A good cup of Joe

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
At home when the weather is warm I like cold brew. My basic recipe: 1 cup burr-ground coffee + 4 cups water. Stir then let sit for 12 hours. Filter out the coffee. I buy the coffee at a nearby produce/deli/wine market with a broad selection. I'm always trying out different varieties. In cooler weather I go with a french press and hot water. There are a pair of local coffee shops I like to hang out at too. I'm at one of 'em right now. :) Espresso-based drinks are my thing here (a flat white today).

In a couple weeks I'll be off to Big Island (Hawai'i) for my yearly visit. There my coffee jam is Kona varieties. There's a fantastic coffee shop/restaurant near where I stay. Daylight Mind, it's called. They always have a selection of small-producer Kona coffees available. It's a different drink altogether: almost like a rich vegetable broth with a caffeine kick. No hints of bitterness whatsoever. Yum!

-Dave-
 
Last edited:

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
Kona is the best I've had.

There are lots of "Kona blend" coffees out there, seems to me they can toss one Kona bean in anything and call it a "blend."
 

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,790
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Kona is the best I've had.

There are lots of "Kona blend" coffees out there, seems to me they can toss one Kona bean in anything and call it a "blend."

That's funny, in my experience I've been surprised by how underwhelmed I was by the stuff that was supposed to be Hawaiian, and not just coffee. :highly_amused:
I got the opinion that maybe it was overhyped and sold on the "mystique", but I'm still open to the possibility I just really did get sub-par examples.
But 3 times with coffee, 2 times with their "other #1 cash crop" ?, so I never bothered to try again.
On the other hand I always used to think Heineken was downright watery but it was supposed to be the world's most popular beer for a while, so maybe that's what people wanted.
I gotta trust your opinion since you dig Sumatran too.
 

tommym

Member
Joined
May 5, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
315
My family and I grew up on Kona coffee. I was lucky enough to have a friend who dealt with the mom and pop coffee growers / operations on the Big Island. I never had to pay for the stuff; got the fresh roasted beans for my birthday, Christmas, etc..

Now days my sister much prefers her flavored Starbucks concoctions; mom much prefers her flavored dark roasted European blends; my wife buys the cheapest instant coffee money can buy as she always has; and I still get a small bag of Kona coffee every now and then from my dear old friend. It shows that even for free, some people don't like Kona coffee even if they grew up on it.

Kona coffee is like a guitar tone wood; the flavor and aroma can change from grower to grower, year to year due to climate and turnover of the various family operations. So there is no "one" Kona coffee flavor /aroma. Sometimes you get a good batch, other times it's not so great. Kona coffee blends started to appear at the local hotels when people complained about the lack of coffee aroma in their Kona coffee. I know first hand as some of the smoothest Kona coffee I ever drank had almost no coffee aroma. So some of the hotels developed their own in-house coffee blends to address that issue.

The on-going volcanic activity (since 1983) more than likely had a negative effect on the overall quality of the crop too over the years.

And of course the Irish nuns would always put a big swig of Irish whiskey in their Kona coffee. But that's another story.......:unconscious:

Tommy
 
Last edited:

adorshki

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
34,176
Reaction score
6,790
Location
Sillycon Valley CA
Kona coffee is like a guitar tone wood; the flavor and aroma can change from grower to grower, year to year due to climate and turnover of the various family operations. So there is no "one" Kona coffee flavor /aroma. Sometimes you get a good batch, other times it's not so great. Kona coffee blends started to appear at the local hotels when people complained about the lack of coffee aroma in their Kona coffee. I know first hand as some of the smoothest Kona coffee I ever drank had almost no coffee aroma. So some of the hotels developed their own in-house coffee blends to address that issue.
Nuthin' like the report from somebody who was there!
I feel so vindicated!
:biggrin-new:
But that really does seem to explain it, thanks!
My experience was back in the early '80s, but now I'm suspecting it's probably very low acidity and a certain type of drinker prizes that.
Arabicas tend to be lower acidity than robustas, that's one reason the robustas are regarded as less desirable and typically used for blending/"stretching" higher quality batches.
Interesting note though: the notorious Vietnamese "Civet Cat" coffee is 100% robusta beans and highly prized by many.......
 

Brad Little

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
4,611
Reaction score
2,001
Location
Connecticut
....Then it's into the French Press with barely boiled filtered water!
I haven't used a French Press in a while, always liked it, maybe I'll dig it out for tomorrow instead of the cone brewing. Also have a similar gadget called an Aero-press, same principle as French Press but a little more high tech.
Brad
 

Stuball48

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Oct 22, 2017
Messages
4,736
Reaction score
2,534
Location
Dickson, TN
Keurig-Mountain Blend-Starbucks-microwave 45 seconds or until it boils-add 3 Mini Moos (be careful because of super saturation an quick boil over) - 3 splendas and stir mixture. Take first sip, slowly. Now time to get a Guild from case and strum.
 

beecee

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
3,569
Reaction score
2,411
A good friend owns a small chain of coffee shops and he has been importing and roasting for years. His in-laws were missionaries in Central America and they spent a lot of time there.

I'm an avid backpacker and (former) coffee snob. I'd let him know of an upcoming trip and he would have a special batch roasted, ground and sealed in daily portions for me on a Thursday evening. As much as I was a gram weenie, (drill holes in toothbrush handle to save weight), I'd always carry either a lexan French press, old aluminum pour over or even a small espresso maker.

One morning in a lean to in the Adirondacks, (you have to share), a fellow backpacker chuckled at my fussing while he enjoyed a cup of instant coffee. His clean up consisted of a quick rinse in treated water and he stuffed it in his pack but before he bid me adieu he asked me to try it. Uh...FABULOUS.

Turns out it was Nescafe Classico.

At home I have multiple grinders, bodums, vaculators old Melitas, (aka pourovers)...all gathering dust.

Our daily is Classico.

I kid you not.
 

fronobulax

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods
Joined
May 3, 2007
Messages
24,708
Reaction score
8,836
Location
Central Virginia, USA
Guild Total
5
Coffee for me is more of a habit, something I do, rather than a ritual I perform because I enjoy the ritual and the results. This is probably because for decades I was the only person in the house who drank coffee and so I only had it at work or out of the home. I've had almost everything from thin brown colored water to barely liquid sludge supervised by a retired Navy Chief and I'll pretty much drink whatever is there. My one regret is that I was called to another job location one day and when I returned the next day I found out that one of my co-workers had shared Kopi Luwak with those who were there and I missed it :-(
[h=1][/h]
 

mellowgerman

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2008
Messages
4,100
Reaction score
1,506
Location
Orlando, FL
I love a good cup of black coffee and drink at least three a day (I work the 5:45am-2:45pm shift). I get up at 4am and the first thing I do is brew my coffee, so I can relax, read the news, etc. before leaving the house around 5:15.
My favorite is probably Jacobs Krönung, but I'm not too picky. I usually don't complain unless it's old, burnt, or just plain bad coffee.
 
Last edited:

killdeer43

Reverential Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2008
Messages
21,848
Reaction score
111
Location
Northwest Washington on the Salish Sea
KISS
Starbucks House Blend and/or Pike Place...consistent flavor, always black. Melitta cone filter, brew one cup at a time.
Suits me just fine, especially since all I want is a cup of good coffee, without all the bells and whistles.
Part of my get up and go morning ritual, and makes for easy camping coffee, too. :friendly_wink:

Joe (a cup of)
 

tommym

Member
Joined
May 5, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
315
I should also mention that the old burlap bags that our coffee came in were recycled for use in our Hawaiian Imu (oven). I see a coffee bag from Columbia in there too. We would completely soak them water prior to draping them over the banana leaves. The same bags were reused for years and years and years.

Tommy

lpgVqc7.jpg


1MKHH6L.jpg


sDs8vsB.jpg


xs3AlEl.jpg
 

tommym

Member
Joined
May 5, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
315
Kālua pig?

Salivating just thinking about it.

Yeah....mostly pig and Lau Lau (pork, chicken, or fish wrapped in taro leaves and finally Ti leaves) . On Thanksgiving we toss in a bunch of turkeys too for those who prefer the fall of the bone deal. Truthfully, most people still prefer a good oven roasted turkey with stuffing. Regarding Lau Lau, most families just cooked their Lau Lau in a counter top steamer, as it is cleaner, faster, and less fatty than than the Imu version.

Tommy
 

Quantum Strummer

Senior Member
Joined
May 26, 2015
Messages
2,382
Reaction score
118
Location
Michigan
Last year one of the ladies who works at the Big Island hotel where I usually stay made me a pot of pork Lau Lau, enough for two sizable dinners. I supplemented it with steamed veggies from the hotel's restaurant. Super yum! I ate nothing but yogurt for a couple days afterward to balance out the calories. :)

The small-grower Kona coffees are what I go for. There's a lotta "Kona coffee" out there, even on Big Island, that's more marketing than substance.

-Dave-
 

tommym

Member
Joined
May 5, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
315
Well that's no good.

That's way we still do it old school when we have the opportunity. The down side to all that pork fat as Dave mentioned....."I ate nothing but yogurt for a couple days afterward"

Yep, pork fat and coffee.......:eek:nthego:

Tommy
 
Top