Coffee, grind your own?

[tonypaj]

Yep, I use a good burr grinder and fresh beans. I go between Peet's and a local roaster. It makes a difference to me. It all depends on you and your taste. I use La Pavoni lever machines which are very old-school. I enjoy the process of making and drinking!

I've got a La Pavoni Europiccola, which makes excellent coffee after a bit of practice, but overheats fast. 1-2 shots, then cool it down with a towel or wait. If you have guests around, how do you handle that, or is that not a problem with your model?

Most of the time I just use the trusty Rancilio Silvia, the easiest machine that I know, I get the beans locally, grind them in an Isomac grinder, and make better espressos than I can get anywhere here. The only issue is adjusting the grinder to beans, but as I mostly use the same blend, even that is a moot point.

Though it is a 30 minute trip one way to get the beans, have to do it once a week, possibly a roaster in the future, Gene Cafe or some such.

[Sir Jacket]

Yep, as my wife said , when it comes to consumables i am a bit of a snob. I buy from a place that roasts it there and I buy it within a week of it being roasted. Then I grind only what I need. I keep it in a airtight, opaque container and never keep it for more than one month. If I have the time I will use a French press , I feel that is the best way to make coffee especially if you control the temp of the water you use, but I will use a drip coffee maker , but only once I have made sure it does not brew hotter than 135 F.

Steve, why is the container supposed to be opaque?

SJ

[DeaconKC]

arrggh, My Mr Coffee died the other day. Just bought it in February, why, oh why, can't manufacturers build something that will last anymore? I don't mind paying a little extra for quality. Oh well, I grabbed a $15 cheapie and will pitch it when it dies.

[Todd V]

I grind in a Zassenhaus manual burr grinder and brew with a Chemex. I will only use beans that are fresh. Luckily, there are two roasters nearby. On a day to day basis, I'm drinking whatever is on tap at the coffee place in the train station. As particular as I can be, I am a glutton and I will drink motor oil from a tin can if necessary.

[therizyflapper]

yummy!! i love fresh-ground! I'm not much of a coffee drinker (I'm a tea gal), but when i do sit and Enjoy a cup i do prefer it freshly ground i like the mr.coffee coffee grinders they work great for grinding spices as well (which is yummy in your coffee if you just ground some cinnamon!)

[maduro 5]

About 7 years ago I moved into a new house and decided that I need an espresso machine. I ended up with Rancilio Sylvia and initially I thought that I would get away with buying ground coffee from whatever source I was buying it from. I found out very quickly that Sylvia is one fussy lady and that commercial grinders simply do not grind the beans finely enough to match Sylvia's demands. At the end I ended up buying Rancilio Rocky dozerless grinder and I have to admit that they make mighty fine pair.

[lframe]

I use a burr grinder every morning. Some days are French press, but 9 times out of 10, I prepare drip coffee. I also have a percolator that comes in handy at times (such as when Grandma comes to visit).

I'm also a bean snob and buy my beans from a local in Charlotte who's as picky as I am. It's also the only shop here I'll buy a cup of straight coffee from. The other shops in Charlotte either have burnt (Starbucks) or skunky coffee.

[lframe]

arrggh, My Mr Coffee died the other day. Just bought it in February, why, oh why, can't manufacturers build something that will last anymore? I don't mind paying a little extra for quality. Oh well, I grabbed a $15 cheapie and will pitch it when it dies.

I buy the Cuisinart that has a thermal caraffe. The coffee stays fresh and the burner turns off so the coffee is kept hot, but not burned.

[skyvue]

Because I've cited her in this thread a number of times, I hope it's okay to mention that my wife's travel piece about her espresso pilgrimage to Italy ran in the Washington Post yesterday. You can read it online here: http://dld.bz/bzKTg

[DeaconKC]

Getting ready for some yard work today and starting off this Saturday with a couple of good cups of coffee. Enjoy a cup on me, my friends!