I prefer to buy coffee beans and grind it myself, it just tastes better. I grind it until it's more like fine sand, and I think it tastes great, but my wife usually grinds it much finer than I do, until it's like flour, and to be honest, I don't think it tastes as good as when I grind it. She says she doesn't feel the difference, but I do.

So, what is the way you grind it, and why? do you feel a difference in taste between find and very fine ground coffee? does it matter what kind of flavor it is when you grind it?

there are whole sites devoted the the coffee madness.
I make it very fine for the espresso machine and less so for regular coffee.
But I have a cheapee Braun grinder, not a high end burr grinder like the coffee freaks recommend.

[www.coffeegeek.com]
[www.wholelattelove.com]
[www.singleservecoffee.com]

real fine for coffee tastes murky to me. I pretty much stick to Trader Joes French Roast.

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!#$@@$#!

never do yesterday or today what you can put off til tomorrow or next year.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2007 11:03AM by Fritz.

Thanks for the links, Fritz. Hmmm, Turkish coffee, I haven't made one in years, and that's what I grew up with; I started drinking Turkish coffee when I was 12 or so.

I have to brew one RIGHT NOW!

I keep meaning to pick up the necessary accouterments for Turkish at Kalustyans in NYC......
I love the stuff, but only see it at a few restaurants.

I didn't drink coffee till my late 20's on my first tour in Europe.
Now I like to start my work days with a capp and an almond croissant from my fave French patisserie in NYC. The no matter what carp comes my way that day, I don't f'in' care.

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!#$@@$#!

never do yesterday or today what you can put off til tomorrow or next year.

After going through a whole "gotta have the best" period with coffee, I ended up with a French press and using Illy dark roast, medium grind coffee that comes in a hermetically sealed can.

This simple and fast brewing method produces the best coffee Mavis and I have ever had.

I still like a cup of espresso from time to time, but I don't want to make the investment for the quality equipment I know that it takes to make a really excellent cup at home, plus we don't have the counter space.

BTW, at one point I did have an excellent espresso setup and even had five pounds of whole bean shipped to me each month, from a small private roaster in Beverly Hills. I still like our present method and coffee choice the best.

Hmmm, I wonder what I did with my ibrik?

I use a french press. So I went to Starbucks and asked the guy to grind some for me for a press. He ground some beans and put them in a clear baggie, so I would have a model. I do this once every couple of years.

Bodun makes a fantastic stainless-steel french press. Doesn't break like the glass ones.

Quote
Fritz
The no matter what carp comes my way that day, I don't f'in' care.

I hate those "Attack Carp"!

BGnR

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"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

I have one of those Boduns. They're fantastic. Coffee doens't get cold, and it tastes fantastic.

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Based on recommendations here, I picked up one of those Bodum Columbia stainless french presses. Can't say enough good things about it.

The degree of grind that I use, however, varies with the brewing method. Coarser for the french press, finer for the basket, finer still for the espresso. I just buy turkish 'powder' grind since my cheap Bosch blade grinder would probably burn out its motor before getting the right consistency.

Careful with French press-it's delicious but...

Studies have found that drinking large amounts of coffee made by the French press method increases LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, while drinking filtered, percolated, or drip coffee does not [1]. The French press method allows certain Diterpenes, such as Cafestol and Kahweol, to remain in the coffee while other brewing methods either remove or limit these chemicals. Cafestol is the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound known in the human diet.

A link to original medical research on this:
[www.ajcn.org]

I also have the Bodum stainless steel French press and love it.

We always make the full 32 oz and drink the saved coffee for another day or sometimes even two. Seems as if it gets more mellow the second day.

I read about the LDL increase from drinking French press coffee, but as far as I can tell from my latest blood work, it hasn't affected me.

Interesting you bring this up.

I just bought another of the fine Gevalia pots for $15 or $20, and I wasn't getting the taste I wanted out of the coffee. Where I am, the water is extremely loaded with lime, so I bought bottled water (just grocery gallons) and had little improvement.

I bought a can of Hills Brothers' coffee (it was on sale) and it said "ground."

I'm no snob about this stuff. When I'm done, it's loaded with sweetener and flavoring, and to me it is just "hot, tan caffeine." But still, the aroma is always enjoyed - long before I could ever stand the taste.

At best, this pre-ground stuff was what I recall from the percolator days. Compared to the Gevalia coffee, this was large grind sand vs. Gevalia's powder. I find that I must use 33% -50% more of the "big grind", to get the same darkness when brewed.

The whole taste issue still hasn't fixed itself yet - wondering if there is an issue with the maker itself. I ran two loads of water through, a vinegar wash, and two more loads of water, before even using it - still, the stuff is just "off" - first time ever I've noticed from a drip machine.

I've been tempted to get my food processor out and see if I can atomize the mass merchant brand - but it isn't worth my time. I was going to post a photo of the difference in the size of the grinds, but I don't even feel like doing that!

Sorry... it's a Sunday.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2007 05:03PM by Jimmypoo.

It may not be the grind, but the brew temperature. Over time I can see where consumer drip machines may lose temp control, maybe brewing at a lower temp. For the coffee geeks like me it's all about grind, tamp, and temp. Grind and temp still applies even for the Mr Coffee folks.

>
> it's all about grind, tamp, and temp
>

Sound like a motto for a stripper

: -D

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I can't believe that nobody has mentioned Peet's coffee. My favorite coffee by far. Get a bag of the New Guinea, and get ready to live.

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I use a Braun burr grinder. I grind it as course as possible, since I brew with a French press. Haven't had my cholesterol checked in a little bit -- guess I'd better.

I use a Krups burr grinder and brew in a Krups drip machine. I also roast my own coffee in a sweet little machine (Zack & Dani's) I got for a gift a few years ago. I grind it pretty fine, but not powdery.
Lately, I have been getting green coffee beans from a place called the Green Coffee Bean Company. ( I also like Sweet Maria's beans.) Their Sumatra Aged Mandheling is superb when roasted to a dark vienna or Espresso roast.

Just had my bloodwork done and am just below 200 in the cholesterol area. Maybe I will invest in a French Press; my kids all swear by them.

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"Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry." -William Butler Yeats

I use the Zach & Dani's for home roasting too. My favorite from Sweet Maria's is Komodo Blend (decaf).

If you get a french press, check out the filters Sweet Maria's sell for them. They make a huge difference! I use my french press when I travel and don't have access to my espresso machine. Or when we lose power.

I use a professional grade grinder at...Giant and use an electric percolator. To tell you the truth, it tastes no different than what comes out of a can of Folgers.

are y'all talkin' about this one?

[www.bodumusa.com]

I was gonna get an Aerobie, [aerobie.com]
but it's only single or so.
Something bigger for entertaining would be good and the old Melitta drip is wearing thin on me.

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!#$@@$#!

never do yesterday or today what you can put off til tomorrow or next year.

I have the 4 tasse Bodium, you just get whatever size makes sense to you. Keep in mind the coffee should be consumed immediately and not left sitting around.

[www.sweetmarias.com]

Grind it to a pretty fine powder for drip, or coarsly for a french press (my preferred brewing method.

Basically, the longer you expect the water to be in contact with the coffee, the coarser the grind.

Quote
Fritz
are y'all talkin' about this one?

[www.bodumusa.com].

That's the one we use. I'm drinking a fresh Bodum-brewed cup as I write.