For me it all starts with the beans and yes you should grind your own as you use them. Like spices once ground they begin to loose their flavor near instantly. Find yourself a bean type that you really like, if you are not sure you can join one of the many coffee clubs like Gevalia. They will send you a free coffee maker and maybe some insulated cups just for signing up. Forget the maker though and hell give it as a gift to someone. Now go order yourself like 5 bags of beans, pay attention to how much you drink and it will tell you how often you should get shipments. Now as each arrive grind some up and give them a taste and write down some notes. Do this until you find a bean you like. I personally am very fond of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee as is. Though I have made my own blends from assorted beans that missed a note here and there (hence the notes).

Get yourself a spice grinder or coffee bean grinder your choice just a matter of price an if you get a spice grinder remember its for coffee only.

Next a french press coffee maker. Yup zero technology at work, glass, stainless steel plunger, and a lid.

Stainless steel tea pot or if your like me and like productivity get yourself an electric kettle and I like the one Braun makes. Boils anything super fast.

Then your most important issue is your water. If your tap water does not taste perfect get yourself a filter system for it. Water choice is often the number one reason why coffee tastes like crap next to crappy beans.

Now I am sure some will say get some super deluxe wonder machine that grinds the beans, makes all forms of coffee and all that jazz for several hundred to a few grand. If you go this route just go Italian models and I hope you really love coffee. They are worth it, just not that worth it to me as I go through times when I am more into teas than coffee's.

We all know their food is not that bad unless your eating bigmacs every single time. Yeah its fastfood and the one around here that takes the biggest rap. I am sure things will be changing even more with them.

When I was living in florida every time I had DD coffee I had diarrhea.... I hate DD coffee and donuts...they suck

Had some about 3 weeks ago. Once again right at opening so it should have been fresh. Tasted like the same crap I had before year ago. I shouldn't need a dozen packs of sweet and low just to make coffee somewhat drinkable. I guess if you like your coffee blacker than Wesley Snipes then maybe it's good.

It must have been something with the water :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh
I have no problems with it anywhere in New England.

That's pretty much bang on the money, how to make a rocking cup of coffee. And it's not really rocket science either. :)

-N

When people start mentioning coffee beans freshly picked by northern sybirian bees in the dawn of the day only first day of the year are the best, i think of this
https://youtube.com/watch?v=v2qydjVbLJk

It's all how you make it for me.

Sounds good after shock, where can you get that jamaica stuff?

J-

Mcdonalds has had coffee bars here for years and they are called

Mc Cafe`

Starbucks are here too

I still use gevalia, do not ask why. They are probably a bit over priced but everything is fresh and shipping is decent and they allow me to pick a good schedule. Not to mention they send me crap like coffee makers and stuff which means one less gift to buy someone.

Hell send me your email, I will refer you and get myself a free carafe which I actually do need and you will get a nice stainless steal coffee maker and a stainless steal measuring spoon right now I think. We both benefit. Just keep in mind to always order at least 5 boxes at a time I think as a minimum to save on shipping though I think the base shipping is like 6.95 and then it goes up as you spend but not by much.

Oh I also like their seasonal offerings, and some of the other odd things they do. You can pick regular or decaf (in pre ground only), and then whole bean or pre ground and I think they offer pods now too.

Yet I warn ya do not use them for tea's I have a much better company for that as well. Ya I have about thirty types of loose leaf tea in my house and a good 20 boxes of assorted herbal tea bags. Found one called white christmas (yup seasonal) which I became instantly addicted to so I hit them up post haste and ordered myself an additional 20 boxes of it to make sure I had enough to last me until next christmas

McD has McCafes in BsAs for some years now, they serve expressos, capuccinos, etc ( pretty good ) also iced coffee drinks, cakes, pastries. They have been pretty successful and nowadays 75% of all McD have one of those ( they actually replaced the kids area with Mc Cafes )

I wouldn't patronize either of those chains. McDonalds serves horrible fat laden, greasy poison that gives you the shits and Starbucks is overpriced and arrogant, and a total waste of time and money. Eat some healthy food for lunch at home and make your own coffee or tea for pennies instead of wasting money at these places.

If by different class you mean pretentious and full of shit, I agree. :thumbsup

Maybe its how you approach them, I always found very friendly people to work at Starbucks. Also how can they be full of shit? Your asking for a cup of coffee. lol

Starbucks doesn't really have the best coffee in town. They just serve pretty classy one. And oh with those people who sit there with laptops? They don't actually work -- they just find it to be one of classy hang-outs! lol

Starbucks, for damm sure

For a great coffee, I go to starbucks:)

I fucking hate McDonalds coffee :(

Starbucks coffee has gotten progressively worse and worse over the past year. I've stopped going there at all. When I don't make it at home, I'm picking a cup up from DD. We have 1 McCafe here and they have tasty and healthy wraps. I haven't tried their coffee yet though.

I don't like mcdonalds or starbuck....I love dunkin donuts coffe....its cheaper and I swear theres crack in it lol It's so addicting

Start off by using fresh beans and grind them yourself. Then use different flavors and create your own blends.

Sometimes I wonder where you get your info. I have been to Starbucks all over the country and have yet to find one that did not have wifi, usually T-Mobile.

You must really live in the sticks.

we have them all throughout vancouver

At $10/ lb I don't know that I can make my coffee for pennies.

Ummm actually McDonalds just won the award for best tasting coffee.

Lets See Micky D's ake on Tim hortons in Ontario.

Just wait until Tim Horton's starts building stores. We've got one spot where they have 3 within 1 mile of each other.

Edit: Just saw someone mention it above me too. Wendy's owns the US franchise rights.

Read what I wrote again. I was not talking about starbucks. I was commenting that several McDonalds I have been into lately have free wi-fi.

Dunkin Donuts claims that they did in their ads.

How about I quote what you said?

Again, I have been to Starbucks all over the country and have yet to find one that did not have wifi, usually T-Mobile. And yes, it is free.

Here mister baddog my full quote.

I apparently added a period after have instead of a comma and capitalized the word many. For most others though it would make sense despite the punctuation and capitalization mistake. So again I apologize to the oracle of the English language. My only excuse is that I am still in chronic pain and I occasionally make typing mistakes. I never claimed to be an editor and if you can not find something better to criticize or better yet attempt to comprehend something that if read more than once, or even once by most they would understand what I meant.

By the way if you notice I also said McDonald's often have wifi as well, it is obvious I am not saying starbucks does not.

So you aren't saying that the perk is wifi, but rather a play spot for kids?

The only way to make a decent cup of coffee besides espresso:

http://www.kitchenniche.ca/images/bo...bord%20big.jpg

Yes, it has a place for work from home moms to dump their kids where starbucks really does not. Aside from the ones in barnes and nobels and that assumes your kids like hearing stories or reading.

and you think everyone except me knew that is what you were trying to say with your initial post? :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Grinding does make a difference. My friend got two as a gift, gave me one and it was the best thing I ever got. The coffee fresh ground is very yummy.

Try adding hot water to it, makes it even better.

which award? the one from the Society of People Without Taste Buds?

I don't give a shit about awards. I don't think anything is good or bad based on awards. Who here only sees movies that have won academy awards? Awards all almost always biased in some form anyways.

really oh my god, I never knew. :winkwink:

And the chocolate frosted donuts.