Coffee Drinkers Please Advise

roach

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I don't drink coffee (I prefer my caffeine Mountain Dew flavored) but my husband does. We don't have a coffeemaker at home so I've decided to give my husband a french press for Christmas. So far so good. However, I'd like to include some cofee and haven't a clue of a good coffee brand.

My requirements:
  1. something that will keep well (he'll probably only be making coffee on the weekends so he won't go through it very fast)
  2. something that can be used with a french press
  3. he likes his coffee with lots of sugar and cream, so I guess that is a consideration?
I'm grateful for any/all suggestions.
 

MidnightMuse

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Keep the coffee in the fridge, it'll stay fresh longer if he's not using it daily.

Anything nice and dark will taste good with cream/sugar. Like an espresso roast, or Italian roast - the darker the better, but that's gonna be personal preference.

Just, please, don't buy him anything that comes in a can :D
 

badducky

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Be advised: do not send the french press grounds down the kitchen sink. some people advise this (manufacturers even) boneheadedly. Unless, of course, your husband is plumber and doesn't mind working at home.

Do not use any flavored coffees. the french press filter is a delicate thing, that should not be washed with soap, or used for any other purpose but coffee or (if you don't mind the slightly blended flavors) plain tea.

I'd advise finding the best coffee shop you can nearby (even Starbucks), that will grind your coffee fresh in a machine that wasn't ever used for flavored coffees. Ask the barista to grind specifically for a French Press, unless your husband enjoys small particulates in his second cup.

In situations with lots of cream and sugar, a bolder coffee like a French Roast will stand up more, however, a smoother coffee like a Columbian or Mexican coffee will be less overt. Depends on how strong he likes it.
 

clockwork

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I think it's been touched upon but it's better to buy beans rather than ground coffee because it stays fresher for longer. That means buying a grinder as well as a press but you'll know whether he wants to get that hardcore. :)
 

sassandgroove

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I like Gevalia. (gevalia.com) ANd if you sign up for regular delivery, you get a free coffee maker. Foldgers is surprisingly good and affordable. I prefer roasts over flavors. A medium to dark roast flavor will be complimented by the cream and sugar. Another brand that is good and affordable is Eight O'Clock coffee.

I had a French Press. As far as looks, I think they are beautiful. And when I lived alone and only made one cup, it was pretty good. The best part was I got mine at a yard sale from a guy who didn't know what it was. But it is sort of a hassle to clean, like badducky pointed out. Especially if you have a septic tank, becuase coffee grounds are not good for those. Someone up thread suggested getting coffee ground especially for a French Press. This is a good idea, I always had grounds at the end of my cup, little tiny fine grounds that passed through the wire mesh. But I did really like mine, even though when it broke I replaced it with a conventional coffee maker. Though now I kinda want a French Press again.
 
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Shadow_Ferret

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Why not ask him? It's a nice gesture and all, but if you get a varietal he doesn't like, if it's too strong, or too bitter, or too acidy, then you've just wasted money and he's got to go out and get his own coffee.

After all, if he's adding cream and sugar he's probably not going to be happy with the real strong specialty roasts available.

Although... you could join the Gevalia coffee club. They have an Antigua varietal that isn't too bold and is rather smooth. More flavorful than store brands like Folgers, but not as bitter or acidy as many other roasts.

ETA: Ha. Sass and I think alike.
 

limitedtimeauthor

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Someone already pointed out, but I wanted to second it so you would really get the right thing...The grind for french press is coarser even than for an automatice drip coffeemaker. As far as flavor, it really is an individual thing. French Roast is possibly my favorite (not from a can, though).

If you have a specialty shop in your town that sells gourmet coffees, maybe they can make you up a basket with several samples, ground properly for a french press. Then your husband can sample several, and see which ones he likes best.

Mmm. Makes me want coffee! Yum. See ya later!

ltd.

ETA: Ha. She thinks like me too.
 
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clockwork

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I forgot to say that I recommend Cafe du Monde's coffees from their store in New Orleans. They have a hicory blend which is delicious and a French roast which is obviously a little bit stronger. They're cans but they're still very good. They also do a wide range of gift items.

http://shop.cafedumonde.com/coffee.html
 

badducky

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The whole bean question is moot unless the coffee itself was fresh-roasted. If you can acquire fresh-roasted coffee locally at a fine coffee shop, then whole bean purchases for the home are a great idea.

If, however, you're using starbucks coffee or some other brand roasted more than twenty-four hours ago, you aren't really trying to save that much flavor at all.

In a freezer, even ground coffee will last nearly a year. a pound of coffee lasts my parents about two weeks.

Factor in the cream and sugar, and I think worrying about whole bean versus ground is moot.
 

PeeDee

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Coffee drives me nuts. I absolutely love the smell of it, go nuts for the smell of it, but something about the taste of a few coffees I've tried have just not been enjoyable at all. I wish they were. I could sit around smelling coffee all day. Thank goodness for tea, or I'd have nothing to drink but water and juice.

(this has nothing to do with the topic, it's just my tortured soul coming to bear)
 

sassandgroove

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Peedee, it does smell good, does it not? I started out adding sugar, creamer and hot chocolate mix. That and Frappacinnos. One day I took a sip of my concoction and realized how sickenly sweet it was, and since then I have added less and less. I still use cream and sugar, but not nearly as much. Actucally I use equal. and I use Soy milk, but that is neither here nor there.

Hey Ferret. We do think alike.

I will say....Even with cream and sugar, (or soy and equal) the quality of the coffee does make a difference.

(i must confess, I am checking prices on French Presses right now.)
 

limitedtimeauthor

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badducky said:
The whole bean question is moot unless the coffee itself was fresh-roasted. If you can acquire fresh-roasted coffee locally at a fine coffee shop, then whole bean purchases for the home are a great idea.

If, however, you're using starbucks coffee or some other brand roasted more than twenty-four hours ago...

Eww! :p I have to let my beans sit for at least, minimum, three days after roasting. A week is better! A week and it's smelling and tasting gorgeous. Eww. 24-hour old coffee is not my cup of tea, so to speak. Although I do realize your point, which is that it doesn't matter that much whether it's already ground or still beans. But had to grimace at the idea of drinking coffee roasted yesterday. Blech. Although some people like it, I guess, it doesn't taste like coffee at that stage. It tastes like the burned chaff that flies everywhere while you're roasting it.

IMHO, that is. Sorry to sidetrack, there. :Coffee:

ltd.

(finally! an opportunity to use the lil' coffee drinkin' smiley...)
 

roach

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Thanks for all the suggestions! Like PeeDee, I like the smell of coffee, just not the taste. I think I'll find a sampler size of coffee, maybe a couple of different flavors, so that he can use the french press immediately, but then he can get what he wants in a larger quantity.

This may be a really dumb question (remember, non-coffee drinker here) but does Starbucks qualify as a specialty coffee store?

Thanks again.
 

Pat~

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I'm with Sass. We use Gevalia, and I put hot cocoa and Splenda in mine. So you can tell I'm not a real coffee connosieur--but my husband is, and he's the one ordering the Gevalia.
 

limitedtimeauthor

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(Re. "does Starbucks qualify as a specialty coffee store?") Sure. But you'll find coffee snobs who completely turn up their nose at Starbucks. (And an equal number who love it - obviously, 'cause they aren't hurting for business! ;))

If your husband likes Starbucks, then definitely - go for it!

ltd.

ETA: I like Starbucks. :)
 
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Carole

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I like Starbucks, but I like them for their holiday concoctions like the pumpkin spice latte. They're a nice, occasional treat. For just a good cup of coffee, I prefer to make it at home. They roast JFG right here (ok, there - not far away) in Knoxville. It's pretty darn good coffee. It's cheap, too. Maybe it's good here because it's fresher. On days when they are roasting, the whole town smells delicious!!
 

Kentuk

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Do you live near an asian market? Buy Vietnamese hill country and make Viet style coffee, very strong, pressed although they don't use a fancy machine. The Viet coffee is cheap, I buy it $3 for 12oz can, compared to $9-12 for Starbucks. It isn't Arabica but the supposedly lesser Robustcus (sorry for spelling, I only misspell when it matters.) That means it has more caffaine.

BTW you put a hook out on this thread sure to yank about eighty-five percent of the locals.


Oh I forgot the part your husband will like best. Viet coffee is typically consumed with sweeten condensed milk.
 
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roach

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Kentuk said:
Do you live near an asian market? Buy Vietnamese hill country and make Viet style coffee, very strong, pressed although they don't use a fancy machine. The Viet coffee is cheap, I buy it $3 for 12oz can, compared to $9-12 for Starbucks. It isn't Arabica but the supposedly lesser Robustcus (sorry for spelling, I only misspell when it matters.) That means it has more caffaine.

Oooh...Vietnamese you say? We've got a decent sized Asian population in the area and Chinatown just down 55 from us. (Oh! And the Super H Mart that they just opened near my MIL!) I'll look into that along with the other suggestions tomorrow.

Kentuk said:
BTW you put a hook out on this thread sure to yank about eighty-five percent of the locals.

Heh...if only I could do so well with the hook in my query letter. :D
 

badducky

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All I have to say about the "good starbucks" versus "bad starbucks" question is this: imagine if McDonald's was as committed to their staff and to their farmers as Starbucks is.
 

TrainofThought

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roach said:
This may be a really dumb question (remember, non-coffee drinker here) but does Starbucks qualify as a specialty coffee store?Thanks again.
Yes. In my opinion, you have to acquire a taste for Starbucks, kind of like Guinness. I am a huge coffee drinker and I want the flavor, so Starbucks isn’t my coffee of choice. People think Starbucks is strong, but it is actually the burnt flavor that makes it seem strong. Then again, I was banned from making coffee at one of my jobs because the coffee pot broke and they counted the scoops I put in the filter – 24 (in my defense, it was the little triangle scooper).
 

MMcC

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Putting coffee beans in the frig doesn't preserve them, it weakens the flavor. People froze them forever before realizing cold is bad for the beans, even milder cold in a frig.