How to you make your coffee? What's the best coffee machine ever?

[ceecee]

I ordered a Phin filter and Nguyen coffee from the Nguyen site. I see that World Market carries Cafe du Monde, so I may try that next.

Do you ever add chicory? I see the Cafe du Monde is a coffee/chicory blend, and [MENTION=1206]cascadeco[/MENTION] mentioned chicory (as being good in Vietnamese coffee) to me. I usually add a couple teaspoons of chicory (per 1 lb. coffee) to my cold brew concentrate, so I already have some on hand.

And would you say Longevity brand condensed milk specifically makes a difference? (I.e. is it worth going out of my way to find?)

I don't think the Longevity brand makes a difference. Generally I keep a squeeze bottle of La Lechera (it's about $1.50 less than the Eagle Brand bottle) in my fridge and I use that. I like the taste of chicory but a lot of people don't. I think it's just a slight nutty flavor. World Market definitely has Cafe Du Monde, it may even be a bit less there than in the regular stores.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

Wait THIS IS A THING???

Which brand(s) got that kind of function?

Keurig is the single serve coffeemaker, right? Any coffeemaker where you can choose the amount of ground coffee (as opposed to having it premeasured for you) gives this leeway - even the other brands of single cup coffeemakers. Although I think I've seen reusable filters for Keurigs (that you fill yourself, so you can control the strength there too). It's not a function of the coffeemaker so much as a consequence of ground coffee to water ratio (more grounds/less water = stronger brew, and vice versa).

Hot brew coffee is really acidic. When I hot brew, I typically make my coffee weaker than you'll find it at Starbucks or Panerra (less coffee grounds/more water) because I can't handle the acid. (I have Barrett’s esophagus and get raging heartburn at the drop of a hat).

 

[ceecee]

Keurig is the single serve coffeemaker, right? Any coffeemaker where you can choose the amount of ground coffee (as opposed to having it premeasured for you) gives this leeway - even the other brands of single cup coffeemakers. Although I think I've seen reusable filters for Keurigs (that you fill yourself, so you can control the strength there too). It's not a function of the coffeemaker so much as a consequence of ground coffee to water ratio (more grounds/less water = stronger brew, and vice versa).

Hot brew coffee is really acidic. When I hot brew, I typically make my coffee weaker than you'll find it at Starbucks or Panerra (less coffee grounds/more water) because I can't handle the acid. (I have Barrett’s esophagus and get raging heartburn at the drop of a hat).

I get whole beans from Sumatra for this reason - it's less acidic naturally. I know there are other brands that claim to be low acid but I couldn't drink Ethiopian or Brazilian coffee anymore because of the heartburn but I can say for sure the Sumatra coffee helped. They also sell the beans at World Market.

 

[Z Buck McFate]

I get whole beans from Sumatra for this reason - it's less acidic naturally. I know there are other brands that claim to be low acid but I couldn't drink Ethiopian or Brazilian coffee anymore because of the heartburn but I can say for sure the Sumatra coffee helped. They also sell the beans at World Market.

Goddamnit woman, you are full of super helpful information! Ha ha. My favorite coffee place (Peace coffee) sells Sumatra, so I'll add it to my list of stuff to try. I do miss the kick of hot brewed coffee every morning. And making the cold brew concentrate is kind of a pain in the ass, but it's better than no coffee at all.