Do you grind your coffee beans yourself and how much better is your coffee when you do?

[applegrove]

What band of whole coffee beans is your favourite? I just bought a burr coffee grinder. I can't wait.

[Marcus IM]

1. That and a French press, and you are in it to win it!

All the best.

[applegrove]

3. That is next on my list.

[CurtEastPoint]

7. Yep. Every day and hear milk in small glass press and

Plunger it up and down till frothy

[Bluethroughu]

22. So true!

[msongs]

4. one suspects most ppl cannot tell much difference about various coffees. nt

[applegrove]

9. I need to start drinking more coffee and less diet coke. I'm hoping being

a coffee hipster will help me make the change.

[Ocelot II]

5. I grind my own so I can use refillable Keurig pods.

And the coffee is definitely better. I buy what's on sale.

[applegrove]

10. Thanks.

[Wingus Dingus]

6. We always grind our own beans, unless we're using the Keurig

for individual cups here and there. We haven't gone back to pre-ground in more than 15 years. I like Caribou Coffee, but we get whatever's on sale or available--Walmart's store brand, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Seattle's Best, Boyers--I like medium roast beans. You can start with Tim Horton's and experiment.

[applegrove]

11. Thank you.

[fierywoman]

8. I've ground my own beans and used the drip method for the last 50 years or so.

I'm getting coffee (organic, fair trade, dark roasts) at Costco -- best price in town.

[applegrove]

13. Thanks.

[yonder]

38. Same method here for a bit over 40 years now

and have gone through countless drip socks, cones and filters.

A few years ago we tried a glass Chemex drip system till it cracked — which was okay because the brew was perhaps too clean with less body, so.......we went back to what we knew and a nice, ceramic, Hario V60.

[RockRaven]

12. I've gone through periods where I did (with a burr grinder), currently I'm not due to laziness

and convenience factors. It's noticeably better, I highly recommend it.

As for brands, I go for Peet's. Mostly because that's my local coffee store, it's been in my town longer than any other such chain (Starbucks, Coffee Bean &Tea Leaf, etc), so there's just a loyalty/familiarity factor at work I guess. Getting it in person from their stores is best, ordering online is second best, either of those are much better than buying it from a supermarket.

[applegrove]

14. Thanks.

[Blue Owl]

15. The taste -- and the aroma -- are much more vibrant!

[applegrove]

24. I look forward to it.

[elleng]

16. I used to, was great.

Cuvée Coffee from Texas.

Cuvée Coffee

Location: Austin, TX

Shipping: Delivery within the US only. Free shipping from $25.

Whole or Ground: Both

[applegrove]

25. Oh I am in Canada.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

17. My wife and I have started cold brewing

We bought a burr grinder and make it daily. Still trying to perfect the cold foam, but we make some tasty sweet cream.

[applegrove]

26. I got a burr. Can't wait till it comes.

[LudwigPastorius]

18. Yes, I do.

Grinding whole beans makes the difference between a mediocre cup and a really good cup of coffee.

Allegro, based in Colorado, sells a coffee called Blue Nile Blend that I crave. I get it at Whole Foods

[applegrove]

27. I wonder if I will be able to taste it now that I am a non smoker. 30 years ago

i tried it but as a long term smoker i didn't get much taste difference.

[LudwigPastorius]

32. Your beans should be fresh...even if vacuum packed, they'll start to lose it if...

they sit on the shelf too long.

There was a joint a few miles from where I used to live that imported the beans green and roasted them while you wait.

I'd come away with a half pound sack that was still warm. Mmmm MMM!

[marble falls]

19. Better. Much better. Try a med roast with either a French press or a Breva. Cannot go wrong.

[applegrove]

29. I can't wait.

[marble falls]

43. You will not regret it!

[Phoenix61]

20. I've got my grandfather's hand grinder.

Still works great. Fresh ground is infinitely better.

[applegrove]

23. I got a hand grinder.

[Bluethroughu]

21. Yes, A blonde roast.

The butterscotch tones in some go down well, but because my husband gets heartburn, I stick with the blonde.

Happy grind!

[applegrove]

30. Never had blond.

[Bluethroughu]

34. It's veranda by Starbucks... it's smooth not dry.

[Diamond_Dog]

28. Grinding your own beans makes the best coffee!

I like either Ethiopian or Kenyan beans.

[applegrove]

31. I'm getting some of those.

[Bluethroughu]

35. Totally agree Ethiopian beans are awesome.

[marble falls]

44. Ethiopian, Sumatran, Blue Mountain, Kona, Guatamalan ... so many wonderfull places to sip!

... look for 'shade grown', 'fair market', 'small farm', 'farmer's co-operative' on the label!

[Bluethroughu]

54. Exactly!

[LuvLoogie]

33. My go to origins are Kenya, Ethiopia, Sumatra, Columbia

My go to blends I like are Peete's Major Dickson (which is still pretty decent already ground) A couple Starbucks Blends. Sometimes I'll get a pound each of two different origins/blends and ask the roaster/vendor grind one for French press, the other for drip. We go through it pretty quickly, so pre-grinding doesn't kill the freshness for us. I do have my own manual grinder if it's just me and I have time.

Water is 15 to 18 ml per gram of coffee. Get a scale.

But yeah, whole bean.

[SlimJimmy]

36. Yes, we grind our own coffee. Much better that way.

We make it one cup at a time. And, believe it or not, 8 o'clock regular coffee is quite good when ground fresh.

[marble falls]

45. My mom used to buy 'Eight O'Clock' for Thanksgiving till New Years. It was her favorite ...

... otherwise it was Nescafé until they bought a Mr Coffee and a can of Maxwell House in the late seventies (which was a not too bad coffee).

[WheelWalker]

37. I process whole beans with a burr grinder. Drink less coffee; enjoy it more.

I like a fine to medium fine setting and use a single cup cone with a no. 2 filter. My go to bean is a dark roast, preferably Sumatran or Nicaraguan. Generally one, sometimes two, 12 oz cups AFTER I take my morning blood pressure and meds.

[IcyPeas]

39. Yes. I bought an OXO burr grinder

I buy Allegro coffee from whole foods. I used to grind it there but when the pandemic happened they took away the communal coffee grinders. This one gets the highest ratings for its price.

I make the coffee in a Clever Coffee Dripper.

[FrankTC]

40. Hugely Disappointed (maybe there's a competence issue)

I bought a top shelf burr grinder (not bragging, just stating the sad facts) and a top shelf drip coffee machine (highest rating by several reviewers) and top shelf beans (from Seattle Coffee) and damn I’ve yet to make coffee better than Keurig. I’ve studied up, watched videos, read commentaries from connoisseurs — my brewed coffee still sucks. I’m not sure if I’m going to give up entirely. Maybe I’ll have another go. I started this quest because back in the late 70’s one of my professors invited a bunch of us to his house and served coffee. It was delicious — transformative, a revelation. I’ve been questing ever since, but will probably never arrive in part because he was Dutch Indonesian and was probably raised on a coffee plantation. So it’s been K-cups for me lately, and the occasional fond memory of Professor D.

[marble falls]

46. Loved everything about my Keurig - except the throwawy plastic cup. Got a reusable cup - coffee ...

... still good, and then I realized it was 'on' 24/7. The blue night light effect was nice, but I'm not in the kitchen at night much. And the reservoir. Not convenient for filling. Back to the Breva and the French Press.

My MiL loves my Keurig.

[Mr.Bill]

52. I bought a Keurig years ago.

Before it was one year old, one day it leaked water all over the counter. Before that I had a Mr. Coffee espresso maker. It worked well for years then one day it exploded and blew the top off. It sounded like a gun went of in the kitchen. If I had been close to it I would have been badly burned. I went back to a Mr. Coffee drip.

[marble falls]

53. I was always kind of worried about my aluminum Breva. Got a stainless one now. I trust the ...

... safety valves on them, and it is important that the water level is below the valve.

I have a Mr Spresso, too. The aluminum/pot metal tank kinda makes me doubtful, too. The lid seems secure, but pot metal is not used on most quality goods. Haven't used it in years.

[RobinA]

51. How's Your Water?

I grind my own beans and have since forever. I'm not some great coffeeophile, but I can tell the difference between fresh ground and not pretty easily. Maybe just experiment with less top shelf stuff. Especially try all different coffees.

[LunaSea]

41. Now find a local roaster!

I cried when mine retired.
But I'll always have illy.....


https://www.illy.com/en-us/coffee/whole-bean-coffee

[Marcus IM]

42. Keep your beans in the freezer.

Less oxidation and more flavor for the duration of the bag.

[SlimJimmy]

49. That's what we do. Works a charm.

[llashram]

47. yep

and no favourites, they just have to be dark roast... I got to have that wake-up caffeine.

[Fla Dem]

48. I always ground my coffee.

For years that's how I brewed coffee every morning. Then the grinder stopped working. So, buying a new grinder went on my list of things to do. I did finally get around to getting a new grinder, but in the meantime, I went back to preground coffee.

Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. So now I rarely buy the beans.

However, reading the above posts, I've obviously did not do the whole process correctly or buy the right beans.

I'd buy whatever brand was on sale.
I'd grind a whole weeks' worth and store them in an airtight container. When I was working, it was a time saving issue.
Used to keep them in the fridge, until I read that wasn't good for the beans.

I'm happy with my coffee and I get compliments when I have company and serve coffee. So guess I'll stick with it.

[VGNonly]

50. Whole beans from Biggby

A Brita filter for the water

Semi-course grind

Small batches-Coffee Gator, all glass and stainless steel, no plastic parts or paper filters

For a bigger pot, I'll use an old fashioned stovetop percolator, all steel

[GenThePerservering]

55. I grind my own

with an Apollo hand grinder. I have two espresso machines - a backup Acasio (about 10 years old) and my main one which is a 45- or 50-year-old Le Cara lever machine. I call it my tempestuous Italian Boyfriend - it's kind of quirky with no gauges, but it works very well if you keep your thumb on it lol.

I'm a complete coffee hound (nerd warning) and can tell the difference between fresh ground and old ground, but my view is that it has to do with grind type as much as anything, and of course freshness. I could tell in my lever machine, but a pour-over or French press I think would be another story, as long as the coffee itself was fresh. Because of the extraction methods, small differences magnify with lever machines - even more, I think, than automatic espresso machines (my Acasio is a semi-auto). The same with the grind size. My Apollo grinder is intuitive and I had to dial it in after some experimentation with my own espresso machine. It's important to remember that after grinding, the beans begin to loose some of their oils. Keeping coffee of any kind in the refrigerator is a very bad idea - in the cupboard or the freezer - because of the drying effect.

Someone mentioned Peet's Major Dickason's Blend and it's very good. I like the very local (to Pac NW) Mazza (small family company) and Caffe Vita (also very local) as well as Fidalgo (local on Fidalgo Island). Caffe Appassionato is quite good if coffee tends to give you heartburn - it's low acidic and very smooth. I like single origin coffee, but for my daily coffee drinking use Mazza (affordable) - fancy "company coming" coffee is Caffe Appassionato since a few of the older family members like a less aggressive brew. I've had a few national brands (Starbucks French Roast isn't bad and if you're serving a large crowd you can get the big bags of beans at some Costcos) because we have so much local coffee. I think my area has the highest coffee consumption in the country - we pound the stuff down like crazy - a lot is attributed to our dank weather.

If a mob is over we have a Mr Coffee and a large non-burr coffee grinder downstairs, which I bring upstairs.

And here, my husband is a dedicated tea drinker.