patrick.net

Covfefe!

Now back to my boring conference call...

I stopped drinking coffee. Loved it for close to 2 decades on top of drinking energy drinks (I know, awful). I know this isn't what you're asking, but I'd just quit. Caffeine isn't going to kill you, and yes there are some proven positive elements from coffee, but I've been much more alert after quitting coffee. Took a while. Let the body work naturally. Hell, you're retiring, sleep in.

I was a powder grinder myself. But if you're going to drink coffee I'd go balls out. It's a tiny expense all things considered if it's something you enjoy. If your hobby was golf, then that is a different conversation how to save money. One round is more than one year of coffee at a decent course. I'd say just get the best coffee you can get. You're talking numbers that are similar to leaving a light on all day. You also only live once, enjoy it within reason. This seems like an expense that is negligible.

Most expensive I've gotten for home roast is authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain. It's been 3-4 years, so can't remember the price or quantity. I paid I think $80-100 for a smallish bag. Very smooth and great taste, but was like drinking a good light beer. Good, but something was missing. Wasn't heavy enough.

Goooood morning Patrick! Congrats again on retiring.. Retiring with something you are looking forward to doing is probably the best way.

For coffee, I got a burr grinder and a cheap espresso machine for $100 that still does 15 bar. If you like the flavor of coffee, you can't beat the high pressure extraction. I like my coffee in steamed milk, with a splash of vanilla creamer (natural cream, not the coffeemate palm oil mix). I probably drink about 200 coffees per year from it, so not every day. It's lasted me about 5 years so far, so I'm probably at 10c a cup on the machine and 10c a cup on the grinder. Occasionally I buy other pre-ground espresso to try it out.

I'll also occasionally do espresso shots mixed with water (americano) . The espresso itself is pretty eye twitchingly strong.

Espresso may seem like a time investment, but a whole cup, including steamed milk takes maybe 3 minutes, including grinding the beans.. That's basically the same time for making a pot of coffee. Only downside is you can't do the auto timer night before thing and wake up to a fresh pot...

One other non-obvious benefit to coffee: if you're susceptible to gout, coffee is one of the small handful of foods that actually help in reducing serum purine levels in the blood (the other one is cherries, but they do a number on my lower GI).

WookieMan says

I stopped drinking coffee.

me too, now I feel much better.

Around the time covid hit, and they pushed me remote, it broke my daily starbucks habit and I had to find an alternative.

After a year of experimenting, my favorite is a medium to fine grind, and brewing with a french press. I do 1.5 tablespoons of grounds per 6 oz of boiling water - then let brew for 5 minutes before pouring.

I have been buying coffee from https://javagenesiscoffeeroasting.com/ since they are semi local to me - they ship as well.

Starbucks beans are ok, but since they went hard woke/mask nazi, I refuse to support them. I tried Black Rifle Coffee as well, but honestly, there stuff tasted awful. There were a few other brands, but I really like the local brand above, so we choose to support them.

Just bought a bag of covfefe coffee, but at $20+ bag, it's not the most cost effective product. If it's killer though, I might make it semi-regular.

WookieMan says

I'd say just get the best coffee you can get. You're talking numbers that are similar to leaving a light on all day. You also only live once, enjoy it within reason. This seems like an expense that is negligible.

You're right. It's a trivial expense per year. Less than $200 at my current rate of coffee drinking.

I tend to over-optimize everything. I worked on optimizing websites for 25 years, so it's just part of my brain now to look for all possible efficiencies.

Actually, I have to say I enjoy optimizing things, so that's another aspect. So maybe I will see if I can get a better deal on coffee just for the fun of "winning".

I drink Chock Full O Nuts, I put 1/2 cup of grinds in the basket.

Some mornings I'll make Cuban Coffee, some mornings if I have to run to the local Latin grocer, I'll buy a colada there.

Fine coffee powder is espresso, it's not for the drip coffee makers.

And for those that bitch about Maxwell House, Folgers(my least liked retail coffee brand) and Chock Full O Nuts, saying it's swill or not good coffee.

Just try going almost anywhere in the world and try to find a cup of coffee that's anywhere near as good as the worst brewed pot of Folgers coffee. You're not going to find it.
Cafe' Americano is usually some shitty Nestle Nescafe instant coffee shit, and you never EVER hear the Coffee snobs bitch about that.

I've learned our retail coffee isn't the best coffee in the world, sure you can buy better beans and grind it yourself. But it's still better than K-Cup coffee, any single cup machine for that matter, and better than any representation of "American Coffee" you'll find abroad.

I used to date this woman that kept the beans in the freezer, it made a nice rich robust cup of coffee, that would curl your toes. Coffee snobs say freezing coffee is a big no no, but it worked for us.

I think coffee tastes terrible. I won't drink it or anything else hot or even warm. Never have, and never will drink coffee. And fuck Starbucks just the same.

Patrick says

Now that I'm nearly retired, of course I'm getting paranoid about the cost of living even though it should not be a problem by a long shot.

That's why I'm waiting until I can retire in Caligulan Splendor.

I'll fully retire when I can afford the helicopter to process the insurgents, insurrectionists and treasonists.

Zak says

For coffee, I got a burr grinder and a cheap espresso machine for $100 that still does 15 bar.

@Zak What brand espresso machine and where did you get it?

joshuatrio says

Just bought a bag of covfefe coffee, but at $20+ bag, it's not the most cost effective product. If it's killer though, I might make it semi-regular.

Here's a link to save others the search: https://www.doyoucovfefe.com/

Right, $20 seems high to me. But I will pay if it's justified by the quality.

Tenpoundbass says

Fine coffee powder is espresso, it's not for the drip coffee makers.

Why not?

I think powdered coffee works better even in drip coffee makers. Maybe you get a fine silt at the bottom of your coffee cup, but that doesn't bother me. I just want the extra flavor.

Tenpoundbass says

Just try going almost anywhere in the world and try to find a cup of coffee that's anywhere near as good as the worst brewed pot of Folgers coffee.

The Germans make wonderfully intense coffee. I lived there for two years and got to love that style.

I recommend you try the Roland brands which are both excellent.

They are: Bustelo and Pilon espresso
They're in the form of a brick vacuum packed.

Get the ones which are 100% Arabica.
I see them in Mission Street Safeway in Santa Cruz in "Hispanic food" aisle.
In Florida it's in all supermarkets.
I think it's $5.50 ($8.80/lb)

Edit: all of the Cuban coffee drinks in Florida are made with these.
They use espresso machines. “Cafe con leche” is like a latte but comes with sugar in it by default; nowadays they ask you if you want it sweet or not (no sugar)

Lately I made it in a single cup drip plastic cone thing.

Patrick says

I think powdered coffee works better even in drip coffee makers. Maybe you get a fine silt at the bottom of your coffee cup, but that doesn't bother me. I just want the extra flavor.

If you want an oil slick strong ass coffee, try freezing the beans for tomorrow's pot of coffee.

I drink coffee black without any sugar or dairy in it. Without any other flavor enhancers an espresso grind flowing through a drip pot, makes a coffee that has to much texture from the fine grains flowing through the coffee.

Patrick says

The Germans make wonderfully intense coffee. I lived there for two years and got to love that style.

I'm not saying there isn't good coffee styles around the world, I'm just saying if you're used to drinking American swill through a drip coffee maker(I use a gravity fed BUNN) you're not going to find American Diner Coffee.
There's other coffee out there, but it's like a Cigarette smoker not finding Cigarettes and having to smoke Cigars instead. It's going to be a different experience, good or bad.

I can handle dairy, but I started drinking coffee black (when I did/do drink it) maybe 6 years ago. I liken it to Corona or say Blue Moon beer. If you need a lime or orange, the beer sucks. My 2¢. Not bashing anyone that likes it another way.

For drive thru coffee, who else thinks DD and McDonalds has the worst coffee? That shit is gross to me. I honestly don't mind Starbucks, but likely won't visit one again because of covid. They're literally the only chain near me that won't allow indoor seating. Panera is open next door. I think it's a different name but same corp out west, went to one in AZ.

We have an amazing coffee shop in our town that runs out of a trailer seasonally. Just opened a week ago. I bought some beans from her for the wife for xmas. I'll still do coffee occasionally and it was pretty good. No clue where the beans were from.

Also, I think it was Washington. Can't remember the town. Was on the way to Mt. Rainier from Seattle. Some sisters opened a coffee shop. Skip the coffee and grab a table. Fucking hotties. Small joint next to a gas station. Not sure if it was the owners or employees. But damn they were hot.

Back when I worked at Schwab in SF there was a guy with a coffee stand across the street, and I would get an espresso there each morning. He was there from like 6am to 3pm each day.

Sometimes he would close up and go on vacation in Europe. I think a single coffee stand with no employees can be a very profitable thing if you get a good location.

HunterTits says

I stopped drinking coffee when the government mandated that it be laced with mRNA from aborigines.

Nothing worse than aborigines peeing in your coffee.

Tenpoundbass says

I drink coffee black without any sugar or dairy in it.

If you can do that with the Cuban coffee you mentioned earlier, I will take my hat off to you.

Patrick, if you live near a Portuguese enclave out there in Cali, try a Galão (Ga-loan). Many of the Americans I was with in Azores liked that style of coffee, and bought Galão machines to take home with them.

Ceffer says

Nothing worse than aborigines peeing in your coffee.

Well, how about that exclusive brew that involves beans shat by a monkey?

HeadSet says

If you can do that with the Cuban coffee you mentioned earlier, I will take my hat off to you.

I have before when the idiot behind the counter didn't put sugar in it, or failed to stir the sugar in the bell before pouring it in the cup.
Cuban coffee is about the only sweetened beverage I'll drink.

There's two peeves of mine when I get Cuban coffee at Bravo in the mornings. First the girl asks if I want sugar. I don't think she understands the difference between espresso and Cuban coffee. And really if all you're doing is stirring in a spoon or two of sugar in the espresso after it has brewed, then it's NOT Cuban coffee. Proper Cuban coffee is an art and a science. When the coffee first starts steaming out, you want to catch the first tea spoon of it coming out. It's the most thick, rich and robust that comes after that point. If you miss it, it wont be the same as the coffee will be lighter and not as strong. You then put that first teaspoon of espresso in the coffee bell, that has about two table spoons of sugar in it. You then proceed to stir the coffee into the sugar until it's fully infused and the sugar then looks like brown sugar. Now start whipping it, until the sugar crystals dissolve, and keep whipping the coffee until it gets a light beige color, and is creamy smooth. After the coffee has finished being expelled from the espresso machine, take the espresso and slowly pour it into the coffee bell folding the beige sugary creme, into the espresso, then keep adding it in small batches until it's all worked in. There should be a brown frothy foam on top now. It's rarely done this way, Presidente Market does it this way but it's on the other side of town. I do it this way at home.

My second peeve is the shitty super tiny 3 or 4 ounce cup with a lid they pour it in. Two things is wrong with it, number one, when you pull the lid off in your car on the way to work. You get an eruption of hot sticky coffee all over your hands, and if you get startled it will be all over your car and your clothes as well. The second bummer, is all of that wonderful brown frothy sugar I told you about, sticks to the lid and further more ends up on your hands and your car. It is then nothing more special than sweetened espresso.
I don't even like it, if the froth doesn't last for whole time you're drinking the coffee. When it just turns black and there isn't any more froth left, I'll often pitch what's left. So I always have to tell them, I want one colada but in the 6 oz or what we would consider a small coffee cup at McDonalds.

So some mornings I'll go there and I'll get a girl that asks me if I want sugar. Then when I tell them to put it in a bigger cup, they'll make it a double in the larger cup. A $3 cup instead of $1.50. I don't mind the volume of coffee, but it presents the same issue I'm trying to avoid with the smaller cup. Jack in a Box liquid and all of the yummy goodness sticking to the lid. Sometimes a bilingual person will be there, and explain it to her in Spanish, only to have it fucked up anyway.
It's mornings like that I'm glad I have to wear a mask, so they can't see muttering my contempt for those dumb ass bitches.

What I call a coffee bell

Tenpoundbass says

Cuban coffee is about the only sweetened beverage I'll drink.

The only Cuban coffee I had was at a Cuban friend's house in Coral Gables. It was made at home with a particular machine and served in very tiny cups. I asked for it "black" and I was warned that Cuban coffee is way to strong for anyone to drink black. They were correct. I can eat Folgers right out of the can (why dilute it?) but that Cuban coffee could not even be lightly sipped without sugar.

HeadSet says

Patrick, if you live near a Portuguese enclave out there in Cali, try a Galão (Ga-loan).

Yes, actually the coast around Half Moon Bay is heavily Portuguese, especially San Gregorio. I'll look for Galão.

stereotomy says

One other non-obvious benefit to coffee: if you're susceptible to gout, coffee is one of the small handful of foods that actually help in reducing serum purine levels in the blood (the other one is cherries, but they do a number on my lower GI).

Coffee has a myriad of health benefits and promotes longevity, proven in many studies. And good (tasty and full of flavor) Coffee makes the experience even better.

Coffee gets you stoned, but not enough.

If I manage to hit a certain sweet spot, coffee makes me very happy and productive for a while. Can't be too much or too little.

Patrick says

If I manage to hit a certain sweet spot, coffee makes me very happy and productive for a while. Can't be too much or too little.

Gives me the shakes. Part of the reason I stopped it. I think people thought I was an alcoholic looking for a drink. I was consuming copious amounts though. 36oz roughly throughout the morning. I'll do a cup now and then, but not often. Once a month maybe.

It woke me up, but in hindsight I didn't like the way it made me feel.

Patrick says

What's your coffee habit? What does it cost you?

@Patrick,
try this:

https://bigbendcoffeeroasters.com/product/chiapas/

Obligatory:

Patrick says

Peets

People call Peet’s strong, but it is really over-roasted. A lot of roasters call it burnt.
My economy daily drink is Trader Joe’s Columbian Medium Roast. Vacuum packed so it stores well.

Other thoughts-
Brew coffee at home, go out if you want an espresso
Best economical burr grinder: Baratza Encore. Rugged, rebuildable, great customer service.
Keep your habit at 1-2 cups a day.

Robert Sproul says

People call Peet’s strong, but it is really over-roasted. A lot of roasters call it burnt.

Lies and slander!

The hip young roasters had to be different, so they have pale and lame roasts that do nothing for me. They can keep them.

I also like to toss a cardamom pod into the coffee grinder sometimes. It's a fun flavor.

Patrick says

I also like to toss a cardamom pod into the coffee grinder sometimes. It's a fun flavor.

Cardamom and cinnamon prob my two favorite spices/flavors. Three twins used to make a flavor of their organic (and generally low sugar) ice cream called Dad's cardamom. So good. Unfortunately they were another victim of the scandemic.

When people ask what I need for the holidays I tell them coffee. I stock up in December and normally my stash lasts a good chunk of the year, since I'd only have a cup or two on the weekends...

However, when I was working at an office, I always had a cup in my hand. I'd have anywhere from a pot to a pot and a half a day... some of my best work was done in the kitchen grabbing a cup of Joe and catching up with colleagues, from the top brass to the new interns.

Now that I work from home, I actually drink less coffee during the week (about 4 cups a day on average) but there's no way my stash will last all year since I'm dipping into it daily instead of just on the weekends.

As an aside, I gave up coffee for Lent this year. Wasn't nearly as difficult as I expected. But now that we're in the Easter season I'm glad to have it back. I feel human again ;)

GreaterNYCDude says

some of my best work was done in the kitchen grabbing a cup of Joe and catching up with colleagues, from the top brass to the new interns.

"Ummm Yeah.... I'm going to need you to go ahead on and come in on Saturday and finish up the TCP reports...."

@Patrick looks like its a DeLonghi .. think it came from bed bath and beyond . chinese with an italian name probably. but.. it has worked for 5 years so... shrugs