new coffee drinking wanting tips?

What's a good coffee??? You really know how to start a holy war, don't you? :-) Ok, here's my opinion.

Do NOT buy Starbucks. They actually use a very low quality of coffee bean and roast the heck out of it. Blech. No...really... If Starbucks is the only "premium" brand available in your area, just go to the grocery store and get some national brand (Chock Full O' Nuts isn't bad.)

If there are any locations near you, I'd go with Caribou Coffee. They have a number of really good coffees. My personal favorite is their "Amy's Blend", a seasonal coffee that's available now. Their "Caribou Blend" is a good medium roast -- a good "starter" coffee until you get a feel for whether you prefer lighter or darker roasts.

Dunkin Donuts is second behind Caribou.

Maxwell House and Folgers are to coffee what Burger King and McD's are to food. Available everywhere. Low priced. Good enough if that's all you can get. ...but not great.

If you have a mega-supermarket near you, where they have the bins of bulk coffee, just take a sniff of each one. They'll probably ALL smell a little too strong/bitter. Don't be put off by that... just try to discern some of the differences to find one you like. Don't buy the lowest priced - you'll just be disappointed. And you probably won't appreciate what makes the expensive ones worth it yet. Start in the mid price range.

Amount to use. I I recall, following the directions for a Mr. Coffee makes coffee a bit weak for my taste. Then again, that's not a bad place to start. Just keep track of how much coffee and how much water you use the first couple times and compare that with whether you thought the results were too strong/ too weak / just right.

Cleaning old grounds out of used coffee filters is probably more trouble than it's worth. Just buy some off brand filters. When you buy Mr. Coffee brnad filters half the price is paying for the name.

The worst coffee breath is caused by having coffee with really dairy products (as opposed to coffee mate) and no sugar. Unfortunately, that's just how I like mine. Keep some Altoids with you.

How to keep it fresh? Do at least one of the following:

1. Buy whole beans and grind your own just before brewing.

2. Buy only a half pound at a time.

3. Keep in an air-tight, opaque container. (You don't have to keep it the refridgerator.)

Did I already mention how bad Starbucks is?

Coffee is an aquired taste, and obviously you know that you must be prepared to drink coffee, as it is easy to get hooked. Some of us are die-ard coffee freaks! Looking for something smooth and nutty? Chock-full-of-nuts in the grocery store. Not too pricey, easy to make. McDonald's has the best drive-thru coffee, and Starbucks still gets my vote on best coffee to stand in line for as you rush to get to work. I have not tried Donkin Donuts, but I heard it is good too, and best gas station coffee? I'd have to say there is a tie between QT and BP. No, you can't re-use coffee grinds, and I wouldn't recommend re-using filters. The amount depends on your taste-heavy, rich taste, use more coffee & less water, even taste 2 scoops with 6 cups water, lite coffee taste, I dont know about this, never been up for lite coffee taste. some people also like thier coffee Boston, with equal cream & sugar, others like it straight up black & strong.

For a special kick, or maybe to live on the edge a littel, try some Cuban coffee. You ahve to get this from a Cuban outdoor coffee stand or an authentic Cuban restaurant! You will love it!

Welcome to coffee city! Glad to have you!

Good coffee is mountain grown arabica, roasted within the last four weeks. Buy it as bean coffee direct from the roaster. Grind it and brew it fresh and drink it right away. I do put some in a thermos to take with me because it is a lot cheaper than Starbucks and I get it just as I like it. You cannot reuse anything, and you need to wash the pot, maker, and grinder every day for the best of tastes. Horrible coffee breath comes from drinking too much of the cheaper robusta blends without eating. You also get too much caffeine that way.

Don Francisco has a great catalog of all kinds and flavors of mountain grown bean coffees, and they ship it to you fresh roasted.

I like non-dairy creamer best, as opposed to milk or 1/2 and 1/2.

Get some cremora or coffee mate (maybe flavored) and add 2-3 heaping spoonfuls to your cup. Yes, that much. Then, either 1 spoon of sugar, or two.

I like 1.

But that might be too un-sweet for you.

Get any coffee - folgers medium to dark is good.

Or a premium blend from the grocery, coffee aisle. They will grind it for you.

Put about 4 TBSP. in the filter. Or 5.

Its approximate depending on taste.

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Coffee breath is delicious!

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