Trying to rid of my coffee shop habit. Making coffee at home

Ocarina

Okay so I'm sure this is pretty pathetic but for some reason I've lost touch with how to make a good pot of coffee as I haven't done it since I was like 18. My husband is really clueless as he despises regular coffee normally except when he's in the mood for it on a blue moon occasion. (He's a foofoo drink/sugary beverage type person.)

I personally never buy the large 4 dollar lattes as I am calorie conscious and the price is just awful on a student budget. Plus who wants to end up spending 1000+ dollars at Starbucks or wherever you go? Anyways, I buy a medium sized plain old black coffee which can run from 1.00 at my school (any size, it rocks!) to 2.00 at the drive-thru by my house as they only serve it Americano style. Whatever it is I have to have coffee in the morning and there is nothing more satisfying then a good cup of it. I only drink one cup a day thankfully.

I really feel since I'm pretty easy to please I should just make it at home... Every time I try it comes out gross. I have Starbucks branded stuff so I know it can't be the beans. They aren't expired. I have powdered creamer and sugar to spice it up. So I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong? I was hoping people could give me ideas on what they do in the morning to make things taste better and maybe some tips on how to use a coffee machine? I would drink 16-20 oz from home and hope that it is warm enough for the first hour or so of my day. How many tablespoons is suitable for like 3 cups worth of coffee? Cup = 8oz I think.

If I can successfully rid of my coffee shop "dependency" I could save 30+ dollars a month!

Moonblood

I use whole bean coffee and grind them, and then make my coffee in a french press. The coffee made in a press is beyond drop coffee makers in taste!

taso42

http://www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr/grind.brew.php

engineman312

coffee is such a taste thing. what i like, you may not like. and sometimes i need a really strong cup, or a weaker cup of coffee. sometimes i add a little cinammon or apple pie spice in the grinds for a taste of the holidays.

but my normal everyday pot of coffee, i do one scoop of coffee grinds per 2 cups of COLD water, dash of salt right in the grinds. 1-2 tablespoons of low fat half and half, and an equal per 6 ounces.

lc504

I use whole bean coffee and grind them, and then make my coffee in a french press. The coffee made in a press is beyond drop coffee makers in taste!

Yes! I couldn't live without my french press.

MB_Positif

I use whole bean coffee and grind them, and then make my coffee in a french press. The coffee made in a press is beyond drop coffee makers in taste!

Seriously, I used to be such a wimp about coffee, but since having it at a shop that brewed in a french press I am sold on getting one...I just need to get some money first. I can drink it black w/ no sugar from a french press. Right now we brew ours with cinnamon in the filter, it gives it a yummy taste and I use quite a lot less sugar and half and half this way!

april_beth

if youre short on time like me, invest in a keurig....you wont be sorry...199 bucks and four years later im still enjoying my coffee cheaply

edited to say: they are MUCH cheaper now so i bet youd spend 100 for the good one invest i say, invest

ElizabethRoad

if youre short on time like me, invest in a keurig....you wont be sorry...199 bucks and four years later im still enjoying my coffee cheaply

edited to say: they are MUCH cheaper now so i bet youd spend 100 for the good one invest i say, invest

I just saw them for $100 - $150 a couple of weeks ago.

FitDC

I love Dunkin Donuts - original roast ground coffee. After opening the bag, I store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. When preparing I use a level coffee scoop, about 1 Tablespoon ground coffee to 8oz water (1 cup). You may wish to add more or less grounds to suit your taste. Always start with cold, fresh water. Is your coffee maker a new model - that can make a difference too. The coffee maker must heat the water to the proper temperature. I have a 4 cup Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker that has worked fine for years. Pour coffee into your cup immediately after the brewing has ended. If coffee sits too long in the pot it may burn or have a bad flavor. Only drink freshly brewed coffee. I generally turn the heat off of the coffee maker after the brewing has ended. A great cup every morning! Hope this is helpful!

healthybabs

You don't say what kind of coffee pot you have, perk or drip maker? I do not use a drip maker because there is not enough concentration of the water to bean to get the full flavor. I like either a french press or perk maker. I currently use a Farberware 4 cup perk coffee pot. I also have their 12 cup pot for weekends. I love it for mornings when I only want a couple of cups of coffee. LIke you, I must have that Joe in the am. I put the left over coffee in a pitcher and always have it on hand for an iced coffee whenever I want it. For that sized pot I use 4 tbsp of coffee. I like my coffee strong so just depends on what you like. I always buy a good brand of whole bean coffee and grind it fresh myself. I guess you could call me a coffee snob.
First thing I would do is lose the powdered stuff for cream. Just use either light cream or half and half or you can get alot of flavored liquid creamers either sugar free or fat free. I am using a sugar free vanilla flavored liquid coffeemate right now.
So I will admit I have become somewhat addicted to the Salted Caramel Mocha at Starbucks but when I looked up the calories I decided I had to come up with a fakeout of my own. Here is my fakeout......hot coffee, a little almond milk, about 1/2 tsp hot chocolate mix, a squirt of Redi Whip or fat free coolwhip whatever you have, and then I squeeze some sugar free caramel sauce (they sell that in the ice cream section) on top and sprinkle a combination of turbinado sugar and kosher salt on top. Yum-Yum...... and alot less calories for an occasional weekend treat.
Sometimes I just go pretty simple and just sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of the grounds before I perk the coffee.

enjoy!!!!

PegasusDeb

if youre short on time like me, invest in a keurig....you wont be sorry...199 bucks and four years later im still enjoying my coffee cheaply

edited to say: they are MUCH cheaper now so i bet youd spend 100 for the good one invest i say, invest

I just saw them for $100 - $150 a couple of weeks ago.

Yep, check on E'bay as well! I got mine for under $70, gently used, still with box!

Also check out webs like Folgers.com about making the "foo-foo" drinks! They are delish & easily done at home. Or even hungrygirl.com for healthy swaps. Good luck. I am a newbie in this coffee drinking thing & have found there are ALOT of coffees out there, most of which I do not like. So keep experimenting & good luck!

Prettyinpaisley

I typically choose tea instead of coffee - BUT My S/O drinks coffee pretty regularly. We invested in a bean grinder and a french press - it's a little more work in the mornings, but makes a world of a difference in the taste.

In terms of sweetening, I typically use 1/2 tbsp of honey and 1/4 cup of non-fat milk. It sounds weird, but it's way better than those artificial creamers and sugary syrups they have at Starbucks.

PegasusDeb

You don't say what kind of coffee pot you have, perk or drip maker? I do not use a drip maker because there is not enough concentration of the water to bean to get the full flavor. I like either a french press or perk maker. I currently use a Farberware 4 cup perk coffee pot. I also have their 12 cup pot for weekends. I love it for mornings when I only want a couple of cups of coffee. LIke you, I must have that Joe in the am. I put the left over coffee in a pitcher and always have it on hand for an iced coffee whenever I want it. For that sized pot I use 4 tbsp of coffee. I like my coffee strong so just depends on what you like. I always buy a good brand of whole bean coffee and grind it fresh myself. I guess you could call me a coffee snob.
First thing I would do is lose the powdered stuff for cream. Just use either light cream or half and half or you can get alot of flavored liquid creamers either sugar free or fat free. I am using a sugar free vanilla flavored liquid coffeemate right now.
So I will admit I have become somewhat addicted to the Salted Caramel Mocha at Starbucks but when I looked up the calories I decided I had to come up with a fakeout of my own. Here is my fakeout......hot coffee, a little almond milk, about 1/2 tsp hot chocolate mix, a squirt of Redi Whip or fat free coolwhip whatever you have, and then I squeeze some sugar free caramel sauce (they sell that in the ice cream section) on top and sprinkle a combination of turbinado sugar and kosher salt on top. Yum-Yum...... and alot less calories for an occasional weekend treat.
Sometimes I just go pretty simple and just sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of the grounds before I perk the coffee.

enjoy!!!!

Yum! Torani has some cool s/f & reg flavored syrups as well! I LOVE the s/f french vanilla.

mem50

If you are using a drip-maker it may need cleaning or replacement. I had one awhile back that no matter what I did the coffee was bad. Found out it was the heating element. It was actually burning the coffee. Bought a Delonghi and love it. Are you using tap or filtered water? The "cleaner" the water the better the brew.

engineman312

ps, thanks for the gift ideas. i know a couple of people that would love a french press and bean grinder for christmas.

Ocarina

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the idea of a french press. I can totally invest in one of those as it will save us tons of money. It is a very good investment. :laugh:

I have a regular old coffee pot where you pour so much water in and it drips into the pot through a filter. I got it at Walmart for like 20 bucks probably. =P I will ditch the powdered creamer and get some fat free/sugar free creamer. And I totally have cinnamon as well! That sounds amazing to put it into the grounds. Or salt. I'm all about trying new things and mixing it up. I also have a tap with a filter on it so I'll make sure to use that.

I've gotten myself to prepare all lunches and dinners at home so this will be one more thing I will have the ability to do. Makes life soooooo much easier when you can throw something together at home for super cheap.

Well I'm off to the store to grab myself a french press. You guys rock!

MrsSpratt

Buy a grinder and a French press. I used to make terrible coffee, now it's pretty much fool-proof.