I created a Coffee Snob

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

I'm a tea drinker; and I don't even drink coffee. I'm not even that particular about my tea. I rotate beween 3 or 4 black tea blends that I get at the grocery store. None of that frou frou tea for me. Hubby has a Keurig and grinds his own Peets Dark French Roast for use in the My K Cup.

However, about a month ago we were eating lunch at Shaggy's. They have a bunch of TV's on the wall, usually showing sports. One of them usually runs reruns of I Love Lucy or The Adams Family. But, this particular day it must've been The Food Channel because an episode of one of Alton Brown's shows came on about making the perfect cup of coffee. Hubby's back was to the TV, but I thought he might enjoy a play-by-play from me on the show highlighting the particular points. I figured that would be it.

Au Contraire. He starts obsessing over finding this method of making coffee. I said "I thought you were happy with your coffee." "Well, it's okay, but...." We had off to MT for our yearly ski trip and returned last week. Monday he comes home with a Williams Sonoma bag with this coffee system in it. BTW, it's called the pour-over method. It's not a machine. What he got was the 6-cup Chemex system which consists of a pretty glass carafe with a funnel-shaped top in which you put the metal filter that comes with it in along with paper filters that you also buy to go with it. There were other specific points about water temperature and the correct grounds to water ratio, but I'm sure you can look up the episode if interested. He claims the coffee is so much better this way although takes longer than the Keurig. Also, I see Amazon carries a gold filter which will eliminate the need for the paper filters, so I'll probably get that for him for his birthday next month. I do remember Alton saying the gold filter made the coffee taste even better.

The lady at Williams Sonoma explained all about this system (since she apparently is also a coffee snob), and showed him how much they cost on Amazon and gave him a discount so that he ended up paying less than for that system on Amazon, so I thought that was very nice.

patbz · ‎03-10-2010

@Icegoddess : If you are currently using a Keurig there are definitely better ways to make better coffee. DH is also a coffee snob and got rid of our Keurigs in order to buy a Breville (our older son, a professional chef, swears by it).

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@patbz wrote:
@Icegoddess : If you are currently using a Keurig there are definitely better ways to make better coffee. DH is also a coffee snob and got rid of our Keurigs in order to buy a Breville (our older son, a professional chef, swears by it).

@patbz, if hubby is happy with his new system, I would happily get rid of the Keurig and just encourage him to stick with that. It takes up less room on the counter since it is a simple carafe. Also, the Keurig splatters and hubby doesn't wipe up the the coffee splatters. I don't use the Keurig at all. I have an instant hot water spigot at the sink I use for my tea.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@Icegoddess When I was in college majoring in home ec., one of our assignments in food lab was to make a pot of coffee using every conceivable method, then scientifically compare them. One of the experiments was with the device you describe. It may have had a different name but was very popular at the time...had a piece of wood around the middle. The 25 girls in the class all agreed it had the best flavor, very smooth and mellow with no bitterness

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@Kachina624 Yep, that's what it looks like.

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

"pour over coffee" is becoming very popular again. chemex has been around for MANY years now.

i recently switched from a mr coffee coffeemaker to an electric percolator and i am loving my percolated coffee so much more. i also purchased a french press to check out. maybe i will add a chemex to the mix also?

LOL.......so now i have a keurig, a mr coffee, an electric percolator, and a french press. i also have an electric smeg kettle for boiling water.

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"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@sunshine45 I bought a Saladmaster percolater years ago with my former husband. Not sure why I kept it since I don't drink coffee. It is still in primo condition much like my Saladmaster electric skillet and my one skillet that is not non-stick. Good quality items. But, it takes a long time to perk.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

@Icegoddess

there is a place where pour overs has a prominent spot on the front counter

each Chemex has a timer - the barista pours a little - sets a timer so the coffee can bloom first and then she pours addional water within a time period

as each timer beeps she goes pours more water - much like a ballet

I usually order a latte there - maybe I'll order a pour over next time

sissel · ‎08-13-2010

DD & Fiance must have the same thing, I am a k cup person, morning or rare times afternoon cup so had to sit for a week to watch her dog while they were on vacation looked at that machine grind coffee make it into k cup or carafe Oh No too much to figure out. LOL I like k cups limit my coffee, if I did a carafe I would drink it all day which I don't need. I do miss the electric pot but know too much coffee for me. DD & fiance are coffee snobs too. DD tells me all the time k cups isn't good for environment I know.

DbinMD · ‎09-18-2019

I agree that there are better ways of making coffee. I need coffee fast so when I first get up, the Keurig does the job. But I bought the Nespresso. Talk about good coffee, its actually the best coffee I have had. Very rich in flavor and in taste.. I have been making a cup in the afternoon. My sister gave me a way to make it, Do either the espresso or the double espresso, put the milk foam on top and drizzle some honey on top, It is awesome!