Nick Goracke
I'm still around!?,
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2001
- Posts
- 2,250
My setup is pretty simple.
Aeropress
+
Freshly roasted beans from Dunn Bros.
+
Baratza Encore grinder
When I first got serious about improving my coffee quality, a friend recommended the Aeropress to me. I initially blew it off because it looked like a gimmick. After spending some time on the coffeegeek forums reading countless positive reviews, I decided to give it a shot, and I'm really really happy with it. I prefer the coffee I make with it (using the same beans and a worse grinder) to the coffee my local Dunn Bros. make.
Fresh whole beans, however, are the single biggest improvement I made to my home-made coffee.
For years, I bought Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Caribou Coffee, and other store brands at the grocery store and never thought much of it. I often bought pre-ground coffee too because it seemed more convenient. I couldn't taste the difference between various origin beans or blends or roasts unless they were side-by-side.
The first time I purchased fresh roasted beans, ground enough for 1 cup of coffee in my crappy little 1970's blade-grinder (which I received as a joke secret santa gift), and put it through my just-purchased Aeropress... it was amazing! Coffee went from being a caffeine laced, bitter drink that I paired with sweet desserts or breakfast to something that was really tasty on its own. I've tried going back to pre-ground beans or grocery store-bought whole beans multiple times (freshly roasted beans cost ~2x more and require an extra stop), and I just can't do it - the difference is overwhelming. It's not just me, either - everyone who has a cup of coffee at my house will (unprovoked) comment on how much better it is than what they normally drink.
I don't know why this surprised me. I'm not shocked when a fresh strawberry tastes better than a frozen one. I don't prefer freeze-dried fish to fresh. And I don't let meat sit in my fridge for weeks expecting the flavor to not degrade.
The grinder... I dunno. I honestly can't taste the difference between different grind settings, but it looks nice and is much, much cleaner and quieter than the old one. Eventually, I want to brew my own espresso, and I'm sure the finer settings will be necessary then.
Speaking of espresso, I really really want this machine (manual sounds fun, and it just looks so awesome).
Aeropress
+
Freshly roasted beans from Dunn Bros.
+
Baratza Encore grinder
When I first got serious about improving my coffee quality, a friend recommended the Aeropress to me. I initially blew it off because it looked like a gimmick. After spending some time on the coffeegeek forums reading countless positive reviews, I decided to give it a shot, and I'm really really happy with it. I prefer the coffee I make with it (using the same beans and a worse grinder) to the coffee my local Dunn Bros. make.
Fresh whole beans, however, are the single biggest improvement I made to my home-made coffee.
For years, I bought Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Caribou Coffee, and other store brands at the grocery store and never thought much of it. I often bought pre-ground coffee too because it seemed more convenient. I couldn't taste the difference between various origin beans or blends or roasts unless they were side-by-side.
The first time I purchased fresh roasted beans, ground enough for 1 cup of coffee in my crappy little 1970's blade-grinder (which I received as a joke secret santa gift), and put it through my just-purchased Aeropress... it was amazing! Coffee went from being a caffeine laced, bitter drink that I paired with sweet desserts or breakfast to something that was really tasty on its own. I've tried going back to pre-ground beans or grocery store-bought whole beans multiple times (freshly roasted beans cost ~2x more and require an extra stop), and I just can't do it - the difference is overwhelming. It's not just me, either - everyone who has a cup of coffee at my house will (unprovoked) comment on how much better it is than what they normally drink.
I don't know why this surprised me. I'm not shocked when a fresh strawberry tastes better than a frozen one. I don't prefer freeze-dried fish to fresh. And I don't let meat sit in my fridge for weeks expecting the flavor to not degrade.
The grinder... I dunno. I honestly can't taste the difference between different grind settings, but it looks nice and is much, much cleaner and quieter than the old one. Eventually, I want to brew my own espresso, and I'm sure the finer settings will be necessary then.
Speaking of espresso, I really really want this machine (manual sounds fun, and it just looks so awesome).
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