Zzz wrote:Here's the old coffee thread from way back. He did get into roasting.

viewtopic.php?t=2068

I had forgotten how funny that thread was. An enjoyable re-read for sure.

The point of this thread though was about that particular batch of beans from Lavazza. Try it you knuckleheads, it'll do you good.

I've never heard of anybody on this board extolling the virtues of Walmart branded whisky for instance or how much they prefer fried spam over a local grown grass fed angus steak, but they'll drink Folger's or MJB for crying out loud. Beats the heck out of me. I will freely admit that I take toilet paper into the wild too. Now I know, real men wipe their a**** with prickly pear cactus when camping, and more power to them I say, butt I think they're crazy. The object is to get the neurons stoked up on my legal dose of speed in the morning. I like to do that with the single malt version of coffee beans. I've gotten to the point in life where Columbia supreme doesn't do it for me any more.

I haven't heard Rob check in here but if you blindfolded him and set down two shot glasses in front of him, one filled with Maker's Mark and the other with Scoresby Scotch, he could tell the difference 100% of the time. Likewise with Gump. One glass of Mondavi Cabernet and the other with Ripple. Heh heh heh heh. Now he'll drink the Ripple if that's all that's all he's got, but my point is children, that there is the same difference between Folger's and a good bag of beans.

Lavazza is nice for store bought coffee, yes. It tastes a lot like many of the premium brands by the time it finally gets purchased, though...often weeks after roasting. And Folgers isn't the end of the world. I'll drink them both with thanks. But branding is branding, including Makers Mark or Mondavi, and there are plenty of things out there that are better and less expensive by my less capable standards. It is hard to pay so much for so little in terms of coffee when you can enjoy better stuff made at home with 15 minutes a week of extra effort.

I'm too unsophisticated or lack the proper taste buds to make distinctions where others conjure towering reviews of "amusing insouciance" or "light notes of cherries and sea air from Zanzibar" in their coffee or spirits. My neighbors mostly seem to roast now, and morning coffee with any of them is more like a friendly exchange of zucchini bread...everyone has their own recipe, most of it is pretty darned good, and I am grateful for the variety.

I do have to second the Kona beans though. They roast up well, and it usually gets a lot of remarks from people who care about the pedigree of their coffee a whole lot less than even I do. Five pounds of green beans a year is all I can muster up the courage to hit the "pay now" button for though. Ouch.

lesuther wrote:Lavazza is nice for store bought coffee, yes. It tastes a lot like many of the premium brands by the time it finally gets purchased, though...often weeks after roasting. .

"Amusing Insouciance". Ah yes. That's me....

I probably need to graduate to home roasting....as soon as I get the Tig machine paid for maybe. So, having always relied on store bought premium brands I was so stunned by the Lavazza I had to share. As to Kona, I've just not had that experience yet. Not in the right place at the right time I guess. I have had some Africans though that rocked me back a bit. I bought a bag of some sort of Kenya while in Soldotna a couple of years ago....Alaska Roasting Company....and I suspect it had been roasted recently. I had them grind it for drip. Really good. On another occasion while working the pipeline, somebody brought in something called "African Blend" that once again, was a local Anchorage roast and was memorable.

Like many though, I can't do Starbucks or Peets any more. Especially Peets. There is a local roaster here called Blind Dog that is hit and miss sometimes but can get very good. Oh well. We all acquire these habits, a good cigar twice a year for instance, and we can all have these various opinions about which we feel strongly one way or another, but in the end it's like religion isn't it. No proof.

Didnt even need a fandingle machine!

is the same difference between Folger's and a good bag of beans.

Have you tried Black Silk. When my sister was in a serious accident in VA, my aunt that only drinks gourmet coffee, and I rushed out there. I never heard of Black Silk before but bought some. That's all my aunt drinks anymore. That says something.

180Marty wrote:

is the same difference between Folger's and a good bag of beans.

Have you tried Black Silk. When my sister was in a serious accident in VA, my aunt that only drinks gourmet coffee, and I rushed out there. I never heard of Black Silk before but bought some. That's all my aunt drinks anymore. That says something.

It is a good canned coffee but I've gone away from dark roasts and I think that grinding right before brewing is best.

Mister701 wrote:

lesuther wrote:Lavazza is nice for store bought coffee, yes. It tastes a lot like many of the premium brands by the time it finally gets purchased, though...often weeks after roasting. .

"Amusing Insouciance". Ah yes. That's me....

I probably need to graduate to home roasting....as soon as I get the Tig machine paid for maybe. So, having always relied on store bought premium brands I was so stunned by the Lavazza I had to share. As to Kona, I've just not had that experience yet. Not in the right place at the right time I guess. I have had some Africans though that rocked me back a bit. I bought a bag of some sort of Kenya while in Soldotna a couple of years ago....Alaska Roasting Company....and I suspect it had been roasted recently. I had them grind it for drip. Really good. On another occasion while working the pipeline, somebody brought in something called "African Blend" that once again, was a local Anchorage roast and was memorable.

Like many though, I can't do Starbucks or Peets any more. Especially Peets. There is a local roaster here called Blind Dog that is hit and miss sometimes but can get very good. Oh well. We all acquire these habits, a good cigar twice a year for instance, and we can all have these various opinions about which we feel strongly one way or another, but in the end it's like religion isn't it. No proof.

I bought Peets once. Ack! Awful! Threw away most of the bag of beans--and I'm cheap, hardly ever throw away any food--but it was really bad. I didn't know coffee could be that bad.

Cary

Kona coffee for me. Figure one of these days I'll get stopped an the airport by a drug sniffing dog.

Do you guys have Kicking Horse coffee at all? It my favorite. Made in Invermere BC. The 454 is my favorite, followed up by the kick ass.

Found this coffee in the back of the freezer this morning (I am running low on Java), it is from Switzerland, I don't speak French. Not sure if I should open it? Anyone familiar with this brand?

A1Skinner wrote:Do you guys have Kicking Horse coffee at all? It my favorite. Made in Invermere BC. The 454 is my favorite, followed up by the kick ass.

Kick Ass beans Here...Bunn coffee maker for the house.... French press for de Aeroplane.... Can't drink hills bros, folgers...........Yuban is OK...

8GCBC wrote:Found this coffee in the back of the freezer this morning (I am running low on Java), it is from Switzerland, I don't speak French. Not sure if I should open it? Anyone familiar with this brand?

What's to lose. I've never heard of it but I'd grind some and give it a tray before tossing.

uumm....for us still working types...a KEURIG is invaluable....folgers breakfast blend...fast....takes almost 30 seconds....!

lesuther wrote:I don't care as much about how it is made as how it is roasted. I use drip, an espresso maker, mokapot, whatever depending on what is handy and I'm in the mood for. Camping means cowboy coffee.

This is the truth. Since the original Coffee Tech thread, I've graduated (regressed?) to black coffee, but the main distinguishing characteristic I've found is roast, and the quality of that roast. The beans used and their geographic source certainly has some quality to it too. My roasting experiments weren't as glorious as I'd hoped, but I had a few lucky batches.

I also partake in Starbucks Via a lot more than I'd like to admit.

jomac wrote:uumm....for us still working types...a KEURIG is invaluable....folgers breakfast blend...fast....takes almost 30 seconds....!

Agree.

Looked at the "Blue Dream" coffee I found and it was 10+ year old instant that was a gift never opened. I trashed it. So...

Cruised to "7-Eleven" and got this...(great donuts)...

08:00 in California:

gbflyer wrote:

jomac wrote:uumm....for us still working types...a KEURIG is invaluable....folgers breakfast blend...fast....takes almost 30 seconds....!

Agree.

Yuk! Fast, yes. Good, no. Believe me, I want my coffee as quick as possible, too, but not at the expense of flavor. 'Sides, with all the recalls Keurigs have had, I'm not sure I trust them!

Cary

Mr. Coffee brewing Cafe DuMonde is good enough for me, I drink half a pot every morning and can barely see straight if I don't eat while drinking it.

Yuban, black, 'nuff said. One lb is cheaper than a cup at starbucks. The money saved goes to avgas