4 ms·

I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally (allow me to repeat this to nip the obvious retorts in the bud - to ME, PERSONALLY :P) i

I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally (allow me to repeat this to nip the obvious retorts in the bud - to ME, PERSONALLY :P) it hasn't made one bit of difference. I still use a french press, but that has a lot to do with convenience. I just don't grind it fresh anymore or spend tons of money on fresh-roasted beans - a bag of 8 O'Clock Colombian works just fine. So you might find that ultra-fresh coffee brewed in such a special way is the cat's pajamas, or you might like me find that it was way too much time, effort and money for way too little payoff. Trying new things is fun and worthwhile, but in this post-Internet post-9/11 pre-intergalactic wars world, product fetishism definitely abounds ("I won't take notes in anything except a Moleskine journal" and such). But as always, why em em vee.

colonhyphenp 17y ago
I am in the same boat with the french press - I really can't tell that much of a difference between a cup of freshly roasted/ground french press coffee and a cup of coffee at Starbucks. However, I recently switched to an Aeropress single cup coffee maker, and it is a HUGE difference - it makes a small concentrated cup of coffee with very little bitterness, and brings out the coffee's natural sweetness. Also, I find it easier to use and clean than a french press. See http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm
- tortilla 17y ago
  Yep, I did the same. The French Press was great and all, but I couldn't produce a good cup consistently and it was quite messy. Didn't particularly like the grit either. Have been using the Aeropress for about 4 months straight and really love it. The flavors are great, clean up is quick and painless. Now I'm thinking about roasting my own beans. A local roaster recommended the Behmor: http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.behmor.php http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.behmor.php
  - xayide 17y ago
    I’ve never had good results using a french press with a blade grinder. You need such a coarse grind for the press, and fine grit is just inevitable with a cheap blade. I got a burr grinder several years ago, and my french press coffee has improved immensely. Of course, the clean up still sucks - I only break out the press for fresh, interesting coffee that I happen in to.
    - iron_ball 17y ago
      What's wrong with the cleanup? I've never had a clog just rinsing the grounds right down the kitchen sink.
- roedog88 17y ago
  I like that Aeropress is made by the same people who invented better Frisbees and yoyos. It's got that old school geek charm, which has motivated me to try it out. From a marketing perspective it seems that in addition to the stimulant use I'm using coffee as a way to define myself as a clever and discerning person.
- cvg 17y ago
  Can't beat the Aeropress for the price. Saving tons of money by stopping my daily Peet's runs.
bmj 17y ago
I used to not care much about beans, but recently, I've changed my tune. Now, I don't spend a lot of money on beans (I buy five pound bags of Equal Exchange from my co-op, since I get a 20% discount on bulk orders), but we had to use Eight O'Clock beans for a few days waiting for an order, and oh my, that coffee was not good. I do appreciate a good cup of coffee, with fresh beans, a good brewing method, etc, etc. But...I don't have the time or motivation to do that regularly.
gdee 17y ago
> I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally ... it hasn't made one bit of difference. You mean you actually roasted good greens, let them degass, ground them correctly and pulled espresso shots (at the right temp./pressure) and found them to have not one bit of diff from regular, supermarket/sb coffee?
- discojesus 17y ago
  No I was specifically referring to the first part of the article, about obtaining fresh-roasted beans, grinding them, and then brewing them in a french press using water off the boil. The article writer alleges that that process improves your daily coffee significantly - I related my own experience, which was to the contrary.
  - gdee 17y ago
    Oh ok. The "all" and "one bit" threw me off. And the creamy, 4 days old hand-roasted, Yellow Bourbon SHB double shot made me answer. :)
dkarl 17y ago
Same here, until I got simple carafe-style water filter as a gift and realized/remembered that my tap water is really gross. It not only tastes bad, it literally stinks. I trained myself to drink it so I wouldn't waste money on bottled water, but I never realized how much it affects the taste of coffee and tea. Actually, I'm surprised that nobody else has mentioned the importance of water. My cheap carafe filter makes a huge difference even to my relatively insensitive palate.
- Semiapies 17y ago
  This is a huge issue for coffee. Making sure not to use tap water here at my office vastly improves the output of the Keurig unit we have.
- DougWebb 17y ago
  You want a Waterwise 9000. Really. Trust me. WORLD of difference.
chancho 17y ago
Don't sell 8 O'clock short. http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/204/consumer-reports-picks-the-best-cup-o-brew http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/204/con... I have this sneaking suspicion that its harvested by third-world leukemia patients, or fertilized with aborted ponies or something else terrible, because it's too good to be true. I live out in the sticks and my coffee options are the grocery store and the gas station. It's not only tastes better, it's half the price of any other whole-bean coffee you can find in a typical grocery store. (I like whole-bean original myself. The Columbian is too sour for me.)

colonhyphenp 17y ago

I am in the same boat with the french press - I really can't tell that much of a difference between a cup of freshly roasted/ground french press coffee and a cup of coffee at Starbucks. However, I recently switched to an Aeropress single cup coffee maker, and it is a HUGE difference - it makes a small concentrated cup of coffee with very little bitterness, and brings out the coffee's natural sweetness. Also, I find it easier to use and clean than a french press. See http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm

tortilla 17y ago
Yep, I did the same. The French Press was great and all, but I couldn't produce a good cup consistently and it was quite messy. Didn't particularly like the grit either. Have been using the Aeropress for about 4 months straight and really love it. The flavors are great, clean up is quick and painless. Now I'm thinking about roasting my own beans. A local roaster recommended the Behmor: http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.behmor.php http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.behmor.php
- xayide 17y ago
  I’ve never had good results using a french press with a blade grinder. You need such a coarse grind for the press, and fine grit is just inevitable with a cheap blade. I got a burr grinder several years ago, and my french press coffee has improved immensely. Of course, the clean up still sucks - I only break out the press for fresh, interesting coffee that I happen in to.
  - iron_ball 17y ago
    What's wrong with the cleanup? I've never had a clog just rinsing the grounds right down the kitchen sink.
roedog88 17y ago
I like that Aeropress is made by the same people who invented better Frisbees and yoyos. It's got that old school geek charm, which has motivated me to try it out. From a marketing perspective it seems that in addition to the stimulant use I'm using coffee as a way to define myself as a clever and discerning person.
cvg 17y ago
Can't beat the Aeropress for the price. Saving tons of money by stopping my daily Peet's runs.

bmj 17y ago

I used to not care much about beans, but recently, I've changed my tune. Now, I don't spend a lot of money on beans (I buy five pound bags of Equal Exchange from my co-op, since I get a 20% discount on bulk orders), but we had to use Eight O'Clock beans for a few days waiting for an order, and oh my, that coffee was not good. I do appreciate a good cup of coffee, with fresh beans, a good brewing method, etc, etc. But...I don't have the time or motivation to do that regularly.

gdee 17y ago

> I've tried all the stuff mentioned in the article, and to me personally ... it hasn't made one bit of difference. You mean you actually roasted good greens, let them degass, ground them correctly and pulled espresso shots (at the right temp./pressure) and found them to have not one bit of diff from regular, supermarket/sb coffee?

discojesus 17y ago
No I was specifically referring to the first part of the article, about obtaining fresh-roasted beans, grinding them, and then brewing them in a french press using water off the boil. The article writer alleges that that process improves your daily coffee significantly - I related my own experience, which was to the contrary.
- gdee 17y ago
  Oh ok. The "all" and "one bit" threw me off. And the creamy, 4 days old hand-roasted, Yellow Bourbon SHB double shot made me answer. :)

dkarl 17y ago

Same here, until I got simple carafe-style water filter as a gift and realized/remembered that my tap water is really gross. It not only tastes bad, it literally stinks. I trained myself to drink it so I wouldn't waste money on bottled water, but I never realized how much it affects the taste of coffee and tea. Actually, I'm surprised that nobody else has mentioned the importance of water. My cheap carafe filter makes a huge difference even to my relatively insensitive palate.

Semiapies 17y ago
This is a huge issue for coffee. Making sure not to use tap water here at my office vastly improves the output of the Keurig unit we have.
DougWebb 17y ago
You want a Waterwise 9000. Really. Trust me. WORLD of difference.

chancho 17y ago

Don't sell 8 O'clock short. http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/204/consumer-reports-picks-the-best-cup-o-brew http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/204/con... I have this sneaking suspicion that its harvested by third-world leukemia patients, or fertilized with aborted ponies or something else terrible, because it's too good to be true. I live out in the sticks and my coffee options are the grocery store and the gas station. It's not only tastes better, it's half the price of any other whole-bean coffee you can find in a typical grocery store. (I like whole-bean original myself. The Columbian is too sour for me.)