First of all, I want to confess to being a coffee bigot. I know what kind of coffee I like, and will venture into unexplored (by me) coffee territory, but I mostly like a dark roast, usually Kona, Starbucks Pike Place roast, or similar coffees.
Two cups a day is my typical limit. A three cup day is a hard day, and bad coffee is not in my program. Not to say that instant coffee or starbucks Via has not crossed my lips, but hey – let’s brew, OK?
today I got an email promoting – get this – “Mushroom Coffee”.
Touting the benefits of my favorite fungi in my favorite refreshment.
.I am not a purist or a prude, but these marketing guys will do anything to increase sales and mix more stuff into the grinds, to increase yield. (that means make more money buy cutting the coffee with other ingrdients). If this takes off, like caramel macchiato or frappuccino, or even Kopi Luwak (the legendary coffee in the movie, “The Bucket List“. see it).
Let us spend a few moments talking about grinding beans, and brewing a decent cup of coffee. anyone can make a good, drinkable cup of coffee, and own the process and technique, without undo stress or aggravation. Your guests, coworkers, and family members will be appreciative of your efforts – or they can google their butts over to a nearby Starbucks.
Coffee can be bought Ground, or instant, or in K-cups. I like fresh ground coffee, the “just released” flavor is exquisite, although it can be messy. I highly recommend a “burr” type grinder, but a propeller type will; do well too.
These are wooden coffee grinders, usually antiques or reproductions, available on Ebay.
Here are three grinders, manual, propeller, and Burrs style.
Brewing is the next step. While some like a french press, I am a fan of the pour-through and the Keurig. Each has its pluses and minuses.
Here are some of your brewer choices. How many cups will you be brewing at a time? that may determine your best machine for the job. Single cup pour-throughs and the Keurig are good for individual cups, although the keurig will cycle faster when you have more than one person needing a caffeine fix. Keurig cups also come in many varieties, which means your co-caffeinators can have lots of K cup choices for flavored or specialty coffee.
This is an old-fashioned wooden pour-through:
These kind of wooden coffee makers are popular in Costa Rica. Notice the bold colors. They take their coffee seriously there!
So much for my primer on coffee and brewing. There are even more ways to prepare coffee (don’t get me started on espresso makers) and making coffee for crowds. your choice of coffee (or coffee beans) is your next step. I am putting some links to my favorites here, Kona beans and Community coffee from New Orleans.
Cafe Au Lait from Cafe Du Monde, Costa Rican Dark Roast, Jamaican Blue Mountain, Starbucks Pike Place Roast, All good. Not to mention all the “boutique” brands that are available. All of these can be bought as beans, k cups, ground, and in some cases – instant.
However you enjoy your coffee, don’t be intimidated; find one you like and go with it. If you want to impress a date, get an espresso machine (don’t forget the steamed milk and pastries).
If you like the New Orleans roasts, learn to make beignets – fried donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar – absolute heaven!
Beignet mix from Amazon, Cafe au lait from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans
I want to thank you for indulging my brief coffee blog, descending into brewing, grinding, and coffee that I personally enjoy – and you can as well! Share with your coffee challenged friends, or coffee snobs who will educate you on what they know! Most of all, no matter how you make it, enjoy that wonderful, warm brew that gets your motor running in the morning and humming at every coffee break!
Happy Caffeination!
Shameless self promotion: I have a Pinterest section on coffee and food, if you like my point of view.
Consider sharing it and take a peek at my other works:
All rights reserved by Alan Chenkin & Primrose Path LLC. Remember to give credit to the author and any cited works. Some links are promoted so the author can maintain his Starbucks coffee habit. If you enjoyed this blog, please feel free to share .This Blog was Human-generated by the author, and not produced by a Russian blog Engine.
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