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The Secret to Brewing A Great Cup of Coffee
The secret of a good cup of coffee lies in respect for the machine and the bean. That is to say you need to start with good coffee, absolutely fresh pure water, and a scrupulously clean coffeemaker and then drink what you brew.
It is so simple that it is amazing that there is so much terrible coffee around. But there is. Trust me, I know. I am a total coffee freak. I need at least one cup of coffee in the morning in order to even begin to function. Two is better.
And I don't just want coffee. I want good coffee not instant or left over and heated up. I cannot bear those awful little packets of instant served up in motel rooms or the viscous blend that is poured out of the Bunn coffee pot at the local greasy spoon....It tastes about as appealing as used motor oil, and is usually just about as hot.
Instructions for Perfect Coffee
There are those who swear by percolator coffee, those who like their Java filtered and dripped ,and those who prefer the French Press. Good coffee can be made by every method. The important thing is to keep the machine clean as a whistle. Coffee exudes oils and these must be washed completely away each time the pot is used. That's one reason why I like to use an old fashioned Melitta manual drip pot with an easy to clean cone .
There are fancy expensive electric brewers that can be preset at night to automatically grind the beans and brew the coffee at what ever hour of the morning you want. They are wonderful, but a little scary and a pain to keep clean. Purists say that grinding the beans the night before is a no no. You grind just before you use and not a moment sooner. I wouldn't know but I suspect they have something. Thus most programmable coffeemakers which call for you to grind the beans and fill with water before you go to bed, and preset the thing to brew your coffee the next morning, are out of the question.
Call me a curmudge, but I like the ritual of pouring the beans into the grinder, grinding them, fitting the paper filter into the cone, pouring in the coffee and then the boiling water. It is part of waking up for me. It just feels right.I wouldn't want a machine to do it for me either the night before or in the morning. So there.
OK, so you have your perfectly clean pot of choice. Now you need premium coffee beans. Don't stint here. Buy good coffee and don't mess with flavored coffees. No Vanilla or Hazelnut please. Flavored coffees tend to be made from lesser beans with the flavor masking the inadequacies. Get decent whole bean coffee and keep it in a vacuum sealed canister. Do not, repeat do not, store it in the freezer or refrigerator. This will destroy the oils in the beans and ruin the perfect taste of your coffee. You don't have to go all gourmet to get good coffee, by the way.
Like wine, coffee differs in taste depending on where it is grown and what the conditions are. The kind of bean, the location and conditions and the roasting all make a difference. You can try light, medium and dark roasts and see what works best for you. Usually the roast and a description of the coffee and it's taste will be on the package.
Experiment with beans. Your local supermarket will have a variety of premium brands of whole bean coffee. The good old Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company is still churning out Eight O'Clock coffee, one of my favorites, as it has for over one hundred years. Check the link to their website to see which supermarket in your area carries it. Both the quality and the price are excellent.
The last, and perhaps most important, ingredient is the water. Use filtered water. Municipal water in most places is full of chlorine and a lot of other impurities, including chemicals and heavy metal traces. Well water is often hard and full of minerals which will affect taste. Use a charcoal filter to filter your tap water whether it is from a municipal source or your own well, or use bottled water for your coffee. It makes a difference. It really does.
With the perfect ingredients, it is possible to make a perfect cup of coffee even without a coffee maker. You can do it in a saucepan. It's called boiled coffee and it's how they did it back in the day on the farm when nobody had ever heard of a coffeemaker: certainly not one that could be programmed the night before to grind and brew the morning coffee. Here's how it's made.
Put several cups of water in a saucepan. Add several tablespoons of freshly ground coffee. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil gently for five to ten minutes, depending on how strong you like your coffee, strain through a cloth strainer and enjoy.
Coffee Is Good and Good For You
So now you know how to make the perfect cup of coffee. For years they said that coffee was bad for you and I felt guilty about loving it so, but now things have changed. Coffee has been rehabilitated. It is good for us. It helps older people stave off memory loss, helps students concentrate and recent studies have shown that coffee evidently lowers your risk for diabetes and colon cancer, enhances your mood and even may cause you to get fewer cavities in your teeth.
According to WebMD.com
"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."
How times change. Seems like only yesterday they were telling us how bad coffee was for us. Never mind. I don't care. My limit these days is three or four cups in a day and I can't handle coffee at night anymore-- but morning just wouldn't be the same without it. I'm glad the research now says coffee is good and I'm even gladder that I know the secret of a really good cup of coffee and now, if you've read this far, so do you. So drink up and pass me the cream would you? I like just a splash in my morning brew.
Making Coffee the Right Way
Comments
Last year I got a pound of $16.99 per pound coffee, it was stupid, until I brewed a cup, worth every penny, rich, deep flavors, no after bite, like velvet. I am back to my $3.50 coffee and it is ok, But I remember what the real good stuff tastes like and I will get some again one day.
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I know, it is amazing how you get what you pay for, isn't it. I must say though, that some of the whole bean supermarket brands at about $4.00 a pound are very good. Coffee makes the morning worthwhile IMHO
It ain't coffee unless it's good coffee! Conversely it isn't wine unless it is a good quality in taste and bouquet wine!
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With you all the way on both counts Georgiakevin:-)
I make mine in a one-cup size arabic style brass pot, at 06:30 in the morning! Pre-heat the pot with boiling water. One rounded teaspoonful of fresh ground Arabica, add boiling water and stir, sit the cup on top to keep the heat and aroma in, to warm the cup, and to cause the grounds to settle while having a quick shower. Pour carefully into same cup (no strainer or filter, just pour slowly until the grounds just start to come). Take it outside to the balcony and watch the world go by, for ten minutes. Every day. Then go to work. Nice hub :)
Coffee, love it! I make my eight o'clock coffee at eight am, and like Paraglider, I sit on my patio and watch the boats go by on the river. Some days when it's windy, I can smell the Maxwell house plant's coffee. In the afternoons I make an expresso in an old fashioned steel expresso machine my father gave me years ago. I love my coffee, thank you for writing a great Hub!
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Yum, Paraglider. Your morning ritual sounds delicious. I like the part about sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by. Thanks for sharing it. Good to see you as always.
Hello jiberish-- lovely to hear your coffee story. I can practically smell the Maxwell House fumes myself and I l love the image of you on your patio drinking coffee and watching the boats go by......thank you for letting me in on your private coffee moments. Glad you liked the hub.
I love those Melitta manual drip pots. For my money that's the best ever. I confess to enjoying vanilla coffee once in awhile though. It offends everyone, but what can I do? I used to like cherry cokes too! Great hub!
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Hi Pam.... I love my Melitta. Wouldn't give it up for the world and Vanilla coffee rocks but you can have the cherry coke:-) Happy Thanksgiving.
Well, now I know why my morning coffee doesn't taste as good as it *could*. Thanks!
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Melitta is the answer Jama, along with fresh ground beans and good water.
I love good coffee and am rather a coffee snob. I always use freshly ground beans; I make my own blend and use fresh, cold water. I use a commercial coffee maker, because I'm running a bed and breakfast and we have to make a lot of coffee, fast. I keep it very clean, along with the pots etc. I've used all the methods you discussed in your hub and I think the drip method is the best. Good hub. Thanks.
I do not drink coffee every day anymore, but I definitely enjoy it at least a few times a month. So prefer making my own coffee to buying it at Starbucks or places like that.
Every morning I do the same routine, make coffee to function for the day. I have also picked up a habit of putting a small bit of sugar inside with the beans. This way the coffee isn't as acidic I have found. I also make my coffee a little weaker then recommended.This way i can drink it black with sugar no creme's or milks.
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alekhouse,sweetiepieand Midasfx Thanks so much all of you for sharing your personal coffee preferences and stories. This comment thread is getting so interesting.
I find the idea of making coffee for a bed and breakfast crown really daunting and have great admiration for you alekhouse. Sweetiepie-- I could never drink as little coffee as you manage to do and commend you on your self discipline. And Midasfx I'm going to try your sugar trick. Sounds like a good idea.
It is new to me that Coffee reduces colon cancer. A great information. Thanks.
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well they say it may reduce the risk, which is not the same as absolute certainty-- but whatever-- it's a nice change from the days when they had nothing good to say about coffee
Coooffeeeee! Mmmmm Mmmmm Good! My coffee dream is to wake up, make a very rich fresh brewed cup of coffee and sit on a balcony overlooking the ocean as I drink it...slowly and with conscious mind of its flavor and the ocean sounds. Aaah!
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Fabulous dream MJ-- can I join you for coffee on the balcony? thanks for reading and commenting
Dear Robie,
I would offer one other small suggestion which my Choctaw Grandmother taught me when I was 4. who said to add a sprinkle of salt on the grounds before brewing. (In those days the Percolator was heated atop a burner and would bubble up to a glass knob on the lid. The amber color and fragrance were how you judged the desired strength) She said when you "boil the bean" it looses an oil that's acidic and bitter. the salt counters that and doesn't add saltiness to the flavor, but takes away the bitterness.
I've a friend with a plantation that just sent me a pound of new-roasted 100% Kona. Be Jealous-Be Very Jealous! 'DeX'
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Hi dex-- I am green with envy and thank you for sharing grannie's wisdom. I've heard that salt thing before for boiled coffee, but have never tried it myself.... must say though that I love perked coffee. I really do. Oh well, enjoy that Kona, mild and mellow and no need for salt with that:-)
Dear Robie,
By the way, thanks for stopping by, and "fanning" my Hub. (That DOES sound odd doesn't it?) At any rate, I had a question about the name of a certain bean I got to try 6-7 years back. It comes from Africa, I believe, is VERY expensive, and has this notoriety; as a berry it's swallowed by a relative of the weasel family which, after digesting the berry part, "discharges" the seed or bean, which is then gathered to be roasted. The amount available in a calender season varies, like Jamaican Blue Mountain, another fine mellow roast, due to weather and other conditions. At the time, it cost over $200 a pound. Do know what I'm referring to and what it's called?
Another Apprecianado,
'DeX'
It's the best coffee
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MY pleasure to be your fan,Dex. I'm looking forward to your hubs and as for the ground up animal dung--have not got a clue, but wish you good luck in your search LOL.
novigodskoro-- thanks for reading and commenting
the coffee was too expensive for me :(
It is pretty warm here in California up until November, which is one of the reasons I have not been drinking as much coffee. It snowed when I was visiting my family up here in the Southern California mountains, and it rained down in the valley. Since it is now cooler I actually have drank several cups of coffee this weekend. In the winter months I tend to drink more of it :).
I do love my coffee and as of now Folgers is my no 1 choice but I still like an a=occasional bag of 8 O Clock.
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SweetiePie can't imagine life without coffee-- even in the tropics LOL and Putz-- thanks for sharing. I like Folgers too--but usually prefer 8 O Clock as I can get whole beans and grind them myself that way. Thanks both of you for reading and commenting
what's the best way to clean your coffee maker? i've heard that brewing white vinegar cleans it? what do you suggest?
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I know some folks use vinegar-- I usually use baking soda which freshens the pot and gets rid of the acids and stain. There are also commercial products you can buy in the grocery store especially made to clean coffee makers. I would say that if you brew white vinegar, it will clean the pot, but you better be sure to brew with just plain water afterwards to get rid of all the vinegar. Maybe somebody else has a better suggestion. I am not an expert as I use my little china manual drip pot most of the time and soap and water does the trick.
My Grandma Ellie made her coffee by boiling. She had an enamel Spackle-ware coffee pot that she set on the wood stove, filled it with spring water pumped into her house from a well, added ground beans she got from the general store in town, and added her perfect magic timing to produce a pot of rich, aromatic bliss. At the time she did this, I was not old enough to be allowed to have coffee. But apparently her methods and my memories had a lot to do with my love of good coffee.
Melitta rocks. I mix one of their "traditional" blends with Seattle's Best French Roast and add cinnamon and filtered water. I clean my no-gadget (no timers, grinders...that's crazy!) electric drip pot with vinegar and put it through three clear water rinses before I use it again.
Did you know that there's research out there that suggests that a daily intake of cinnamon lowers blood sugar levels?
Geeze, I think I need a cup of coffee. Awesome Hub!
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HI ST-- glad you liked the hub and wow what a great comment ( no surprise) Thanks for your personal coffee memories, tips and tastes. I am really loving this comment thread
Mornings just don't work without coffee! and I love the new research because now I don't feel guilty enjoying it. I'd love to have the opportunity to sit on a balcony and watch the world for 10 minutes each day while I enjoyed it though. Envious of Paraglider and jiberish on that score.
Thanks for sharing your tips, I enjoyed the hub AND the comments. Now I have a thing or two to try out on the taste buds.
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I'm with you all the way on the morning coffee thing, duchess. Thanks for stopping by. I just checked your profile and am your newest follower-- looking forward to reading your hubs.
Thanks, I LOVE fans! Look forward to seeing you there
I need more than two cups to get going, and don't bring me anything that it already ground. I prefer to do that myself.
One day, when my (now 14 year old) son was just learning how to talk, I stopped by a Stein Mart Department Store. While we were strolling through housewares, he (in the cart facing me) began pointing to something behind me, and suddenly blurted out, "Mommy's foccee! Mommy's foccee!" I didn't know what he meant, and other shoppers were pretty sure he was cursing, so I followed his arm. He'd found the mugs.
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That is a great story, msL-- I love it-- still laughing. Thanks for stopping by and sharing it:-)
I love my coffee! Recently we had dinner with friends in their home and she made traditional Ethiopian 2 hour coffee, it was the absolute best coffee I've ever had. If you ever get an opportunity to have 2 hour coffee, enjoy it!!!
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Will do, Jane-- have never even heard of Ethiopian 2 hour coffee but it sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing and for coming by to read and comment:-)
Hi there Robie!
Coffee, my only other addiction other than smoking. Coffee is my drink of choice, and I drink it 24/7. Friends make faces at me when I even order coffee when we're ordering pizza. Others ask, how can you drink hot coffee in the summer? My reply is, how can you drink cold drinks in the winter? That pretty much shuts them up :)
I recently had the experience of having lunch at a tiny Cuban restaurant, and tried their coffee. I was anticipating an extremely strong flavor, and it didn't disappoint. I was surprised that I liked it, given it was a bit stronger than what I make at home. The good thing about strong coffee is it can be doctored, whereas weak coffee cannot. I do not care for flavored coffees, cappucino, lattes or any of that fancy stuff. Just give me pure, straight coffee :)
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Hey Trish-- good to see you and glad to know I am not the only coffeeholic around. I love it-- can't start the day without it, but these days don't drink it after about 4pm as it keeps me awake. Like you i like the real thing and none of those vanilla bean, hazelnut fancy flavored stuff. I like the real thing freshly made.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing--soooooo nice to see you:-)
Robie,
Oddly enough, I can fall asleep on a rock, anytime, anywhere. I sometimes wake up during the night, and my dear friend blames it on the caffiene, says I need to drink decaf. Well, unbeknownst to me, on a weekend visit with her, I found myself tired the whole time. Went to sleep early, slept late, even took naps. Little did I know she was feeding me decaf all weekend. However, in her defense, she didn't realize I prefer caffiene :)
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LOL that's funny. If I don't have my high test coffee in the morning I have a terrible headache by 2pm and am good for nothing. I would know if somebody substituted de-caf on me, bigtime.
Great article as I love coffee. I didn't know you shouldn't store in the freezer as I always want to make sure I never run out. I always use bottled water. Thanks for the tips.
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My pleasure Pamela-- thanks for stopping by, reading, and commenting. Always good to meet another coffee drinker:-)
I use one of those crummy drip coffee makers and was very happy with it til suddenly the coffee started to taste pretty bad. The coffee maker has a screen basket that I had only rinsed out. Well, I soaked it in baking soda and water and what do you think. Next day - good coffee.
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Amazing isn't it? That's why I use paper coffee filters with drip coffee makers-- even my little mellits. I had the same experience years ago. Thanks for sharing that-- very important piece of info.
Hi Robie, I've got one of those 6 cup expresso makers, it just about manages to make me one cup. But then I dont sleep for a week. Great hub.
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glad you liked it Knell63--thanks for sharing your coffee preferences-- guess you like yours strong:-)
I am French Pressing a pot of Kaladi Bros. Coffee as we speak, um, write. KBC provides a grinding guide on the back of their packages and their storage recommendations are of the uncommon variety because of their foundational methods of roasting. You might like to try it sometime!
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You are piquing my interest, RT-- Kaladi Bros. here I come:-)
Great article and some great tips. Thanks for sharing with us. Voted up!
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Thanks for stopping by and for the upvote-- I just checked out your profile and am following you now. Can't wait to get started reading all your hubs.
Thank you so much. I love your profile. I am not a good writer. I am honored that you are following me.
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ahhh but you have interesting things to say on a wide range of topics and you love coffee-- that's enough for me:-)-- and who says you are not a good writer anyway???
Thank you Robie.I am really bad in grammar so my 16 year old daughter corrects it before I publish it.
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I am assuming that English is not your first language and English grammar really is hard so I'm glad you have your daughter to help you-- Bravo on writing in a foreign language at all--like I said above. I like your range of topics and what you have to say. I don't care about the grammar:-)
Thanks for all these tips. Voting this Up and Useful.
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting, alocsin-- much appreciated.
Is there life before coffee? I have put a link to our anthem by my old friends in the local band . . . The Puzzlers.
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Hey WD-- love the link. Thanks for sharing it and no there is absolutely NOT life before coffee-- not in my house anyway:-)
I am an avid coffee drinker and cannot function without a first cup in the morning. I do drink decaf though and only my own ground flavored coffee. Your tips are wonderful and the quote supports my habit.
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I am a total coffee-holic too and just do not do mornings before coffee-- never have. For years I felt guilty about drinking coffee but recently, since the big experts have all decided that coffee is good for you, I'm a happy camper. Thanks teach, for taking the time to leave a comment and decaf or high test, coffee is the best, isn't it?
Great hub and very interesting as coffee is my life it seems. I discovered a blend called Kicking Horse 454 that is roasted right here Canada 10 years ago and have never turned back. It is a full flavoured roast. Like many I grind it fresh and use a press. The perfect way to start and end the day.
Hugs from Canada
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Ahhh Rolly, always great to meet another coffee-holic. Kicking Horse 454 sounds wonderful. I love locally roasted coffees and indulge in them often-- they are kind of the micro breweries of coffee :-)
Before I have my strong, black cup of coffee in the morning, I look exactly like the cat in the picture! Haha! Mornings just don't work without coffee! However, the rest of the day I drink only tea.
Since I only drink one cup of coffee during the day, it's very important that the coffee I drink is brewed to perfection! Great hub on a great subject. Thanks for sharing!
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Me too Sanne-- I just do not function before coffee in the morning and that cup needs to be good. I totally identify with the cat in the picture too:-) Thanks for stopping by for a virtual cup up coffee:-)
A very nice read robie2. After reading I have decided to give morning coffee some long thought. I kinda' like the idea of using ground beans and the going through the ritual you described. It may cause me to appreciate morning more. I'm looking into it for sure.
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Well hello tsmog-- delighted to hear you may join the ranks of those who savor that morning coffee and drink it down to the last drop
I, too, am a must-have-my-coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning person. Growing up in the Deep South, I learned to drink coffee and chicory (like you get at Cafe du Monde, in New Orleans) at a young age.
Consequently, anything else, except an occasional flavored coffee (and it must be mixed with my coffee and chicory) tastes like sludge or colored water to me.
I make one cup at a time (I prefer the Community brand), but not in one of those fancy one-cup brewing machines. I have a gadget that holds a #4 cone filter and sits atop my coffee cup. I heat a cup of artesian wells spring water in the microwave for two minutes, 45 seconds. (That's the only ritual I can handle when I first wake up.) It's not boiling, but is very hot when I pour it over the coffee and chicory in the filter, and it drains through to make absolutely fresh, delicious coffee. Wonderful!
If it wouldn't keep me awake, I'd go make a cup right now. Love my coffee....
JAYE
Thank you for this article! I love coffee as well and I am very particular of the type of coffee I drink. I'm trying to save a few pennies by transitioning to making it at home. This will help me make the perfect cup! Thanks again!
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and thank you, peti, for your comment and happy home brewed coffee to you.
As a coffee drinker, I enjoyed reading your secret.
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As one coffee drinker to another, I am delighted you stopped by to read and take time to comment.
Coffee has become a staple in my morning ritual. Light breakfast followed up with coffee and then its off to work on my projects. Loved this hub, great tips also for brewing a better cup. I still have never tried a French press but it has peaked my interest. Thanks for an awesome and useful article. Voted up, Awesome, Useful, and interesting (:
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Glad you liked it Olde Cashmere-- I am a total coffee-holic and could not start my morning without a hot cuppa Joe brewed in my trusty old Mellita pot. Cheers to you and thanks for stopping by.
I would also recommend checking out a couple other forms of manual coffee-brewing in order to get the most out of your grounds. In fact I just posted a hub about some other methods. My favorite is like the mellita, it's the Hario v60. I love it because it has a quicker extraction time than the mellita, making it a really bright cup almost every time!
Great content here, though. Thank you for mentioning not refrigerating/freezing it. I have no idea why people started thinking that was a good idea!
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Hi Jelliott88--I am definitely going to stop by and have a look at the Hariov60. Thanks for the heads up and for the comment.
Thanks for sharing. I too have heard eight o'clock is good but I just don't care for it. Too bitter for my taste.
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Hi nancynurse-- to each his own..... as long as it is coffee :-) thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I like this article. I even printed it off! How often do you grind your coffee? You should check out my blog... it's all about coffee.
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Always great to meet another coffee drinker, MarieAlana1. Off to check out your blog now. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
I'm a huge fan of eight o clock Colombian. Although, I've noticed that it's MUCH better if you grind it at the store. It tastes less bitter. I'm waiting for Big Y to restock on the big whole bean bags but I don't think they keep those in supply as well.
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That is very interesting and good to know. I always buy whole bean, but now I think I will try having eight o'clock ground at the store and see if I like it better. Thanks for the tip.
I always use a drip coffee maker. But I'm going to try the eight o'clock now that you reminded me about it. I think I used to use that one a long long time ago. Your hub was very complete with new information I didn't know, such as that it's better not to grind the coffee the night before.
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Thanks for stopping by Glenn.... always good to see a fellow coffee drinker. Enjoy your Eight O Clock :-)
I like good coffee, but must admit that sometimes I enjoy bad coffee as well :-)
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Hi DDS.... have to admit that there are times when bad coffee is better than no coffee at all......but I hasten to add, they don't happen very often in my case. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read and comment.
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