Big Blue Huddle

How do you take your coffee? What is your favorite brand and types of coffee? How many cups a day?

My favorite is Tim Hortons coffee with double cream and sugar. Some people love their coffee and some think it's the worst and they prefer Starbucks. I don't like Starbucks. Too strong and bitter.

I also like Colombian and Ethiopian coffee. Strong and smooth.

Oh yeah, I do like Starbucks Hazelnut Macchiato but only with a ton of sugar.

One cup of coffee a day is all I need. Waking up and having a cup of coffee while watching Good Morning American is the perfect morning for me.

I remember first smelling and tasting coffee. I was about five years old and my grandmother let me try hers. It was disgusting! Tasted like burnt water!

Fast-forward about 22 years and my wife and I get stationed in Germany. Germans/Europeans drink wine, beer, sparkling water, and coffee. Before getting to Germany, I drank none of the above. After being there for five years, I drank three of the four (still can't do the tasteless sparkling water!).

I never had a bad cup of coffee there. It was always bold and smooth, never bitter. I've been drinking coffee ever since. I do like flavored coffee, hazelnut being my favorite. My favorite blend is Colombian, preferably Folgers.

I do not like Starbucks. Overpriced and overhyped.

Coffee drinker here, but I limit myself to two cups a day. I started drinking coffee when I took a night job in 1977 when I was 20. I really didn't care for the taste, but I liked that it helped keep me awake and alert. I started out drinking it with creamer and sugar, then switched to just sugar, then to just creamer, and finally black. After a year of drinking it black I could no longer drink it any other way. So I've now been drinking it that way for over 45 years, and I love the taste. I'm definitely addicted to caffeine though, because I get a headache by the afternoon if I don't have my morning coffee.

I've gone from drinking very dark roast with a very high grind to water ratio, to medium roast, and now, for the last few years, a light roast. With a light roast I'm actually tasting coffee bean flavor that is hidden the longer the bean is roasted. I can relate as a homebrewer, it reminds me of the taste of hops. Most hops actually have fruity, or floral flavor not a bitter taste. The bitterness come from boiling the hops. The longer the boil the more bitterness is converted.

Back to coffee....For the past few years my wife and I have had a subscription with Peets for our coffee. We have it delivered within a few days of it being roasted. She prefers a medium roast and like I said, I prefer a light roast. She makes fun of me because I now carefully measure out my water, and also weigh my beans, (to the 100th of a gram), prior to grinding them. I've also been experimenting lately by ordering from smaller roasters. Most recently I ordered a couple pounds of different light roasts from Driftaway Coffee in Brooklyn, and I really enjoyed it, but Driftaway only works with small privately owned coffee farms, and they can only procure specific beans during certain times of the year. I'm looking for something I can get on a more consistent basis. The search goes on....

First, I didn't start drinking coffee until my mid-20s.  Between overseeing facilities at a hospital and being on an ambulance and rescue squad, there were a lot of all-nighters.   At work, there was a big pot of coffee that would be brewed in the morning.   I would drink that bitter brew black at 2 in the morning (the next day).

Fast forward to today.  I drink coffee every morning and I still drink it black.  I think when you drink it black, you are more sensitive to the taste of the actual coffee.   While I would prefer to like a cheaper brand, my brew of choice is Starbucks French Roast or Starbucks Cafe Verona. (both are dark coffees).  While I started treating coffee almost like a bitter medicine to stay awake, these days, I truly enjoy my morning cup of bitter brew.

I absolutely love coffee, my brother is an artisan coffee roaster back east and he has taken me on an education process that has certainly refined my palate. He send me beans as a treat.

I prefer mine made in a Bialetti pot, mostly black but from time to time with a splash of cream.

I have grown to enjoy and make my own cold brew as well.

I used to drink it all day long (4-6 cups a day); however, as I get older and sleep more I tend to have 1 cup each morning and maybe a second at times. 

 

Quote from: MightyGiants on February 11, 2025, 08:24:51 AMFirst, I didn't start drinking coffee until my mid-20s.  Between overseeing facilities at a hospital and being on an ambulance and rescue squad, there were a lot of all-nighters.  At work, there was a big pot of coffee that would be brewed in the morning.  I would drink that bitter brew black at 2 in the morning (the next day).

Fast forward to today.  I drink coffee every morning and I still drink it black.  I think when you drink it black, you are more sensitive to the taste of the actual coffee.  While I would prefer to like a cheaper brand, my brew of choice is Starbucks French Roast or Starbucks Cafe Verona. (both are dark coffees).  While I started treating coffee almost like a bitter medicine to stay awake, these days, I truly enjoy my morning cup of bitter brew.

You are definitely right about sensitivity when drinking coffee black. For at least half a century, I drank coffee with half-n-half...smooth and delicious. After drinking it that way, I had settled on Tim Horton's as the best coffee money could buy, and was surprised at just how good Walmart's "Great Value Classic Roast" was (made by Sara Lee)

Fast forward to the year 2018. I read an artical that the quickest way to lose weight (up to 10 lbs) if a steady coffee drinker, "STOP PUTTING HALF-N-HALF or CREAM IN YOUR COFFEE". I thought, "hmmm, that should be easy enough. I forced myself to drink my coffee black, and for the first couple of weeks, I hated it, but I stuck with it. After about a month, I found out it's the only way to drink coffee and I loved it. I took a sip of my girlfriend's coffee with cream, and it tasted awful to me

After a year of drinking it black, it seem to lose a lot of flavor and it tasted the same from one brand to another. I found myself brewing it stronger and stronger and still couldn't tell the difference from brand to brand. Then one day I stumbled upon Starbuck's "Pike Place Roast", and what a difference. It's the ONLY coffee I'll brew myself mow at home. The taste was different and to me, great...I'm actually drinking a cup of it right now as I rattle on about it

I researched the coffee to find out what made it different from other coffee beans. I found out that Starbucks adds a bit of cocoa and praline to the beans. Not so much that you can taste either of the additives, but it definitely gives the coffee a different taste when drinking it black, and it has hooked me. I've actually read that cocoa is addictive (as if coffee isn't...LOL), and I don't even like chocolate

I drink coffee all day - usually empty a 10-cup pot. When I'm on the road and stop for coffee, I settle for Dunkin or McDonald's coffee. It amazes me how good McDonald's coffee is and it's inexpensive (79 - 99 cents if you ask for "senior coffee"). And even more amazing, I'm down about 15lbs from my old weight and I haven't changed my diet one bit

Quote from: babywhales on February 11, 2025, 09:30:53 AMI absolutely love coffee, my brother is an artisan coffee roaster back east and he has taken me on an education process that has certainly refined my palate. He send me beans as a treat.

I prefer mine made in a Bialetti pot, mostly black but from time to time with a splash of cream.

I have grown to enjoy and make my own cold brew as well.

I used to drink it all day long (4-6 cups a day); however, as I get older and sleep more I tend to have 1 cup each morning and maybe a second at times. 

What are the taste differences between hot brew and cold brew?

In case you guys didn't know, the half life of caffeine in you system is six hours. In other words after you drink coffee, half the caffeine is still in your body after six hours.

Anyone try Turkish coffee? Sounds interesting but it looks like it's a pain to make.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/turkish-coffee#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

Quote from: squibber on February 11, 2025, 12:20:32 PMAnyone try Turkish coffee? Sounds interesting but it looks like it's a pain to make.

I was in Nazareth, Israel, doing some street shopping, when an Arab couple invited me into the back room of their shop for a cup of "their" coffee (note: Nazareth is over 80% Arab Muslims, with an Arab mayor and all political positions held by Arabs...who happen to love Israel and wish the nonsensical fighting would stop, but I digress)

Their coffee maker looked nothing like mine at home (a drip coffee maker). The cups we used were smaller than a typical mug in America. I was leery and took a sip and wow, it was incredible. They laughed at me and told me "typical American coffee drinker", LOL. Afterward, we shook hands, and they gave me a free souvenir, which was nice. I discovered that most Arab Muslims with Israeli citizenship are very nice and very friendly...even more so are the Druze population that are the friendliest and happiest people on earth. It makes traveling to different countries and cultures worth it just to fully appreciate Earth's diversity

I suspect that Turkish coffee is very similar to what I had...very strong, but smooth, and not bitter at all

 I wasn't going to reply here as I am what one might call, the worst coffee drinker ever. I really have no preference as to which brand. I have one cup of coffee a day for breakfast and I usually make a pot on Sunday and refrigerate it, pouring off a cup a day. Sounds weird, but I really don't find much difference.

As far as the best coffee I ever had, was while I was in Kona, Hawaii--fresh ground Kone coffee really tasted great. I brought back a few bags and enjoyed them, but after that, I went back to the same routine.

Not to change the subject, but again in Kona Hawaii, we had without a double, the best coffee ice cream EVER and I mean EVER.

Hi,
I am new to this website.
I am a bit of a coffee nerd and roast my own beans.
I use multiple brewing methods.
V-60
Clever dripper (kind of a drip and french press combination)
Siphon (favorite)
AeroPress
Mokka Pot
Chemex
Espresso Machine.
The trend now is lightly roasted coffee, which works on beans from Ethiopia and Yemen but not on everything.
Central and South Americans I like  bit darker.
I grew up in Queens NY been a Gian fan from 1963.
Currently living in the south coast of Portugal.

Quote from: Kugs53 on February 24, 2025, 12:16:08 PMHi,
I am new to this website.
I am a bit of a coffee nerd and roast my own beans.
I use multiple brewing methods.
V-60
Clever dripper (kind of a drip and french press combination)
Siphon (favorite)
AeroPress
Mokka Pot
Chemex
Espresso Machine.
The trend now is lightly roasted coffee, which works on beans from Ethiopia and Yemen but not on everything.
Central and South Americans I like  bit darker.
I grew up in Queens NY been a Gian fan from 1963.
Currently living in the south coast of Portugal.

Welcome   

Feel free to talk about Giants football on the main board.  There is never an offseason at BBI

Welcome @Kugs53 Not many new members make their first post in a non-football section of this site, but thanks for contributing here. I've kicked around the idea of roasting my own coffee, but thus far I haven't taken the plunge. I may pick your brain about it though.

Welcome Kugs53! The Algarve region in Portugal is on my bucket list. Lucky you.