Coffee Drinkers - How do you prepare your coffee at home to avoid places like Starbucks?

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  • katya_be
    katya_be Posts: 227 Member
    I've noticed that cold coffee tastes better too. It's all I drink these days. I make a pot and make enough for 2-3 days worth of coffee. It keeps perfect in the fridge and a quick great way to make iced coffee!
  • DivineLotus
    DivineLotus Posts: 93 Member
    I use my keurig everyday. I need 2 cups before I can function. I use around 2 TBS of a creamer of my choice. I have been using sugar-free french vanilla coffee mate lately. I am used to the flavor of smaller amounts of creamer. When I go to Starbucks i get a "skinny" coffee, so skinny latte or skinny mocha with extra shots. Its less calories and still tasty.
  • mcclousen77
    mcclousen77 Posts: 6 Member
    I just drink folgers w coffee mate. About 3 tbsp. I know, I'm bad.
  • desertfox57
    desertfox57 Posts: 4 Member
    grind my own beans, usually 1/2 vanilla nut and 1/2 regular roast. Daily is non fat 1/2 and 1/2, about 2 TLB and stevia. On weekends we put in ground cinnamon and anise. Haven't learned to like black coffee, something about that creaminess with the edge of bitter that my taste buds love. Also, we make a big pot and then then use the leftovers for iced coffee the next morning (we live in Phoenix).
  • Kettle_Belle14
    Kettle_Belle14 Posts: 246 Member
    I use half and half and sweeten with honey. Using half and half I don't pour as much. :smile:
  • lindaloo1213
    lindaloo1213 Posts: 283 Member
    DivineLotus wrote: »
    I use my keurig everyday. I need 2 cups before I can function. I use around 2 TBS of a creamer of my choice. I have been using sugar-free french vanilla coffee mate lately. I am used to the flavor of smaller amounts of creamer. When I go to Starbucks i get a "skinny" coffee, so skinny latte or skinny mocha with extra shots. Its less calories and still tasty.
    This is all me as well. Except I refuse to drink sugar free creamer at home. 2 tblspoons if regular french vanilla is 70 calories and it is worth every one of them. I tried to like sugar free and just cant stomach it. I do the skinnys at starbucks though to keep the calories down and only get 3 pumps in a venti skinny vanilla latte.

  • rungirl1973
    rungirl1973 Posts: 2,559 Member
    I was using the almond joy creamer (or other flavors - that one was my favorite).
    I was also drinking a protein shake in the morning after my workout.

    I did away with the creamer. Now I shake up my protein with almond milk and use that as my "creamer". It isn't as sweet, but I got used to it.
  • theredhead77
    theredhead77 Posts: 35 Member
    I buy a Kona blend at Sprouts and grind it in the store. I drink it black (sorry notsorry if that isn't deemed "helpful" per the OPs standards).

    @super_b_star - you may want to buy bulk coffee at a place like Sprouts where you can buy a little and try it out. Making coffee at home is a learning curve - you need to get the proportions between coffee and water just so. I'm a big fan of Sprouts Kona blend which is a medium roast. It took me a long time to get to straight black coffee but it was all a matter of finding the beans and proportions. Don't be fooled by "flavored" beans - they are more of an essence than a straight up flavor. You can also return everything to Trader Joe's so if you buy something and don't like it no loss.

    Good luck!
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    edited April 2015
    Most of the time I have it black...but once in a while I will microwave some milk (whole, 2%, or even unsweetened almond) and add a teaspoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder and a little stevia to make a mocha. I will do this with french press coffee, or if I am being really ambitious use the moka pot. I may or may not add vanilla extract and often add cinnamon. If I really want to get complicated, I will froth the milk as well with a battery powered hand frother.
  • stmille
    stmille Posts: 1 Member
    edited April 2015
    I normally drink about 350mL of black coffee in the morning. Fresh clean water and freshly roasted beans used within their optimal lifespan (5-7 days) is key.

    I use a number of different methods of extraction but I find myself going back to a pour-over Hario V60. I grind medium-fine and use a ratio of about 1:16 grams of coffee grounds to water--so around 22g for 350mL of water at a temperature of about 90C. The pour-over should take about 3 minutes or so for the ideal grind and extraction.

    Yes it's a somewhat junior high school science project approach to coffee, but the method ensures a solid baseline for judging different types of coffee and the ritual itself (I find, anyways) is perfect way to get started in the morning.
  • freeoscar
    freeoscar Posts: 82 Member
    To start out with - what type of coffee drinks do you currently get from Starbucks? They sell everything from black filter coffee to a 1000+ calorie Frappucino. Are you primarily focused on saving money, or time or calories? There are multiple ways this could go.
  • NEWMEKELLIB
    NEWMEKELLIB Posts: 49 Member
    I am a coffee lover, I can drink it black its not my favorite, I always drank it with sugar and creamer...since Lifestlye changes came in, I omit the sugar and just use non dairy creamer or almond milk and I LOVE CINNAMON in my coffee.
  • BuckyArden33
    BuckyArden33 Posts: 146 Member
    black coffee. i only drink so i can get out of bed in the morning lol
  • Sklahsen
    Sklahsen Posts: 76 Member
    I used to drink my coffee with sweetner, and then began getting headaches due to the aspartame..so I switched to sugar, since it is "natural". In August I decided to try cutting sugar out of my coffee altogether...and it has stuck. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I drink mine with either a bit of 5% cream, or if I run out of that I just use 1% milk. I did buy myself a bottle of french vanilla coffee mate as a treat and had to throw it out because I'm so used to no sweet that it made my coffee way too sweet- even just a few drops of it.
    I have a bean grinder that grinds just enough to fill a reusable k-cup filter- and then just run it through my keurig..fast and simple for busy mornings.
    OP- Have you tried using flavoured coffee? When I started going off sugar in mine, I started with flavoured stuff so that it wasn't just bitter, plain coffee...it sort of tricked my taste buds.
    I'm from Canada, so once in a while a good "Double Double" from Tim Hortons is a perfect treat.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
    lcooper327 wrote: »
    I drink it black, iced, with cinnamon. For whatever reason iced tastes less harsh than hot. And cinnamon cuts down on the bitterness. It almost tastes sweet.

    Agree with you there. I like black coffee served cool more than hot. I usually add an ice cube or two to freshly brewed coffee if I don't want to wait for it to cool.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I use a French press. I make the whole pot (or carafe or whatever you call it), which gives me something like 28 ounces. Then I heat 1 cup of milk my giant mug (like the one below--I search for cheesy souvenirs when we travel) and top it off with coffee. Once I drink it down to 2/3 full, I top it off again, and so on and so forth until I have finished off all the coffee.

    mZ4w6TjaI6K6L4Ww246EDzg.jpg
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
    I grind the beans (Dunkin Donuts and/or Community) just before brewing the coffee. No sweetener, just a splash of heavy cream. I've never cared for commercial flavored coffees--I can't taste the supposed flavor over all the bitterness.
  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
    We have a Nespresso machine for making espressos, Americanos, lattes, etc. Otherwise it's my good old Keurig for my workday morning coffee with a shot of flavoured SF syrup.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Also, don't really understand the whole Starbucks thing anyway...their coffee is just ok...I've found other local establishments to be far superior as well as my own coffee.
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    super_b_star wrote: »
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    I've never liked Starbucks, though oddly I use their coffee at home.

    I just have a cup with two sugar in the raw packets, and a tsp of hot chocolate mix. I'm not trying to replace Starbucks though, so I'm probably not much help.

    I use basic,generic, Folger's coffee. Do you think that using other grounds make a world of difference in quality? I'm sure it must, although I'm too afraid to try. Afraid of not liking it and it ends up being a waste of money because I don't know what to look for :(
    I just use Folgers as well, or any that's on sale (I'm cheap that way!). I shake a little cinnamon on top of the grounds in the basket or some cocoa powder and brew. YUMMM

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Honestly I just buy flavored Kcups and drink them black typically.
  • NightShiftMedic
    NightShiftMedic Posts: 59 Member
    Grind it fresh, brew it in a drip or French press, and drink it black. I generally drink two cups in the morning and a few more throughout the day.
  • k_nicole87
    k_nicole87 Posts: 407 Member
    I actually started drinking Click Espresso Protein.
  • castufari
    castufari Posts: 14 Member
    French press or Aeropress and grind before I use it. TJ's organic heavy cream with no sugar for my default bean (Cafe Britt Terrazu). If I'm packing coffee to take hiking, I'll use some Folgers I've had around. If I use sugar it's the raw sugar.
  • dawn_noelle29
    dawn_noelle29 Posts: 114 Member
    I have a CBTL Kaldi that makes espresso and coffee - I usually put a shot of espresso in my morning protein shake. If you're a fan of sweetness, I just purchases some Sweet Drops and it's liquid Stevia with flavors.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Also, don't really understand the whole Starbucks thing anyway...their coffee is just ok...I've found other local establishments to be far superior as well as my own coffee.

    I think they purposely over roast their coffee to make it bitter so they can add the cream and syrups to up the price and increase their profit margins. Consider that roasted coffee doesn't "go bad" quickly, it just loses flavor over time. See if you can find a coffee shop that brews coffee roasted 2 weeks (or less) ago.
  • iheartinsanity
    iheartinsanity Posts: 205 Member
    I don't do the "sweet" coffee unless it's cold (frappucinos, and we get them at a coffee stand/house). I also used to get the flavored poison for my coffee but I gave that up a few years ago. I just simply do black with cream, or black with coconut oil and butter (bulletproof). I have never really enjoyed "sweet" coffee.
  • JenD1066
    JenD1066 Posts: 298 Member
    I never used to drink coffee. Then we got a Keurig. Yes, the type of coffee matters- my fave is Kona Blend. I put some coconut milk creamer in the cup with a drop of stevia before I press brew, and it comes out perfect.
  • jeichelb83
    jeichelb83 Posts: 172 Member
    Gevalia mocha latte k-cups.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    geotrice wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Also, don't really understand the whole Starbucks thing anyway...their coffee is just ok...I've found other local establishments to be far superior as well as my own coffee.

    I think they purposely over roast their coffee to make it bitter so they can add the cream and syrups to up the price and increase their profit margins. Consider that roasted coffee doesn't "go bad" quickly, it just loses flavor over time. See if you can find a coffee shop that brews coffee roasted 2 weeks (or less) ago.

    I would have to applaud their brilliance if that ever came out as true. What a great ploy.

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