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[scorcho]

Bad call. Consider yourself banned, and let this be a lesson to all coffee-haters.

And anyone who takes milk with it can consider themselves on warning.

lol. one month in spain weened me off my younger days of milk orgies in my coffee. then again it also weened me off most american coffee

oh, that reminds me, i can't understand how starbucks is popular in madrid. it's a god damned travesty, as the coffee even from a local tapas bar is leagues better and much cheaper. stupid image whores.

 

[miyuru]

I drink my coffee with one creamer and one sugar usually. When did you guys start drinking black coffee? I find it sorta makes me feel almost sick.

 

[aoi tsuki]

I drink my coffee with one creamer and one sugar usually. When did you guys start drinking black coffee? I find it sorta makes me feel almost sick.

i was in the ninth grade and accidentally kicked in a small portion of a wall that was. My punishment was to help the janitor paint for two Saturdays. He offered me coffee (Maxwell House in the blue can) but warned that he didn't have cream. The first cup was kinda rough, but looking back on it, he knew how to make coffee pretty well for what it was. i would drink 32-48 ounces of coffee a day that year, all black.

i still drink black coffee every now and then, especially if it's good coffee. i drink most breves without sugar (or with only a teaspoon), and i've only started putting sugar in my shots of espresso.

 

[fallout]

I drink my coffee with one creamer and one sugar usually. When did you guys start drinking black coffee? I find it sorta makes me feel almost sick.

My dad couldn't be bothered to buy cream or sugar when he was in college, so he drank it black. So, I saw him drinking it black and figured that was the way to drink coffee. I've tried drinking it with cream/sugar, but I think it tastes like shit personally.

 

[miyuru]

I should really drink some BETTER coffee if I'm gonna go for black. The absolute shit they have at school *shudder*, nothing could make it better.

Yeah I think I'll get a pod machine this summer. What specific advantage do they offer over traditional brewers? And how about that French Press thing, it's supposed to make the best coffee - why and how?

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Coffee stunts your growth doesn't it?*

I tried coffee once and it was too bitter for me, I like tea better. I do however like the smell of coffee brewing. odd story - because toffee has a similar spelling to coffee, I always thought it was a candy form of coffee when I was little. I'd never eat that stuff.






*i know it's a wives tale

 

[aoi tsuki]

I should really drink some BETTER coffee if I'm gonna go for black. The absolute shit they have at school *shudder*, nothing could make it better.

Yeah I think I'll get a pod machine this summer. What specific advantage do they offer over traditional brewers? And how about that French Press thing, it's supposed to make the best coffee - why and how?

Here's the post i made in the last coffee thread (http://forums.gaming-age.com/showthread.php?t=6126):

wtf is a coffee pod and what does it do

A coffee pod is to espresso what tea bags are to tea. It's basically preground espresso in a small bag that's brewed as you would if you .This is an oversimplified explanation, but you basically put it in your machine, hit the brew button, and your espresso is brewed. This is a lot easier and quicker than grinding the espresso, tamping it, and then brewing it (and later cleaning the machine). The disadvantage is that pods aren't nearly as fresh as the espresso you grind yourself, and there's not nearly as many coffees available in pod form as there are in bean/grind form.

The design looks good, but if this is a pod-only solution it's not for me. i'd also be interested in finding out how much pressure this puts out (i'd assume not much).

My recommendation for a good cup of coffee is a French press. No electricity needed. Just coffee (preferably ground for a press) and hot water. Bodum pretty much owns all (at least in the US) in terms of presses. Available at Targets, Starbucks (they're rebadged Bodums), TJ Maxx, and a few other places that sell coffee wares.

In short, pods are great for people who want better coffee than a drip machine, but want the easiest cleanup. Presses are great for people who enjoy the process of making coffee from grinding to drinking and make one of the best cups of coffee available. i can't say they make the "best" coffee, or that they're the "best" way to brew coffee, but they are certainly near the top, alongside good espresso machines and moka pots. The only things they require are hot water and coffee, they're easy to transport, and cheaper than most machines (~$10 for the 12oz model).

The secret to their ability to make a good cup is due to at least two things:

1. No paper filter - Paper filters absorb the oils that give coffee it's flavor. The lack of a paper filter also means that small bits of the coffee bean will get into the coffee, similar to an espresso machine. This improves the body, though it also means the last sip is sediment. A small detail that i don't mind.

2. They don't heat the coffee - Hot water is added to the press and the heat extracts the flavor from the coffee. Coffee pots sit on a heating pad which kills the oils over time, given the coffee an acrid and old taste. The downside is that the coffee cools faster, but it's really best to make no more than you'll drink at one time.

 

[Mumbles]

I drink my coffee with one creamer and one sugar usually. When did you guys start drinking black coffee? I find it sorta makes me feel almost sick.

Honestly, I've always taken black. Adding sugar doesn't really make it taste any better to me, and I despise milk and cream. OTOH, I'm usually a wreck until I've had a couple of cups in the morning, so I don't remember the taste, and I steer clear of the nastier stuff (especially work coffee - I don't know what they do to make the sludge taste that bad) in the afternoon.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Creamer (French Vanilla) and about 4 spoons of sugar. Don't drink it too often to try flavors out.

 

[miyuru]

Awesome, I figure I'll get a pod. It's certainly not BAD coffee, which is what I'm going for considering I'd be brewing something in the morning, so no time for something like a French Press.

Thanks for the input. Other than Sensio, what pods should I consider/buy?

 

[Teknopathetic]

Mocha.

Espresso + Milk + Chocolte = heaven.

btw, I just had my first cup of coffee in like 4 months and getting a total coffee high. (I used to drink like 6 cups a day and stopped feeling it, I literally needed it to feel "normal")

 

[aoi tsuki]

Awesome, I figure I'll get a pod. It's certainly not BAD coffee, which is what I'm going for considering I'd be brewing something in the morning, so no time for something like a French Press.

Thanks for the input. Other than Sensio, what pods should I consider/buy?

http://www.podhead.com/

i can't recommend a particular pod, but i can almost gaurantee that any varietal (ie Colombia, Kenya AA, etc.) you get on the site will taste as good if not better than what you get at Starbucks. Their stock moves pretty fast so you're more likely to get a "fresh" pod from them than from somewhere else with a generic brand. Honestly, i wouldn't bother with Senseo pods or pods from any coffee you can get at a supermarket, including Maxwell House, Folgers, and Starbucks, unless you like those brands as drip coffee. Lavazza is a highly-rated brand, but i haven't had them in any form.

 

[miyuru]

Cool, thanks for the info.

EDIT: All right, so you can use any brand of pod with any machine? Also, what kind of machine is the best?

 

[Daigoro]

this topic inspired me to change my avatar. (thanks guy above)

Black, fresh ground, organic. espresso occasionally.

one travel mug a night if im working, or one to two cups a day if im off in the morning or early evening.

i used to be a tea drinker in my younger years, but switched over to coffee around the time that i developed a taste for good beer (as opposed to the american piss-water i grew up trying to hold down).

i used to use a spoonfull or two of sugar at the start, but quickly grew out of that. never used milk or creamer. i think coffee tastes great own its own, milk and sugar just turn it into some coffee flavored beverage. they mask the taste, they do not enhance it for me.

 

[mightynine]

Grande whatever mild blend Starbucks has that day, with room for cream at the top, either half and half or whole milk, with a lot of Equal.

 

[FiRez]

Frozen and mixed with Oreo Cookies, for some reason they call it "moocachino" in my country

 

[gblues]

If it's not worth drinking straight, it's not worth drinking.

Nathan