[Currawong]

My wife found some Guatemala which, much to our shock, arrived ground, off of Amazon from a Japanese company which is fantastic. Since the grind is course, I've broken out the coffee syphon again and am re-learning how to get just the right strength of brew again (I normally use a filter, pre-wet to prevent it absorbing the flavour).   I've tried a few Guatemala blends lately which have been spot-on with a good balance of flavours and strength.

 

[El_Doug]

ZOJIRUSHI
 
Everything else is second rate
 
Quote:

What do you guys use for kettles? I'm thinking about starting to brew my own coffee and while I'm finding a lot of information about different methods, no one seems to mention what kettles are the best. They do, however, keep saying what temperature the water is at is important... Does the kettle just not matter?

 

 

[nick n]

Quote:

What do you guys use for kettles? I'm thinking about starting to brew my own coffee and while I'm finding a lot of information about different methods, no one seems to mention what kettles are the best. They do, however, keep saying what temperature the water is at is important... Does the kettle just not matter?

I use one of these. Feel like they will last forever though. Probably a once in a lifetime purchase at least I'm hoping
http://www.lecreuset.ca/Cookware/Enamel-on-Steel/Teakettles/Whistling-Teakettle-17L/
enamel lined

 
Also I have a Lifetime ( Westbend ) stainless water distiller so that's the source of my water, which can play a factor in the final result a bit I'm told.
 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Thanks, I kind of get the feeling that it's more a personal preference as to the kettle and there's no, "this brand is better because of X" sort of thing.
 
Thanks, the HB one should do the trick.

 

[iLoveMyuzik]

I haven't had any quality cups of coffee, other than the random brands that I find around my house. My sister seems to love coffee and goes out of her way to buy something that's decent. Haha.
 
Besides that, I work at a Robek's and we make a drink with espresso and coffee beans blended in to it. Not exactly "coffee", but it's a taste that only coffee enthusiasts seem to enjoy. xP I doubt that it even compares to higher quality stuff. Not even close.

 

[nick n]

You owe it to yourself to go grab some decent beans and at least a cheapo grinder to grind them fresh so they don't oxidize. That will make it a far more rewarding experience. Jeeze even a halways decent whole bean freshly roasted will be better than pre-ground. And good cream if you like that.
You should listen to your sister about decent stuff, or split the cost with her? I would, or you can ignore everything I just mentioned, but you are missing out.

 

[LegendaryLvl1]

I used to be a professional barista in a small cafe called coffee alchemy (in sydney). 
Before we roasted our own beans, we used to use illy (expensive stuff!). Which later, I found to be quite tasteless at such a significant price.
 
I found that vittoria coffee beans were of the same standard (if not better) for FAR LESS!
 
In the end, the only thing I learned was that price does not matter in the coffee industry.
 

 

[grokit]

Did you guys know that coffee beans are the number two commodity in the world, right behind petroleum? Fair trade petroleum FTW!

 

[iLoveMyuzik]

Quote:

You owe it to yourself to go grab some decent beans and at least a cheapo grinder to grind them fresh so they don't oxidize. That will make it a far more rewarding experience. Jeeze even a halways decent whole bean freshly roasted will be better than pre-ground. And good cream if you like that.
You should listen to your sister about decent stuff, or split the cost with her? I would, or you can ignore everything I just mentioned, but you are missing out.

I agree, but I personally don't drink coffee enough to buy something for myself, but my sister and brother-in-law do, so maybe they'll be interested in something better. Any suggestions for something good that won't break the bank?

 

[LegendaryLvl1]

Quote:

I agree, but I personally don't drink coffee enough to buy something for myself, but my sister and brother-in-law do, so maybe they'll be interested in something better. Any suggestions for something good that won't break the bank?

 
I don't know where  you live, but where I live you can get simple roasted Arabica beans from the local coffee chain (Gloria Jeans). Don't know about starbucks

 

[grokit]

Costco has great deals on 2-3 lb bags of high-quality roasted beans, from organic and fair trade to locally roasted and even Starbucks et al. Some stores even have roasters set up in them for their Kirkland house brand. I keep a small quantity of beans at room temperature for grinding and the rest in the fridge to preserve freshness. They have great deals on biscotti too!

 

[iLoveMyuzik]

Quote:

Costco has great deals on 2-3 lb bags of high-quality roasted beans, from organic and fair trade to locally roasted and even Starbucks et al. Some stores even have roasters set up in them for their Kirkland house brand. I keep a small quantity of beans at room temperature for grinding and the rest in the fridge to preserve freshness. They have great deals on biscotti too!

Hmm, I'll try heading to Costco.

 

[Bob_McBob]

As far as I know, there are no federal regulations governing the use of the "Kona" name.  Hawaii has state legislation that doesn't allow anything less than a 10% blend to be sold as "Kona blend".  Even this is a major sore point for Kona producers, because consumers buying Kona blend coffees often think they are buying a blend of Kona beans, rather than an undetectable amount blended with cheaper coffee and sold at a large mark-up.  Outside Hawaii there is no requirement to even use 10%, and many blend manufacturers don't state what percent is Kona.  In fact, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association recently called for a boycott of mainland Safeways because they are selling Kona blend coffee suspected of containing even less than 10% Kona.  They have also been trying for many years to get the Hawaii state legislature to revise the Kona blend requirements to 75%.
 
There are also plenty of shady "Kona" stores online selling coffee that may more may not be legitimate Kona.
 
None of this changes the fact that the way the average consumer buys coffee means any flavour benefits of even 100% Kona are largely negated.  If you are getting stale, probably pre-ground coffee, it doesn't matter how great it was to begin with, it's still crap coffee.  Freshly roasted, from a good producer, Kona can be a great cup, if somewhat uninteresting to people who drink a wider variety of single origin coffees.  I think it's great that Hawaii has the geography necessary to produce good coffee, and from what I've read there will be interesting developments in the coming years.
 
 
 
Quote:

 
Not true with Kona coffee as I can tell you that what goes into Kona coffee is tightly regulated and inspected regularly by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture who owns the trademark name "Kona Coffee". Kona coffee like Blue Mountain is expensive especially if it is 100% unblended because they both are grown in a small part of the world and are unique to a specific region. I have friends who are currently employed with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture who oversees what goes into Kona coffee and how it is being labeled on their packages. Also Kona coffee is a mild character coffee that has no bite or harshness to it. So if you prefer a coffee with more bite or balls to it, Kona coffee might not meet your coffee fix.
 
I'm told by that if Kona coffee is a blend, it has to state on the package just how much Kona coffee (a minimum of 10% Kona coffee is required to be in the blend) is in the blend and what other blends are in the mix. If it's 100% Kona or 100% Kona Peaberry, the beans used to make that coffee needs to pass specific quality and moisture content criteria. The coffee is also checked to make sure that it's indeed 100% and unblended. Not all coffee beans grown in Kona can be considered "Kona Coffee". Only coffee beans that is of the varietal Typica, grown and harvested from coffee plantations in Kona and passes quality inspection can be legally labeled Kona coffee. The high prices for Kona coffee has caused many to try and scam others in to thinking that they are paying for 100% Kona coffee when in reality what they are getting might be less than 10% Kona in the blend. To protect buyers from being scammed of their money and to insure the quality and integrity of a product that is unique only to Kona Hawaii is just a few reasons why Kona coffee is tightly regulated.
 
 

 

 

[Redcarmoose]

 
 
 
This last month my great coffee find was Arabic yellow coffee. The beans are blond and are not roasted. You make it different than Turkish coffee in that you boil the beans on the stove for 10 min.
My other great find has been Turkish coffee from Kuwait. My friend is just too kind and brings me some really great teas directly from Kuwait every other month.

 

[warubozu]

Yup, there is no federal regulation regarding the branding or content of Kona coffee. There are quite a few vendors out there that sell crap coffee and passing it of as the genuine article. Those who have been a victim to those vendors have a bad impression on what is actually a great coffee.
 


Quote:Originally Posted by Bob_McBob /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
As far as I know, there are no federal regulations governing the use of the "Kona" name.  Hawaii has state legislation that doesn't allow anything less than a 10% blend to be sold as "Kona blend".  Even this is a major sore point for Kona producers, because consumers buying Kona blend coffees often think they are buying a blend of Kona beans, rather than an undetectable amount blended with cheaper coffee and sold at a large mark-up.  Outside Hawaii there is no requirement to even use 10%, and many blend manufacturers don't state what percent is Kona.  In fact, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association recently called for a boycott of mainland Safeways because they are selling Kona blend coffee suspected of containing even less than 10% Kona.  They have also been trying for many years to get the Hawaii state legislature to revise the Kona blend requirements to 75%.
 
There are also plenty of shady "Kona" stores online selling coffee that may more may not be legitimate Kona.
 
None of this changes the fact that the way the average consumer buys coffee means any flavour benefits of even 100% Kona are largely negated.  If you are getting stale, probably pre-ground coffee, it doesn't matter how great it was to begin with, it's still crap coffee.  Freshly roasted, from a good producer, Kona can be a great cup, if somewhat uninteresting to people who drink a wider variety of single origin coffees.  I think it's great that Hawaii has the geography necessary to produce good coffee, and from what I've read there will be interesting developments in the coming years.