground beans and to use a French Press, 4min brew (he actually used an egg timer at the event), stir once.

DK

 

[pearlsngems]

Yes, my husband stirs once when he first adds the boiling water. But not afterward.

 

[VRBeauty]

I love the coffee we drink at home! We get fair trade Ethiopian whole beans. My husband burr grinds our coffee beans by hand every morning. He makes the coffee in a Farberware Yosemite stovetop percolator - the same style percolator we use for camping. That’s it!

When we first started dating my husband used an insulated French Press. I didn’t care for it because it seemed the coffee had cooled by the time we got to drink it, and because there was always a lot of fine sediment.

After reading this study we started pouring our French press coffee through a cone and paper filter. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/04/22/health/healthiest-coffee-brew-wellness/index.html

The extra step was a bit of a hassle because the paper filter clogged up very quickly - but we both liked the smoother taste a whole lot better. So we took the cone and filter with us the next time we went camping. We were surprised to find that there were practically no sediments left to filter out when we made our coffee in the percolator, and it was as smooth as the extra-filtered coffee we’d been making at home. So now we use a stove-top percolator both at home and on the road.

 

[m-cubed]

I drink coffee at home daily but I don't think it tastes that great and am thinking about what the best way is to improve it. I usually get ground 100% Arabica and make it in a small drip coffeemaker.

Does it make much difference to buy whole coffee beans and grind them yourself? I used to do that years ago but I don't remember if there was a difference. (I had a small, battery powered grinder and quit using it because it was loud and annoying to bother with).

Before that, I had a cheapo electric percolator and I recall the coffee being wonderful. But I was just college age and may not have known what really was good or not.

I've also had one of the Keurig things with the little pods. It was fun for a while but expensive and I didn't think the coffee was great.

I would buy different coffee, a coffee grinder, electric percolator or something along those lines but am not interested in a big expensive set up.

Help?

Maybe this is too much horsepower and money for you, but I have this machine (from this vendor), I buy mid-priced beans from that same vendor and I get excellent coffee with a press of a button. I fill up the bean hopper every few days, add water each morning, clean out the grounds tray every few days and scrub out the milk carafe weekly. https://www.wholelattelove.com/products/gaggia-anima-prestige-super-automatic-espresso-machine

 

[HGar]

My 18yo is a trained barista so we have a batch brewer https://www.breville.com/au/en/products/coffee/bdc450.html with a burr grinder https://www.breville.com/au/en/products/coffee-grinders/bcg820.html. Then we have this espresso machine and burr grinder https://cremacoffeegarage.com.au/ecm-synchronika-v3-coffee-machine-ecm-c-manuale-grinder-bundle.html

Only ever buy freshly roasted beans in small amounts so they are used within 2wks to maintain their integrity. Having 2 burr grinders may seem overkill but it’s easier to have them set to the corresponding grind requirements of the corresponding machines.

 

[pearlsngems]

My husband used to use this Krups grinder. He never replaced the last one that died.
It only grinds a small amount at a time but that may be just wheat some folks want.

Amazon listing for Krups One-Touch Coffee and Spice Grinder

 

[mayaINaU]

I would add to all of this, make sure you are cleaning your coffee maker. You can flush out the system with vinegar and water, or you can use specially made cleaners. I find that vinegar works well and I can taste a big difference in a machine that is clean versus not.

 

[seaurchin]

Thanks, everyone so far. I just bought an inexpensive electric grinder and some whole beans. Will see if that's enough to satisfy.

 

[HGar]

I just bought an inexpensive electric grinder and some whole beans

@seaurchin just check to make sure it’s a burr grinder. Some are “choppers” not grinders. Burrs are kinder on the oils and give a better result.

 

[monarch64]

My dad was a religious coffee drinker and his opinion was that coffee is greatly affected by what kind of water you're using. I don't remember what water he used and he's not here for me to ask him, so I can only assume he meant filtered or distilled water.

 

[AceofHearts]

So near me there is a coffee shop that makes really good coffee and I found out it was all drip coffee. I learned how to make it at home. Combine whipping cream and brown sugar. You need a handheld milk frother to whip the whipping cream first then mix the brown sugar into it. Then combine it with the drip coffee. Personally, I make drip coffee and then put it into the fridge to use later because I think this drink tastes better cold. Make the coffee pretty strong for better taste.

For hot coffee I make drip coffee then combine it with vanilla ice cream and brown sugar. Tastes really good.

 

[seaurchin]

First pot fresh ground and brewed (in my usual small drip coffeemaker). I thought it had a kind of strange molasses flavor. Husband thought it was "fruity."

Or maybe that's how it's supposed to taste and we just didn't know it?

 

[LilAlex]

That way madness lies.

One son is a true aficionado and has all the gear and fresh-grinds beans and only within a week of the roast, etc. He said there is a subreddit that is super-helpful. (I loathe that site.) He doesn't have much money (yet?) so there are a lot of manual steps -- and a fair bit of countertop real estate is involved. I don't drink coffee but my wife says he makes a fantastic cup. It's hard to do a truly artisanal pour -- almost no matter how much you spend on automation -- if you don't have some basic skills and knowledge.

 

[HGar]

Husband thought it was "fruity."

I find drip / filter / batch brew tastes flowery depending on the bean variety, so fruity is understandable.

It does taste very differently to an espresso brewed under pressure.

Cold brew is different again. It is a softer, more rounded taste as the grounds sit in the water for up to 24hrs before being strained off. This is actually my preferred brew.

 

[HGar]

if you don't have some basic skills and knowledge.

When our daughter was 14 and going for her first part time job both she and my husband did a professional barista course (she had to be chaperoned due to her age). My husband swears it’s the best thing he’s ever learnt.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I drink coffee at home daily but I don't think it tastes that great and am thinking about what the best way is to improve it. I usually get ground 100% Arabica and make it in a small drip coffeemaker.

Does it make much difference to buy whole coffee beans and grind them yourself? I used to do that years ago but I don't remember if there was a difference. (I had a small, battery powered grinder and quit using it because it was loud and annoying to bother with).

Before that, I had a cheapo electric percolator and I recall the coffee being wonderful. But I was just college age and may not have known what really was good or not.

I've also had one of the Keurig things with the little pods. It was fun for a while but expensive and I didn't think the coffee was great.

I would buy different coffee, a coffee grinder, electric percolator or something along those lines but am not interested in a big expensive set up.

Help?

in an earthquake our coffee grinder would kill someone
it is noisy and messy
but if you buy really freshly roasted coffee beans it is the best !
we find after about two weeks if there is any of the beans left they are past their best already

 

[foxinsox]

We buy ~1kg of beans each a month, separated into sealed bags which live in the freezer and are decanted into tins in the fridge for the daily cup.
We use a Baratza grinder set to grind quite finely (not far off espresso fine tho I don’t enjoy espresso personally despite being a trained barista so have not checked) and make pour over coffee either in a chemex or V60 filter cone.
An electric gooseneck kettle is worth it.
Depending on your beans, the way they’re roasted or blended (if not a single origin) will taste fruity, toasty, winey or any mixture thereof. I really like Ethiopian and Honduran coffees which to me are especially fruity. My husband prefers Colombian espresso roasts which to me are more caramelly but not sweet.
I found a bag of an Ethiopian bean that had been sealed in the freezer for 1-2 years and it was lovely. I need to buy some more and store it away again especially if we get a chest freezer.
Be aware that making great coffee at home can rob you of some of the enjoyment of going out for coffee (see my comment about not enjoying espresso anymore) but the trade off of having delicious coffee whenever you want while also saving some money has been worth it.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i had a latte at MacDonalds today - to be honest it tasted bitter and not as nice as the chepo automatic machine we have at work that is supplied by Coke A Cola

 

[000Ed]

Grind my coffee everyday. organic beans another thing I spend way too much money on. spoiled now I just cant go back. Life is good Cheers