Jul 23, 2010

Where's the coffee???!!


photo found here

Is it just me? All I really want first thing in the morning is a good cup of coffee. The kind you get at nice restaurants with white linen tablecloths and served in a china cup and saucer. Is that too much to ask? I don't consider myself an excessive caffeine addict--I could do with a couple good cups in the morning and maybe one for a pick up in mid-afternoon.

But I am fussy about how it tastes. Not too weak, not too strong, not too bitter, and it HAS to be hot. Really hot.

I have tried so many different coffee pots over the years, and so many different kinds of coffee. Mr. Coffee's, Starbuck's Barista, you name it. I'm tempted to buy an old-fashioned percolator even though they are ugly, because the do make decent coffee. I think Farberware has one. None of the drip styles I've owned get hot enough for my liking. And ALL the carafe's are hard to pour without dripping. (One of our favorite gripes around the house is "they put a man on the moon decades ago, but they can't design a coffee carafe that doesn't drip!)

Right now, we are using a Keurig coffee brewer that makes one cup at a time. We bought one as a mutual Valentine's present this year. I love the fact that it is quick, I don't waste coffee by making a whole pot when I only want a cup or two, and that it is the hottest home-brewed coffee I've ever had. On the down side, even when I use coupons, the coffee is expensive--about 50 cents a cup. (I know that's not expensive compared to buying a $2.00 cup at Starbucks, but it's not very economical if you have guests and you can easily go through 60 cups in a week!)

I'm a bit nervous because we are actually on our THIRD Keurig coffee maker. The first one lasted three weeks, then started producing only partial cups. When I called the Company to see if I was doing something wrong, they very graciously told me obviously something wasn't right and they were sending me another coffee maker right away. The second one lasted three months. Then suddenly it started refusing to move the water from the holding reservoir to the area where the water heats. Again, I called the Company and this time they kept me on the phone for 45 minutes trying this and that. Finally they agreed to send me another coffee maker, provided I sent them a part from the brewer. It's been working perfectly so far--we are at the 3 week mark--so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My older son, Andy, who IS a genuine coffee snob (*wink and smile*) insists that a French press is the only authentic way to go. I have one of those too. I admit the coffee tastes good made that way and the first pouring is nice and hot. But oh my, it is much to cumbersome for multiple cups, especially if you are serving more than one or two people. You have to boil the water, which would be to 212 degrees F, then stick a thermometer in the water and let it cool to about 185-195 degrees. You have to be very finicky about the amount of grounds you are using and they must be coarse. Andy has a friend who actually fingers through his beans, taking out all the broken ones, before he puts them into the grinder. (you read that right!) If all that isn't enough, once you pour your almost-boiling (filtered) water into the press carafe, you wait 60 seconds, then you carefully do a stir. After you wait exactly three more minutes (you must use a timer, no guessing allowed) then and only then are you ready to press the coffee and pour yourself a cup. I mean, who has time for this in the morning? Finally, you are left with a messy French press to clean by pouring some water into the carafe and then straining it through a sieve so you can toss the grounds into the trash, which of course you need to do right away because you need to make more coffee!

Now, I do use filtered water for our coffee. And we do grind our beans. We don't usually have Starbucks brand in the house (it's usually too strong and bitter for us, as well as being expensive). Keurig offers a nice variety of decent coffees, and we do enjoy several of the brands. For our everyday coffee, we often use Eight O'Clock. I can get good bargains by hunting down coupons. This morning I had a really good couple of cups of Seattle's Best "Henry's Blend" coffee. I paid a little too much for it, but someone talked me into trying it at Border's the other night. I am actually quite surprised at how good it is. I made it in our Mr. Coffee, so I still had the problem of only the first cup being hot enough for my taste.

So, WHO can rescue me from my dilemma? I'd love to hear how other coffee lovers are handling their affair!

10 comments:

Wanda..... said...

Well Jacquelyn, this could have been written by me! Years ago I used Wallingford 'Breakfast Blend' and their 'Hazelnut'! Then Sam's Club stopped carrying it. Then I used Maxwell House Hazelnut, until they apparently changed it several years ago when coffee prices rose. I've tried a French Press and a percolator!

We have a Keurig too, which I just use in the afternoon, because the regular coffee maker has been washed and I don't want to wash it again! Costco carries an 80pk. K-cups in the Caribou brand for the Keurig, which averages about 40 cents a cup. I like it very much.

For our morning coffee I buy the 33oz. bag of Eight O'Clock 100%Columbian at Costco for $12 and I use a Cuisinart Coffeemaker, it has a separate temperature choice for the coffee carafe itself. I grind the beans the night before in a Cuisinart Burr Grinder, that has a large bin at the top for storage of the beans and it has a large range of grinds to choose from. So far...no complaints.

I'm not a coffee addict either, but it needs to be very good for me to drink it. Early morning is my favorite time of day and I don't want bad coffee spoiling it for me! I spent over a year buying all kinds of expensive coffee and was never quite satisfied. If there is any better, I would like to know too! :)

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

HI JACQUELYN,
I USE A GEVALIA COFFEEMAKER, AND ONCE I PUT CREAM IN, I POP IT IN THE MICROWAVE IF I WANT IT TO BE HOTTER.
HUBBIES FAVORITE IS THE 8 O'CLOCK COLUMBIAN, AND IT WAS ALSO THE BEST TASTING AND BEST PRICED COFFEE ACCORDING TO CONSUMER REPORTS SOME YEARS BACK. MY HUBBY WOULD CONCUR.
MY FAVORITE IS GEVALIA AMARETTO AND CREME BRULEE DECAF, AND OF COURSE THEY HAVE REG. COFFEE AS WELL. I TEND TO DRINK COFFEE MOSTLY IN THE
WINTER OR IF I AM COLD. ACTUALLY THE VERY BEST AMARETTO IS BY BARNIES COFFEE, BUT I CAN'T FIND ONE ANYWHERE NEAR ME, BUT THE GEVALIA BRAND IS VERY GOOD TOO!!
WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE FRENCH COFFEE THINGS TOO, HUBBY GOT IT AT HOMEGOODS AT A GREAT PRICE ONE TIME WHEN WE WERE THERE. HE LIKES IT BUT IT RARELY GETS USED. TOO TIME CINSUMING!!
LOOKS NICE ON THE COUNTER TOP!! LOL
HOPE WE HAVE HELPED YOU FIND ANSERS TO YOUR COFFEE WOES!! LOL
TRULY THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A GOOD CUP OF COFFEE.... ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE COLD!!
HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL SWEETIE,
BLESSINGS, NELLIE

Jacquelyn Stager said...

That is SO funny, Wanda! I'm so glad it's not just me! I used to be ashamed to admit we used Eight O'Clock (seemed so 'yesterday') but I heard recently that it is one of the most popular brands in use! I think my next coffee maker might just be the Cuisinart. We also have that Cuisinart burr grinder and have been very happy with it. Not too long ago, one of our stores carried that 33 oz bag of Eight O'Clock, 'buy one, get one free'...plus I had a $2 off coupon! So I got 66 oz of beans for $12...not bad! If you see it somewhere, try that Seattle's Best 'Henry's Blend'. I was really pleasantly surprised. Thanks for the comment, I'm still smiling!

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Hi Nellie, I also like Gevalia. We puchased that for a while...though it is a little pricey. I like their Mocha, and others. HA HA HA I agree, the French Press looks nice on the countertop! LOL!

Jess said...

Boy, am I out of the loop on this one! Not picky about the brand, needs to be decaf and yes, hot!

I broke a tooth this morning, 3 days after my birthday and amfeeling OLD. Woe is me. =(

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Jess! wow, I'm sorry I didn't know it was your birthday! I'm going to send you an email (soon) telling you about MY tooth woes! Hope you had a very happy one...write and tell me what you did!!

Wanda..... said...

LOL...I forgot about the Gevalia...we tried that also, two different times...someone's getting rich off us disatisfied women.

Judy said...

Presently I'm loving the Texas Turtle coffee from Cost Plus-World Market. But truth betold, at this stage in my life I will gag down even horrible coffee just to get at the caffeine.

And I presently have three broken teeth in my mouth. Sooooo sad about that. Large fillings that just decided on their own to fall out.

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Oh my ladies...we are going to have to start a new discussion on our dental woes! LOL!
Judy, I'll check out that coffee!
My mom will leave her half empty coffee cup sitting around for hours and then gulp it down cold. YUCK!

Aliene said...

Jacquelyn, I had to laugh when I read your coffee woes. Especially the eight o clock! My husband is an A&P retiree. That is who made eight o clock coffee. The grinder was right beside the coffee display. Most ground it in the store. It was about the only brand we knew until A&P closed here in the south. Now we get Folgers.
An elderly neighbor we had told us it was not the coffee ~ it was how you made it. I might be tempted to post about it. We have the old coffee pot that was passed onto my husband when our neighbor passed away. Oh I could add some dental woes also. Thanks for passing by my blog and commenting.