I have Cafe Bustelo every morning (except when I'm traveling). They have a pretty cool website that you can order from. I never knew they had so many other cool products. http://javacabana.com/
For the Coffee Heads
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Mmm coffee. I'm a big fan of Leopard Forest Coffee, a small roaster near my house here in SC, and Zeke's, which is in Baltimore. I don't know that I've ever had any Cafe Bustelo, but will have to check them out.
I live in South Florida, so we are inundated with Hispanic coffees, so I've tried Cafe' Bustelo before and it is okay in my espresso machine, but I still just like a good old fashioned cup of either Maxwell House, 8 O'Clock, or Chock Full o' Nuts coffee made in an old Aluminum percolator.
However, I also (believe it or not), like Nescafe' tasters choice instant coffee....I never thought I would enjoy an instant coffee as much as I do Tasters Choice....in fact, for the past few Months, it has become my coffee of choice.
I'm enjoying some right now while smoking some Lanes 1Q in my favorite pipe....a 1940's Kaywoodie.
However, I also (believe it or not), like Nescafe' tasters choice instant coffee....I never thought I would enjoy an instant coffee as much as I do Tasters Choice....in fact, for the past few Months, it has become my coffee of choice.
I'm enjoying some right now while smoking some Lanes 1Q in my favorite pipe....a 1940's Kaywoodie.
I get my coffee from http://alterracoffee.com/ . I like the small batches and I like that they roast their coffee, not burn it like most makers do. The Peru Chinos is my favorite. Nothing like grinding your own coffee and dropping it in the french press. If I don't have that I like the original Dunkin Donuts.
When I'm not drinking "Kicking Horse Canyon" I'm all Blue Mountain. I am a huge coffee fan, and always ready to add new ones to my favourite list, thanks for the link.
Nothing but a cup of strong black Arabica blend coffee by Cain's.
When I got on the Fire Dept 25 years ago every station that I worked at bought Cain's Coffee, it was a tradition then and it still is. Mr. Cain came to Oklahoma City and set up a one man grinding and roasting operation not too far from a couple of our largest stations. You ought to smell a coffee roasting plant when the wind is right. Wow!
Anyhow...I liked it as well as any other coffee and figured if I was going to be drinking it ever other day, I might as well be drinking it every day.
It may not be available everywhere....even with Sarah Lee owning it now.
When I got on the Fire Dept 25 years ago every station that I worked at bought Cain's Coffee, it was a tradition then and it still is. Mr. Cain came to Oklahoma City and set up a one man grinding and roasting operation not too far from a couple of our largest stations. You ought to smell a coffee roasting plant when the wind is right. Wow!
Anyhow...I liked it as well as any other coffee and figured if I was going to be drinking it ever other day, I might as well be drinking it every day.
It may not be available everywhere....even with Sarah Lee owning it now.
We used to have a Barney's Coffee Company store at the Galerria, Gayarhea, Galleria.
It was great... but the WallyWorld of coffee moved in across the Food Court and Barney's went the way of the dodo bird. Because; the ignorant masses started patronizing SB's rather than the good coffee emporium.
Barney's used to have Jamaican Blue Mountain as the coffee of the day three or four times a week....
I used to drive the 10 miles after a phone call inquiring what the coffee of the day was...
You could bring your large travel mug and get a fill up for 90 cents.
It was definitely worth the drive for a very large, very strong, exceptional coffee for less than a buck.
So now, I drag my a$$ out of the rack and spend the next 15 minutes making an appetizer/demitasse of Turkish coffee, and a large French press of freshly ground Columbian supremo and long for the days of really good coffee.
It was great... but the WallyWorld of coffee moved in across the Food Court and Barney's went the way of the dodo bird. Because; the ignorant masses started patronizing SB's rather than the good coffee emporium.
Barney's used to have Jamaican Blue Mountain as the coffee of the day three or four times a week....
I used to drive the 10 miles after a phone call inquiring what the coffee of the day was...
You could bring your large travel mug and get a fill up for 90 cents.
It was definitely worth the drive for a very large, very strong, exceptional coffee for less than a buck.
So now, I drag my a$$ out of the rack and spend the next 15 minutes making an appetizer/demitasse of Turkish coffee, and a large French press of freshly ground Columbian supremo and long for the days of really good coffee.
@jayh - Bustelo is a tin-can or bag variety; kind of a coffee OTC blend. Dark and sturdy, great in a moka pot.
@ Baskerville--I've had the civet coffee, and it's quite good actually--and definitely unique!
@ jankomatic--"I like that they roast their coffee, not burn it like most makers do. " This is a catch-22 for the production side of the industry. Starbucks created the "3rd wave" flavor profile standard out of great beans--that were unfortunately burned out of the sheer necessity of volume. To maintain the consistency of blends in the scale that they work on (17,000+ locations and counting) they need to roast darker, which evens out the caramelization process amongst varietals as well as slightly prolonging the shelf life of the roasted beans (ideally within 2 weeks from roast date before the gassing-off metabolizes the bulk of the aromatic oils). The "OTC" brands--those you buy from a can in the supermarket, also major volume producers--roast too dark as well, and actually gas-out the coffee before it's packaged; it was a process developed post-WW2 to re-invigorate the flagging industry, unfortunately at the severe cost of taste. Not to be a snob about it, because I still enjoy "regular" coffees like this myself, but the manufacture and brewing methods have trained generations of us to regard a very stale, lifeless version of coffee as the "standard"; which I give Starbucks credit for at least revamping. There's never been a better time for coffee, in fact--even instant coffee; I was recently at the SCAA trade show in Houston and sampled some high-end 'soluble' from Maximus Group that made my Nescafe seem like an old tire by comparison.
Regarding blue mountain coffee, I can say that it is one of the most individual and exquisite of flavors; I had the good fortune to live and work in the blue mountains on the Charlottenburg estate one Spring, rehabilitating an old plantation high above Kingston. Waking up before sunrise to roast green peaberries over a camp stove, crush them with a mortar and pestle, and brew them into black ambrosia, watching the first rays of light lift the clouds from the valley below us...that was some natural mystic right there.
Getting into the specialty coffee industry again several years later and I'm amazed at the vast amount of science, experience and money that has gone into this single commodity recently. There are hundreds of boutique roasters available now, green beans for you to roast your own (remarkably easy, btw) are plentiful, and a real consumer shift of raised awareness and expectation of flavor profiles has been nothing short of a renaissance for the beverage.
If anyone is interested in a fantastic read on the subject, check out God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee by Michaele Weissman, J Wiley publishing.
@ Baskerville--I've had the civet coffee, and it's quite good actually--and definitely unique!
@ jankomatic--"I like that they roast their coffee, not burn it like most makers do. " This is a catch-22 for the production side of the industry. Starbucks created the "3rd wave" flavor profile standard out of great beans--that were unfortunately burned out of the sheer necessity of volume. To maintain the consistency of blends in the scale that they work on (17,000+ locations and counting) they need to roast darker, which evens out the caramelization process amongst varietals as well as slightly prolonging the shelf life of the roasted beans (ideally within 2 weeks from roast date before the gassing-off metabolizes the bulk of the aromatic oils). The "OTC" brands--those you buy from a can in the supermarket, also major volume producers--roast too dark as well, and actually gas-out the coffee before it's packaged; it was a process developed post-WW2 to re-invigorate the flagging industry, unfortunately at the severe cost of taste. Not to be a snob about it, because I still enjoy "regular" coffees like this myself, but the manufacture and brewing methods have trained generations of us to regard a very stale, lifeless version of coffee as the "standard"; which I give Starbucks credit for at least revamping. There's never been a better time for coffee, in fact--even instant coffee; I was recently at the SCAA trade show in Houston and sampled some high-end 'soluble' from Maximus Group that made my Nescafe seem like an old tire by comparison.
Regarding blue mountain coffee, I can say that it is one of the most individual and exquisite of flavors; I had the good fortune to live and work in the blue mountains on the Charlottenburg estate one Spring, rehabilitating an old plantation high above Kingston. Waking up before sunrise to roast green peaberries over a camp stove, crush them with a mortar and pestle, and brew them into black ambrosia, watching the first rays of light lift the clouds from the valley below us...that was some natural mystic right there.
Getting into the specialty coffee industry again several years later and I'm amazed at the vast amount of science, experience and money that has gone into this single commodity recently. There are hundreds of boutique roasters available now, green beans for you to roast your own (remarkably easy, btw) are plentiful, and a real consumer shift of raised awareness and expectation of flavor profiles has been nothing short of a renaissance for the beverage.
If anyone is interested in a fantastic read on the subject, check out God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee by Michaele Weissman, J Wiley publishing.
Oh, and for all the French press users, as there seem to be many--a word of advice about preparation:
1. regulate your temperature closely--ideally between 195-205 F for most blends
2. regulate your extraction time closely--generally around 4 minutes for full-immersion methods--and then decant the brewed coffee into a pre-heated thermal carafe
You will be amazed at the clarity of flavor when you offer a minimum of attendance to those two things, particularly removing the brew from the grounds--most people don't, and the coffee will quickly sour as the temperature drops and the grounds are still in contact with the water.
1. regulate your temperature closely--ideally between 195-205 F for most blends
2. regulate your extraction time closely--generally around 4 minutes for full-immersion methods--and then decant the brewed coffee into a pre-heated thermal carafe
You will be amazed at the clarity of flavor when you offer a minimum of attendance to those two things, particularly removing the brew from the grounds--most people don't, and the coffee will quickly sour as the temperature drops and the grounds are still in contact with the water.
A locally-produced green tobacco, actually :mrgreen: This fellow named Dutchy who lived in a shack in the middle of a banana plantation with his Bible and a mule for company was kind enough to stop by on his morning walks. I'd make him a cup of brew, he'd roll a spliff and we'd greet the new day in quiet conversation.
Definitely nirvana.
Definitely nirvana.
Great thread, most of this stuff I've never heard about. All of your knowledge concerning a good cup of coffee amazes me. Maybe Blue Mountain Coffee would pair up well with a bowl of the new Blue Mountain Blend.
I never pay that much attention to the temperature of the water that I make the french press with, but I always pour all the coffee off of the press into a carafe. I will try and see if I can tell any difference or see what the temperature is of the water I normal use. I probably leave it in for more than 4 minutes though, more like 6 or 8.
As far as burning when they roast, I understand why they do it, I just don't like that they do. Which is again why I like Alterra roasters. I am sure there are other great roasters out there that do small batches and pay attention to what they are doing, this is just the one I know about that does.
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