Do you folks like coffee?

[OrangeSunn]

Sounds real nice to have good coffee machine at your disposal. I just left a store I usual delivery to. You might've heard of it. It's called TA. It's the most burnt bitter cup of Joe on this planet. Had nice chat with the clerk about it and she filled me in on some the "don't tell anyone" stories.
I've never brewed this way. So I'm sure the first cup is gonna go REAL SMOOTH. Lol lets hope I have knack for this. I figured I'll buy some Meijer brand before I go blowing 14$ on the gourmet. Learn the ropes ya know? Get that yield, extraction down for the most part.

[goroth]

Yirgacheffe is my all time favourite.

Not sure I knew that. I'm pretty partial to coffees from Ethiopia and Kenya myself.

Am currently at the maternity ward and they have an awesome coffee machine.

A crucial piece of machinery in a place like that.

Kenya is nr 2 on my list! Depending on the phase of the moon it sometimes deposes the Ethiopian stuff as my fave. Then I'd say brazil. Which is weird, I don't generally go crazy for South American coffee, and most Brazilian stuff is just "competent" - perfectly ok, no flaws, but none of the craziness and character of the African stuff. But every now and then Johan and Nyström (good roasters here) bring in some awesome low volume, single estate stuff. Often quite sweet.

I love good drip coffee. I definitely haven't mastered it though.

[OrangeSunn]

Just to sorta give ya all my perspective. I've never been a big coffee guy. I hate burnt bitter black or flavored coffee. That being said, I'll drink the shit out it regardless. Mainly for the jolt. But recently, as I was scrolling through some of my podcasts, I stumbled upon a Joe Rogan episode. He had on a guy that gave this amazing basic tutorial about coffee. Starting from its Ethiopian origin, etc....knowing just the basics that I now know. I can't even look at it the same anymore. I've been ruined. Or at least I was ruined by the commodity of it. I'd much rather find a way to put my money in the pockets of those that grow it to put food on their table. If there's anybody that knows of a good source for that, I'd love to know. So in respect to all those people, why not. Why not support the good stuff if all possible, from the growers and learn to appreciate the fruit for what it really is. Hard fucking work in growing a tree that takes seven years to yield it's first crop and one pound of beans at the end of each year. That doesn't even scratch the surface as far as I'm concerned.

[OrangeSunn]

I didn't mean for that to sound like a pretentious rant. lol I don't think I'll ever wanna become a full blown connoisseur or coffee snob to be honest. I'd be perfectly content in appreciating the historical and farming aspect and having the ability to brew a good cup from time to time.

[Chankgeez]

I didn't mean for that to sound like a pretentious rant.

Don't worry, that didn't come across as a pretentious rant. It didn't even come across as a rant to me.

Kenya is nr 2 on my list! Depending on the phase of the moon it sometimes deposes the Ethiopian stuff as my fave. Then I'd say brazil. Which is weird, I don't generally go crazy for South American coffee, and most Brazilian stuff is just "competent" - perfectly ok, no flaws, but none of the craziness and character of the African stuff...

I also love coffee from Yemen, but nowadays that's pretty much unobtainium.

Not really a fan of most of the South American coffees I've had. After Africans, I tend to like some of the Central American coffees with bold characters.

[GuitarSlim101]

I drink a lot of coffee. At home, I'll either use a French Press or make a wee pot of Turkish coffee using what ever bean the local roaster had that caught my attention. I like to change things up fairly regularly and pick beans from a different country or get a different roast each time. I'll usually drink it black, though sometimes I'll add a little half and half in the morning. I also like the addition of various spices, especially when making Turkish coffee. Rarely add sugar/sweeteners, but I'm not entirely opposed to the use of honey or molasses. I'm hoping to pick up a Moka pot soon for pseudo-espresso deliciousness, and I may invest in a decent pour over set up soon. I also have a couple Vietnamese coffee filters, and the Thai restaurant next to my apartment sells some delightfully thick, oily, outrageously strong coffee that works nicely for that.

At work, it's Cafe Bustelo in a Mr Coffee drip maker, or a double shot of Cafe Bustelo from the shitty Mr. Coffee espresso maker I use to steam off necks for neck resets.

And I do love a good cappuccino from a few of the local coffee shops if I have $5 to burn.

[zRobertez]

I bought a $14 coffee maker last week and the cheapest plainest grounds I could find

[goroth]

Chanks, if ever we're in the same town we gotta grab a coffee.

[Chankgeez]

True that.

There're a few really good spots here in Philly, but I'd travel anywhere for a good cup of Mocha Java or any varietal for that matter.

[PetZounds]

So, the more coffee I drink, the more I get into it.
I want to get some good gear for preparing it better.

I'm gonna need a bean grinder, for one.
I've been using my roommate's, but he's moving out soon and also it seems to completely destroy beans when grinding.
Anyone have recommendations on that front?

Also:
I enjoy coffee made with a french press a lot.
I haven't tried any other brewing methods, save for regular ol' Mr.-Coffee-coffeemaker-drip-coffee coffee.
It seems like there's a lot of really cool ways to do it, and they all seem to have their little nuances.
Anyone have some recommendations on things to try on THAT front?

[goroth]

Get something with conical burr grinder. We've got a grinder with blades at home and it sucks, as there is no way you can set the grind at all. I don't buy bullshit about the beans getting hot and losing essential oils and stuff, but I do think a grinder that can give you consistent results is a must. Hand cranked grinders are a lot cheaper than electric ones, but with the way my mornings look I need an electric grinder, and I can't afford a decent one, so I'm stuck with my blade grinder. Which is a misnomer as it chops the beans rather than grinding.

The two things I'd look for is something suited to the size of your grind, and something that delivers consistent results. I'd take less settings/adjustability and better precision over more settings and less consistency. By that I mean the variation in the size if the ground coffee granules. With a blade machine like mine you get a mixture of esfine espresso all the way to filter coffee size. Better machines will reduce this variance.

[Chankgeez]

For a grinder, I've got a Hario hand mill. I like to crank it.

Any burr grinder that gives a consistent grind is probably OK though. (edit ... and goroth beats me to it.)

I rarely make coffee at home (and I don't even own a coffee maker). So, when I do it's always cowboy coffee in a regular old pot. That's the method I'd suggest.

[goroth]

Also, pick up a second hand grinder from a coffee forum. You save shit loads of money, and most of the machines are in great nick. Coffee does attract a certain blues lawyer fetishist approach to the equipment, so good stuff gets flipped all the time for no reason.

[goroth]

Cowboy coffee is nice with a proper grind Chanks!

[PetZounds]

Cool!
Since making that post I've been doing some reading, and yeah, it seems like a hand grinder would work fine for me.
http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Ceramic-Coffee-Mill-Skerton/dp/B001802PIQ/ref=pd_sbs_k_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GGS8XBN4FBV45K1FX9M
I was thinking of getting something along these lines.

I only drink coffee in the mornings occasionally.
Usually, I drink coffee after lunch or in the evenings, so I don't mind stuff that takes time.
I generally prefer my coffee to be thinner or weaker rather than super strong.
At least, I think I do, haha.