doc_

Dunkin Donuts is way to "bitter" or something,cant describe it,for me. Children have made my sympathetic nervous system a mess,so I now drink Starbucks decaf which has a great bold taste and flavor.

Best coffee I ever had was in the BVI on our honeymoon. It must have been an espresso since it was small and strong,but they gave it to me when I asked for "coffee".

cyalater

French press is easy to travel with too, all you need is hot water, no filters necessary.

memejw

I'm biased. But in nearly every kitchen in South LA you will find community coffee. website is communitycoffee.com Perfect coffee to drink when company comes over and you want to enjoy a nice long visit. I will check out the porto rico brand since I've seen all the raves.

simpsonc510

Mauimarti,
Yes, the Capresso is a great coffee maker. I think the coffee maker makes a difference, just as much as the good beans do. Fresh ground... mmmmm... I can smell it now!
Carol

Owen_ONeill

I've been remiss in updating my web site (haven't done anything to it in months but that will soon change). A relocation back to Syracuse NY from the NYC area kept me busy over the summer. Subsequently I was searching for and closing on a house but that should be wrapped up in a week or so.

My latest coffee related activity is serving as the forum host for the new Coffee and Tea forum at www.egullet.com - it's a free registration based forum like Fodor's. We can certainly use some lively discussion as the Coffee and Tea section is all of a week old and needs more traffic.

I tend to find Dunkin' Donuts coffee too weak and Starbucks too strong. I'm guessing that the coffee "doc" had in the BVI was a Cafe Crema - short of a short coffee made in an espresso machien but with a coarser grind than espresso uses (thus a larger fluid volume of water.

Gail - I'm with you on the Melitta maker - they are the best but they're messy and not convenient. One option is to get a KitchenAid four cupper and make multiple pots into a thermal carafe. Most mass market auto drip makers (even the ones we think should be good like Braun and Krups) brew at too low a water temp and also take two long for the brew cycle to complete. The optimal is about 202 to 205 degrees F (just off the boil) and about a 4 to 4 1/2 minute brewing time (or contact time of water and grounds). The Melitta and Chemex manual systems allow for this by virtue of their simple design. A few of the 8 - 12 cup auto drip makers gets the temp right but the brewing time is too long. I think Bunn has a unit that meets all criteria even for a full pot and Capresso may have a model that works if you make a half pot (about 4 - 5 cups). Apparently using the four cup KitchenAid gets it right on both temp and time or so I am told.

blh

Has anyone tried the stovetop espresso maker (Italian brand??)? I've been wanting to get one - but haven't found anyone who has used one. I like my French press and use it often (Gevalia French roast coffee), but would like to try an espresso maker. Had a small electric Krups that did an okay job, but wore out fairly quickly (even with cleaning, etc). Just wondering if anyone has tried this kind of espresso maker.

MzPossum

memejw, I tried to post that very thing about Community Coffee last night, but my computer decided otherwise. For those of you travelling in south LA, try the CC's coffee shops, also run by Community Coffee. As for price, right now, my neighborhood store is featuring Community cofee at $3 a pound--Good, inexpensive coffee in a variety of different strengths. For those travelling in Oklahoma, check out Java Dave's coffee shops and Cains coffee in the stores (also served at some restaurants.)

dovima

Hello Owen,
Just took a look at your website - very original! I'm a lifelong caffeine addict, with the view that everyone has to have a vice, and a good cup of coffee is a very nice vice.

Owen, have you ever traveled in Japan? The Japanese learned coffee roasting and brewing from the West in the 19th century, and like so many other things they have adopted, it has become perfection in their hands. The port cities of Kobe and Yokohama, with their longer exposure to Europeans, have coffee roasting firms dating back to the turn of the century. Some of the very best drip coffee I've ever consumed has been in the "kissatens" (coffeehouses) of these cities. The Japanese have only recently gotten into dark roast or espresso drinks - the brewed coffee tends to be on the tangier, brighter-tasting end of the spectrum. There is a Starbucks-type chain called Doutore in Japan which caters to those wanting a fast cup of coffee - but the coffee is incredibly good, so much better than Starbucks.

Kal

I've never had a bad cuppa coffee on vacation.

"Mr Bailey's...Mr Kal...Glad to meet ya".

amcc

I'd say the best coffee is the little cups of "Cuban" coffee they sell in Miami at cafeteria windows. Its an espresso, stronger, sweet, and energetic. The brand they use are generally Bustelo or Pilon. Not a coffee technical person, so I can't tell you the roast or the grind, but mmm, just what you need to get you started. Italian coffee is the closest I can compare it to.
blh, I use the stovetop italian coffee makers for my coffee, and I find that they are excellent for making strong espresso. Here in Miami, it's what everyone uses to make coffee. When the first few strong drops start percolating, pour them into a cup with some sugar. Beat them together, pour the rest of the coffee in when its done percolating, and heaven!

designmr

elle - sure, Vietnamese coffee is strong, but at the places I've been to, they serve it with an evaporated milk-like cream that you mix it with, and it's great;

in downtown Oklahoma City - The Buzz boasts some original concoctions, and their coffee has never been bitter;

in Cleveland - Talkies Film & Coffee Bar in the Ohio City neighborhood; something about the place makes the coffee taste better

Underhill

You can find Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee at the Peets web site.

My own preference is for Viennese or French roast.

Stephanie

I am addicted to the store brand Folgers French Vanilla in a small plastic red jar. I drink coffee black only so I like flavored coffee or coffee with actual taste because I don't cream and sugar it to death.

Dunkin Donut has excellent coffee and its not too strong (I should know I drink Starbucks black rarily). McDonalds coffee is better than Starbucks. However, one time an atty I worked for bought Starbucks coffee in a bag and it had lemon flavor in it and we made it at the office and it was delicious.

Gevalia coffee is ok, it has a unique taste and its not too strong. Outside home coffee and Dunkin Donuts/McDonalds, Panara has the best coffee.

dovima

In San Francisco, only one place that I know of sells coffee by Stumptown Roasters of Portland, OR. That place would be Ritual Coffehouse on Valencia Street. I am a die-hard coffee addict, a lifer. I know of what I speak and endorse, and Stumptown's coffee is different....really different. Ritual is very, very serious about the coffee they sell and pour. When they sell you a bag of the beans, they always mark the date on which the product was roasted - because, they told me, the optimal time for the taste is not right after roasting, as you would think, but in the next 2 or 3 weeks. I've never tasted coffee this bright and clear tasting - the varietal flavors really shine. Even a beginner would be able to tell the Guatemala Antigua from the Ygracheffe.

Pis_Pistofferson

Best coffee is always in my kitchen. I used to pay the $3 or whatever for the special blah-blah-blah. Then, I decided to make my own. I do everything else, why not the coffee?

Side Note RE: Dunkin' Donuts. Friend of mine works for Allied Domecq, owner of Togo's, Dunkin', Kahlua, etc. Tells me that DD is the #2 seller of coffee in the USA. I had no idea.

razzledazzle

I Like my Rocket Fuel DARK, so it's Peet's or WolfF's Dark French Roast.
Never, ever any flavored coffee, ever!
Well, maybe an irish at the Buena Vista

R5

Wayne

You can never try them all, but I've sure tasted a lot of different coffees around the world. For day in, day out just plain good coffee, I agree with a few other posters here that Community Coffee from Louisiana is consistently the best. My favorite is Community dark roast, and occasionally their Hotel Blend.

dovima

Wayne,
Do the Community blends have chicory in them? I've always been curious about the addition of chicory to Louisiana-style coffee and how it tastes. Describe, please?

suze

Seattle

Margot

The Community Coffees come in blends, dark roast, medium roast, light roast, and hotel blend. If you want chicory in your coffee, you have to specifically buy the Community Coffee Chickory (I can't remember if it's "chickory" or "chicory".. some New Orleanian I am).

Another wonderful coffee is at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, right by the cathedral. It's chicory coffee made with milk - cafe au lait. Dump a few spoonfuls of sugar into it, and it's heaven on earth. It's the only time I have milk and sugar with my coffee.