[Sca-cooks] coffee

[Elaine Koogler]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
> Yeah, that's the pathetic stuff that passes for coffee. Nasty. I only 
> drink it when desperate. I had  my first cup of Peet's coffee in 1968 
> and i've been spoiled ever since.
We're in the same boat....we actually have Peets on perpetual order...we 
get 3 pounds (Mocha Java, Sumatra and French Roast) delivered to us each 
month.  When we run out and have to purchase some other brand at the 
grocery store, it just aint the same!
> The only way you'll know is to try various coffees. Each coffee from 
> each part of the world tastes different for each other. I have a 
> profound dislike for South American coffees. My preferred coffees are 
> from Ethiopia, the Arabian Peninsula (aka Mocha, which is a location, 
> in the Yemen, IIRC), and Indonesia - and the coffee from each island 
> differs from that of each other - the most famous coffees being from 
> Sumatra, Sulawesi (formerly known as the Celebes), and Java. Sulawesi 
> is the best, followed by Sumatra, with Java trailing.
We really like the ones we get...the French Roast is a darker roast, and 
is therefore a little stronger tasting than others.  The Sumatra is 
great as it has all kinds of levels of flavor.  Same, same with the 
Mocha Java.  Fortunately we can get all of these in decaf as we both 
have been told not to drink the decaffeinated variety.
> And then you need to try the coffee you like brewed different ways to 
> find which method produces the best flavor. Percolating makes the 
> coffee harsh - it destroys the subtleties of the different flavors. (i 
> grew up on percolated coffee - i don't remember what my mother bought 
> - Maxwell House?). Mr. Coffee makers and their ilk do something else. 
> I used one when i needed to get out of the house fast for a long 
> commute, but the coffee is not as richly flavored as the Melitta 
> filter coffee i usually make. I grind my coffee myself almost as fine 
> as for Turkish coffee then make it in a filter, so my coffee has a bit 
> more physical body. Some people swear by the French press method as 
> being even better than Melitta.
We've found that the French Press Pot does the best for us.  
Unfortunately, we generally only have time to do that on 
weekends...during the week, we use a Krups machine that grinds the beans 
and makes the coffee in time for us to have it when we roll out of bed.  
And we awaken to the fragrance of brewing coffee....makes that ordeal a 
whole lot more palatable!
> So if one is not a mindless coffee drinker, there are a number of 
> subtleties to be taken into account - where the coffee is from, how it 
> is roasted, and how it is brewed (of course, old stale/rancid coffee 
> is right out). The average cup of coffee in the average restaurant is 
> barely more than just nasty brown and often sour water.
Agreed.  In fact, there was a discussion a bit earlier about the merits 
of even roasting your own is the best way to go.  We haven't taken it 
that far yet...but we do believe that Peets is the best commercially 
available.  The company roasts the beans the day they are shipped, and 
each bag has a roasting date on it.

Kiri