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Are you a Coffee fanatic?

German Shocks

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
I am a self-proclaimed gourmet coffee fanatic. Let's discuss our favorite flavors and roasts and blends and regions and coffee drinks.

Personally, I won't drink anything that's made with robusta beans (most of the mass-produced coffee out there). Robusta is way shitty, seriously.
Unlike the ARABICA beans, which are smooth, larger, and uniform in shape and color (unroasted, light green, as opposed to a hodgepodge of shit brown and tan-yellow).
The flavor is also less "dirty", if that makes any sense.

My absolute favorites are the african-arabian varieties, which are more intensely flavorful, as opposed to the Indonesian ones ("earthy" aka "DIRTY")
WITH the exception of Jamaica Blue Mountain, which is basically the best coffee bean in the world, and is only grown on this one mountain, and costs upwards of $100 for an 8 oz bag.

Hey, sometimes you gotta pay the price for a quality bean. ☕
 
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Personally, I won't drink anything that's made with robusta beans (most of the mass-produced coffee out there). Robusta is way shitty, seriously.
robert-redford-jeremiah-johnson.gif
 
I was a coffee fanatic for over twenty years brother! I had to pretty much leave caffeine behind, except for very small doses, about five years ago due to a heart condition, and damn if I don't miss it constantly lol. I've transitioned fully to matcha, (I know, I know), and only 1 - 2 tsps of that a day even.....just ain't the same -_-
 
Folger's Soldiers assemble. I drink one strong cup (two generous spoonfuls for ~10oz) paired with a 200mg L-Theanine capsule daily. Keeps the jitters away so it's pure focus fuel.
 
Wouldn't say fanatic, but I like it and drink it every day. I mostly go for espresso (or espresso based drinks) though
I'm more basic in my taste, in fact I actually like some robusta beans. I tend to prefer Italian style blends like 70% Arabica 30% Robusta (or 80/20) more than most 100% Arabica specialty blends which I find too "fruity" and acidic most of the time. Adding 20-30% of robusta adds some bitterness which I like, helps reduce acidity, gives it some extra caffeine and in my experience helps give the espresso a thicker and more consistent crema.
 
I wouldn't say fanatic, but I do love a good tasting coffee. I dont drink everyday but when its cold I drink often.
Used to like black coffee, but end up bored and dislike it as I grew older.
Nowadays I like a soft one in flavor. Rarely use milk, it was one of traces I got from my grandma. Not a fan of the ones that taste like earth or something.
 
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Big coffee snob here. HUGE. I can come back with some recommendations later. I can give some different company roasts I enjoy later today, when i get home. If anyone is interested. Specifically, east coast roasters in the United States.
 
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Of all the food and drinks I don't like, coffee is the one I wish I did. The smell of it makes me gag, whether it's instant or freshly ground.
 
Tea is far superior and for real gentleman. Coffee tastes like shit, it smells nice but let's not pretend it tastes good. Makes me need to shit immediately so I have to stay away from it.
 
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National brands I like

Everyday use:

Dunkin Donut regular blend
Starbucks Maple Pecan
Illy regular blend
Lifeboost



Local East Coast Roasters: (specific roasts for each business) ( lots of organic blends)

- Philly Fair Trade Roasters
- Rise Up Coffee - Baltimore
- Lancaster Coffee Roasters
- Eastern Shore Coffee Roasters
- Blanchards Coffee - Richmond
- Irving Farm Coffee - NYC

Edit: Jinzo Prime Jinzo Prime
 
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I get my coffee beans from Aldi, it's just shy of $9 for a 12oz bag. One variety is sourced from Honduras, the other from Peru. The difference isn't big enough to make me picky, so I use whichever is available to make cold brew. I add a spoonful of sugar and heavy cream for my routine morning cup. Hot coffee is just not as good, IMO... I just switch to tea or cocoa if I'm itching for a hot drink.
 
I use an Aeropress for filter coffee at home. Simple, quick, easy to clean and great extraction and taste.



At a cafe my go to is a hot flat white. Aka the perfect coffee if you want something that's not too big like a latte, but not too small like an espresso, so the perfect inbetween. Plus it's strong and creamy but not overly milky like a latte, which also tends to have a weak coffee taste. A flat white is smooth, but not bitter.

Flat_white_sitting_on_a_table_af78d6b5-75ea-4f88-bec7-6505412042f8.jpg


I used to drink ice coffee but now tend to go for ice matcha instead as I just find that more satifying on the cold drinks front.
 
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I ended up with Aeropress + Lavazza Gran Riserva Filtro for everyday coffee.
Nice and clean. Nothing extravagant - but works well for me.

I would like to have an espresso machine at home, but honestly, but I don't drink nearly enough coffee to really justify a good set. :(
 
No and unfortunately I can't have a ton of caffeine these days. Any good decaf recommendations, preferably using the Swiss Water Process?
 
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I love coffee and drink it all the time but I got less snobby since it literally doubled in price over the last year. I always use french press and make it really strong to mix with whole milk, but I get whatever can be around $7.50 or less a pound, which is usually whatever is at Costco. They have a couple organic ones that are decent but I used to drink premium fresh roasted coffee so I know what I am having these days is mediocre.
 
I used to be a coffee snob. I had an espresso machine break on me and I replaced it with a cheaper auto Philips branded one. It makes consistently meh coffee so I have been mostly buying Lavazza beans at the grocery store. No point is buying expensive beans knowing it is going to be meh regardless. I also reinvested in a BUNN MCU. I had one of those that broke on me several years ago, but I finally decided to replace it this year. The goal of both of these machines is they serve consistent coffee and they get me out of the door with little effort in the mornings. If I feel like better coffee on the weekends, I break out the grinder and make a pour over with local beans.
 
Tea is far superior and for real gentleman. Coffee tastes like shit, it smells nice but let's not pretend it tastes good. Makes me need to shit immediately so I have to stay away from it.

I agree with your opinion placing tea at the Apex of the drink spectrum. Tea drinkers seem to be more focused on flavor than coffee drinkers on average. tea drinkers will go without if offered bad tea while many people will pound awful coffee because the drink is more of a habit than an indulgence.

I disagree with you assertion that coffee doesn't taste good though. As somebody who only drinks coffee for the taste, the variety of flavors available in coffee is quite broad with bean, preparation style, and temperature all contributing in meaningful ways. A more polite criticism is that coffee's flavors sit squarly in the bitter portion of the taste spectrum. Bitter tastes aren't for everybody, especially most coffee drinkers who drown coffee's taste out with sugar and milk.
 
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I used to drink 5 or 6 cups of coffee.

Two months ago, I had a iced cappuccinos, plus a double espresso and an affogato.

I drank them and felt like I was going to die... I even felt like I couldn't breathe.

That double espresso felt like a kick from a donkey. 😅
 
I had one coffee in my life, had such heart palpitations that I started writing a will. And not joking. Never had any coffee afterwards.
 
Yea, I'm pretty into it, mostly pour over and espresso. I also have a french press, moccamaster drip, moka pot and I make my own cold brew too. I'm lucky enough to live in NYC, so I have a bunch of cool stuff around me. Have to say my favorite coffee brand right now though is Black & White. Fantastic stuff tastes like the notes, recently finished off a bag of their Baolian Lychee Peach https://www.blackwhiteroasters.com/collections/all-coffee/products/r-baolian-lychee-peach-advanced. I just picked up a bag of Karambi Rwanda from a local guy in Red Hook. https://pipe-tabor-roasting.com/coffees/karambi-rwanda He only roasts 8.5 LB at a time on a machine from the 50s as a one man operation next to a key lime pie place and prices everything at $24 so you buy what you want, and not what is cheapest or most expensive.

Very rarely i do enjoy some coffee flavoured ice cream...
Try an affogato sometime
 
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I've never had black coffee that tasted good. I just treat it as a necessity for energy sometimes and isn't terrible for me to consume a cup now and again.

Once you throw in sugar, cream, and whatever else at that point I could've had a zero sugar white monster and been better off and it tasted better.
 
Just black for me.

Anything that turns it into a soft drink that Americans & hipsters with their Macbooks tend to do, is not coffee.
 
I've been reading mangas and it seems like coffee in cans are very popular in Japan. Much more than I've seen anywhere else. If I drink coffee with sugar and milk I prefer it cold. If it's hot it should be black.
 
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Managed to get a very good bean machine (Jura Z6 I believe) for a great price. It's a very convenient machine that makes a super smooth cup even 10+ years later but even then I don't think I would ever recommend such an expensive machine when there are far cheaper models that pour a cup just as good, though might require a little bit more maintenance.

As for beans; I've probably tried over a hundred different ones but there's only a handful that I keep coming back to because they're just consistently great.

Roasta Black River Espresso
roasta-blackriverespresso.jpg



ill Leone Nero Forte

illeone-neroforte.jpg


illy Classic
cw101701-illy-beans-classico-bonen-01d_2.png


Starbucks had a holiday blend once that was fucking amazing. I believe it was a purple-ish bag but I can't find it right now.
 
Yes, I love coffee. I buy locally roasted beans that are on special and recently roasted, typically this is from Fremantle Coffee Roasters (OP will be pleased to know they use 100% Arabica beans). I enjoy all types of coffee extraction methods, but the moka pot is my daily driver.
 
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