›

Forum Rules

What happened to the forum for...?

COFFEE

JoshuaHeterJoshuaHeter Omaha, NE
in General
I'm not a coffee drinker, but (chances are) I will have a number of coffee drinkers staying with me over the next year (or so). 

My question (for you coffee drinkers) is... what are your thoughts on what system to get? Drip? French Press? Keurig?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Comments

  • ChinaskiChinaski Santa Cruz, CA
    here's a coffee thread that might help bud.

    JoshuaHeter
  • MichelleMichelle California
    JoshuaHeter said:
    I'm not a coffee drinker, but (chances are) I will have a number of coffee drinkers staying with me over the next year (or so). 

    My question (for you coffee drinkers) is... what are your thoughts on what system to get? Drip? French Press? Keurig?

    Any advice would be appreciated!
    Keurig and Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce or Caramel k-cups.  Perfection.
    JoshuaHeter
  • cdrivecdrive Houston, TX
    If you’re serving a mass of coffee drinkers then a drip machine is easy. I want to say “kettle and French press!” cause it’s cheap and pure but that serves 1-2 people per use.  
  • bbordbbord
    Definitely go with a cheap drip. French Press' are too much work for your situation and Keurig's are terrible for the environment (plus the coffee comes out very meh).  
  • MichelleMichelle California
    bbord said:
    Definitely go with a cheap drip. French Press' are too much work for your situation and Keurig's are terrible for the environment (plus the coffee comes out very meh).  
    You can compost the grounds inside the pod and recycle the pod itself.

    The coffee coming out 'meh' is a matter of opinion as well as the quality of whatever coffee you're buying.
  • MrXMrX CO
    edited September 2019
    Michelle said:
    bbord said:
    Definitely go with a cheap drip. French Press' are too much work for your situation and Keurig's are terrible for the environment (plus the coffee comes out very meh).  
    You can compost the grounds inside the pod and recycle the pod itself.

    The coffee coming out 'meh' is a matter of opinion as well as the quality of whatever coffee you're buying.

    A high quality drip machine is going to be better than a Keurig with the same beans, but we're talking spending something like $100-200+. A cheap Mr. Coffee auto-drip or something makes pretty bad coffee, probably worse than an average Keurig.
    podcartfan
  • kojiattwoodkojiattwood Utah
    I'm a heinous coffee nerd, it's siphon only for me.
  • adobo1148adobo1148
    Mr Coffee and Folgers........BOOM!
  • HunkuleseHunkulese Québec, Canada
    What's your situation exactly? What do you mean that a number of coffee drinkers will be staying with you over the next year? Are people going to be spending a night or two at your place or staying with you for the year? If it's just people visiting occasionally, get whatever. I'm a coffee snob myself, but if I'm just visiting someone, coffee is coffee and whatever they have will do the trick for a day or two.

    A Keurig is definitely the easiest option, and they've done a pretty good job of making their pods actually recyclable instead of technically recyclable. It's not the cheapest option if they'll be drinking a lot of coffee since the pods aren't cheap, but you can get a reusable pod and use your own coffee.

    The best option for easy everyday coffee is probably a Bonavita drip coffee maker. You can get one for around $100, but the coffee is significantly better than anything cheaper and there's not nearly as much of a jump for anything more expensive.

    If they're coffee snobs, make sure you get a burr grinder. It makes a world of difference.
    Travis
  • podcartfanpodcartfan Cincinnati
    Regardless of brew method, you'll get the best tasting coffee from grinding fresh whole beans.  Typically a local roaster is your best bet, but happymug.com is a more affordable option ($11-$13 per pound). 

    For a grinder you can spend between $100 and $150 for a good entry level burr grinder (Capresso Infinity or Baratza Encore).  The key being a burr grinder because it takes all the guess work out of grinding the beans once you dial in the grind size for your brewer.  It's hard to get consistent grind size out of a blade grinder.

    For brewer I would recommend a good drip machine (SCAA certified).  Simple instructions will produce consistent coffee with a dialed in grind size.

    If you really want simplicity the Keurig is an option.  You can buy reusable filter baskets that allow you to use your own freshly ground coffee.  It won't make great coffee because most Keurig's brew at around 190F which is on the low end for most coffee's.
  • kojiattwoodkojiattwood Utah
    I highly recommend the akirakoki ceramic coffee grinder for those on a budget (around 30 bucks), just as good as most of the more expensive models.
  • HunkuleseHunkulese Québec, Canada
    Also, if they're just in it for the caffeine, and they "ruin" their coffee anyway with cream and sugar, instant coffee does the trick.
  • TravisTravis CA
    For what it's worth, we got a Nespresso as a household Black Friday gift to ourselves and it is wonderful. The coffee is just better that our Keurig was by a significant distance. The downside is that the coffee itself is more expense and a huge pain because you have to order it through either Amazon or Nespresso themselves so particularly if you aren't enjoying the coffee yourself it probably isn't worth the trouble, but man it is a better product. They also recycle their pods (they provide you with a package to send them back) which I really appreciate because as much as I love the simplicity and consistency of single serve it is terrible from a waste perspective. 

    For the purpose that you seem to be driving at it sounds like a Keurig is a good fit. You can just have pods lying around and a small machine and be able to accommodate people. You can also have a few different varieties which can be nice for guests.
  • MichelleMichelle California
    I'm not clear why everyone seems to think that a k-cup is non-recyclable or a pain to recycle on your own.  You peel the foil off, compost the grounds if you like, and put the plastic into the recycling bin at your home.  There isn't much waste left over.  Do I think most people throw them out vs. trying to recycle them?  Probably.  But it's not like it's something that can't be done.  It shouldn't be a factor in deciding whether to get a Keurig or not.  Maybe I'm biased because I love mine.  I get a tasty cup of coffee every time. 
    Travis
  • DeeDee Adelaide
    Like it or lump it in my house. I’m coffee trash.


    cdriveMichelle
  • cdrivecdrive Houston, TX
    Dee said:
    Like it or lump it in my house. I’m coffee trash.


    It’s made for Australian tastes. 
    MichelleFreddy
  • DeeDee Adelaide
    edited September 2019
    @cdrive Well, we are pretty trashy! 

    I don’t know what that means. I know we supposedly like coffee stronger than a lot of the western world so maybe that’s it?
    cdrive
  • cdrivecdrive Houston, TX
    edited September 2019
    Dee said:
    @cdrive Well, we are pretty trashy! 

    I don’t know what that means. I know we supposedly like coffee stronger than a lot of the western world so maybe that’s it?
    I think it’s regional and therefore fascinating. And they know who they’re marketing to. I want to try it!  
    Dee
  • HunkuleseHunkulese Québec, Canada
    Michelle said:
    I'm not clear why everyone seems to think that a k-cup is non-recyclable or a pain to recycle on your own.  You peel the foil off, compost the grounds if you like, and put the plastic into the recycling bin at your home.  There isn't much waste left over.  Do I think most people throw them out vs. trying to recycle them?  Probably.  But it's not like it's something that can't be done.  It shouldn't be a factor in deciding whether to get a Keurig or not.  Maybe I'm biased because I love mine.  I get a tasty cup of coffee every time. 
    They've always been technically recyclable, but weren't practically recyclable until recently. They changed their design. They used to have the filter integrated into the plastic and it was a huge pain to separate. The dirty secret about everything marked recyclable is that if a person is needed to separate the materials, they won't and it just goes to the landfill. That's when all the news stories broke, like the creator of k-cups regretting his invention. They're a lot easier to recycle now, but positive stories don't get headlines
    Travis
  • TravisTravis CA
    Hunkulese said:
    Michelle said:
    I'm not clear why everyone seems to think that a k-cup is non-recyclable or a pain to recycle on your own.  You peel the foil off, compost the grounds if you like, and put the plastic into the recycling bin at your home.  There isn't much waste left over.  Do I think most people throw them out vs. trying to recycle them?  Probably.  But it's not like it's something that can't be done.  It shouldn't be a factor in deciding whether to get a Keurig or not.  Maybe I'm biased because I love mine.  I get a tasty cup of coffee every time. 
    They've always been technically recyclable, but weren't practically recyclable until recently. They changed their design. They used to have the filter integrated into the plastic and it was a huge pain to separate. The dirty secret about everything marked recyclable is that if a person is needed to separate the materials, they won't and it just goes to the landfill. That's when all the news stories broke, like the creator of k-cups regretting his invention. They're a lot easier to recycle now, but positive stories don't get headlines
    This is nice to know. I'm glad to hear they made improvements.
  • NobelCatNobelCat
    I only like coffee when it's really good. I have a whole collection of coffee actually and now I am selling some stuff because I need money urgently. If you want to taste amazing coffee you can send me your zip code so I'll know if it's possible to ship it to you (here you can find your zip), then you explain your tastes and I'll suggest something.
  • johnnytruantjohnnytruant
    I feel like if you don't even know your zip code, you probably shouldn't be buying coffee from strangers online.
    Michelle
  • cdrivecdrive Houston, TX
    Ooh I ain’t clicking that. 
    Michelle
  • jhparkjhpark
    I suspect an SEO link bot. But who knows... I'm just suspicious by nature.
  • MichelleMichelle California
    cdrive said:
    Ooh I ain’t clicking that. 
    Especially since they only just signed up right before that post and one other that has a clickable link.
  • CretanBullCretanBull Toronto
    Everytime this thread updates and moves to the top of the list, I see it and think that it says "COVFEFE"  Every. Damn.  Time.
    Michellecdrive
  • NobelCatNobelCat
    For big companies, I would choose a French press. By the way, you can also make tea with it. But I don't like it. Don't get me wrong, it's good enough but since I bought a Lelit Bianca espresso machine I can't drink coffee made with other appliances. Like, it's just something. It's incomparable with, say, instant coffee or other types.
  • distopiandreamgirl83distopiandreamgirl83
    I appreciate quality coffee but I am lazy and frugal so I spent a lot of time trying different instant coffees. For a long time I used Mt. Hagen Organic instant which is still my favorite, but now I buy Tastle Gold from Amazon which is a lot cheaper and almost as good. To me these do not taste anything like Folgers/Maxwell House/Nescafe. I'm sure coffee purists would be appalled but our friends and family like it just fine.
  • MichelleMichelle California
    Starbucks Caramel coffee with just the right amount of regular and french vanilla creamer - it tastes like a 'Caramel de Leche' coffee I had at this cute little coffeehouse in Cambria this summer - so loving it.  :heart:
Sign In or Register to comment.