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Kirkland House Blend Coffee no longer Starbucks?

geist1223 said:
I just use an inexpensive plug in the Socket Timer in which I plug in my Coffee Maker. When I wakeup my Coffee is ready. This does not work with Coffee Makers that turn themselves off after an hour or two. The Timer is set to go off after an hour or two so the Coffee does not get burned.
Click to expand...
my coffee maker doesn't have a on/off switch that works like this. It's an electronic button that you can't "pre push" like a toggle switch.
 
Nice to have a simple old fashion inexpensive coffee maker.
 
WaikikiFirst said:
That is what I am to my wife, as of 30 minutes ago once again
Click to expand...

There's more to it than that unfortunately.

I like simple as well. I have but three coffee makers -- two of them have a single switch and the third is a French press I use when the power goes out.

The problem with most coffee makers is they don't get the water hot enough to make a decent cup of coffee. The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). Too cold and it's a flat, tasteless cup. Too hot and it can be bitter. (Depends on the roast.) Most coffee maker manufacturers don't care if their customers get a decent cup of coffee -- only that their product is bought. That nesting-doll yacht ain't going to pay for itself.

In general, the lighter the roast, the hotter the water needs to be. (In general.) And the water needs to be hotter than the target temperature -- because everything else is presumably at room temperature and will immediately suck a few degrees away. Ideally, the consumer runs boiling water through whatever system he or she is using to warm-up the equipment. That extra step would make a big difference in taste.

I'm willing to wager that most of the people who read this message have no idea what brew temperature they're using. And also that they're brewing too cold. Most coffee makers are way too cold -- and that's why charbucks is so popular. When brewed correctly, it tastes like burnt, bitter dirt. When brewed with an under-powered, anemic coffee maker, it improves to all the way to mediocre.

Most people would be best served with a burr grinder, a French press, an accurate thermometer and gram scale. The difference between coffee and "almost coffee" is roughly the same as the difference between real maple syrup and Log Cabin. Unfortunately, it works just like Log Cabin -- people who have been consuming "almost syrup" for a lifetime aren't going to like the real thing. It's a flavor assault on their senses. Also the same with "olive" oil and olive oil.
 
"The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). "

i'm surprised you didn't suggest an electric tea pot. OK, I'm sure that's not the name, but an electric water kettle for the countertop. (I'm pretty sure they are popular in Japan and Europe, GB among other places). Don't those heat to specific temperatures?
 
Snazzylass said:
"The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). "

i'm surprised you didn't suggest an electric tea pot. OK, I'm sure that's not the name, but an electric water kettle for the countertop. (I'm pretty sure they are popular in Japan and Europe, GB among other places). Don't those heat to specific temperatures?
Click to expand...
I'm SURE we will get an explanation for this.
 
Snazzylass said:
"The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). "

i'm surprised you didn't suggest an electric tea pot. OK, I'm sure that's not the name, but an electric water kettle for the countertop. (I'm pretty sure they are popular in Japan and Europe, GB among other places). Don't those heat to specific temperatures?
Click to expand...
We use an electric tea kettle. A regular one doesn't get the water hot enough at our altitude.
 
DaveNV said:
Caroline, the friend of mine who used to own the Coffee Gallery in Haleiwa, on Oahu, always referred to Starbucks as "Charbucks."

We've seen Starbucks beans come and go at the various Costco warehouses here in Southern Nevada. When the beans are available, we buy them. (I grew up with "Charbucks" in Seattle, and I'm okay with the flavor, but I like other coffee, too.) When we can't get their beans, Peets is a good replacement. After 20 years in the Navy, I can drink just about any sort of coffee placed in front of me.

Currently, in our kitchen, we have a combination of Starbucks French Roast beans, Peets ground French Roast, Peets Major Dickinsen Blend coffee (it's like non-oily French Roast), and Angelino's Italian Roast Keurig pods. #CoffeeSnobs :D

Dave
Click to expand...
I love Major Dickasons dark roast. Its a strong flavored cupajoe.
 
ScoopKona said:
The problem with most coffee makers is they don't get the water hot enough to make a decent cup of coffee. The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C).
Click to expand...
...
ScoopKona said:
And the water needs to be hotter than the target temperature -- because everything else is presumably at room temperature and will immediately suck a few degrees away. Ideally, the consumer runs boiling water through whatever system he or she is using to warm-up the equipment. That extra step would make a big difference in taste.
Click to expand...
So how hot should the water be? How hot is too hot?
 
Now y’all are bringing back memories of my mom, frying bacon & eggs for my dad every morning, with the French drip pot sitting in some simmering water next to a pot of boiling water. Periodically she’d pour about a tablespoon of that boiling water over the grounds (coffee & chicory, of course) in the French drip pot and let it sink in before she’d add another spoonful. Her coffee was like syrup, and my dad drank it with lots of sugar and evaporated milk.
 
We also have a combo coffee maker, pods or carafe. There aren't many choices when you only drink decaffeinated coffee, so I have Peet's Dark Roast Decaf pods on auto reorder at Amazon. Every so often Vons / Safeway will have Starbucks on sale and I buy a bag of decaf to brew a pot.

This time of year I bring coffee and donuts to our tax sessions, so I'll buy regular dark roast. I've forgotten how many scoops per cup of water, and I don't drink it, but I never get complaints about free coffee and a donut.

We have a Brio water machine, I fill 5 gallon jugs at the local water store (5 stage filtration). It's nice having hot, chilled, and room temp water on tap, and it does make a difference to coffee.

I like Coffee mate no sugar Italian Cream in my coffee, the wife just uses milk.
 
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ScoopKona said:
There's more to it than that unfortunately.

I like simple as well. I have but three coffee makers -- two of them have a single switch and the third is a French press I use when the power goes out.

The problem with most coffee makers is they don't get the water hot enough to make a decent cup of coffee. The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). Too cold and it's a flat, tasteless cup. Too hot and it can be bitter. (Depends on the roast.) Most coffee maker manufacturers don't care if their customers get a decent cup of coffee -- only that their product is bought. That nesting-doll yacht ain't going to pay for itself.

In general, the lighter the roast, the hotter the water needs to be. (In general.) And the water needs to be hotter than the target temperature -- because everything else is presumably at room temperature and will immediately suck a few degrees away. Ideally, the consumer runs boiling water through whatever system he or she is using to warm-up the equipment. That extra step would make a big difference in taste.

I'm willing to wager that most of the people who read this message have no idea what brew temperature they're using. And also that they're brewing too cold. Most coffee makers are way too cold -- and that's why charbucks is so popular. When brewed correctly, it tastes like burnt, bitter dirt. When brewed with an under-powered, anemic coffee maker, it improves to all the way to mediocre.

Most people would be best served with a burr grinder, a French press, an accurate thermometer and gram scale. The difference between coffee and "almost coffee" is roughly the same as the difference between real maple syrup and Log Cabin. Unfortunately, it works just like Log Cabin -- people who have been consuming "almost syrup" for a lifetime aren't going to like the real thing. It's a flavor assault on their senses. Also the same with "olive" oil and olive oil.
Click to expand...

I've tasted real Kona coffee !
(properly brewed)

I'm guessing you already saw this
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/...waii-authenticity.html?searchResultPosition=1
 
SmithOp said:
We also have a combo coffee maker, pods or carafe. There aren't many choices when you only drink decaffeinated coffee, so I have Peet's Dark Roast Decaf pods on auto reorder at Amazon.
Click to expand...

I only drink decaf as well. My go to coffee is Cameron’s decaf breakfast blend which is a light roast but you may prefer their organic french roast:

www.cameronscoffee.com

Coffee

Cameron's Coffee Always Smooth, Never Bitter
www.cameronscoffee.com www.cameronscoffee.com

You can find their products at Amazon, as well, though availability and pricing has been irregular for the last couple of years so I just order direct. They previously had several other decaf options, such as a smooth hazelnut. I originally found Cameron’s at Gelsons supermarket when I was only buying pods.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I just returned last week from Vietnam. I always thought Seattle and Portland (I grew up in the PNW) had lots of coffee shops (like one or two on every corner) but in Vietnam they are obsessed with coffee - there will be 3 or 4 coffee shops per block in a major city and an impressive number even in small villages. And for good reason - it is FABULOUS there. It is one of their major cash crops and they brew it and serve it in many different and unique ways - two I loved were egg coffee and salted cream coffee - delicious. The pour over method is widely used - easy and cheap - and makes a very good cup of joe, straight up without the fancy stuff!
 
youppi said:
I see you are from BC. Did you try Kicking Horse coffee (https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/) ?
Kicking Horse is a company from BC. Their coffee beans are certified Organic and Fairtrade, which come from many places around the world and roasted in BC.
We like their Smart Ass and their Cliff Hanger Expresso beans but Costco doesn't sell any Kicking Horse coffee beans and thus they are more expensive to buy at the grocery store than the Lavazza coffee beans at Costco.
Click to expand...
In follow up to this, I did go to Costco tonight and wanted to confirm that I wasn't seeing things. We do indeed have Kicking Horse "Happy Camper" variety which is a medium roast in a 1 kg bag (2.2 lb for our US friends) for $21.99. I'm going to give it a try and hopefully it's not gutless. ;)
 
PrairieGirl said:
I just returned last week from Vietnam. I always thought Seattle and Portland (I grew up in the PNW) had lots of coffee shops (like one or two on every corner) but in Vietnam they are obsessed with coffee - there will be 3 or 4 coffee shops per block in a major city and an impressive number even in small villages. And for good reason - it is FABULOUS there. It is one of their major cash crops and they brew it and serve it in many different and unique ways - two I loved were egg coffee and salted cream coffee - delicious. The pour over method is widely used - easy and cheap - and makes a very good cup of joe, straight up without the fancy stuff!
Click to expand...
I love Vietnam, and yes the coffee is fabulous. I have their little metal coffee filters at home but only use them for making Vietnamese iced coffees. It is a VERY slow drip and I'm not that patient!
 
We’ve been buying Costco starbucis coffee for at least 8 years and we really loved the coffee and price. It taste very much like Starbucks house blend. Not judging anyone for liking or disliking the coffee. We are very unhappy with the new coffee and will just buy pikes from Sam’s club.
 
Snazzylass said:
"The best extraction happens between 195-205F (90.5-96C). "

i'm surprised you didn't suggest an electric tea pot. OK, I'm sure that's not the name, but an electric water kettle for the countertop. (I'm pretty sure they are popular in Japan and Europe, GB among other places). Don't those heat to specific temperatures?
Click to expand...
that's what we use. it has multiple set points for different kinds of tea, 165 for green tea, for example, and 200 for coffee. very convenient. we switched to the kettle after our instant hot water tap leaked on vacation causing $25,000 of damage to the house.

I like Starbucks Pike Place roast at the store and drink it black. just a flavor I'm used to. At home I'm using a variety of local roasters (Coava, Caffe d'Arte, one down the road which is super smooth) of third wave coffee, as well as Kicking Horse swiss water decaf, which I get from Amazon. I have a burr grinder and a gram scale and a French press for my daily just like Scoop says but am hardly a coffee snob. All of this equipment is old and durable and wasn't very expensive. It takes 10 minutes to make up to 4 cups of coffee , 3 minutes to heat the water and 7 minutes to brew. I love French press. It is richer and has more body. Silky. I also have a Gevalia 12 cup and a Cuisinart insulated carafe 10 cup for when we have guests. And we bought a Nespresso on sale a couple years ago and like the little shots of espresso-like coffee they make, 1 or two a day. I even use K cups at work in a pinch. i've found the original donut shop coffee is drinkable.

the freshness of the beans and the freshness of the grind and the quality of the beans make all the difference. And there's lots of good coffee out there for not a lot of money in the scheme of things.
 
Folgers coffee is the best part of waking up.

Just kidding. I don’t drink coffee but this thread is fascinating. That Folgers coffee jingle is stuck in my head.
 
marmite said:
In follow up to this, I did go to Costco tonight and wanted to confirm that I wasn't seeing things. We do indeed have Kicking Horse "Happy Camper" variety which is a medium roast in a 1 kg bag (2.2 lb for our US friends) for $21.99. I'm going to give it a try and hopefully it's not gutless. ;)
Click to expand...
I never tried this one (I never see it at any grocery stores).
I hope you will like it.
There are few reviews but they are good on the Kicking Horse web site https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.ca/collections/coffee/products/happy-camper-kg.
$21.99 CAD is way cheaper than the $32.99 CAD directly from the Kicking Horse web site.
 
dannybaker said:
We’ve been buying Costco starbucis coffee for at least 8 years and we really loved the coffee and price. It taste very much like Starbucks house blend. Not judging anyone for liking or disliking the coffee. We are very unhappy with the new coffee and will just buy pikes from Sam’s club.
Click to expand...
I may have to check out Sam's again. Costco closed the store closest to us and are now eliminating many of the products that we bought previously. If you were a regular Kirkland Starbucks user and don't like their replacement, I will likely not like it as well.

I just checked the Sam's website and they had the Starbucks House Blend Whole bean coffee for the same price as Kirkland's was when it was Starbucks: $15.99. I might as well just buy the Starbucks at Sam's, although it is a slightly smaller package (2.2 vs 2.5 lb)
 
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