help me chose a coffee

ok so i've got a plunger pot (coffee press), now i need to get a coffee. decaf only please (tried regular, too much kick). i like it w/ sugar and cream, thick, full body, not too acid. sweet or chocolaty hints a plus. ideas? suggestions?

thinking about decaf sumatra listed on starbucks page. i want to be able to get it ground, in small quantities to try it out; once i figure out what i like then off to peets to get fresh coffee, but until then have to be able to find it locally and small quantities ground. suggestions on flavors appreciated. thanks.

I like strong black real deal coffee. Hazelnut coffee is nice once in awhile it just smells great,not sure if that comes in a decafe version worth looking into though.
Topper

Ask these guys about homeroast /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

i bought a packet of gevalia hazelnut, nearly made me sick from WAY too much of caffeine and the funky flavor, plus it was too "liquidy" if you know what i mean. i like thicker, more viscous liquids (in tea, for ex, i like rich assam, w/ milk/sugar, and that is one of the stronger black teas in terms of body).

home roast is for another time, altho that thread is fun to read... since i'm in the "lets try new stuff" stage, in small amounts, i'll have to get roasted and ground coffee. so folk, let's have it: decaf, goes well w/ milk and sugar, and thick (very full body i guess they call it).

I love that "funky flavor" of Gevalia Hazelnut.
If you want thick I would swap off to hot chocolate or just add more grounds to less water. I also put abit of salt in the coffee when I make it not just hazelnut all coffee in general, pass on milk cream and or sugar. To each his own I guess. I like caffeine heck anything legal with iene in it works well for me :caffeine,nicoteine,ephradeine whatever
wired works for me. I quit eine once and slept alot like almost 8 hours at a time I was missing half the day asleep!
If I sleep more than 6 hours I am to worn out all day. In my younger days 4 hours was my limit now at 45 I find myself slacking off to 6 hours, dang near ashamed of my self.
Topper /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Have you considered using Kopi Luwak ?

Where is Mr. Ted Bear? This coffee topic is up his alley.

If you're on a limited budget I'd suggest the Folgers Columbia Roast but I don't know if you can find it in decaf. It's a good blend if you want a national store brand that won't break the bank.

I like pure Kona but it's about $30 a pound and not every roaster has it year round but wow, it's a good cup of coffee. This is my first choice by far and I'm finishing up a pound from Maui right now.

Since you live in the LA area have you checked out Deidrich's? Their mostly in Orange County but they have excellent coffee and a number of their stores roast on the spot. I enjoy their Huehuetenago and I think it'll give what you're looking for. You might even want to try the regular version instead of decaf because it doesn't give you the Starbucks caffeine headache.

What a wonderful problem you have!!!

the civet-shite coffee? at 300/pound? LOL no thanks. i had heard of it, never tried it, mebbe some time, for the novelty, if a cup can be had.

deidrich's is a good idea, next time i'm in OC, i'll check it out (dont live in OC).

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gifI like pure Kona but it's about $30 a pound and not every roaster has it year round but wow, it's a good cup of coffee. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Yeeeahhhh, liquid motivation and well worth every cent.

Oh God!...Kona whole beans...freshly ground fine, coldest water you can get and a gold plated mesh filter ( no filter tastes added)....add a little extra....heaven...

Check out San Giorgio. Good selection and service. They are in Florida but I think they survived the hurricanes.

I don't drink more than a couple of cups of decaf a day so the extra couple of bucks (for shipping) over the locals "premium" stuff doesn't bother me.

Presently alternating weekly Sumatra, a blend called "Seven Bean" and on weekends "Death by Chocolate". No sugar, no cream, just hot,dark and bitter.

If you're loading it up with cream and sugar, so you probably don't need the most complex taste, just a big body and lots of flavor. On the other had, I'm going to recommend a decaf coffee with rich, complex flavors, but that's also big and bold. The decaf sumatra at justroastedcoffee.com is the best decaf I've ever tasted. It absolutely blows away Starbucks, for example (although again, loaded with cream and sugar, it might be harder to tell). The folks at justroasted coffee are not only much better at roasting than the folks at Starbucks, but the beans you receive will be fresh fresh fresh (and that is the key to flavor), much fresher than Starbucks.

Do yourself a favor, check it out!

Try: www.jelks-coffee.com

Kona!!!! Oh man, is that stuff gooooood! I was playing around with some once and kept upping the amount of coffe I was using. It just kept getting better and better, never even got to the bitter stage. Even at 2x the usual coffee-water ratio! I stopped the experiment because I had the grounds holder full to the rim (next stage would have been reduced water amount with full load of grounds) and I figured out that each pot of coffee was now costing about $6+ of pure Kona.

The local BJs has gotten in a Kona-blend that is quite good and about 1/4 the price of pure Kona. It is now the regular household coffee.

Advice: find a local store that has a decent selection and good turn-over (for freshness). Pick two varieties each week or two or three and get a pound of each. Taste them and find out what -you- like. If you aren't grinding your own beans (with a decent burr grinder, not a blade machine), do so . It does make a difference. If you want flavored coffees, don't grind those beans. The 'flavor' cruds up and pretty much contaminates the entire machine from then on. Add your own flavor syrup after you grind decent beans.

The Gevalia coffees I tried in the past were decent, if not quite good, but a little expensive. Just because you like one company's XYZ, doesn't mean the same coffee will be exactly the same from a different company. Roasting matters!

Try, try, try. It's fun and interesting to find out there is more to coffee than just "it's coffee".

Warning, substandard cups of coffee will become more apparent the more you know and taste good coffee. Sort of like trying to use a stock MiniMag after say a PM6, or L4, or even a Dorcy Spyder.

Kona is really good. I vacationed in Kona for 2 weeks, a few years ago. I'm just starting to get over that caffeine buzz...

Don't bother with all foolish high end stuff.
Make your own mixes.
Try a little Pumpkin pie spice in your next pot. My favorite. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Then try some cinnamon sticks broken up in the grounds.
If that doesn't do it, go for some Almond extract in the grounds.
Just watch the fine ground spices as they can clog the filter and make a real mess of things.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

joe, thanks for the tip! i keep hearing about kona, but from whats listed on various vendors' sites, it is not a heavy, full body, but given the effusive praise, i shall try it (available in a small ~10 serving sampler at my grocery store, only 10% kona though).

yea, milk/sugar will spoil the complexity but i always drink black tea, strong, that way, and used to it. mebbe when more of a taste for coffee develops, i'll try sugar only (don't quite think i can stomach straight up black). thanks again everyone! will keep you posted on how things go. mebbe get my professor to get some kopi from SE asia /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

We have a very reputable coffee house in our little hamlet that imports the finest beans. We also have three other specialty houses and two chains. A Starbucks and a Peets which I think is a local boutique chain. Anyway, LGCRC has yummy coffee.

Specializing in the finest coffees of the world, the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company was established in 1982 by Teri Hope, the company's founder and president. Coffee is roasted daily on premises and fills the town with its wonderful toasty aroma.

As pioneers in the specialty coffee industry, Teri and her Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company have helped set the standard in American specialty coffee roasting and coffee education. Teri's innovative format, featuring coffee roasting on-site in a retail shop combined with a European-style espresso bar and coffeehouse, became a model in the industry. Teri was a charter member of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and has served two terms on the SCAA Board of Directors continuing her longstanding active membership in the trade.

This is their website. and Here is their Decaf selection.

Give 'em a call or email

Good Luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif