Coffee is for Closers

Have an opinion on coffee? Who knew that people are passionate about their coffee!?! I brewed my first cup of coffee ever yesterday morning. And this morning, I brewed my second. Over Christmas, my brother-in-law brewed a cup with a little bit of Bailey’s. To say it was amazing would be an understatement. My energy was boundless (like it is at this very moment), and I painted several watercolours, having bought paper the day before for an art session with my niece. It was that day that I started contemplating whether I should be a coffee drinker or not. I’ve gone through almost four and a half decades without becoming one, having only drank coffee maybe ten or so times in my life. That was about to change. At home, I have the Dunkin Donuts Original Blend (that I had bought for my folks when they came to visit last year) and the Starbucks Pike Place that I just bought after making this monumental decision. I have so many questions. Will I always have this much energy every time I drink coffee? Yesterday, I started four different oil paintings. That’s a massive accomplishment. This morning, I have already started ten different entries for my blog to be published over the next month. Taylor and I went on two extra walks yesterday; today, with the rain, we cut ours short, both disappointed. Will I always need to go to the bathroom after every drink? I mean, it’s like clockwork. After the last sip, within ten minutes, I’m takin’ care o’ business. Will my stomach always churn after a drink if I don’t have breakfast? Yesterday, I had eggs sunny side up and a toast, and my stomach felt fine. This morning, I skimped on breakfast, and my stomach has been churning. And yet breakfast and writing are battling within myself for supremacy, with writing winning for the moment. Will my head always feel this clear after every drink? I honestly feel sharp as a tack, aware of literally every single thing around me. I think I am Spiderman and my Spidey-senses are acting on overdrive. And I’m multi-tasking in a way I have never done before. What do I do with the coffee grounds when I am done? I read that you can make soap and a scrub from them, that you can clean things with them, use them for fertilizer, etc. and my favourite – paint with them (see picture below). I only have a cheap (I think $15) single serving coffeemaker made by Black & Decker that I bought at Target. Is this important? Should I get a nice one? Should I get a french-press? What’s a cold-press? Should I even admit that I have a cheap B&D coffee maker? I feel like I’ll be kicked out of the coffee club before I even begin. (Insert horrible memories of being kicked and kicked out as a kid.) I posted this on FaceBook this morning, and was happily overwhelmed with the comments. People are passionate about their coffee! And everyone has an opinion. Coffee lovers, I’ve got a question. This morning I brewed coffee for the second time in my life (yesterday being the first and only the 10th or 11th time I’ve ever had coffee) – Dunkin Donuts Original Blend. This stuff is amazing! What’s your favourite brand and blend and why?? I’m thinking about becoming a coffee drinker. Thanks!!

1. I like Ahrre’s Tanzania Peaberry, and welcome to the club!
2. oops forgot the “why”- they are a good-organic-fair trade company. I like the TP because of the acidity and aroma.
3. Peets all the way!!!!
4. I’m old school … we use whole bean (grind fresh every day) Eight O’Clock Coffee … Columbian  Yum!
5. Welcome to Blue Bottle – an Oakland, Brooklyn, and LA-based specialty coffee roaster. WWW.BLUEBOTTLECOFFEE.COM
6. Green Mountain – Organic, Fair Trade Sumatra – Heaven! Whole bean preferably. It’s dark, full of flavor and has just a bit of a sweetish aftertaste.
7. Cecil, you should get a french press and start cold brewing. You may never go back. Also, molasses is delicious in coffee as a sweetener.
8. Oh, I second french press!
9. Philz Coffee! I bring back a few bags every time I go to SF. Best coffee I have ever had
10. I  Dunkin
11. That’s crazy man! You, of all people who loves food and drink more than most… how could you just now be coming to coffee?! By the way, I’m with Liz, I really like Peet’s. And I make mine in this amazing piece of design… http://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/ Makes great coffee and it’s beautiful too. Welcome to the dark side brother! Chemex Coffeemakers & Filters – The BEST coffee in the world comes in only one shape! Made simply from borosilicate glass and fastened with a wood collar and tie, the Chemex Coffeemaker brews without imparting any flavors of its own. Explore our full line of coffeemakers, filters, and brewing access… http://WWW.CHEMEXCOFFEEMAKER.COM.  And the Hario Buono is my kettle. Also beautiful. The whole process slows you down which is another reason I love the “pour over” method. https://prima-coffee.com/…/comparison-pour-over-brewing… A Comparison of Pour Over Brewing Kettles. Every trade has its tools, and that of manual… http://WWW.PRIMA-COFFEE.COM
12. French press and a coffee grinder is the best way to go!
13. I take a big can of cheap generic coffee (store brand usually) and then mix it with a small can of gourmet hazelnut coffee. The blend makes for an affordable, yet tasty coffee. BTW: I make my coffee very strong, just short of muddy. And I always drink it black, no sugar or creamer of any type
14. I’m a starbucks man..I’ve been buying their beans for home brew for years. Grind in the mornign and malita drip
15. Cecil – I really just enjoy the uncomplicated robust flavor of the Eight O’Clock coffee bean … I’m always open to trying others though. So funny b/c Green Mountain and Starbucks are both clients of mine. I enjoy their brands/flavors as well … has anyone tried the Clover at Starbucks? I love it   http://www.starbucks.com/…/brewed…/clover-brewed-coffee. Clover® Brewed Coffee Nutritional information is calculated based on our standardized recipes. Because our beverages are… http://WWW.STARBUCKS.COM
16. Your life is about to change . I  DD.
17. Oh and Eight O’Clock is a lot more affordable …
18. you gotta get to four barrel coffee in the city
19. I’m old school and poor so I stick with what I started drinking at The XXX Family restaurant 35 yrs ago. Maxwell House a good decent plain coffee and not pretentious.
20. San Diego Coffee Co. Organic French Roast! I get it shipped to our house by the 5# bag! It’s the same company that supplies Petco park. We know the owner of the company and he only retails on Amazon and one small shop in San Diego.
21. you should get a bag of the “cat poo” coffee – it’s the world’s most expensive coffee… and no I’m not lying… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak …Kopi Luwak – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or… EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
22. I like to get krovvy rookers on a cup of Peets. Every morning. It’s the Anchor Steam of coffee.
23. I order mine online from Killer Beans. The owner is an ex-Chicago police officer, owned a coffee shop in Lafayette (crazy coincidence!) and just closed shop last year to move to NC. He has traveled the world. Met the farmers. Developed a network with good beans. The belaggio is among his list of clients. His beans are pretty tasty. My other favorite is a new coffee roaster in Chicago called Sparrow. Yum!
24. Love dunkin donuts coffee! French vanilla is my favorite! Didn’t start drinking coffee until about 5 years ago. Only problem is if you have a Keurig, you can only by the K cups at dunkin donuts. Can’t get online or at grocery. Probably not a problem for you, but for those of us in West Lafayette, have to go to Indy, since we don’t have a dunkin donuts.
25. always use whole beans
26. get a cheap coffee maker for when you’re feeling lazy. But do yourself a favor and get either a french press or an aero press. for the machine, grind your coffee finer. For the press, a rougher grind. Outside of the press option (which is best IMO) the coffee maker doesn’t make any real noticeable difference in quality – the quality of the grind / quality of the grinder will make the biggest impact on flavor and quality of the coffee.
27. Intellegentsia or Big Shoulders for my morning pick me up. Both Chicago creations and delicious. Dunkin is so so gross. So gross.
28. Thing with cold brew is it’s a stronger, more pure coffee taste, to me. Brewing with hot water burns the acids out of the bean and into your gut, whereas cold brewing (coarse grind in a press for 12-24 hours) keeps most of the acid in the grind. You can then heat the coffee, or make the best iced coffee you ever had.
29. Yes it does. My dad loves the French press, but they also have a regular coffee maker, as well. How can you say
30. Dunkin is so gross ?
31. Because it is?  🙂
32. when Dunkin Donuts opened in Santa Monica, there were morning lines over two blocks long just to get in. Californians are crazy about their coffee and they love DD!
33. Hey man- I like Yuban dark roast, or I’ll visit coffee specialty stores and buy some sort of exotic beans I can grind up. All in all, I’ll drink any coffee that gives me that jolt I so desperately need every day! Cheers
34. oh shit I forgot cold brew! That is hands down, the best tasting coffee
35. Huey Lewis just popped into my head: “I Want a New Drug”
36. We have Blue Bottle Coffee Subscription in the office. That stuff changes lives. Also, try Stumptown Coffee Roaster (Oregon), and Carmel Valley Fog Lifter. All really yummy stuff.
37. Cecil that’s the 3rd Huey Lewis reference I’ve seen today on FB.
38. A French press and a bean grinder is necessary to enjoy the flavor. A coffee maker is nice for serving a lot of coffee, but if it’s just you and a companion, a press is perfect. You can also cold brew overnight in the press, so you have it ready in the morning…shit, why haven’t I thought of that before! It’s on
39. Stumptown is my favorite roaster. Illy is also always good.
40. I started drinking coffee (and beer) at age 40. I am hardly picky in both, but I would recommend looking into Bulletproof Coffee.
41. It’s a brand called screwdrivers. Too early?
42. (a) Consider a french press as your brewing device. The press will give you a thicker beverage. It also gives you better control over the steep time. By playing with the ratio between the amount of coffee you steep vs. the steep time, you can manage the acidity a bit. (b) Put Intelligentsia Black Cat in your french press. Illy is also great. At a lower price point, I prefer Trader Joe’s dark roast.
43. Kona coffee all the way.  http://www.koacoffee.com/
44. Metropolis coffee good. Strong coffee but not burnt! Great if you want to mix a baileys if you’re feeling a little Irish!! illy coffee is great too man!! Welcome to the crack Brotha!!!!
45. Reading through all the comments makes me feel like a coffee noob! I buy my whole beans at CostCo; whatever fancy big name brand is on sale at the time like Buckies, Peets, Coffee Bean or even Kirkland Espresso. Grind fresh right before brewing in a normal auto drip machine but I’ll press on occasion. I drink it straight up with no sugar or cream. I started no additives from some detox thing the wifey had me do a few years ago. Thus you know the saying, once you go black…
46. Drink espresso!! I enjoy it more than regular coffee. Less water…I prefer it with a bit of frothed milk but hot milk in the microwave will do. If your making espresso at home I recommended grinding the beans at home I possible (not necessary). My favorite type is called Klatch and they sell a great espresso sampler at www.wholelattelove.com That’s a great site for all things coffee actually. Enjoy
47. Yup, Jason is right, Intelligentsia is awesome, and we love the ‘Black Cat Blend’ over here at BlueBolt (it is an espresso, but we grind it for the industrial Bunn automatic drip, and it does just fine)…Also, the everyday Intelligentsia House Blend is outstanding. Zingermann’s Roadhouse Joe is great, and Naked Coffee out in Sacramento has an awesome house blend. I had a single cup pourover at Bow Truss the other day and it was awesome…I’m soon to buy some of their coffee as well.I suggest stay away from Kona coffee and Peaberry bean blends until you refine your palate…might be premature, and the oils (especially in Peaberry) have some earthiness, sweetness, and chocolatey tastes that may not appeal. It is a bit much for me, but maybe you will dig…plan to try. You will also find that some regions appeal to you and others don’t…For example, I don’t usually select Rwandan coffees…several single origins I’ve had had from Rwanda have had a sweet-burnt carmel flavor I find distasteful. One thing you will find is that Starbucks is all stale, and so is your Dunkin Donuts. If BlueBolt runs out of Intelligentsia coffee, I have all but a mutiny on my hands when I have to supplement with coffee from Starbucks (across the street)…AND the office smells like a sweatsock in comparison to what we normally drink. Hope this helps….what can I say…I love coffee. Further, I have found that I’m good at drinking it.
48. Oh I second or third Intelligensia. Great coffee and cool company I used to do biz with. Good coffee and people!
49. This is all absolutely incredible! Who knew there was a whole world out there with coffee at its core? I do now! Thank you!!
50. LaVazza. And never look back
51. Duuuude!! Barf! DD is like scraping from the bottom of the barrel! I second Andrew Youn, and there are so many great local roasters in SFO. Come on man…step it up and go local!!
52. Stove top espresso makers (ok, perhaps it’s not technically espresso) are great. Strong, rich brew without having to spend hundreds. I bought mine in Florence, but you can get basic ones for about $30. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot
53. I love illy and lavazza
54. http://authoritynutrition.com/how-coffee-makes-you-live…/
55. And go get a Cuban coffee (café con Leche, let them make it how they recommend) at a Cuban restaurant. Yum!!
56. Cecil, the first time you get Vietnamese coffee, your mind will be blown. You have always seen it on the menu, yet never ordered it. Get it.
57. Philz and blue bottle make me so happy. Definitely two things I miss about california. Philz gives you a free coffee when you buy their house blend!
58. How have you made it this long without coffee?? Wow… Lol
59. I do like Philz. One cup at a time.
60. 90 miles makes the best coffee! I agree with. It totally deserves a stop!
61. Cecil – have a look at Tonx. They source and deliver coffee beans from around the world – delivered to you every 2 weeks. Included in the package is a story about the location and the farm from which the beans were grown. If you want a variety of flavors, this might be a good option.
62. Don’t start you’ll never stop
63. The Lahaina Beach and Peaberry from Maui Grown Coffee. Seriously the best coffee I’ve ever had (and Jeff too). Make it a splurge–it’s worth it. http://www.mauigrowncoffee.com/mgc/
64. ok, several things: first, always buy excellent coffee. While Peets may taste good when it is made by THEM, it is likely because it is made at very high temperatures, and that temporarily masks a lot of bitterness inherent in stale coffee. Believe me, what you are drinking at Peets is stale, and so is Starbucks, and especially Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds and most other coffees you’d consider at the grocery. The best thing you can do is buy a grinder, because whole beans will keep much longer at home, and then grind themr as needed. Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT COFFEE IN THE FREEZER…whoever started doing that must have been going mad, and completely forgot all laws of physics…for crimmany sake even ICE dehydrates in your freezer…think what it does to coffee. I suggest getting Intelligentsia to ship it to you…it is actually quite reasonable when you buy and have it shipped to you. I suggest start with the House Blend or the Back Cat Blend (which is actually roasted for espresso, but don’t worry…tastes great made as drip coffee). Second … you can use a french press, but learning how to use for your exact taste will take a while, and it is messier than just throwing away a used coffee filter. Its easiest to just get a good old fashioned drip maker, and I suggest Bunn…you can get something worth having for around ~$100. Yes you can buy better machines, and no it probably won’t make the best coffee in the world, but they have been at it a long time, and any drip maker they produce will likely produce coffee good enough for you…well, until you become a SERIOUS coffee connesseur. Third, water …. do not use water from your tap….UNLESS it is filtered. Seriously, that might be the most important thing of all…if your water has a lot of lime, or if it is softened, or has too much iron, it is going to make your coffee taste bitter and and you are not going to want to drink it. If you want a more ‘upscale’ coffee maker (for curb appeal), you could try a KitchenAid, but I really doubt it will be better than a basic BUNN you can buy on Amazon. At the BlueBolt offices, we have gone through a lot of coffee makers and a whole lot of coffee in the past 10 years. We probably bought 5-8 consumer level Delonghi machines, but they simply don’t hold up to all our use, and our need to filter the water. Sometimes I find the developers making coffee as late as 7pm at night. Anyway, I know a bit about this topic because of our own, countless fails. Now, we ride an old school, industrial BUNN for the developer troops that are clearly addicted to coffee, and we filter on the way to the machine, which has a direct line to the machine. Hope this helps.