In Search of the Perfect Cuppa My life is simple. I voted in the state primary Friday morning. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Saturday I bought a few groceries. Sunday, I went to Sam’s with my son. Bought a pack of coffee beans and a pack of ground coffee. I have been using Dunkin Donut coffee beans and Eight O’clock coffee beans, alternating the beans I grind to make my coffee. Sometime I blend them together, hoping the Dunkin Donut beans will influence the Eight O’Clockers to produce a better taste. I like the donut coffee better. The ground coffee is Community Coffee. I like it too. My roommate likes the beans. She thinks fresh ground beans make better coffee. I tend to accommodate her since she has lost her taster and her smell many months ago, her tastebuds living on memory alone. Moot point since any bean bought at Sam’s is going to be a lesser quality. I suppose one can make the case that any grocery store coffee is from a lesser bean. Maybe it is the roaster who makes the difference. Is there really that much difference where the coffee beans are grown? I don’t know. It's a combination of the bean, the roaster, the roaster, and the amount of dinero I am willing to part with. I keep searching for that perfect cuppa. Perhaps it is the roaster, if he is any good, who make most of the difference we think we can differentiate in a cup of coffee? Or is it both the bean and the roaster? I like a good cup of coffee but I tend to want it all, the best coffee at the lowest price, a contradiction in itself.
I think the best bang for your buck is the Whole Foods brand "365". I get their Pleasant Morning Buzz Vienna Roast which only comes in a large 24 oz size for $10.99. In a regular grocery store chain I would go for Peets but it's half the amount for the same price (12oz). Whole Foods says to buy whole beans, ground them just before using, and drink the coffee within 30 minutes of brewing. Well, I buy "Ground" and I take hours to drink the whole pot because I'm happy with that and it seems just as good to me so why change I say.
I would try your pleasant morning buzz but no Whole Food Store here in Norman. There is one in OKC but I don't drive on the highway any more. I have looked for Peets coffee here but haven't found any. I have drunk Peets before I moved to Oklahoma. My roommate only drinks a half cup of coffee each day so I usually drank the rest throughout the day. I used to have neighbors who sold coffees in their stores and he was always bringing in a coffee for me to test and write a review for him. He sold lots of fine cigars and bunches of good coffees. I enjoyed both. It is still sort of a hobby with me to try new coffee beans and yes, I usually grind just enough beans to make my coffee, Thanks for your comment. P.S. I wish I could post photos on here like you and so many others do. I am technically challenged.
I'm going to have to plead ignorance here. Is there really that much difference in the taste of different coffee?
I will drink anything as long as it has enough caffeine in it. Not picky about brand or ground. Right now I have a huge can of Kirkland Brand coffee. That's Costco's brand for those that don't know.
Personally, I think so Shirley. I think there's a world of difference myself. @Bill Boggs , Have you ever tried Kona Coffee? They have various choices and varying prices. Some Kona choices are outrageously expensive for some unknown reason….like $35 for 12 oz. But then TJMaxx has Kona (pictured below) in their gourmet section for 6.99. I remember getting it and it was excellent (the cheaper one). It was 10oz. It's easy to post a picture once you know how, Bill. 1. Find a pic online and drag it to your desktop screen (not all photos are allowable for using but you'll know that when it's rejected when you try) 2. Drag it to the box where you're creating your post 3. It will automatically upload and appear teensy just below your post 4. Click on "Full Image" (or "thumbnail" if you want it to post smaller) 5. Click on "Submit"
I've tried Kona coffee many times and I can't tell the difference. To me coffee is coffee, either weaker or stronger but still coffee. Plus I flavor mine so maybe that's why.
I also use filtered water (reverse osmosis) which helps with the taste and I use WF's 365 brand Unsweetened Almond Milk as my "creamer". There are no carcinogens in it.
I use almond milk but not for coffee, just cereal on the rare occasion I eat cereal, usually Fiber One.
I feel coffee taste varies a lot, but I also believe your mood can alter the taste, the first cup in the morning tastes best and sometimes the same coffee will taste like ditchwater at times. I only ever drink it black and strong, to me adding anything destroys the coffee flavour completely, though I accept that others prefer the altered taste by adding milk or whatever. I don't mind a measure of cognac for medicinal reasons though There is one instant coffee by Nestle that I like it's called "Alta Rica" the rest I have tried are bland.
The flavor of Starbucks coffee, is unmistakable.... I would know that taste anywhere. So too, with Dunkin' Donuts coffee. (which I'm not fond of.) Coffees brewed at home, no matter what the grind, all seem similar to me and I don't think I could pinpoint any in particular, but I have to say Chock Full of Nuts tastes terrible to me, as does O'Clock. Folgers, 365 and Dean's Beans all taste good to me, with Dean's tasting just a tad better. As for instant, I do drink it as iced coffee when I'm in a hurry. I like Nescafe dark crystals. I don't think anyone makes that awful powered kind anymore, do they? Isn't it all freeze dried crystals now?