What kind of coffee do you brew at home?

[caleymama]

Inspired by the recent Starbucks thread, I was wondering what you brew at home.

After breaking 2 French Press carafes in quick succession we are now making do with our regular coffee maker. DH likes a bolder, darker roast and I prefer a medium "house" type blend. We try to get fair trade, shade grown, and organic, but don't always end up with all three.

Lately, our usual has been from a small roaster in WA state, Backcountry Coffee Roasters (http://www.backcountrycoffee.com/). It was on sale at amazon recently and I decided to give it a try. I like the Cougar blend the best and we also have the Coyote blend. We also sometimes get Green Mountain Coffee's Single Origin Coffees (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/shop/OurCoffees/Single-Origin-Coffees) or Newman's Own Organics (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/shop/OurCoffees/NewmansOwn). Depends on what is on sale locally or through Frontier.

ETA: We do grind our own beans with this (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13265020) Cuisinart Burr Mill.

The only Starbucks locally is in Barnes & Noble, so not terribly convenient (although nice and relaxing!). There is one local coffee shop that's good and two Dunkin Donuts locations, so not much to choose from while out and about.

[MontrealMum]

DH is a total coffee snob and only buys a special blend of Kenyan 1/2 black, 1/2 brown from a local gourmet coffee shop. I'll drink it if he's made it, otherwise I'll just make my own VanHoutte (which is a local, pre-ground from the store). We only use a Bodum, although we do have an espresso machine which we haven't used in years. I also drink a lot of tea and enjoy trying new types. If I'm out I might grab a coffee at VanHoutte, or Tim's...and actually, I like the Tim's better!

[caleymama]

I also drink a lot of tea and enjoy trying new types.
This is my DH, too (and DDs - they love rooibos and herbal teas hot or iced). I've just never been able to get into it, though. The only one I do drink regularly is Traditional Medicinals Just for Kids Tummy Comfort Tea (http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/?id=340&pid=58). It's chamomile, peppermint, and lemon balm. I find it to be a soothing tea that's so nice at the end of the day. Not just for tummies!

[wendibird22]

Dunkin Donuts whole bean. That stuff is addicting. I think there's crack in it!

[egoldber]

Both DH and I love a full bodied dark roast. I can drink most things, but he is particular.

We have been using Caribou French Roast. For awhile we were ordering from Intelligentsia but got out of the habit. For espresso, their Black Cat blend is amazing!

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/

We are now trying to save our $$. We have on the shelf (waiting to use up the Caribou) a can of Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic French Roast to try. It's about half the price of the Caribou, so I'm hoping we like it!

[Puddy73]

DH is far pickier than I am and prefers Starbucks Kenyan or Sumatra. Our bargain pick is good ol' Eight O'Clock Columbian whole bean. We grind the beans and use a french press. Sometimes we make "Swedish" coffee and throw some egg shells into the grounds (I know it sounds gross, but it gives the coffee a smooth taste and removes bitterness. We call it Swedish coffee because that is how my Swedish family always makes it.)

[caleymama]

DH is far pickier than I am and prefers Starbucks Kenyan or Sumatra. Our bargain pick is good ol' Eight O'Clock Columbian whole bean. We grind the beans and use a french press. Sometimes we make "Swedish" coffee and throw some egg shells into the grounds (I know it sounds gross, but it gives the coffee a smooth taste and removes bitterness. We call it Swedish coffee because that is how my Swedish family always makes it.)

Interesting about the egg shells - I've never heard of that before! We do get Eight O'Clock on occasion. It goes on sale very cheap once in a while at a local grocery store and it's available at BJs so sometimes I do get it. Forgot about that.

[writermama]

I'm a coffee geek. These days I usually make espresso. I'm currently loving the Espresso Afficianado blend from Counter Culture, but honestly every Counter Culture coffee I've tried has been amazing. They ship the coffee the same day they roast and really fresh coffee is just amazingly flavorful compared to beans that have been sitting on a shelf for months. They also have lots of Fair Trade and Organic coffees.

www.counterculturecoffee.com

I also love Intelligentsia (also ships same day as roasting) -- Black Cat, Kid O, and the Decaf Black Cat is still the best decaf espresso I've had.

For a change of pace, I like New Mexico Pinon coffee when I can find it whole bean at Trader Joe's.

[maestramommy]

We normally drink half caf, so we get one can of regular something and one can of Mellow decaf from TJs. One in a while we get gift coffee so we'll use that. I really like the French Roast.

[pinkmomagain]

We enjoy Starbuck's Espresso Roast in our drip. I pick it up at Stop and Shop. I also sprinkle cinnamon in the basket before turning on the coffeemaker.

Curious about the eggshell thing? Would love to hear details (ie. do you wash out the shells? Put them in the basket?)....

[cvanbrunt]

Dunkin Donuts whole bean. That stuff is addicting. I think there's crack in it!

Ditto that! Until recently I had Costa Rican Peaberry and Mocca Java from Gevalia delivered regularly. Trying to save a bit of money, we have the Dunkin Donuts stuff and I buy the Archer Farms Fair Trade coffees at SuperTarget.

[Tondi G]

Trader Joes has some good organic, fair trade coffee right now!

[srhs]

I'm not a big fan of drip (hooked on lattes) but will pick up flavored Panache brand varieties from my local indy shop. Yum! Since drip isn't a daily habit, we can justify the $$.
Also, I love to cold brew these with my Toddy.

[vludmilla]

We are now trying to save our $$. We have on the shelf (waiting to use up the Caribou) a can of Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic French Roast to try. It's about half the price of the Caribou, so I'm hoping we like it!

We have the TJ's you have on your shelf. DH and I like it but it is not as consistent as I would like, sometimes it's very good, other times, not so much. I keep buying it because of the price and because it is FT and organic.

[vludmilla]

If you're looking for relatively inexpensive store brands, Black Gold is one of the better ones, I think. We get organic, FT coffee most of the time now but occasionally we still get Black Gold if it's on sale.

[beansprout13]

DH recently discovered Illy coffee and now it is all he will drink at home... I do have to say that it is really good!

[TraciG]

Folger's INSTANT !

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

We buy a big bucket o' regular folgers at sam's once a month. It's cheaper,dh doesn't mind the switch from 8o'clock and I put french vanilla coffee mate in mine so I couldn't tell a difference really anyway.

I do have a bag of decaf beans roasted at a local coffehouse squirreled away in the freezer though. It's the only decaf that I've ever had that actually tastes like coffee. So on days that I'm craving the flavor I'll make some of that.

[brittone2]

Usually Counter Culture, or occasionally Newman's Own or Green Mountain via Frontier. Sometimes we buy from a local place that roasts their own (mostly all fair trade as well).

I tend to like the Central American coffees...DH knows what I like so he picks it out for me. I'm not so great on the specifics...he knows much more about it than I do, but thankfully, he knows what I like to drink so it works out :)

[buddyleebaby]

100% Colombian. ;)

[mommyp]

Mostly TJs coffees, I keep trying different ones. DH doesn't care too much, so he'll just make what we have, or drink it if I make it. I really like the New Mexico Pinon coffee TJs has.

[caleymama]

Thanks everyone! Some interesting sites to look at and lots of new ideas to try. :)

[KBecks]

I get sbux or a local roaster who gets beans from our church's sister parish.

[MontrealMum]

Sorry, I meant to include these in my original post: http://www.timhortons.com/en/menu/store_Merchandise.html
and http://www.kusmitea.com/html_uk/home.php Tim's is now available at grocery stores in the US and isn't half bad, or too expensive though we don't drink it at home, but some might like it; and I am totally obsessed with Kusmi spicy chocolate tea right now. It changes, but that's it for me right now. Anything else I drink is local, so there's no point adding a link.

[MelissaTC]

I am a huge fan of Green Mountain coffee. I also really like Counter Culture and have not tried one from them that I didn't like. They make a blend for a local bakery that is out of this world. I also like the plain old Colombian from TJs. DH is a decaf man and prefers good ole' Chock full o' nuts but we can't find it in decaf around here anymore. =(

[Nicsmom]

I am a coffee geek and I found that my favorite coffee is now being sold at Walmart: Juan Valdez. This is gourmet coffee at a regular price. It comes in different varieties: bold, mild, balanced, organic, you name it. It is FANTASTIC.

[ha98ed14]

I get sbux or a local roaster who gets beans from our church's sister parish.

This is similar to what we do except we are a local roaster, at least for ourselves. We get beans either through a guy at our church who is a local distributer for a fair trade green coffee co-op or we order the beans wholesale. Un-roasted, green coffee will hkeep for 6 months. Its when you roast it that it starts to get old. In either case, the beans are green when we get them and DH roasts them himself. He used to do it in an old air popper (popcorn) modified to take out the kill switch but then it broke so he built a coffee roaster. They are actually pretty simple. He had fun doing it.

We live in SoCal and we went to Intelligencia a couple times. They do have fabulous coffee, but honestly, I think half of what makes it so good is that it is really fresh because they roast the beans on-site. So I think ours is just as good. We do either french press or espresso in the Rancillio Silva. If anyone is looking for an espresso maker, Silva is a really good one-- basic model that makes consistently good shots at a pretty reasonable price, for an espresso maker.

[GeekLady]

We buy freshly roasted from a local roaster, have them grind it for french press, and make a pot every morning. It's my one caffeine indulgence. We can't afford (and don't have space for) a good coffee grinder and espresso machine yet, although I lust after Rancilio's Rocky/Silvia combo.

[mamicka]

Sounds like you're looking for something a bit more specialty than this but I thought I'd chime in. I've been trying to cut our grocery bill these days & so I bought the Walmart brand (Great Value?) French Roast. Its the best coffee I've had in a while. Seriously. Just prior to this I was buying Dunkin Donuts or Archer Farms.

[CAM7]

I bounce around and try all sorts.... but my favorite is Starbucks breakfast blend... :-) Mmmm...

[Cubdriver]

You can buy a metal french press. I broke 2 or 3 over several years (including an expensive double beaker one) before I found my metal one. I got it from Williams and Sonoma and love it. Highly recommend it even though it is not cheap. As far as coffee goes, my supplier (I know, I sound like a drug addict) is St Ives Roasters. Alton Brown (Food Network) recommended them, and he did not steer me wrong.

[bubbaray]

Starbucks Christmas Blend or Starbucks Gazebo Blend, depending on the time of year. In a drip machine, I just don't like French press coffee, it always tastes rather "thick" to me (regardless of which type of press). I usually only drink decaf. I've done the eggshell thing too. Also, at home, I double filter -- I use a gold permanent filter and an unbleached paper filter.

However, I rarely drink coffee at home these days. I drink more tea.

Molly, I've tried, I've really tried to like Tim Horton's. DH loves it and prefers it over Starbucks. I dunno. I have the passport to live here, but just do not like Tims coffee. I keep looking over my shoulder for Immigration Canada agents trying to track me down and confiscate my passport.... I do like TimBits, though ;)

[caleymama]

You can buy a metal french press. I broke 2 or 3 over several years (including an expensive double beaker one) before I found my metal one. I got it from Williams and Sonoma and love it. Highly recommend it even though it is not cheap. As far as coffee goes, my supplier (I know, I sound like a drug addict) is St Ives Roasters. Alton Brown (Food Network) recommended them, and he did not steer me wrong.
Excellent news! I didn't realize that they came in stainless steel. I found this (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku6783286/index.cfm?pkey=ccoffee-makers-tea-brewers&ckey=coffee-makers-tea-brewers) Bodum one and this (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/e086/index.cfm?pkey=ccoffee-makers-tea-brewers&ckey=coffee-makers-tea-brewers) Frieling one at WS - is the one you have either of these? I just may have found a Christmas gift for DH! :D

[MontrealMum]

Molly, I've tried, I've really tried to like Tim Horton's. DH loves it and prefers it over Starbucks. I dunno. I have the passport to live here, but just do not like Tims coffee. I keep looking over my shoulder for Immigration Canada agents trying to track me down and confiscate my passport.... I do like TimBits, though ;)
You know - most of my friends laugh at me when I say I like Tim's...I do live in Mtl. land of the gourmet everything! I just don't care much about the coffee as long as it's not Sanka instant or something. I think I must be a coffee lightweight :) Now beer, there I am much pickier ;)

[C99]

We buy the Costco brand coffee (Columbian Supremo) in the giant pack for $8.99 and grind at home. We have 3 DD nearby and that is our favorite place for straight-up coffee when out and about.