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[Lawson]

Cooking with a french press is quite convenient. Recently, however, there is only time left to whip cream into coffee brewed in a coffee machine.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Ah something has just come to mind, what do we think about milk, whipped/steamed/foamed milk, cream, and creamers?

I usually don't bother any more with dairy in my coffee because a.) I only have coffee every 2-4 days and I get worried my dairy is going bad, and b.) it can take a while to get fancy (but maybe im just bad at it). My parents are really good at foaming milk, but eh--I can't say that making espresso with that at home has ever really been worth it.

Also, a creamer recommendation for peeps pressed on time: Bailey's (the cream liqueur people) Non-alcoholic Coffee Creamers, they're good as hell, both the original and vanilla variants. I saw somewhere that they might have been discontinued recently, but I still see them in my grocery store, so? Anyways, sometimes when I do like dairy they are nice because they're fast to mix and they're not overly sweet (ymmv on that note).

ALSO, honey or sugar? I do be a big fan of honey in my coffee.

[xpi0t0s]

I've been watching James Hoffmann on YouTube.

I used to think DF was complicated. DF doesn't have water recipes. Water recipes!!!! OK, except for the vampire in the well thingy.

But Aeropress coffee is fun to experiment with brew times, grind size, inverted or non-inverted, using it for tea instead of coffee, etc etc etc...
I am now drinking coffee without sugar though so that's good. Can't drink instant without sugar (never have been able).

I'm still not sure I should have splashed out on a Comandante but hey ho.

[nenjin]

After much experimentation with an Aero Press, I came to the determination it's a janky piece of equipment despite being very simple. Maybe for camping it's worthwhile but for home use? I'd almost rather buy and replace a drip coffee maker than use it.

[gimlet]

I stopped putting any kind of milk or flavoring in most coffee years ago - it hides the flavors I've been trying so hard to get to come out, and now that I'm making reasonably good coffee I actually really like the taste of black coffee and trying to notice the subtle flavor differences.

Bummer, find something that works for you but I really like my aeropress, I got a metal filter and have been using it 1-2x a day for years.   It's super forgiving wiith all variety of beans, 30 seconds or even 1 minute off on timing, or the water temperature is even 5-10 degrees off, still pretty good coffee.   And it's a bit easier to clean than the french press.   I even tried some water recipes, but I guess my palate isn't so refined, I couldn't taste any difference so I don't bother anymore, I just filter tap water once.  We do have pretty good tap water.

[nenjin]

Truly, cleaning French Presses is the worst part of owning one. That's why I just do it right after I make my coffee; just to get it over with and ready for next time.

I liked the simplicity and ease of the Aero Press. Having your coffee apparatus fit in a travel size nylon bag is like, the future man. I just didn't like how my coffee came out, how many grounds it would accept and the fact it's a pressurized mechanism. When those paper filters go in the middle of a plunge, it ain't pretty. I feel like what makes the French Press good is also what makes it suck, and the same with the Aero Press. Materials. The French Press is all metal and glass, the Aero Press is all plastic and rubber. (Never did see a metal filter in the kit that I see getting sold in coffee shops.) It's probably all in my palette but after a few months of drinking Aero Press coffee, I stopped enjoying my coffee. Got a French Press, and the taste difference with the same bean was pretty noticeable to me.

[gimlet]

Huh I never had a paper filter fail, I only used about 1/3 of the pack before I bought metal filters off amazon though.   And I do wish it was slightly bigger, I like to make a 320 gram cup, but it's not that big a hassle to me to just pour the extra water into the mug after I press.  I used to slightly prefer the taste over the french press, but I haven't compared in a couple of years, might be interesting to re-check that.

[nenjin]

Admittedly I was probably using too much bean, possibly too much water. But after screwing in the cap with the filter and plunging, the filter would slide to the side a little bit and expose some of the holes in the cap. The feel on the plunger would be noticeable as all the resistance left it. Then I'd look down and see grounds floating on the top of my coffee. I think the plastic also deformed a little toward the end from using too hot of water too often, so it stopped forming a perfect seal. Anyways, after a few months of that I got a French Press.

[Immortal]

Another coffee fanatic checking in. Everyone has great points. I'll just throw mine out there:

First -french presses will leave a dust/mud (called "fines") in your coffee. Unless you have a good burr grinder, then put it in a sifter to get the dust out, you'll still get it. French press does make a nice pot of coffee though. I recommend a stainless one, look for something that labels it as made from 18-8 (good stainless, higher number better), from a not sketchy manufacturer. If you buy a cheap one, you will taste the metal, since coffee is highly acidic it'll leach the steel. French presses can't use pre-ground very well, since pre-ground is dust heavy.

Second - pour over/dripper coffee (not drip coffee), it has a simple plastic/glass cone that sits on the mug, or bigger ones for pots, then a paper filter inside, is best. It'll provide a clean, dust/fines/sediment free, and pull the taste just as well. Also it's able to make a very strong coffee. They're also like $5 for the cone, and $5 for a pack of 200 filters.

Other coffee options: aeropress (quite nice), "Chemex" (fad, it's just pour over), percolator (nice), coffee machine (easy), espresso machine (great but involved)

Alright, essentially, all methods of making coffee are pretty good, some need more work, some are cleaner, but the big point is, if you're using crappy beans, and adding flavourings, it doesn't matter how you make it. You need to locate good coffee! This is the biggest component.

You can google your area for "coffee roasters", "third wave coffee", "single origin coffee", and any other hipster terms + coffee. You need to locate someone who gets beans from a specific farm, and roasts them properly. They'll sell the coffee with the cupping notes (cupping is the tasting of the coffee that is done at the farmers market in the coffee producing country, which is followed by bidding for the lot of beans). Notes will be "chocolate, stonefruit, cherry, blueberry, agave, cane sugar, bright, clean, complex, melon" etc. This stuff, it's like rib-eye vs round or cheesewiz vs. 2 year old hickory smoked Gouda, or whatever else. Something to mix into your diet occasionally.

Next bean source: there is amazing coffee all over the world. "African coffee is acidic" is like saying all "Asian people are smart". That's a pretty broad brush. Stuff from Nicaragua is vastly different from Sumatra or Ethiopia. My personal favourite is Ethiopian. Even the elevation within the country and the soil changes it. This stuff is like grapes.

To find economic coffee, you'll have to essentially just try all the ones in the grocery store. I tried about a dozen, before I found a pre-ground that was decently good. Don't bother with anything Starbucks or McDonald etc, or any of the commons advertised on TV, big waste of time. Try the slightly different, but stocked in good quantities at the grocery store.

[nenjin]

Stuff from Nicaragua is vastly different from Sumatra or Ethiopia. My personal favourite is Ethiopian. Even the elevation within the country and the soil changes it. This stuff is like grapes.

Pretty sure Nicaragua is on a different continent than the other two Stuff from a given continent ranges on a spectrum, I've found. I should try some Asian and Middle Eastern coffee. Although with most coffee from the Middle East, I've found it's way less about the bean and WAY more about the preparation of it that makes it. Curious what regional coffee from around there would taste like prepared normally.

As for the Fines, it's true. You get some sludge the bottom of a French Press cup, even if you don't pour off every last drop of it from the carafe.

I also put a dash of cinnamon in my coffee for the health benefits (but after the last couple years, the taste as well.) It ALSO doesn't dissolve very well, and when you mix that and the Fines you get this rich, thick sludge. I usually know I'm done with my work coffee in a thermos when the consistency goes from coffee --> snot

Still, at home, I don't mind the Fines. After about 10 minutes I give my coffee a good stir and the fines recirculate and kinda refresh the flavor and depth of my coffee. But if it is something that, if it would bother a person then it's a legit consideration for a French Press. I just stopped drinking my coffee to the last drop. Not like I need all of it after pouring it into a huge ass cup.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

@Immortal, another Ethiopian bean lover!

[martinuzz]

I also put a dash of cinnamon in my coffee for the health benefits (but after the last couple years, the taste as well.)

I have no idea if there's parts of the world where this is tradition, but I've found that adding a little bit of clove to your coffee is also pretty tasty for a change. Careful though, clove is strong. Use minimally.

[nenjin]

I also put a dash of cinnamon in my coffee for the health benefits (but after the last couple years, the taste as well.)

I have no idea if there's parts of the world where this is tradition, but I've found that adding a little bit of clove to your coffee is also pretty tasty for a change. Careful though, clove is strong. Use minimally.

For me it was driven by health decisions. Cinnamon is kinda magical in the body. Affects your insulin resistance and body's ability to move sugars out of your blood stream, although the mechanism is not well understood. Yet it's hard to find places to fit a teaspoon of Cinnamon in to your daily diet (do NOT just try to eat a teaspoon of Cinnamon, you will regret it.) So coffee was the natural place to do it. Now, it just doesn't taste right to me without a bit of Cinnamon in there.

I'm sure coffee purists would find that is altogether too many additives to coffee to really appreciate the flavor....but that's the thing about coffee. You do it how you like it!

[martinuzz]

Another nice combo with cinnamon: Apple. Just cut an apple into small parts, put some cinnamon powder over it, enjoy!

[Vector]

I'm at the point where I'm actually gonna start buying stuff ... I think beginning with the burr grinder. Does anyone have one that they especially recommend?