Coffee Enthusiasts

[Sidelle]

I'm doing some Christmas shopping later and I wanted to ask some questions of any hardcore coffee drinkers out there to help me decide on a present for a guy who's notoriously hard to buy gifts for. I'm thinking he'd like some coffee accessories -- a coffee grinder, to be more specific. He's a relatively new daily coffee drinker, so I thought this would be a good idea since he needs some accessories. All he has right now is the coffee maker.

What's your favorite brand of coffee and where do you buy it from?
Do you buy it already ground or do you grind your own coffee beans? (It makes sense to me that grinding them oneself would be the best way but is there really a noticeable difference in flavor?)
If you grind your own, do you prefer an electric grinder or a hand grinder?
Which grinder(s) would you recommend? (Feel free to post any links.)

I did a bit of reading about grinders the other day. I read that electric grinders can possibly make your coffee taste burnt. Is that true?

Anyways, thanks coffee drinkers. :) I appreciate any advice given here.

[Whirled]

http://www.coffeeforless.com/green-mountain-coffee-hazelnut-ground-coffee-24-2-2oz-bags.html

[iruinedyourday]

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/ is the best coffee in the universe!

A hand grinder is fun and something he likely wont buy himself but may enjoy. Thats the definition of a great gift!

An electric grinder he could just get on his own.

Also a something like this is good to get a single cup kinda guy and would be a great pairing with a neet little hand grinder www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/hario-v60-ceramic-coffee-dripper-white/

[Laugher]

Starbucks will grind beans for you for free if you bring them a bag of Starbucks whole bean coffee :p

tbh though I heard good things about French presses, had a cup of coffee from one only once but a couple people I knew bought them and used them frequently.

[India]

In addition to the bean (whole bean, fresh roasted, NOT mail order) the coffee pot, then the water are the most important. What does he have now? How much are you willing to spend?

I researched extensively (I LOVE MY COFFEE) and ended up with this http://www.cnet.com/products/bonavita-bv-1900ts/

If you're set on a grinder as a gift, go with a burr grinder. It allows for a more consistent grind and there's really no heat to affect the taste. Find one within your pricepoint and read the reviews.

I couldn't find mine online to link (it's older) :(

[Telin]

Grinding fresh beans right before you brew is the best experience. I recommend a bunn for drip coffee. I also recommend a coffee maker that does not use a burner and instead has an insulated carafe. It keeps it tasting fresh much longer.

I've only used two grinders. One was Mr coffee and it was loud and hard to clean. The GE one was very quiet and was automatic and easy to clean.

[Lune]

Electric coffee grinder is my favorite way to be woken up in the morning. It can be loud as fuck and sounds like a C-130 taking off in my kitchen, but it's okay because I know I'm about to get some freshly ground coffee.

[Baler]

While some coffee's are of higher quality and standards then others I have no specific brand I stand by when it comes to coffee. I buy my coffee from the grocery store.
I buy whole beans and grind it at home with an electric grinder that I keep clean so to not cross contaminate the coffee flavors.

There is this flavor named salted caramel that I mix with a mocha java it create a really nice but strong blend of sweet caramel and the rich flavor of the mocha java.

Also I'd like to also add that I use a french press to make my coffee, I have a thermometer on my kettle that when it reaches ~200F I turn it off wait a minute and pour it into the french press filled with my desired strength of coffee. Then I stir it and let it set for 2-5 minutes and push the press down. ready to pour after that.
Coffee filters, filter out tasty oils that reside in the coffee bean after its been roasted. This is why sometimes when you look at the top of your coffee in your cup it has that oily look to the surface.

I prefer my coffee black with no sweets or creamers.

[Zade]

nothing beats a nice french press

[Pokesan]

something something french press volatile oils dangerous for people with heart problems

[iruinedyourday]

Ive recently started drinking more espresso drinks, and after each cup of it i feel FANTASTIC where as with coffee I feel a little bloated or uncomfortable.

I might also recommend an espresso related gift, in order to encourage him to check out those types of coffee drinks

[Tann]

IMO it's more about making it and less about the beans. Bought one of these Bialetti espresso stove top things and never went back.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71yOVT3UrXL._SL1500_.jpg

[Sidelle]

^^I like the look of that, Tann.

So, I'm loving the responses so far. Thanks guys. Gotta go look up a few things based on your posts.

I'll never understand people who take their coffee black. It's so bitter (acidic?). I think that's the best way to describe it. But then again, I can count on one hand how many cups of coffee I've had in the past year.

My favorite thing about coffee is the way it smells while brewing.

[iruinedyourday]

^^I like the look of that, Tann.

So, I'm loving the responses so far. Thanks guys. Gotta go look up a few things based on your posts.

I'll never understand people who take their coffee black. It's so bitter (acidic?). I think that's the best way to describe it. But then again, I can count on one hand how many cups of coffee I've had in the past year.

My favorite thing about coffee is the way it smells while brewing.

Try a gibralter at a semi fancy coffee shop, its got a teeeny amount of milk in it.. great for gettign you out of the milk prison and into the freedom of black coffee!

I too used to drink my coffee with so much shit in it, i would tell people I like my coffee like I like my wedding cakes, rich as fuck.

but now im about half black, half cake flavored coffee drinker.

and i feel better after drinking the black coffee than I do the sugar & cream filled stuff I should add.

[Madbad]

IMO it's more about making it and less about the beans. Bought one of these Bialetti espresso stove top things and never went back.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71yOVT3UrXL._SL1500_.jpg

I love mine, reasonably priced also.

[iruinedyourday]

I love mine, reasonably priced also.

I want to get one just to fucking figure out how the fuck they work

everyone I seen at like a thrift store or estate sale I look at, and cant comprehend what the fuck it does or how it works at all.. its such a madcapped contraption.

[Baler]

The only reason people prefer a more automated process compared to the french press is because they either don't know how to use a french press / specific coffee bean recipe properly to their liking or they're too lazy.
This isn't ur starbucks coffee where they add lots of flavoring and other shit to it. This is a simple classic cup of coffee that taste great and doesn't contain any other additives.
My vote is for french press through and through,. sure a classic Saturday morning coffee machine with a timer is nice to wake up to. But if you have class and a sense of taste french press is the way to go.

If you had to add flavoring to a cup of coffee wouldn't you prefer adding it to an already great cup of coffee?

[iruinedyourday]

The only reason people prefer a more automated process compared to the french press is because they either don't know how to use a french press / specific coffee bean recipe properly to their liking or they're too lazy.
This isn't ur starbucks coffee where they add lots of flavoring and other shit to it. This is a simple classic cup of coffee that taste great and doesn't contain any other additives.
My vote is for french press through and through,. sure a classic Saturday morning coffee machine with a timer is nice to wake up to. But if you have class and a sense of taste french press is the way to go.

If you had to add flavoring to a cup of coffee wouldn't you prefer adding it to an already great cup of coffee?

I used to french press, but I prefer a single poor method to it.

[Fame]

All he has right now is the coffee maker.


has all he needs, maybe wear something nice for a change :rolleyes:

merry christmas

[James_Joyce]

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/ is the best coffee in the universe!

we drink this every day where I work, hehehehe

ex-Hardcore coffee drinker here (i cant tolerate caffeine anymore, my doctor prescribes me better and i dont get fits of nerd rage in the afternoon after a dose). Objectively the best most superior and most attractive coffee machine = chemex (http://www.amazon.com/Chemex-6-Cup-Classic-Series-Coffee/dp/B0000YWF5E%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYY TFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB0000YWF5E) with a related water-boiler kitchentop appliance for both coffee and tea.

https://i.imgur.com/AGUiyJw.png

Best coffee grinder: a simple electric jobby. A hand grinder seems unnecessarily regressionary, but it could make sense if the person drinks a lot of coffee while camping or something. My dad has one like this (http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMC-BMH23-Automatic-Grinder/dp/B004T6EJS0%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYY TFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB004T6EJS0) and it's stupidly big and complicated IMO. Just get one of the little guys (http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-80335-Fresh-Grind-Grinder/dp/B005EPRFKO%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q %26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB005EPRFKO).

Always buy the beans and grind 'em.

Stumptown has clout over and above its actual level of quality. I think it would make one of the best gift brews, especially to someone who doesn't live in PNW, cause they'll look it up and see that it's hyped to the heavens by people who wear scarves. It's not actually that good, but I think it is one of the more reliably decent brands.

The best coffee I ever got was bulk beans from a whole foods in New Orleans actually. One time I met Samuel L Jackson while we were both shopping for coffee beans there, what a night.

[iruinedyourday]

Where im from we have so many fruity flavors in the coffee, stumptowns classic amrican coffee taste is what sells me on it.

I mean its no folgers... But it tastes 'classic' to me.

You are right tho, it is by no means the best of the best.. But afa classic coffee taste, to me its the best!

[Pokesan]

has all he needs, maybe wear something nice for a change :rolleyes:

merry christmas

PL me or I'm going to tell Sidelle what you edited out.

[barrettdc1]

I worked in coffee shops from barista to store manager 10 years ago, I've had my fair share of coffee in all variations. Over the years I went from regular coffee with a dash of cream to straight espresso and then back to straight black coffee. I know Starbucks might be trendy or whatever but if he likes bold flavored coffee the French Roast(not even sure if they sell it anymore, but its their darkest roast outside of espresso) is good, if he likes mild then one of their Latin American coffees are generally more mild. French Press is good, just have to remember to use a more coarse grind than your drip. I've never encountered a case of using an electric coffee grinder and having the coffee taste burnt because of it.

Also, if you pronounce espresso as "expresso", fuck you.

[James_Joyce]

Also, if you pronounce espresso as "expresso", fuck you.

man i just got a chipolte burrito for bkfst and warshed it down with some expresso, feelin good this morn

[Fame]

PL me or I'm going to tell Sidelle what you edited out.

lol! feel free, I figured it had been a while since I posted so I didn't want a army of white knights up in arms for 10 pages

I'm pretty sure she would laugh it off

[James_Joyce]

If you've got a secret you can share it with the class now.