OT - Making coffee
 

This is kind of embarrassing...I have no idea how to make coffee. Well, I didn't, I bought a really cheapo coffee maker at Walmart, and have officially produced my first cup.

I'm not a coffee expert, by any means, but it was kind of bitter and, well, intense. Maybe it was just the kind I used (Foldgers Classic Roast), or maybe I used too much? Or maybe that's how it's supposed to taste and I'm just coffee-ignorant? I've had exactly 5 cups of coffee in my entire life, and they have all come from Burger King within the last month. So, my experiences are fairly limited, haha.

I don't want to become a caffeine fiend, but I've discovered that 1) I like the coffee-drinking experience, taking a few min to sit with a hot cup and the smell/taste 2) it gives me a great boost for the day and for workouts 3) it suppresses my appetite almost completely, for once in my life, I have no munchies. Now I realize that I drink it everyday, these effects will be minimized, so I'm going to keep it as a once or twice weekly treat. Also, I'd love to add a bit of coffee to smoothies for flavor for breakfast smoothies.

So any tips on making coffee? I know it's a pretty straightforward process, but I'm seriously clueless, haha.

I'm no help! I've only ever made coffee at work, and it always seemed to taste bad to me. That's what half-and-half and Splenda were invented for!

I think if you buy fancier brand name coffee, it tastes a little better, but I still won't drink it black.

It's all trial and error when figuring it out. And also depends on whether you put anything in it. Try adding a little more/less coffee grinds. Try different brands.

As a start out rule I tend to go 2:1 for water:coffee (i.e. 10 cups water with 5 scoops of coffee)

Honestly, I am not awesome at making coffee. But I find Foldgers coffee DISGUSTING! For a cheap coffee I much prefer Nabob. I am far from a coffee snob, but I do not like coffee with an after taste.

I bought a huge thing of Foldgers at Costco and every time I tried to make it, my boyfriend would go this coffee is gross and dump his cup out.

We now have one of those disk coffee makers and I love it - coffee tastes great every time! haha

EDIT - Nabob might be a Canadian coffee, sorry! But Foldgers is still gross.

Dang, coffee is like cocaine to me. I just finished my first cup and I am literally buzzed feeling. Maybe I just made it super strong? I am going to be going a million miles an hour at work!

...Like I said, this will not be a daily thing, haha.

I quit drinks with caffeine a few years ago, then started drinking coffee last year. WOW...the reaction to the caffeine was SO strong. I switched to 1/2 regular, 1/2 decaf (Maxwell House normally) and I like it a lot. It's got a much milder flavor, and I can drink more of it without having that "caffeine reaction."

You need to experiment a little to see how much coffee grounds you need to get a cup that you like, same goes for flavor. I prefer French Roast but there are many others on the market, experiment until you find one that you like. By the way, it took me a while to get to where I could make a decent cup of coffee.

Good coffee, trial and error, and following the instructions on the bag. It really boils down to personal taste. I've figured a full tbs per cup (as noted on the coffee pot itself, if able).

But yeah, I can go to barista school to learn how to make a cup of coffee and cheap coffee will always taste like cheap coffee to me.

Edit: that said, you don't need to spend a fortune on good coffee. Starbucks has some grounds that I like, I also like Dunkin' Donuts and Peets is my very favorite (but at $12 a bad not on sale it's not always possible).

I use a basic little Mr Braun that is 4 cup size. I used to have 12 cup but for just me, it was better to downsize. I use paper filters.

I buy the best dark roast fair trade coffee beans I can afford and grind them myself. I store the grounds in an air tight lock & lock container.

Fill to the 4 line with filtered water.

Then I put 1/4 cup grounds in the filter area to go with 4 cups line on the coffee maker. Each cup is 6 oz, BTW.

If I were making 8 cups, it would be 1/2 cup grounds.

Then I let it run, and we're good to go.

I do not like Folgers. It tastes... eh.

A.

I adoooooore coffee. I was actually becoming a problem but I've scaled way back to one cup a day. I use a French Press and amazing beans from starbucks that I love. I am currently using the Verona, which is almost as good as Chaiypas. I think that the beans make almost all of the difference. I like the French Press because its quick and the coffee is way more flavorful, IMO. Plus, its a lot easier to make and there's virtually no way to burn the coffee.

Yeah my parents always made me make their coffee, we always did a 2:1 ratio for the coffee to grounds. It also depends on what size scoop you use, ours is like a tablespoon or so. But you gotta see what you like. I like it moderately strong, but that's just me.

And invest in some good coffee... especially if it'll be a treat. Maybe Starbucks, Pete's, or Dunkin Donuts. It's a little pricey for that bag, but it's WORTH IT! Sooo good. Or if you have any little mom and pop cafes nearby (check yelp.com!) a lot of them roast their own coffee beans and sell them. That's where the gold is at.

lol, I think we're soulmates!

Mmmm, I love coffee and agree that it is trial and error. I invested in a single-serve Keurig single serve coffee maker to make me stop and think about the amount I take in. Keurig Hazelnut coffee is my new favorite but a few Starbucks brands are really tasty too.

I think everything relies on the quality of the beans. There are some really good brands out there and they don't need to be ridiculously expensive. I use a french press (takes only a few minutes to brew as I also have a hot water pot, otherwise you just boil some water in a kettle) and I really enjoy peet's coffee beans (a little on the steep side of price, but sooo good). I bought the french press and a grinder all at marshalls for under 20$.

I've just always added a few shakes on cinnamon in my coffee at home . . . which I hardly ever make since I work so close to a Tim Hortons ha ha

It's pretty easy to find a pre-measured coffee scoop that will give you the correct ratio of grounds to water (e.g., one scoop = one cup). Also, in my opinion, the quality of the water used has a pretty substantial impact on how your coffee will taste. Did your coffee maker come with its own water filter? If not, then use filtered water if possible. Sometimes the chemicals in tap water will make an unwelcome appearance taste-wise in your coffee. You also might want to try just running a couple of pots of plain water through your coffeemaker, too, if you haven't already.

...But yeah, if you're used to watery, generic coffee (like the kind most of us get at work), then basically any other coffee will knock your socks off. The awesome thing about coffee is the sheer amount of variety there is! Maybe you could go for a lower-acidity roast, or one with more floral notes to it.

(Sorry for the coffee snobbery. I'm kind of a hedonist when it comes to edibles, which is how I got to be close to 200 lbs. in the first place... ;) )

1/8 cup coffee grounds or 3 scoops with a coffee scoop
8 to 10 cups water..its a no fail in my house....unless my husband makes the coffee then you get some grounds in your cup.

once in a while i throw a 1/4 or 1/2 tsp cinnamon in with the grounds