Coffee Advice............

[farmmaid]

Hubby likes a good cup of coffee, I NEVER touch the stuff. I want to do something special for him for Christmas.
Sooooooooo, hence the question: Does fresh ground taste really lots better? I am thinking about buying him a coffee grinding machine so each morning he can have fresh ground coffee. The man does not spend a penny on himself, this is just a thought....

[TurnerHill]

It tastes better, yes. I can notice the difference. Good beans also taste better.

That said, I consume massive quantities of plain old Maxwell House.

[Wisconsin Ann]

Yes. Fresh ground beans tastes a LOT better. There is a noticeable difference. He can grind his own for just the one pot every morning. Or even just 1 cup.

Good coffee beans are also massively better, as TurnerHill says. Pick up a little coffee mill (they can be really inexpensive) and a 1/2 lb or 1/4 lb of a couple different beans for him. If he likes good strong plain coffee, look for a vienna roast, or a simple "breakfast blend" type bean.

[FlagWaver]

I agree, fresh ground and good beans make an excellent coffee. It is definitely worth the extra time and money.

[farmmaid]

Thank you for the responses. Are the mills hand cranked or electric. As you can tell, I know NOTHING about coffee.

[FlagWaver]

Electric.

[TurnerHill]

You can get an electric one for about $15

[madness]

You can pick up an electric mill for about $10. There are more expensive ones but we bought a "temporary" $10 a few years ago and haven't had to replace it.

I LOVE trying different flavored coffees. My inlaws brought me some pinon coffee from Colorado recently that was delicious!

[Kmac15]

I agree with all the post, fresh ground is tops.
Just get a little electric for starters, with a few small bags of beans to try. You can get the beans at any grocery store that sells fresh ground by weight.

I have to get DH another grinder this year. I used his for grinding spices, cleaning it with bread worked until I did the hot peppers LOL

[raymilosh]

There are also nice hand cranked mills...if he would appreciate such a device. They typically come with a cast iron grinding device mounted in a small well built wooden box with a drawer to catch the grinds.
the whole device is about the size of ...huh...can't think of anything. Um, like the size of a box of tissues stood on end...but like half the height.

[farmmaid]

Oh my gosh, I had NO idea that the mills were so cheap, I was going to start saving now for a Christmas present. This will be a PERFECT gift. Then during the year I can buy him a different flavor bean for a "little present". He honestly does not spend a penny on himself, his passion is hunting but we eat every bit of meat that is good. Thanks ever so much!!!!!!!!!

[Ezekiel's Garde]

If I could have a "perfect world" scenario for coffee, I'd have a small hand-cranked grinder like raymilosh described and a larger French press. That is all I'd need to be in coffee heaven. I personally like what is usually called "French Roast." It's a medium dark roast that I think balances flavor of the bean with the flavor of the roast.

[Oggie]

Get him some Celebes Kalossi. It's expensive, but good.

http://www.honeybean.com/pdetail/bn02011lb.htm

[Shrek]

I started grinding my own coffee 14 years ago when I noticed a pound of 8 oclock ground was a buck and a half more expensive than their whole bean.

I bought an electric grinder back then for $8 at Kroger and have been using it ever since. The same grinder today is offered at Kroger for $11.

The advantages of grinding my own beans in addition to the fresh ground aspect, is that I have the option of oven roasting my beans darker than the original roast 8 oclock brand I buy if I choose, if I am grinding coffee for espresso, I can grind it finer than the grind required for the drip maker and the last advantage is my favorite___having dogs and cats in the house, if I am having guests the last thing I do while cleaning is to dark roast a pound of beans, bake a loaf of bread and grind the pound of beans while still warm.

the smell of warm ground coffee and fresh baked bread combine to give my small house an aromatic smell masking the wafting odors of animal dander and litter box for eight or nine hours.

[madness]

I've been thinking about a manual grinder myself. I've seen some darn expensive ones ($150) but also some very affordable ones but I'm just not sure if the cheaper ones are good. Maybe somebody here has used one that likes it?

Here's one for $25 on amazon:



And this one is only $18:



Hmm...now you've got me thinking about Christmas presents for myself!

[nikko]

also a small percolator to brew it makes a huge difference...rather than a regular drip maker

[beaglebiz]

we went back to a percolator, first stove top, then I got an electric percolator at a yard sale. I prefer the elctric for daily use, as it holds the temp, but I also have the stove top one for days when the power is out. I also have an "off grid" stovetop espresso maker and a french press. all are better than auto drip

[hmsteader71]

I love fresh ground, but we too drink mass quantities of Maxwell House or Folgers, whichever is on sale. We also use a percolator, love it.

[HermitJohn]

Good beans make far more difference than fresh ground though not suggesting anybody use truly stale ground coffee.

Cheap coffees use lot "robusto" varieties of coffee. Lot cheaper to grow, so they make more profit. It is high in caffeine, almost twice that of the arabica varieties, but low on taste. More of caffeine beverage than true coffee.

Each to their own, but french/vienna or other dark roasts dont increase coffee taste they just have a strong charred taste. Same with percolators, they "cook" the coffee. Percolated coffee tastes like percolated coffee, not like whatever variety you started with. If you like perc cooked taste, maybe can get away with cheaper coffee.....

For bold taste might suggest instead of dark roasts, you instead try some Indonesian/Sumatra varieties of coffee with strong earthy-herbal taste. The Indian Monsooned Malabar is simular. I like this type coffee for a wake up morning coffee. Its very different than the South American coffees most people are used to. I like Ethiopian Harrar as more of a after meal coffee. It has hints of dried fruit. Quite a treat.

I mention it since nobody else ever seems to have heard of it, but the only canned coffee worth the bother in this day and age is one called Martinsons. Just their plain jane regular blend roast. Stay away from any of their improved/decaf varieties. Its not some super premium, but quite drinkable, like what Folgers and other national brands used to taste like decades ago before they just became brand names in some giant food conglomerates that maximize profit over taste. I dont know what part of the country Martinsons is sold retail in, but I just lucked onto it at local salvage grocery. They got in some bent up cans. I'd never heard of it so tried it. No regular retail store here or in midwest carries it that I've ever seen. Maybe only sold on east or west coast?

[michelleIL]

I like all types. Used to be a bit of a coffee snob, but have backed way off. I drink folgers on a daily basis. The best canned variety I have ever had. I am the only one drinking it, so it doesn't get too expensive. I have better stuff around too. I drink Gevalia coffee. That's some good stuff. I have both whole bean and ground in my house. Depends on what I feel like doing that moment.

I have my bunn coffee maker, and I have three different drip makers. One is a four cup deal, and one is a one cup maker, and I have a ten cupper. I have a stovetop espresso maker as well as a french press. I use my french press more lately for brewing tea, since my herbs are all in their freshly dried state. loose in a paper bag. Folgers Black silk though sin't too bad for canned coffee, has a nice dark flavor and if it is robusto beans that have more caffeine, well I'm not complaining!