# Favorite coffee?



## ace2000 (Apr 28, 2009)

For me, if I go on a trip, I always check to make sure I have my coffee (and filters). 

I personally like the *Gevalia Irish Creme* and/or *Vanilla* variety. I keep trying to find something better (and hopefully cheaper), but am always disappointed.

Just curious, what is everyone's favorite coffee brand/flavor (make-it-yourself variety)?

TIA


----------



## Bwolf (Apr 28, 2009)

Gevalia French Roast, but only once a week (French Roast Friday around our house).  Gevalia Breakfast blend is second, followed by other Gevalia blends.

Seattle's Best for a change of pace.





ace2000 said:


> For me, if I go on a trip, I always check to make sure I have my coffee (and filters).
> 
> I personally like the *Gevalia Irish Creme* and/or *Vanilla* variety. I keep trying to find something better (and hopefully cheaper), but am always disappointed.
> 
> ...


----------



## 1950bing (Apr 28, 2009)

Anything from Starbucks !


----------



## Luanne (Apr 28, 2009)

Batdorf & Bronson, Organic Nicaragua Isabelia


----------



## Passepartout (Apr 28, 2009)

We bring coffee back from Mazatlan. I buy a couple kilos each of Marino medium roast and carmelized 'mezclado' beans. I get them from a small shop in the mercado central downtown. When we get home, I mix them about 50/50. Don't know if it's any better than any other, but we like the taste and it's a wonderful conversation starter.

I declare it on the customs declaration and have had no problems, returning by land, sea or air.

Second choice is the San Fransisco Organic blend from Costco.

Jim Ricks


----------



## ricoba (Apr 28, 2009)

My all time favorite coffee is Kona King from the Big Island.

During the summer months I buy beans from Kona King or Sweet Maria's and roast them myself in my backyard, in my hot air popcorn popper. 

Right now I am drinking Louisiana Blend from Community Coffee from New Orleans.

I also enjoy Starbucks Italian roast and Peet's Italian & Major Dickason's.

I have never found a Gevalia coffee I like.


----------



## ace2000 (Apr 28, 2009)

ricoba said:


> I have never found a Gevalia coffee I like.


 
Everyone's coffee taste is different... but, try the Irish Creme or the Vanilla - very smooth and with no bitter taste!  That's the only way I know how to describe it.  

I've even tried other brand's Vanilla and Irish Creme flavors.  Just not the same...  now, if I could only find something similar yet cheaper!


----------



## noson7982 (Apr 28, 2009)

*Drink Coffee make a difference*

Drink coffee make a difference in Rwanda. Organically grown coffee that is raised on small farms fair trade profit going directly to these farmers. The coffee is excellent the micro climate of Rwanda is perfect for raising coffee. The money is desparatly needed to restore the economy of Rwanda

Bob


http://rwandafriends.wordpress.com/loth/


----------



## Fletcher921 (Apr 28, 2009)

Starbucks "Kenya" for the last 10 or 12 years...


----------



## NWL (Apr 28, 2009)

ace2000 said:


> I've even tried other brand's Vanilla and Irish Creme flavors.  Just not the same...  now, if I could only find something similar yet cheaper!



Take a look at Montana Coffee Traders:

http://www.coffeetraders.com/

We've been drinking it for the past 14 years.  A large variety of flavors, whole beans that are really whole (Starbucks always had pieces of beans, and it gives me heartburn), organic and regular beans, and very nice people to deal with.  I think the prices are cheaper, too.  My favorite is the Organic Costa Rican and the Montana Blend.

I know - coffee from Montana    It really is good!

Cheers!

Just noticed on their web site that they are selling 12 oz. pkgs now instead of 1 lb pkgs.  The prices are cheaper than they charge for 1 lb pkgs. (usually $11.75 - $12.75 for 1 lb, depending on where the coffee comes from.)


----------



## EZ-ED (Apr 28, 2009)

We like Peet's


----------



## Timeshare Von (Apr 28, 2009)

I don't drink the stuff but DH loves the 100% Kona from Greenwell Farms.  He'll be stocking up when we go in September!


----------



## ricoba (Apr 28, 2009)

ace2000 said:


> Everyone's coffee taste is different... but, try the Irish Creme or the Vanilla - very smooth and with no bitter taste!  That's the only way I know how to describe it.
> 
> I've even tried other brand's Vanilla and Irish Creme flavors.  Just not the same...  now, if I could only find something similar yet cheaper!



Oh.....sorry.....flavored coffee's in my view aren't coffee  

.....to me coffee is something you drink, strong, black and hot...no cream....no sugar....just coffee!


----------



## Glynda (Apr 28, 2009)

*Right now...*

...it's Cafe Britt hubby brought me from Costa Rica.


----------



## sandcastles (Apr 28, 2009)

Ricoba, that's the way I like my coffee too.

My favorite is Boca Java.  I like most of their blends.

June


----------



## AwayWeGo (Apr 28, 2009)

*Supermarket Coffee.*

Yuban is pretty good. 

Ditto Chock Full Of Nuts. 

Also Luzianne.  In fact, Luzianne decaf in the vacuum pack brick is just about the best supermarket decaf I've tried.  

Folger's decaf is good, too. 

My morning pot of Mr. Coffee is now made with equal measures of whatever regular coffee I've got going & whatever decaf I've got going.  

_Ahhhh,_ that's coffee. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## philemer (Apr 28, 2009)

ricoba said:


> My all time favorite coffee is Kona King from the Big Island.
> 
> During the summer months I buy beans from Kona King or Sweet Maria's and roast them myself in my backyard, in my hot air popcorn popper.



Rick,
Do you buy the Medium, Med. Dark or Dark roast?


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Apr 29, 2009)

Some of you folks are real coffee afficianados.  I bow to your superior tastebuds.  I have a Keurig one cup brewer and enjoy it very much.  There are a multitude of K-cups available.  I won't tell you what I now use because if any of you experts are familiar at all with the products, I am asking what you would recommend in a K-cup (if anything).


----------



## Elan (Apr 29, 2009)

I usually drink French Roast (Millstone, Peet's), but I just grabbed a bag of Costco Breakfast Blend (IIRC) the other day and, I must say, it's pretty good.  At $9 something for 2lbs, it's hard to beat for value.   I believe it's roasted by Starbuck's.  

  Jim


----------



## Bwolf (Apr 29, 2009)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Some of you folks are real coffee afficianados.  I bow to your superior tastebuds.  I have a Keurig one cup brewer and enjoy it very much.  There are a multitude of K-cups available.  I won't tell you what I now use because if any of you experts are familiar at all with the products, I am asking what you would recommend in a K-cup (if anything).




I think Pamela Anderson uses a K cup.





Ok, sorry, bad joke.


----------



## ace2000 (Apr 29, 2009)

ricoba said:


> Oh.....sorry.....flavored coffee's in my view aren't coffee
> 
> .....to me coffee is something you drink, strong, black and hot...no cream....no sugar....just coffee!


 
That's funny... that's how I drink my flavored coffee... strong, black and hot... no cream... and no sugar. Also, the package says that it's coffee??? Are they pulling a fast one on me???


----------



## Don (Apr 29, 2009)

Starbucks always tastes burnt to me.  We like Kona but its expensive.  Cafe Du Monde is good, even if it does have chickory in it. Lately I've been buying Maxwell House South Pacific Blend.


----------



## ricoba (Apr 29, 2009)

philemer said:


> Rick,
> Do you buy the Medium, Med. Dark or Dark roast?




Oops....I should have said I buy un-roasted Green Beans and roast them myself in the backyard.  

But when I do buy coffee from Kona King, I buy dark roast.  My parents were with us last year and they bought Medium, which they prefer.

Randy the owner of Kona King sets up a booth each Saturday at the Keauhou Farmers Market at the Keauhou shopping center near the Sheraton.


----------



## CMF (Apr 29, 2009)

Folger's French Roast - when it's on sale, and we have a coupon  

Charles


----------



## tlwmkw (Apr 29, 2009)

We use a cold brewing system and it makes the coffee taste so smooth.  You don't get all the acids that you get with the hot brewing and so the variability of different coffee brands becomes less important.  It's very easy to do- you brew a batch in a carafe and then just use a shot every time you make coffee.  The one we use is Toddy brand.


----------



## Luanne (Apr 29, 2009)

tlwmkw said:


> We use a cold brewing system and it makes the coffee taste so smooth.  You don't get all the acids that you get with the hot brewing and so the variability of different coffee brands becomes less important.  It's very easy to do- you brew a batch in a carafe and then just use a shot every time you make coffee.  The one we use is Toddy brand.



A friend who lives in Kona uses this method.  The coffee was wonderful!  She uses some inexpensive brand of coffee she buys at Costco.


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Apr 29, 2009)

Bwolf said:


> I think Pamela Anderson uses a K cup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Funny.  Very funny.


----------



## ace2000 (Apr 29, 2009)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Some of you folks are real coffee afficianados. I bow to your superior tastebuds. I have a Keurig one cup brewer and enjoy it very much. There are a multitude of K-cups available. I won't tell you what I now use because if any of you experts are familiar at all with the products, I am asking what you would recommend in a K-cup (if anything).


 
Thanks for sharing the info on the one-cup Keunig brewer.  I looked into it and decided to purchase one!    

Anyone use or have recomendations on the K-cups???


----------



## stmartinfan (Apr 30, 2009)

My husband has one in his office that several people share use of.  His favorite amoung the different choices is the Caribou brand one, which is a medium roast, I think.


----------



## dougef (Apr 30, 2009)

ace2000 said:


> Thanks for sharing the info on the one-cup Keunig brewer.  I looked into it and decided to purchase one!
> 
> Anyone use or have recomendations on the K-cups???


We just got one a week ago and heave been trying various coffees.  Bought the variety box at Bed Bath & Beyond as well.  So far my favorites are Newman's Own Dark Blend (or something like that) and the Tully's Kona Blend.  I definitely did not like the Nantucket Blend - way too weak for me.  I want to try the Half-Caf - a good way for me to reduce my caffeine after my 2nd or 3rd cup of the day.

Also lots of information at: http://www.singleservecoffeeforums.com/


----------



## Passepartout (Apr 30, 2009)

With the amount of coffee I drink, I'd go broke with K-cups. However, I just googled 'refill k-cups' and found that many people are refilling them with their favorite brew. Looks like it defeats the convenience factor, but at lower cost and environmental impact- the k-cups are not recyclable.

Jim Ricks


----------



## AwayWeGo (Apr 30, 2009)

*Upscale Complimentary Coffee.*




Passepartout said:


> With the amount of coffee I drink, I'd go broke with K-cups.


The complimentary coffee in the Wyndham Cypress Palms lobby came out of a self-service K-cup machine, with a nice variety of flavors including hot cocoa, when we were there in January 2008. 

Some of the upscale medical offices around here have K-cup coffee makers in the waiting rooms -- although I'd rather drink supermarket coffee at home than have to go to the upscale doctor. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Apr 30, 2009)

Passepartout said:


> With the amount of coffee I drink, I'd go broke with K-cups. However, I just googled 'refill k-cups' and found that many people are refilling them with their favorite brew. Looks like it defeats the convenience factor, but at lower cost and environmental impact- the k-cups are not recyclable.
> 
> Jim Ricks



Keurig sells an adapter that makes just one cup and you can fill it any coffee you like.  It is reusable.  It is not as convenient but give you the option of using non-kcup brands like starbucks or others.  

I have found Bed Bath and Beyond to have the best prices when you use their ever plentiful 20% off coupons.  They take them now matter how old they are.

I use a Gloria Jeans Hazelnut right now .  I know that is an abomination to coffee purists and it is kind of understandable.  I am willing to "upgrade" to a mild roast but find the variety daunting and need to narrow the list.  That is why I asked for suggestions.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 30, 2009)

My favorites are Starbucks Gold Coast Blend and Starbucks Sumatra.  My overall favorite used to be Starbucks Sulawesi, but Starbucks dropped the variety last year.

I buy beans and grind just before using.

****

BTW - I have found with Starbucks that there is an immense (to me) difference between their basic bold coffees (such as French Roast) and the "premium" bold and extra bold varieties, such as the ones I mentioned above. 

Starbucks French Roast is simply an OK coffee to me; Gold Coast is something I really look forward to in the morning.

Also, I have found a great difference in the same coffee when it is prepared and served in a shop such as Starbucks or Peets as compared with the flavor when I grind the beans and prepare the coffee at home.  You simply can't beat freshly ground and brewed.


----------



## ace2000 (Apr 30, 2009)

I appreciate EVERYBODY's advice given. It's been enjoyable reading the different opinions out there about coffee products. 

I appreciate the advice about the Keurig 1-cup... for I'm trying to cut back my coffee to 1 or 2 cups a day.  I purchased one on eBay yesterday for $31.

I drink just 'regular' coffee at work, but tend to drink the special brands on weekends, holidays, and vacations.

Feel free to keep posting the suggestions!


----------



## Icc5 (Apr 30, 2009)

*Starbux Sumatra*

I have a choice since my son works for Starbux and I have found this to be my personal favorite.  My wife can't stand it and drinks Casi Cielo when available.  
I only like it when I make Sumatra at home.  Do not like it when made at Starbux or other places.  If I wasn't drinking Sumatra my next choice would be any coffee with hazelnut in it.  For some unknow reason to me hazelnut works on me to relax me.
Bart


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Apr 30, 2009)

Icc5 said:


> I only like it when I make Sumatra at home.  Do not like it when made at Starbux or other places.


As I noted above, that's been my experience as well.


----------



## ricoba (Apr 30, 2009)

I agree Starbucks is better at home.

BTW, am I the only one who thinks the new Starbucks house roast, Pike Place roast, is just a bitter cup of dishwater?  It is just plain nasty.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Apr 30, 2009)

*Cheap Coffee For Us Old Folks.*

Don't forget the cut-rate sr. citz. coffee at McDonalds. 

It beat out some of the top names in a blind taste test a year or so back. 

Who'd a-thunk ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## Passepartout (Apr 30, 2009)

Other than the aforementioned and discontinued Sulawesi, I find all Starbux coffees bitter and kind of metallic tasting when they make it. At home, not so much, but it's been a long time since I've made any at home. The only time I buy it is in airports when I can get it beyond TSA and carry it aboard. It tastes bad enough that I make it last.

Jim RIcks


----------



## 3kids4me (May 1, 2009)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Some of you folks are real coffee afficianados.  I bow to your superior tastebuds.  I have a Keurig one cup brewer and enjoy it very much.  There are a multitude of K-cups available.  I won't tell you what I now use because if any of you experts are familiar at all with the products, I am asking what you would recommend in a K-cup (if anything).



I like Green Moutain's Island Coconut (seasonal - summer only) and Timothy's Irish Cream.  I'm sure both are sacrilege to ricoba over there who is just short of growing his own beans in the backyard.... 

P.S.  I have and like the Half-Caff as well...good for those times you may be worried about too much caffeine later in the evening.  Also, I do find that some of the flavored k-cups have coffee that is too weak.  The ones I mentioned don't seem to have this problem, or at least, they seem okay to me.


----------



## AwayWeGo (Jun 2, 2009)

*Internet Coffee.*

I just received a coffee shipment I ordered via Internet -- 1st time I've bought coffee that way.

I haven't even brewed up any Internet coffee yet so I don't know if it's good or bad or indifferent -- just took a chance. 

Click here to check out the source. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## ricoba (Jun 2, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> I just received a coffee shipment I ordered via Internet -- 1st time I've bought coffee that way.
> 
> I haven't even brewed up any Internet coffee yet so I don't know if it's good or bad or indifferent -- just took a chance.
> 
> ...



Alan, I quite like Community Coffee.  I have just finished a shipment from them and probably need to order some more.  I was particularly pleased with the Crescent City Blend and the French Quarter Fusion.


----------



## magiroux (Jun 2, 2009)

EZ-ED said:


> We like Peet's



Peet's Arabian Mocha Java, whole bean from the coffee shop, not the supermarket.......

Heaven in a cup!


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jun 2, 2009)

Passepartout said:


> Other than the aforementioned and discontinued Sulawesi, I find all Starbux coffees bitter and kind of metallic tasting when they make it. At home, not so much, but it's been a long time since I've made any at home. The only time I buy it is in airports when I can get it beyond TSA and carry it aboard. It tastes bad enough that I make it last.
> 
> Jim RIcks



Jim - when I found out Starbucks had discontinued Sulawesi, I found a local store that still had some in inventory.  I immediately bought the five pounds of beans they had in inventory. Sadly, those are gone.

I still enjoy Gold Coast, though I notice a big difference between Gold Coast they brew in stores versus what I get at home.  

Right now I'm drinking the last pot from a pound I bought at the airport on our way to Grand Cayman a bit over two weeks ago.  I had the bag ground at the airport.  The first few days in Grand Cayman it was good, but the quality has been steadily declining.  Right now it tastes about the same as the GC that gets served up in the stores.  Tomorrow I'm back to grinding beans.

Since the Sulawest was discontinued, I occasionally do a pound of Sumatra.  That's OK also.  

I understand the metallic taste comment.  That's what turns me off about almost all coffees, including most of Starbucks cheaper bold roasts (most definitely including their French roasts).  It's a good coffee that will take a strong roast and  decent brew without turning metallic.


----------



## ScoopKona (Jun 2, 2009)

ace2000 said:


> Just curious, what is everyone's favorite coffee brand/flavor (make-it-yourself variety)?
> 
> TIA



Kenya AA
Tanzanian Peaberry
Ethiopian

I buy African coffee because I love the taste, and it allows me to give back to countries that were good to me every morning.


----------



## calgarygary (Jun 2, 2009)

As a special treat, we are currently using Kona Mountain Private Reserve using a French press.  Authentic Blue Mountain is excellent also but we have been burned by counterfeit in the past.


----------



## Andar (Jun 2, 2009)

EZ-ED said:


> We like Peet's



We also have to have our Peets.    My husband said it is a quality of life issue!   Everything else is generic.


----------



## Ironwood (Jun 2, 2009)

Years ago returing from Guatemala I arrived at customs with a small leather suitcase about the size of an overstuffed computer bag I had bought in an open market, which I had stuffed with small packs of coffee beans.  I can still remember the look on the customs inspector seeing a dozen or so neatly stacked bags of coffee in that bag .  I was wisked aside and after half of the bags had been opened, he sent me on satisfied all I had in the suitcase was indeed coffee beans.  Turned out the coffee was lousy, and a hinge broke on the case after a couple of uses.  Live and learn!


----------



## AwayWeGo (Mar 29, 2010)

*Cuban Style Coffee.*

When we were in Florida in January, I picked up a few vacuum-packed bricks of Cuban style coffee at Publix & Winn-Dixie, just for variety.  I'd never tried that kind before, & I bought several. 

It turns out they were delicious, so when we went back to Florida earlier this month, I bought a few more bricks of _NavierA Famoso Café_ (since 1921), described on the package as Cuban style demitassee "cafe con leche" (even though I like it black).  

It's packed by Naviera Coffee Mills, Tampa FL, & the listed contents of the vacuum-packed brick are coffee & chicory. 

_NavierA Famoso Café_ & the other brands of Cuban & Puerto Rican style coffees I bought in January are all ground extremely fine -- like powder, or snuff.  They brew up fine in our Black & Decker Mr. Coffee style coffee maker, very rich & dark with a fragrance that's slightly pungent in a piquant & flavorful kind of way. 

The only similar brands on the supermarket shelves around here are espresso roasts, so now that I've taken a liking to the non-espresso Cuban-style fine-ground coffee with chicory, I may have to wait till we go back to Florida to get more.  Fortunately I've still have a few unopened packs on the shelf. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


----------



## akp (Mar 29, 2010)

*I'm a coffee snob!*

Like you said, Ricoba, I don't think of flavored coffee as coffee 

My favorite is a locally roasted coffee by a company called the Roasterie in Kansas City, Missouri.  The blend is called Full Vengeance - a wonderfully flavorful dark roast.  If you ever visit Kansas City and love good coffee, visit their cafe in the cute walkable neighborhood called Brookside just south of the Country Club Plaza.  Great ambiance, great coffee.  

When we travel we take our beans, our grinder, and our French Press because we love coffee and it can be a challenge to find a good coffee house in other towns. 

But i have to say that those instant coffee tubes from Starbucks (or even the grocery store brand) are pretty darn good, and I'm generally not a Starbux fan.

Anita


----------



## cvmar (Mar 29, 2010)

Caffè Appassionato  - Appassionato blend. This coffee is rich, smooth and low in acid. I just love it! It is a small roaster in Seattle. If you live in the Seattle area you should give it a try. I am spoiled for anything else.


----------



## RonB (Mar 29, 2010)

I won't pay for shipping coffee to me - it makes coffee very pricy. Right now I'g using one of the Starbucks extra bold varieties, (I recognize the package, just can't remember the name). I drink one large cup a day and make it with an Aero Press, and it makes a great cup_ if_ you are willing to follow their instructions and do everything exactly the same each time.

Ron


----------



## hvacrsteve (Mar 29, 2010)

I go for whatever is available!  I am not that choosie!


----------



## cissy (Mar 30, 2010)

What exactly is the cold brewing process?


----------



## mo1950 (Mar 30, 2010)

Santos Brasil.  But since DH retired, he does not travel to South America any longer to buy it, so I'm back to plain old Folger's Medium Roast.  My Dad started me on this when I was a child - half coffee, half milk.  I just have the bad habit of not even looking at coffee at the store and just throwing a tub of Folgers in the cart.  I'm always in a rush.

Thanks so much for this thread.  I really do need to try something different and now I have some good ideas.   Folgers does seem more acidic to me than a lot of other brands.  I think I will venture out to try some different coffees.


----------



## JoeP (Apr 2, 2010)

I use a Saeco Vienna SuperAutomatica coffee maker.  It grinds the beans -for one or two cups-, tamps the ground coffee, brews via the espresso method, and disposes of the used coffee pellet.  I sometimes use the latte or cappuccino option, but usually I'm too lazy or in a hurry.  (It seems that good coffee tastes even better when brewed under pressure.)  I've purchased excellent roasted beans online, but more usually in Whole Foods where it's fresh roasted.  Trader Joe's coffee is more competitively priced, but not as good at the high end.  I am often there and not feeling so "high end".

The best coffees I've known have been grown on small estates, hard to find, and, quite frankly, hard to remember by name.  It's been a search for great high notes on a rich and flavorful body.  Rarely can I find a brew to compete with the coffees that have been aged and perfected in my aging and imperfect memory.   

[ I first got hooked on the Saeco when I noticed that I was insisting on getting a cup of coffee from my son - who used one - when I visited him.  Even if I was picking him up at the curb, I'd call ahead and have him bring a mug of coffee to the car.  (I would joke that it was his coffee, and not his person, that impelled me to drop by.)  At the time, he was roasting the coffee beans himself, but he has since given it up as not time or cost-effective.]


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Apr 2, 2010)

I have a Keurig and now buy Emeril's Jazzed-up Decaf cups.  It's really tasty, and until I grow tired of it, and I will grow tired, it will be my coffee choice for a while.


----------



## RonB (Apr 2, 2010)

Here is a link to cold brewing. (I had never heard of it either, although my mother used to make "sun tea" with cold water.)
Ron


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Apr 4, 2010)

just tried donut house k-cups for Keurig.  I like them all but cinnamon bun is my favorite.


----------



## LBTRS (Apr 4, 2010)

Just finished our first 4lb's of coffee from Gold Star Coffee. Had two pounds of medium roast Kona Extra Fancy and two pounds of 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain. Both were spectacular and priced very well as far as Kona and Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee go. Just placed a second order for another four pounds of Gold Star Coffee. I found them on ebay and they have great feedback.

Gold Star Coffee


----------

