kbooth Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: ca Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 7:15am Subject: new to coffee, can you advise?
Became a coffee drinker after having a terrible withdrawal from Red Bull. Long story . . . Bought a simple Mr. Coffee maker, using filters and trying different types of coffee. Noticed that when I place the coffee in the frig for drinking later, that upon returning to it, there is a film floating on the top. What is that from? Is this normal? Also, is there any significant advantage to buying whole beans over the already ground coffee? Do most people have a grinder for all those whole bean coffees being sold . . OMG the choices seem endless. Thank you for any input.
malkore Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 123 Location: NE Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 9:04am Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
I'm not sure you understand the can of worms you are opening up here... :)
I have one question for you first: why are you putting your coffee in the refridgerator? Are you drinking your coffee iced or 'frappacino' style? The film on top are the oils from the coffee.
As to your question: coffee beans are roasted...and once roasted, they begin to degrade fairly rapidly. As in, 7-10 days after roasting the beans are past their peak and start developing bitter flavors.
Having said that, yes, whole bean coffee is much better than pre-ground. Really, you want to grind and then IMMEDIATELY brew your coffee. Don't grind more than you can use, as it starts going stale once ground within minutes.
On this forum you'll find a lot of people like myself who actually buy our coffee beans un-roasted..in green bean form. We roast at home once or twice a week (or more), and use the roasted beans before that 7 day lifespan expires.
My comments to you are this: if you're using paper filters, go spend $10 for a gold mesh re-usable filter. paper filters strip oil from the coffee and other tiny compounds that give coffee body. paper filters leave you with thin, watery consistency coffee that has no mouthfeel.
Second, check your area and see if there are any local roasting retailers. Many times the more coffee houses in town will roast their own. But don't go to Starbucks. Their coffee is over roasted and pretty sub-par in my opinion. Buy a pound of FRESHLY roasted coffee and a cheap (10-15 dollar) blade grinder. you'll notice a world of difference between fresh roasted coffee, and a can of Foldgers or a bag of supermarket beans.
You can also try out a French Press pot. i think its superior to drip coffee, since no Mr. Coffee maker will ever get the water to 200F to really brew at teh right temperature, plus a press pot gives great body and mouthfeel, but you do need a coarser grind on the coffee due to how the grounds are filtered while pouring. You can get a small press pot for like $10 at bed, bath and beyond.
Yes, the choices are endless. endless bean varieties, endless roasting devices adn techniques, endless ways to brew, and endless ways to consume.
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 1:08pm Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
With all due respect, I'm a paper filter man when doing other than espresso. It's true that the gold mesh retains the oils and is more full bodied. But it isn't true that by nature the paper-filtered method leaves a thin, watery brew, unless you're really skimping on the grounds.
I use paper with the pour-over method (Melitta cone) and with 2 generous scoops per cup I get more than abundant and rich flavors. You have to grind your coffee to a notch or two finer than drip. If you are courser than drip, you can get weak coffee. (And some drip grinds are actually courser than most coffee connoisseurs here would consider best for drip.)
Definitely consider grinding your own instead of buying ground.
kbooth Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: ca Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008, 7:59am Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise . . . I am amazed at the quick response to my post, as well as the time you took to explain this. You must thoroughly enjoy coffee and the process of preparing it. I can see I have much to learn. I have been taking half a cup of coffee made from the obviously expired ground coffee beans (I know this now ;-), adding half a cup of milk and drinking it cold and thought it was not the greatest drink I've ever had, but it gave me the needed boost, so I endured. Now I can see I may not have to just endure, I could actually find this to be a pleasurable activity! I'd rather open a can of worms than a can of Red Bull, that I know! Besides, worms are fun . . . Thank you again for your advice. I will let you know of my progress in this new world of the coffee bean which now I can see should begin with a daily grind! LOL
kbooth Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: ca Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008, 8:10am Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
Just FYI, I do know the coffee bean has magical properties . . . . when buying a used car that has had a cigarette smoker as the owner, take a cup of fragrant coffee beans and place them in a plastic tupperware type container, poke large holes in the lid to allow the aroma to escape, place it in the car and within a few days, the smell of the cigarettes is gone. If you do this for a month or more, the smell will be forever gone! I didn't believe it, but I owned a Honda that no one ever suspected had a smoker as a previous owner, because I did the coffee trick . . . KB
javanjazz Senior Member Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 140 Location: Edmonton (Alberta,Canada) Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Moka Pot-close enuff for me! Grinder: Solis Maestro Classic Drip: manual pour over Roaster: Fresh Roast +8
Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008, 7:01pm Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
Hi Kristina & welcome to the forums!:-) Right, just reading I thought that's what you meant(liking cold drinks), southern CA has been pretty hot lately I hear. I'll just mention another option, particularly for cold coffee - either the Toddy or the Filtron Cold Press system. It makes a cold coffee concentrate-like a syrup, that you add to either hot or cold water. Filtron is located in Huntington Beach, www.coffeenmore.com & click 'Cold Water Brewers'. Something to consider for cold coffee drinks.;-)
kbooth Senior Member Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: ca Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sat Jun 21, 2008, 7:53pm Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
Thank you for the warm reception here at the forums . . . it added to the 106 degree weather today! Lol Actually I enjoy California's warm weather, I'm from Florida and when people out here complain about the heat, I tell them that when the love bugs start sticking to your forehead, then you can complain! If you don't know what love bugs are, go look them up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_bug) and no, they aren't VW's from a Disney movie. So in gratitude for all of the advice I have received so far on the various coffee wizardry machines, I must reciprocate with my own advice, being the emergency preparedness expert that I was for 16 years . . . Don't ever pass up a hot air popcorn popper, electric bread maker or old heat gun at a garage sale! Someday when your fancy gadget quits working, you can use these . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_roasting_coffee (scroll down to "improvised equipment")
I believe in always having a back up plan and when addicted to coffee, one must prepare for all possibilities :-) BTW, I'm just providing this information for an educational laugh . . . yes, learning can be fun(ny)!
bassmannate Senior Member Joined: 23 Jun 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Chicago, IL Expertise: Just starting
Posted Tue Jun 24, 2008, 11:42am Subject: Re: new to coffee, can you advise?
kbooth Said:
Actually I enjoy California's warm weather, I'm from Florida and when people out here complain about the heat, I tell them that when the love bugs start sticking to your forehead, then you can complain!
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