Hey, coffee snobs

[Sarah]

Hey, my mummy and daddy had one of those.  It wasn't in use for long; they soon reverted to the good old percolator.  And all that was decades ago:  they switched over to a stovetop espresso maker in the seventies.

Isn't this exactly the kind of thing people come to this board for?  Christ, I should be shot.

[buffcoat]

Hey, my mummy and daddy had one of those.  It wasn't in use for long; they soon reverted to the good old percolator.  And all that was decades ago:  they switched over to a stovetop espresso maker in the seventies.

Isn't this exactly the kind of thing people come to this board for?  Christ, I should be shot.

People who use it love it, but it seems real real real real real real real real real complicated.

[break]

I use an AeroPress, which makes a pretty good cup of coffee quickly and is easy to clean.

[Sarah]

Confession:  I'm not happy with my brand-new, expensive French press (the coffee's fine with milk and sugar but not quite right black, which is how I generally drink it) so I've gone and bought a Bialetti stainless-steel stovetop espresso pot.  I am decadent and disgusting, but I will have coffee I like.

[fonpr]

Confession:  I am decadent and disgusting, but I will have coffee I like.

I'm with you, Sarah.

[Sarah]

That's a comfort, my dear.

[buffcoat]

I had my first French press coffee today (out of an admittedly cheap press).  It was fine, less sour in the bottom half than either my coffeemaker or the usual stuff I get at one of the 9 coffee shops within walking distance of the place I stay when I'm not at home.

That sourness is the #1 frustration I have with coffee, but I'm not sure that not dealing with the various methods of avoiding it is worth the extra work to me, since I make the coffee I make at my place of business.

[mackro]

Is a French press really worth it?  I have a two-sided Black and Decker which makes decent coffee out of excellent beans from Coffee Fool.  And I have a Hamilton Beach $9 Target grinder set to the middle setting.

I might be willing to try a French press, but if I liked it I'm afraid it would make me drink less because of the increased mess and bother.

Have you had French press coffee?  If not, I'd try it at a good cafe first. If you get the sensation that it's good coffee taken to the next level (like it was for me), you *will* want one. (I no longer drink coffee, because I no longer can tolerate caffeine due to anxiety issues... still I miss French Roast coffee.)

[Sarah]

Your answer:

I had my first French press coffee today (out of an admittedly cheap press).  It was fine, less sour in the bottom half than either my coffeemaker or the usual stuff I get at one of the 9 coffee shops within walking distance of the place I stay when I'm not at home.

That sourness is the #1 frustration I have with coffee, but I'm not sure that not dealing with the various methods of avoiding it is worth the extra work to me, since I make the coffee I make at my place of business.

[Alex_from_the_woods]

A grinder is even more important with espresso than with a french press. You'll want a conical burr grinder if you can afford it. I know because I'm decadent too

[Sarah]

I have to recover from this latest round of extravagance first. 

[~L]

Where did you buy your French press Sarah?  If you are not happy with it, try returning it.  I have found that most places accept returns and don't want dissatisfied customers, unless it's Target.

[Sarah]

Nah, I kind of like having the choice. 

[colonel panic]

i knew a barrister (thank you spellcheck) who went through the Starbucks coffee college and he said: "if you can't burr grind your coffee, don't grind it at all. Have the store do it for you or just buy bags of ground coffee. Now let me inform you about cheese pairing. . . ".

also, i threw out all of my caffeine accoutrements the last time i quit coffee. i'm back now, of course, and went the cheap route: http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-Ready-Black-Filter-Holder/dp/B001796HGY. you set it on a travel mug, add a filter, put in some grounds and pour boiling water over it. i was prepared to settle for weak coffee but it is surprisingly good.

[buffcoat]

I ordered the Aeropress.  What the hell.