Burr grinder.
Chemex.
Done.

I too am a big fan of a burr grinder to have consistent ground size.

I recently was gifted and electric kettle that heats and holds water to a specific temp- in my case 195 degrees F. I was skeptical at first but it’s very fast and nice not to screw around with a thermometer and stovetop to hit a target temp.

I’m a French press guy. 4 minute brew, plunge, then I pour through a little tea strainer (to catch any stray grounds) into my travel mug.

I also add dairy, or lately, oat milk. *ducks*

I used to have a big Silvia/Rocky espresso set up. Sold it all. Now I only do drip coffee (decaf) during the week. (Moka pot on the weekends) El Cheapo crappy burr grinder that I hate because it is noisy and very slow. Brewed with a Bonavita drip machine. I could not justify the Techinivorm/Moccamaster, but the Bonavita is excellent. Very simple and it heats the water so fast and so hot - brews an entire pot in what seems like 2 minutes. The carafe keeps the coffee warm for a couple of hours. I would like to get a better grinder - probably the Kitchenaid burr grinder - it is the best I've seen for reasonable money.

I use whatever decaf beans I can find. I was buying from Trade Coffee (Drinktrade.com) for a while, but that shit gets expensive. If you are after fancy coffee beans, I highly recommend it.

I really like the Anodyne beans from Milwaukee which I was turned on to 3 years ago (seems like 10, doesn't it?) when visiting. Ordered from them a couple times since but usually I just get the Counter Culture Big Trouble at my local bakery.

Burr grinder (Baratza Virtuoso). Though I've been wanting to get something that's not insanely expensive that can do a decent espresso grind. Any suggestions?

Daily cup is usually from a Technivorm Moccamaster (drip). I'll use a Chemex if I have a new coffee that I want to try or just want a one-off cup of something. Then I have a Breville Bambino for the occasion I want an espresso (it's decent, though I think a better grinder would help me here).

For beans it's a bit all over the place, but lots of Portrait Coffee for our daily pots since they're local to the Atlanta area. I order from Glassworks Coffee occasionally, especially for their espresso bean, and it's really good (they're out of Chicago, right?). Quartertone Coffee has been offering some beans in collaboration with musicians/music-related companies (Pile, Electronic Audio Experiments) and they've been really good.

twelvepoint wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:57 am I really like the Anodyne beans from Milwaukee which I was turned on to 3 years ago (seems like 10, doesn't it?) when visiting. Ordered from them a couple times since but usually I just get the Counter Culture Big Trouble at my local bakery.

I live right down the block from an Anodyne. Except for their really expensive beans I find them to be a little too charred for my liking.. but maybe that's on me. They do have a legit pizza oven if you're ever back in the area.

I recently got an OXO burr grinder after my Bodum finally crapped out. It works a little too well, I have to keep it on a coarse setting. From there I usually grind one of the light roast varieties from local Stone Creek (or occasionally one of the ethiopian blends from Valentine) and set the timer on our Zojirushi drip machine. I'll sacrifice a little freshness to wake up to it being ready. I take mine with a little full fat Oatly or occasionally do a butter coffee with MCT oil.

In the colder months i have a Bunn automatic drip machine that is heavily used (it's about 15 years old now and still going strong.)

Once we get into shorts weather I'll start making cold brew to go over ice with one of these.

For both I've got a burr grinder, and will most often go with cheap as fuck beans like eight o' clock, but maybe every other month I'll splurge on a bag of something locally roasted.

For my own stuff, I always go black, no sugar, I only fuck with milk if I'm getting a coffee out somewhere nice and will usually get a latte in that case.

I just have a Keurig. I get my coffee from a local place that imports and roasts their own beans, and they grind 'em for me. It's "a medium-bodied blend that features nutty, fruity, and chocolatey tones."

A touch of half-and-half (or cream, or milk, but none of that powdered shit). But I'll drink it black, I'm not too picky. Starbucks is fine if I'm out of town and it's close by.

During the warmer months, I'll order the shop's Cold Brew Mocha, which is their cold brew with a bit of chocolate milk. It's the best after a morning run (and they have coffee ice!).

This is my field. I've worked in specialty coffee for the past...jesus...15 years. It was never a passion of mine, but I went through art school with no delusions that it would offer a career path and needed a full time job with health insurance after I graduated. I repair, install and maintain commercial high end coffee and espresso equipment. Like any 'specialty' niche there is a significant amount of smoke being blown up the ass. It really is worth it to get good coffee though. I've never been a barista, always been on the repair side of things. I manage the service department for a place that imports and roasts the good stuff in small batches. They really do a good job of it, too. Our head roaster cups samples from all over the world and brings in the best. My personal favorites are naturally processed Ethiopian coffees. The natural processing means they leave the cherry (the fruit) on the bean as it dries. The result is that the coffee is often wildly fruity in aroma and has a unique flavor. Still tastes like coffee, for sure, but when they get into those 'tasting notes' and talk about hints of green pepper and marmalade, most of the time I can't find those flavors, except with Ethiopian coffees you totally can. Blueberry, cherry, things like that.

A few years ago I stopped drinking coffee during the week. After decades of drinking cup after cup of black coffee I started to feel like shit after my second cup. Just overcaffeinated, jagged, anxious. Now I'm on green tea during the week (Rishi Jade Cloud is the shit) and just have coffee on the weekends. Coffee is a treat again instead of something I'm constantly and thoughtlessly pouring into my face.

I've been using the same blade grinder forever. That and a French press. I get the burr grinder thing, but, from my end, I often see the Baratza stuff coming back fucked up and it's not built to last or be repaired at all. I don't want to drop a hundo or whatever on something like that. A "good" burr grinder is going to be more like a commercial one and those start closer to $800, but even in those grinders the burrs are often not sharp, but more like metal nubs that crush and bust rather than finely grind. The only reason to have a grinder with flat, sharp burrs is for espresso, where it's a necessity. My $15 grinder is just fine. It's one of those things where, yes, technically there is a difference, but it's just like audio gear minutia; so much of it is opinion and influence. It's more important to grind the beans right before you make the coffee than what you're grinding them with. I use regular old tap water heated in a tea kettle and I put a little whole milk in my coffee.

I don't deal much with home use equipment, but I do know that you can easily spend a couple hundred on a grinder or 5 grand on a little espresso machine and it's still going to be a piece of shit. I'd avoid the bells and whistles and go with the classics; chemex, French press, pour over, stovetop Bialetti. These are the way. If any of you have questions about this stuff, I'm here for you.

Oh yeah and in the summer I make cold brew by putting water and a ton of coarsely ground coffee in a half gallon mason jar in the fridge. After 12-24 hours strain it by put a big coffee filter (13"x5") in a strainer over a pot and carefully pour it through to remove the grounds and solids.