Coffee!!!

[Dunbar]

If you talk to just about any coffee roaster they'll tell you Kona and JBM's taste does not jusfity their asking price. There is a lot of good Mexican or Central American beans that taste just as good or better for 1/4 the price (or more.) I prefer Kenya but I also like other coffees and was completely underwhelmed by Kona considering the premium it commands. I'd bet in a blind taste test you couldn't pick out Kona

 

[TwiceOver]

To save money my boss ordered two tons of coffee a couple months ago. Havn't even broken open the second pallot.

 

[paulney]

I thought this thread would be about a coffee maker that overflowed in the kitchen, and nobody bothered to turn it off, because they are paid much more to do engineering work.

 

[nakedfrog]

I'll tell you, I can't find it around here anymore, but there was a place selling what I think was a blend of Nicaraguan and Sumatran, and it was damn good, and still only about $8/lb. I think it was from the Organic Coffee Company, but not 100% sure on that.

 

[Modeps]

Jeez, you guys are crazy with your coffee! I pay like $6 a pound at the supermarket for my shiz. New England Coffee is pretty tastey.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Dunbar
If you talk to just about any coffee roaster they'll tell you Kona and JBM's taste does not jusfity their asking price. There is a lot of good Mexican or Central American beans that taste just as good or better for 1/4 the price (or more.) I prefer Kenya but I also like other coffees and was completely underwhelmed by Kona considering the premium it commands. I'd bet in a blind taste test you couldn't pick out Kona

I've been to quite a number of cuppings, and yes, I'm quite certain I could pick out a Kona that wasn't overroasted.

I do talk to a lot of roasters, online (e.g. here) and local, and I don't know of anyone who shares your sentiments for a quality Kona.

I'm not going to argue with you on the cost, because there are a lot of people who exploit the name. You might say that my investment in over $2,000 just for espresso isn't worth it, but it all depends on your level of acuity. My espresso is absolutely sublime, and Kona can be as well with a proper roast and brewing method.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I've been to quite a number of cuppings, and yes, I'm quite certain I could pick out a Kona that wasn't overroasted.

I do talk to a lot of roasters, online (e.g. here) and local, and I don't know of anyone who shares your sentiments for a quality Kona.

I'm not going to argue with you on the cost, because there are a lot of people who exploit the name. You might say that my investment in over $2,000 just for espresso isn't worth it, but it all depends on your level of acuity. My espresso is absolutely sublime, and Kona can be as well with a proper roast and brewing method.

Yeah, I love a good coffee, but it's going to be a loooong time before I can justify spending over $100 on any sort of beverage making machine.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Descartes
I've been to quite a number of cuppings, and yes, I'm quite certain I could pick out a Kona that wasn't overroasted.

I do talk to a lot of roasters, online (e.g. here) and local, and I don't know of anyone who shares your sentiments for a quality Kona.

I'm not going to argue with you on the cost, because there are a lot of people who exploit the name. You might say that my investment in over $2,000 just for espresso isn't worth it, but it all depends on your level of acuity. My espresso is absolutely sublime, and Kona can be as well with a proper roast and brewing method.

Yeah, I love a good coffee, but it's going to be a loooong time before I can justify spending over $100 on any sort of beverage making machine.

Well, there's a large disparity in cost between making a good coffee and a good espresso. You can create a fantastic cup of coffee for ~$100 with a vacuum brewer, French Press, etc.

 

[Dunbar]

I've been to quite a number of cuppings, and yes, I'm quite certain I could pick out a Kona that wasn't overroasted.

If you're familiar with the taste you may be able to pick it out, but do you really think it tastes better than a good quality central american coffee? Do a deja search for kona and see what the skilled roasters have to say. I won't even argue on the quality, that's part of the reason the coffee is so expensive. But why spend that kind of money when you can get coffee that tastes as good or better for much less? If mild, low-acid coffee is your thing I think you can do much better than Kona/JBM.

I do talk to a lot of roasters, online (e.g. here) and local, and I don't know of anyone who shares your sentiments for a quality Kona.

Do me a favor, post a topic there asking how people like the flavor of Kona/JBM compared to good quality central american beans.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Well, there's a large disparity in cost between making a good coffee and a good espresso. You can create a fantastic cup of coffee for ~$100 with a vacuum brewer, French Press, etc.

Well, I use coffee as a generic term to encompass espresso/cappuccino. I don't see myself ever buying another plain old coffee maker again; ever since I got an espresso machine as a gift last year, I've switched to exclusively making espresso/cappuccino at home.
I've also experimented with making my own frescante at home since I tried it at a coffee shop near my sister-in-law's house. DQ Moolatte, only far, far better

 

[AmigaMan]

Some of you guys are serious coffee fanatics. The only time I drink Kona coffee is when I'm in Kona. And I definitely don't go to Kona for the coffee, although it is good coffee. My coffee of choice lately has been whatever the local Starbucks has as their coffee of the day. If I don't get a chance to go there in the mornings, I usually brew some Costco special stuff by Kirkland. It ain't great, but it does wake me up....

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: Descartes
Well, there's a large disparity in cost between making a good coffee and a good espresso. You can create a fantastic cup of coffee for ~$100 with a vacuum brewer, French Press, etc.

Well, I use coffee as a generic term to encompass espresso/cappuccino. I don't see myself ever buying another plain old coffee maker again; ever since I got an espresso machine as a gift last year, I've switched to exclusively making espresso/cappuccino at home.
I've also experimented with making my own frescante at home since I tried it at a coffee shop near my sister-in-law's house. DQ Moolatte, only far, far better

I'm running the risk of sounding too much like a pejorative ass in my coffee enthusiasm, so apologies if it comes across that way.

There are some inexpensive machines capable of producing something that resembles a cappuccino, but very few that can produce a true espresso. Most lower-end machines that you find in stores are steam-driven, and as such produce only ~1/10th of the pressure that proper espresso machines produce using pumps (some of the old-school ones are still lever driven, but I'm not discussing those). A proper espresso looks like this (sorry, low light situation and flash ruined it). This simply cannot be achieved without a proper investment in time, money, practice, and freshly roasted beans. A lesser espresso might be palatable when dilluted with milk, but when considered alone the true nature of it becomes manifest.

Trying an espresso brewed on a machine capable of producing ~9 BARs of pressure at 195-203F temperature consistently for a volume of ~2oz in about 20-25 seconds into a preheated porcelain cup is an ethereal experience. Nothing I know inundates my palate with such flavor. I'm merely trying to encourage everyone to try it, and I of course extend an open invite to anyone in the area to try mine!

:beer:

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Dunbar

I've been to quite a number of cuppings, and yes, I'm quite certain I could pick out a Kona that wasn't overroasted.

If you're familiar with the taste you may be able to pick it out, but do you really think it tastes better than a good quality central american coffee? Do a deja search for kona and see what the skilled roasters have to say. I won't even argue on the quality, that's part of the reason the coffee is so expensive. But why spend that kind of money when you can get coffee that tastes as good or better for much less? If mild, low-acid coffee is your thing I think you can do much better than Kona/JBM.

I actually don't care for mild coffees when considering single origins, and the only mild coffees I use in my espresso blends are lowland Brazilians, but that's pretty common as a base in espresso blends. I completely agree with you in terms of there being comparable, better, and less expensive coffees. I just think that anything that receives fanfare often leads to exploit, and as a result people have the perception of it being overrated. I'm just trying to express the fact that a good Kona can be very good, and it might very well be worth the cost to those who seek such coffees.

I do talk to a lot of roasters, online (e.g. here) and local, and I don't know of anyone who shares your sentiments for a quality Kona.

Do me a favor, post a topic there asking how people like the flavor of Kona/JBM compared to good quality central american beans.
[/quote]

That will be met with about the same division as we have here. There are plenty of people who prefer the flavor profile of a Hawaiian over that of an African, Indonesian, or wherever, so I don't think it will prove much

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I'm running the risk of sounding too much like a pejorative ass in my coffee enthusiasm, so apologies if it comes across that way.

There are some inexpensive machines capable of producing something that resembles a cappuccino, but very few that can produce a true espresso. Most lower-end machines that you find in stores are steam-driven, and as such produce only ~1/10th of the pressure that proper espresso machines produce using pumps (some of the old-school ones are still lever driven, but I'm not discussing those). A proper espresso looks like this (sorry, low light situation and flash ruined it). This simply cannot be achieved without a proper investment in time, money, practice, and freshly roasted beans. A lesser espresso might be palatable when dilluted with milk, but when considered alone the true nature of it becomes manifest.

Trying an espresso brewed on a machine capable of producing ~9 BARs of pressure at 195-203F temperature consistently for a volume of ~2oz in about 20-25 seconds into a preheated porcelain cup is an ethereal experience. Nothing I know inundates my palate with such flavor. I'm merely trying to encourage everyone to try it, and I of course extend an open invite to anyone in the area to try mine!

:beer:

Believe you me, I would certainly be happy to have one of the finer machines. However, I can't allow myself to spend more on an espresso machine that I did on my PC or my work car
Maybe one of the kids will be nice and buy one for their old man in a few years