Mmm, coffee

I'm primarily a tea drinker. However, I do enjoy coffee too. While I am not very picky about the source of my coffee (I drink decaf and I usually use Gevalia or Starbucks), I have had to work on a way to make it for myself.

Since I drink a maximum of a cup a day, the large percolator my wife uses is not ideal. Smaller coffee makers just don't heat up the water enough or something, and the coffee is usually not up to par from the single-cup makers. We had a Keurig, but I hated the waste and the coffee. A few years ago, I bought the Aeropress and liked that, but it wore out and I was not comfortable brewing anything in plastic, so I didn't buy another one. I then had a Capresso espresso maker, but we moved to a smaller place and I don't have the counter space for it anymore. So I bought another highly-rated single-cup brewer and it was okay, but not great.

So I decided to go back to a simple stove-top moka pot from Bialetti:



It makes a nice cup of coffee and the single-cup size is just the right amount for me. It seems to be sturdy and should work fine for my tastes.

Wild Coffee
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/many...ee-village

Price is so high. I need to buy a low cost product. I can buy a new Coffee Roaster Machine from Kafgar. https://kafgarglobal.com/

I've looked into both the Chemex & Hario V60 thanks to the great conversations here. I don't think that they are right for me at this time. However, I do plan on revisiting them later when time isn't so precious of a commodity, especially in the mornings.

That doesn't mean that I can't make some improvements to my current setup. Today I ordered a couple things to do just that.

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Able Fine Disk metal filter for AeroPress

The stainless steel filter will allow me to keep more of the oils from the beans. I already have a burr grinder, but it's electric and makes a lot of noise which isn't the best thing early in the morning when I'd like the kiddos to stay asleep. I'm looking forward to having my first manual grinder.

How well do the metal filters work on the Aeropress? One of the most appealing things of the Aeropress, besides the coffee being excellent, is how simple it is to clean. I still remember trying to remove the grinds from the filter of a French press.

Having a cup of Turkish coffee right now. The best way to start the day.

I've looked into both the Chemex & Hario V60 thanks to the great conversations here. I don't think that they are right for me at this time. However, I do plan on revisiting them later when time isn't so precious of a commodity, especially in the mornings.

That doesn't mean that I can't make some improvements to my current setup. Today I ordered a couple things to do just that.

[align=center]
Able Fine Disk metal filter for AeroPress

The stainless steel filter will allow me to keep more of the oils from the beans. I already have a burr grinder, but it's electric and makes a lot of noise which isn't the best thing early in the morning when I'd like the kiddos to stay asleep. I'm looking forward to having my first manual grinder.

How well do the metal filters work on the Aeropress? One of the most appealing things of the Aeropress, besides the coffee being excellent, is how simple it is to clean. I still remember trying to remove the grinds from the filter of a French press.

The metal filters work pretty good. They definitely allow more of the oils into the cup which affects taste. They are a bit sloppier to clean up and I’ve honestly gone back to the regular paper filters as they work great and are the quickest & easiest to clean up.

This morning I was up at 4 am and started my Black & Decker 10-cup coffee pot using some very cheap Costco brand coffee.  I typically have two or three pots and this has been my morning routine/breakfast for nearly 25 years.  Well, this morning when I started the 2nd pot, I never noticed any scent or noise.  When I looked up from my computer 15 minutes later, I noticed the "On" light was operational but nothing else was working.  After 8 years, the B&D finally gave out and at 4:30 am, with only one pot of coffee in me, I was starting to panic.  

Thankfully, I had borrowed a French Press from my parents last summer.  It's been sitting on the shelf ever since.  After a quick youtube search, i knew how to brew some more coffee.  I know what I ended up with wasn't good...I used hot tap water instead of heating the water up to the proper temperature and the only coffee I have in the house is the Kirkland brand.  But what I did notice was the coffee had a significantly different taste (no surprise there) and texture.  It was a "silkier" texture than what I am accustomed to and I really enjoyed it despite the lukewarm temperature.

So this morning's little adventure/panic attack has me thinking I need to start exploring coffee a bit more.  Specifically, i would like to start roasting my own beans and maybe invest in an electric kettle.  Any suggestions for a coffee-addict whose ready to "up" his coffee game?

Well HoosierShave , I’ve been roasting for over 20 years. I think a good place to start is at www.sweetmarias.com. They sell stuff including green beans and they have a lot of resources. 

Whether you actually wants roast or not is one thing but a consideration if brewing technique is probably warranted. I’ve been using the pour over technique for a while now and I’m pretty happy with it. I also think anyone can up their coffee game by keeping all brewing equipment clean, grinding beans just before brewing in a burr mill grinder and finding a good source of fresh beans.

Thanks Marko ! I'm going to order some beans and a grinder for now and keep using the French Press method for a little while. But that pour over technique looks interesting and I'm sure I will give it a try as well.

Thanks Marko !  I'm going to order some beans and a grinder for now and keep using the French Press method for a little while.  But that pour over technique looks interesting and I'm sure I will give it a try as well.

French press is a great method  - if you're looking for a grinder I can recommend the Barratza brand
https://www.sweetmarias.com/encore-conic...ratza.html

I have the slightly more expensive model and I've had it for about 15 years, used it every day and taken it on summer holidays.  It does an excellent job and you can get spare parts with YouTube videos on how to do the parts replacements.  The conical burr assembly is top notch.  It has the same problem that all electric grinders have - static cling but its not really a big deal.  If you keep it clean - I use the Dustbuster on it regularly to suck up stray coffee- it will serve you well.  I'll post below a little on my journey into roasting and the tiny joys I get form it all