Question about coffee beans, please

[steve2470]

I grind my own coffee and I LOVE coffee. The problem is, my current beans/brew tastes a tad burned even after 10 minutes.

I need recommendations for good quality coffee beans. Thanks for your time !


Steve

[elleng]

1. Don't understand. You buy unground roasted beans from somewhere,

and it seems the roaster burned them? Or YOU're roasting, and wondering why they taste burned after roasting for only 10 minutes?

[steve2470]

14. Currently I buy whole roasted beans.

Sorry for the confusion and lack of information ! :-(

This is what I currently use for beans: Eight O'Clock Whole Bean 100% Colombian

[elleng]

29. That was A&P, Great Atlantic&Pacific Tea company! 'Tea' removed earlier

but my folks got that blend when I was a kid, I remember the grocery store!

I don't like leaving burner or coffee maker on for more than a few short minutes after coffee brewed; agree, but I call it 'cooked' coffee, which I don't like. When it cools too much, I nuke it.

:hi:

[Avalux]

2. After 10 minutes of what? And how are you brewing?

Do you prefer a light, medium or dark roast?

A little bit more information and I'll be able to help. Coffee is my thing.

[steve2470]

15. 10 minutes of the finished brew sitting on the burner. I'm not sure which roast I prefer yet

Maybe I need a light or medium roast as opposed to what I currently use.

[Avalux]

24. Maybe you're mistaking a burnt taste with bitterness?

Drip coffee makers, percolators - anything where the water sits in coffee grounds for an extended period of time will make any coffee taste bitter. I switched to a french press a couple of years ago and will never go back. Almost boiling water is poured over the grounds, then after 4 minutes (my preference), the grouds are separated out with a screened plunger. Perfect tasting coffee without any bitterness.

Now that I use a french press, I can drink a darker roast for the flavor. If you have a Costco near you, they roast their own beans and it's just as good as anything gourmet; not expensive and fair trade too. Try the Sumatran.

[steve2470]

32. I just bought a french press, good advice ! nt

[Major Nikon]

33. One thing to watch out for with a french press

Coffee made with a french press can be quite nice due to the full immersion of the grounds and the control you have over the process. However, you should get the coffee out of the press after steeping because the grounds will continue to produce bitter flavors after pressing. You also get a lot of sediment left over after pressing and these solids will continue to impart bitter flavors over time. That's why french press coffee is best when served immediately after preparation. I can notice a considerable difference in the 2nd and subsequent cups even if I'm storing the coffee in a carafe. That's why I went back to paper filtering for brewed coffee, especially after I found that not all paper filters are created equal.

[OllieLotte]

34. I use a French press. Works great. Its foolproof.

I also shop at Costco, I have never tried the Sumatran, I'll pick some up the next time I go.

[backscatter712]

3. I go look for the local independent coffee houses.

Some of them roast their own beans and sell them.

And avoid Starbucks - they virtually burn their beans.

[steve2470]

16. Thank you ! nt

[MerryBlooms]

4. I've heard very good things about this company

https://www.ihaveabean.com/

and an excellent cause -

"Our company was created for a purpose – to positively impact the lives of post-prison men and women, their families, and the communities in which we live."

[steve2470]

17. Thank you ! nt

[pokerfan]

5. Ten minutes of brewing is too long

It might be the bean but it could also be the roast. Try a medium roast and dial back the brewing time.

[steve2470]

18. ok thank you ! nt

[XemaSab]

6. Peet's is expensive, but yummah

:9

[bif]

8. There's Peet's, and there's everything else.

Man that stuff is incredible. Check them out on-line. After brewing a pot, I turn it off after about 20 minutes. Then I reheat it in the microwave--tastes fresher that way.

[Major Nikon]

10. Might want to try a vacuum carafe

A good one will keep coffee hot for hours and is the best way to store brewed coffee.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/zojhandypot-glasslined-ss-1l-agye-10s.html

[grasswire]

37. Funny, I hate Peet's.

Especially that Major Dickason's blend.

I hate Stumptown, too. Many people love Stumptown.

My favorite is from an Italian family in Seattle. Caffe D'Arte.

[Chan790]

7. I have a coffee master certification but I need more information.

Like:

Let's figure out why it tastes burnt because that has probably nothing to do with your beans or brew!
How are you brewing your coffee?
What temperature water are you using?
Are you grinding your own or buying pre-ground?
Grinding fresh or having it ground at the store?
What size grind are you using?
Using tap water? Bottled water?
If you're using a coffeemaker, what was it last cleaned?

What kind of beans should you buy?
You're not drinking flavored coffee, are you? That shit is nasty.
Why do you drink coffee? Taste? Energy? Maintaining quality BM?
What do you drink coffee with? What's for breakfast most days?!
What do you like in a coffee brew?
How do you drink your coffee?
If you know the source of your favorite coffee, what is it?
How dark of a roast?
Mild or strong?
Subtle or assertive?
Juicy or dry? (That seems like an odd question for a bevvie, yes? Think fruit instead...citrus is juicy, it makes one salivate. Cherries are dry, they taste tart and dry the mouth. The same difference exists in coffees!)

[steve2470]

23. Answers to your questions ( gawd I feel so ignorant lol )

1- Using a cheap Mr. Coffee machine... mistake #1
2- Room temperature tap water
3- Grinding my own pre-roasted whole beans
4- Grinding it fresh
5- I'm not sure, never measured it. I use a standard grinder and fill it up, probably too much I guess.
6- Tap water
7- A week ago but not *thoroughly* inside and out. I need to buy a really nice coffee-maker.
8- No, buying these beans
9- Taste and energy
10- I drink it by itself
11- I'm not sure. Right now it tastes burned after sitting on the coffee-maker burner for 10 minutes. I'm guessing the beans are the wrong kind for me.
12- With enough half-and-half to make it turn color and 2.5 teaspoons of sugar
13- See answer #8
14- *embarrassed* Dark roast I'm guessing ?
15- I guess I need mild
16- Subtle I guess
17- Juicy

I've concluded I need a different brand of pre-roasted beans, probably grind less, use bottled water, and use a much better coffee-maker.


Thank you everyone for your time and help ! This has been extremely helpful and informative !

[Chan790]

27. Don't feel ignorant...I actually drink instant many mornings.

Okay, there's nothing wrong with using a brewer, it's how most people prepare their morning brew. They tend have the same issues over and over again though and that consistency is actually our friend in this case.

The most common issue they have is pretty simple...all tap water contains minerals and other trace elements in solute...from the pipes, from lime and calcium from water-treatment, from added minerals like fluoride. Ever look at the inside of a water kettle or a water heater and see all that built-up chalky minerally scale? It's a mess. The same thing happens to a brewer. Now think about all that oily residue from the coffee, it too collects inside the brewer and it can go rancid and become a gummy mess that holds onto even more scale and those deposits then get deposited into the coffee. There are two solutions to this problem used in coffee-shops: we use filtered water and we run a solution to clean out the build-up daily. For most home brewers, that would be overkill...you can use tap water provided you know that your tap water is fairly clean (the stuff that comes out of my mom's taps back in CT is so limey and hard that it leave chalk-shadows on the dishes. Her tap water is not going to work, as an example) and run a vinegar solution monthly to clean the brewer. (http://www.howtocleanthings.com/how-to-clean-coffee-maker.htm)

That covers pretty much everything from the first set of questions...except the grind ones. I didn't ask what I needed to know very clearly...I'm just trying to make sure you're using the right courseness of grind for your maker. It seems like a dumb thing and I always feel like I'm accusing people of idiocy unfairly to ask it...but I once had someone who wanted to return a brewer I sold them because they thought grind is grind and tried to run their drip-brewer with Turkish (aka. powder) grind and then when it clotted up, nothing came out the bottom and the chamber eventually started to flood out the top were convinced it was my fault for selling them a broken machine. Usually though, it's people either trying to run a drip machine on course (French Press) grind and getting slightly tan water or people trying to run drip on espresso grind and getting something so dark and acrid and bitter that it's undrinkable. So...you're using the right grind for the machine, yes? If your home-grinding, then you probably know that the correct grind is somewhere in the range of medium-fine to medium for a drip brewer.

As for beans, I see a lot of good recommendations so I'm going to let you sort out that on your own and take this in a different direction, pointing you to this blog post on how to compare coffees to determine your likes...mostly pay attention to the "tastes" page, I find it best to actually try coffees the way your drink coffee making the rest of this less-relevant. http://coffeegeek.com/guides/beginnercupping/tastenotes

[Major Nikon]

28. Sounds like you are poised to start your own coffee adventure

If you really want to increase your coffee knowledge, this is a good book:
https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/shopping/shopping.aspx?site=scaa10&shopsearchcat=merchandise&productcat=books&prd_key=b8f1d633-f0d2-406c-b070-32adb9794214

[steve2470]

38. thanks for that ! nt

[Chan790]

41. I second any publication from SCAA.

Likewise, I recommend http://www.coffeegeek.com to people as a good starting off point to learning about coffee...though a few of the geeks newbie-hate there...which pisses me off because they're generally the ones that don't know shit because you can't tell them anything. I guess that's true on any message-board though. (Observe GD)

[Major Nikon]

9. Here's a few good mail order roasters...

Lighter roasts are probably what you want if the burned taste puts you off.

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/

http://counterculturecoffee.com/

http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.roasted.php

Ditch the whirlybird coffee grinder and the $10 Mr. Coffee maker if that's what you have. Buy a decent quality burr grinder. This one is not bad and is about at the bottom price point for a decent grinder.
http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-285-Maestro-Conical-Grinder/dp/B0000DDVS2

A little device called an Aeropress costs only $26 and makes an excellent cup of coffee. Use ~ 190-200 degree water for brewing.
http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK

[steve2470]

20. Thank you ! nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

40. 2nd the Areopress, except the instructions said 170 degree water.

I have been grinding my own beans since 1970's, in a Krupps press grinder, and I like French roast strong flavored coffee.
but I always use Brita filtered water.
And I only make one big cup at a time.
('cause Mr. dixie is SO used to Folgers in the electric coffee pot....accckkkkk)

The Areopress is cool because all you need is hot water (filtered) and can vary the steeping time to taste.
Rich, mellow, never bitter or burnt taste.

But, if you a "make a big pot and drink from it all day" kind of person, I bow to the expertise of the previous posters.

[KT2000]

11. Italian

Italian coffee is slower roasted and does not taste burned but is strong and full flavored.
If you are using a French roast, that can have a burned taste.

[steve2470]

21. Thank you ! nt

[JCMach1]

12. Try roasting your own...

[steve2470]

22. ok thank you ! nt

[JCMach1]

30. My video of just one EASY way to do it

the key is to get the roast exactly as you want it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ylmn8xGNSo

[steve2470]

31. great video thanks ! nt

[Submariner]

13. 'Consumer Reports' Picks The Best Coffees: Gloria Jean's, Newman's Own Rank Highest

Gloria Jean's and Newman's Own make the best widely available Colombian coffee, according to a taste test in the September 2011 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. The two brands were among the most expensive CR tested, at $13.50 and $13.60 a pound respectively. They were both rated "very good."

Third place, with just a "good," went to Bay Area fave Peet's, the most expensive Colombian coffee tested. All three handily beat out 2009's winner, Eight O'Clock Coffee, which rejiggered its blend, apparently for the worse. Testers gave special commendation to New England Coffee's decaf, which came in fourth despite its flavor-sapping decaffeination, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Light Roast, which they called a best buy. The worst-performing two were heavily advertised market leaders Folgers and Maxwell House, which got a "fair." Starbucks came in fifth.

Consumer Reports rated all the coffees on their inclusion of various flavor attributes, the most positive being a "fruity" aroma.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/consumer-reports-best-coffee_n_916258.html

[steve2470]

19. Thank you ! nt

[Major Nikon]

25. There are even better choices out there

I have no doubt consumer reports did a great job of testing coffees that are distributed either nationally or over a large regional area. Most people who want better quality than Folgers or Maxwell house are going to look to local big box retail outlets, so I don't really fault their methodology. However, the truly best coffees are those which are roasted in small batches and available within days of roasting, instead of weeks or months. For that you have to look to micro roasters that are either local or work via mail order. There's a big difference between coffee that has been roasted a week out vs a coffee that has been roasted a month or more out. The differences become readily apparent when proper coffee preparation methods are used. If the coffee doesn't have a roast date on the bag, you just don't know when it was roasted, and chances are it's going to be a month or more out.

[grasswire]

35. single source grower, pour-over (drip) brewing

That's the current trend for very serious coffee afficionados. My family has a business consulting to the specialty coffee industry, and that's the current goal going on in the retail industry.

Single source means that the beans come from one farm, identified by variety and grower.

Pour-over means a cone and filter.

Here's a good example of a roaster-coffee house using single source, pour-over: http://www.wateravenuecoffee.com/

The magazine of the specialty coffee industry is at http://www.freshcup.com

[Major Nikon]

39. I've been doing pour-over for a while now

I've used a variety of devices over the years. I finally broke down and ordered a Clever Coffee Dripper and I'm looking forward to giving that a try.

I have yet to see a coffee house doing it, but then again Texas isn't exactly the center of the specialty coffee revolution.

[tammywammy]

43. Many years ago I managed a coffee shop that did pour over

In Arlington, Texas. :)

They bought their beans from a roaster in Grand Prairie. Unfortunately it went out of business.

[Major Nikon]

44. All the good ones around here seem to go out of business

There was a mom and pop place over in Fort Worth near Hulen mall that was pretty good (I forget the name), but they went under a few years ago. They had a big Probat roaster right as you walk in the door.

There's one or two in Dallas that aren't bad, but I wouldn't call them great.

[tammywammy]

45. Agreed, this place just didn't have the traffic.

Plus there were other issues with the owner. Sad, I really liked their beans. Mexican High Grown - yum.

[GoCubsGo]

26. The video at that link was really helpful.

I never realized that the coffee maker can make the coffee taste burned. I have French press that I don't use often enough. Time to start using it more.

[grasswire]

36. this is how the experts use a french press

Start with very cold tap water and let the faucet run for a minute to empty the stale water from the pipe.

Ground coffee is in your press, of course.

Bring your water just barely below a full boil. Fill your french press partway, and stop. Let the press sit for a couple of minutes to allow the coffee and water to "bloom". Then finish pouring your water. Allow it to sit again, then press.

If you accidentally let your water boil hard, dump it and start over.

[Flaxbee]

42. Another issue to consider when buying beans: buy songbird safe coffee

I don't drink much coffee, but those in the lounge who do may have opinions about good shade-grown coffee

Some links:

http://www.aba.org/shadecoffee/whattodo.html

Birds and Beans:
http://www.birdsandbeans.ca/