by Lori Baltazar
The bag indicated “Whole Coffee Beans” but something else awaited inside…
At the Sidcor Market this weekend, I bought a bag of barako coffee beans from an impassioned purveyor. His selection of coffee bags were clearly marked: “Ground” and “Whole Bean.” I always, always buy my coffee in whole bean for all the obvious reasons. When I got home, I pulled the bag out of its packaging and lo and behold: ground coffee.
My friend K, who’s all too aware of my obsession/fixation/neurosis (!) when it comes to coffee, sucked in her breath sharply and looked at me wide-eyed. I myself was quite flabbergasted, and I was amused to realize that I was holding onto the coffee bag the way someone gingerly holds onto a soiled diaper. “Now if only Sidcor wasn’t so far away already, I’d march right over and ground them,” I mutter.
But what’s done is done so I took out my coffee paraphernalia and brewed K and myself a – surprisingly – satisfying cup of coffee. Whenever I try out a new coffee bean (or in this case, ground coffee) I use my French press to brew the first cup. It’s my favorite brewing method and is near and dear to my heart. There’s nothing like the appealing directness of infusion, the way the ground coffee steeps in water providing thicker body than other brewing methods, with the exception of an espresso machine (which I don’t have). I have four French presses in various sizes. The one you see on the lefthand side is the very first press I bought — it’s 16 years old. Yes, really.
So on this rainy, need-me-a-coffee Monday, I’d like to ask: What’s your favorite coffee-brewing method? And why? And oh, once you’ve got your coffee, do you drink it black or do you add sugar and creamer (Coffeemate or another brand)?
Now I’m off to brew myself a cup of joe…
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Instant in a cup of hot water. With 2 packets of Splenda and no cream. Because when I wake up in the morning I’m too incoherent to do anything else. Hahahahahaha. 😀
I love that boiling water takes only 1.5 minutes on my induction stove 🙂 French press is the easiest and fastest way. When I have a little more time, I use my Airpresso to make a latte and use a frother to froth the milk. Coffee maker is no longer an option since I broke the fragile pitcher while washing it hehe
French Press too. It makes me feel like an adult for some reason 😉
I’m lovin’ my Nesprsso http://www.shootfirsteatlater.com/2011/05/nespresso-pixie.html
I also use a Hario single cup drip brewer. A little coffeemate and stevia.
Got a French press from Bodum for single use (will upgrade when I get married) and it has made me my breakfast a breeze. I take my coffee with soymilk and coco sugar (either Coco Natura or Benevita brand. I read somewhere, I think in my friend’s naturalhelth.ph blog, that coco sugar has 1/3 the glycemic index of white sugar. I haven’t found the beans that are to my liking in the grocery stores. Lori, where can I buy Boyd’s ground coffee for retail consumption? Would you be able to share the contact details with me? 🙂
Lori! Been meaning to do this for almost five years but found myself simply just enjoying being the happy ogler to your world-famous blog rather than be the active comment submitter…Up until your coffee page came up. I love coffee and back during the days when Dad was around, we used to go around places around the country to try out the local beans to taste distinct characteristics that set each apart. That experience culminated with us creating a “house blend” which is a mix of five (and sometimes six) varieties of beans of varying proportios that I still do from time to time (time permitting).
I still do my brews traditionally–meaning, it’s the slow painstaking “pour-over drip” method. It takes about 4 minutes to make a cup, but the aroma it creates, wafting all around is remarkable. Besides, the act in itself, gives a very “artisanal” feel to it. (lol)
Just let me get some time off to do a reconnaissance of the sources we used to get the beans from, and draw the “house blend” components out and then send you a bag soon 🙂 Cool beans to you!
Freshly ground beans, brewed with a French Press, and as black as night 😀
I used to use a regular espresso maker (the one with the side nozzle to steam/froth the milk) — I’d make two shots, add hazelnut syrup, then steamed/frothed milk, all in a tall glass. I also have a French press and it is always a comfort to brew coffee this way — especially when you are tasting something new. I finally sprung for a Nespresso machine though and I am totally smitten, I can’t be torn away! Lori, it makes such wonderful espressos with great crema even. And so convenient! It will take you longer just to heat water for instant coffee! So now my favorite method is definitely the Nespresso 🙂 With steamed milk (which I now do on an aeroccino, also from Nespresso) and a little sugar. I am solidly a latte girl 🙂 I am also going to go brew a cup of joe now…love this post!
The cheapskate in me will always have (well, until I find a fortune to use): Nescafé 100% Pure Instant Coffee! 🙂
I’ve recently been using Halo (http://thegoodsweetener.com/), which uses Erythritol, which does not affect blood sugar at all.
I’m not Halo’s spambot. Really. Believe me!
It’s just that I’ve been using my first box for a few week now, and I just discovered that innerbox has “please open” written on it. What’s inside the inside box? A card that says “thank you for buying”, and two extra packets! 🙂
What’s not to love about products like that? 🙂
Finally, my creamer of choice: vanilla flavored unsweetened soymilk. (Can’t taste the difference between most brands. I usually get the cheapest!)
Right now, I use a drip coffee maker every morning. Some coffee beans from Rustans’, a tablespoon or two of muscovado sugar, and some fresh milk. The perfect friend of any college student!
I love my Vietnamese coffee drip contraption. I usually have a finger of condensed milk in a glass cup waiting for the drip of the hickory-blended golden brown drops. It always makes my morning, even if it takes some time. 🙂
Is there anywhere here where I can find the vietnamese coffee beans? I love their iced coffee with condensed milk and when we used to go to the states, i used ot always bring back cans of the coffee. i miss it!
🙁
Alexis! I love Vietnamese Coffee too. I had a really good cup recently at Bawai in Tagaytay/Silang.
hey lori!!! i absolutely must have cofee several times a day. cheapskate din ako so nescafe din for me. samahan mo pa ng tamad- so i usually have a stash of 3 in 1 (rich) somewhere around the house. i oftentimes forget to buy rice and whatnot, but i was never down to my last sachet…:)
I make my coffee using my mom’s espresso machine. Just a few turns here and there, a couple of seconds to drip, and my espresso is ready in a jiffy. I add a helping of steamed fresh milk when I want to make some good ol’ latte. Coffee this good just makes me want to drink it all day long.:-)
My preferred method is to buy at CBTL. Just kidding! It’s French Press for me… it make me feel grown up. But I attended a coffee seminar lately and discovered my proportions were out of whack. But that remedied, I now make a better cup in my tiny press, add a splash of Hacienda Macalauan fresh milk (so good!) and a touch of muscovado sugar. Morning fuel!
If I only had ground barako coffee beans, I would let it steep in cold water, then slowly bring up the heat until a soft simmer forms. I don’t let it boil as someone once told me. It’s so addicting, I could finish the pot myself. A teaspoon or two of brown sugar just makes it the ideal bedweather companion 🙂
Using a french press is a great way to brew coffee!
Hi Lori!
Eric’s got me hooked on French Pressed UCC coffee.
I usually take it sweet and creamy and like you, I prefer coffeemate as my creamer. Milk is more full bodied but I have yet to see anything rival this artificial creamer’s taste. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination but I swear even the texture is much more smooth.
I’ve only taken coffee black once. It was at Antonio’s in Tagaytay. Savory.
p.s.
By Eric, I meant, my hubby. Not Eric Tomas 🙂
French Roast Beans prepared in a French Press with 2 Splendas and….. Alpine evaporated milk as my coffee creamer. Regular milk is too watery for my taste. I insist on Alpine which is the only Full Cream evaporated milk in the market (not like the other brands which are all “filled” with coconut fat and other non-milk fats). If I can get my hands on a carton, I would prefer Half-and-Half as my coffee creamer. I also like those liquid Japanese coffee creamers.
Hi Lori!
We usually order iced latte in most coffee shops we go to.
I’ve attached one we got at Banapple where the ice cubes seemed formed a smile 🙂
Eric’s got me hooked on French Pressed UCC coffee.
I usually take it sweet and creamy and like you, I prefer coffeemate as my creamer. Milk is more full bodied but I have yet to see anything rival this artificial creamer’s taste. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination but I swear even the texture is much more smooth.
I’ve only taken coffee black once. It was at Antonio’s in Tagaytay. Savory.
p.s.
By Eric, I meant, my hubby. Not Eric Tomas 🙂
We met over several cups/kinds of coffee, remember? 😀
In order of preference: Aeropress (about 5 years old), the Swiss Gold filter pour over (bought a decade ago at Starbucks), French press (about 12 years old as well), stove top espresso maker (similar to the stainless Bialetti pictured above).
Sugar and cream? Depends on the coffee. I use a sugar substitute (Excelsa) and Coffeemate if ever I need it. 🙂
Like you, French press is my preferred method. Btw, if the coffee was ground already when you bought, did you still use your French press? I understand that for French press, the grounds should be course. Or did you shorten the steeping time because the grind was fine? Thanks!
I have always used a drip coffee maker back in the Philippines as I find it the most convenient method. Unfortunately, I can’t find them here in Israel and I am still trying to figure out how to make espresso. So at the moment, I am sticking to what they call Turkish coffee. Strong and black, it suits me better than a cup of americano.
I have a Tassimo single-serve brewer which is similar to the Nespresso. I order my t-discs from the US every 5-6 months (sent via balikbayan box). I usually get a selection of cappuccino, latte, crema. What I love about Tassimo is that I only have to press one button and the machine does all the work. Also, Tassimo offers a wide range of coffee selection both from the US and European brands. Oh, it also makes fantastic hot chocolate (Succhard) for the little ones.
if i’m having dessert with my coffee, i always have it black. but if i’m having coffee alone, then i like to use steamed half and half and muscovado. sometimes, i whip up some cream with vanila and sugar and put that on top of my coffee. 🙂
my favorite coffee contraption to use at home is an old, old stovetop moka that a friend gave me from italy. the other would be my good ol’ french press. but when recently i’ve been experimenting with a traditional, rustic coffee tool called a colador. i think it is spanish in origin. its similar to the “sock” they use in singapore. 🙂
my favorite blend of coffee depends on my mood…but at the moment i use a blend of dark roasted arabica beans (40% cordillera/30% mt. matutum) and robusta (30%).
The ‘colador’ looks like a small butterfly net. It is basically a metal ring with a handle, which has a fine mesh attached to it. If you’ve ever seen the ‘sock’ they use in singapore for their kopi, it looks like smaller version of that.
I’d love to give you a demo sometime. It is not as sophisticated as some of the more modern contraptions, but it is a fun, old-school way of making coffee. 🙂
LOL! Sorry to barge in, but using a Colador is really an old-school way of making coffee but it is works fine and taste good. This is an old fashion way of making fresh coffee without electricity. A colador may look like this:
Bialetti Moka Express & Bodum French Press
I like the blue note organic sun dried ethiopian coffee from conlins it’s almost like the UCC blue mountain coffee
I loved using my French Press but read somewhere that it raises your bad cholesterol because it does not filter out the oil (and that makes it sooo good!). So now, I use the Melitta method which is like drip coffee but without the need of electricity. With a teaspoon of brown sugar and skim milk, it still makes a darn good cup of coffee!
=)
I hear you. I miss the coffee my french press makes. In the meantime, french press coffee is reserved for weekend brunch =) For now, the Melitta method (which is similar to the colador) will do for my morning cup. I would like to try the bialetti cappucino maker. =) or maybe buy an espresso maker.
=)
my favorite coffee-brewing system?? uh….Starbucks! HAHAHHA!! just kidding. i prefer a French Press. but recently, i’ve been getting addicted to the Kopiko 3-in-1 with Brown Sugar (im sorry coffee connoisseurs). i get 2 packs and dissolve in some hot water and then dump a lot of ice in it. hehehe!! 🙂
I use a Vietnamese coffee filter and coffee beans from Saigon for my morning coffee. While condensed milk is recommended, I use non-fat milk powder and Splenda for my coffee. It is strong, nearly like espresso so I go easy on the coffee grounds I put in the filter. But there’s nothing like it to start my day.
Hey sweets!
I j’adore my little stove top espresso maker. I only drink, on average (now) 1 cup a day so i make it a good one (illy over lavazza).
Then my pellet espresso maker in the office and a french press are tied. Depends where I am 😀
Coldbrew! I have terrible acid reflux, but cannot live without my daily coffee fix. But hot-brewed coffee is too acidic for my belly, so cold brewed it is.
I actually prefer the flavour: it’s smooth, and I can taste more of the notes in the coffee. Even terrible, over-roasted coffee is totally drinkable after coldbrewing.
And I don’t even use that fancy $35 Toddy business: I just put coffee grounds and filtered water into a mason jar, and let it sit on the counter for a few hours (or in the fridge if it’s overly warm). After a few hours, strain using cheesecloth and wire mesh strainer. I can use it for hot coffee or, even better, the BEST iced coffee. I barely even use sugar!
I’ve been doing cold brews recently as well. I use a knockoff “Lock&Lock” canister and let it brew for 12 hours in the fridge.
Hi DCF!
Nothing beats having an espresso machine at home. Better than Starbucks! Mine is a Carimali Kicco 2
Thank you Ma’am. It’s intended for a coffee shop soon. More power to your blog! 🙂
if available i love vietnamese coffee grounds drip filtered i their cute metal “phin” filter. black and in a clear glass most of the time.
i also love to just sit and sip marketplace kapehan brewed coffee and just breathe in and observe the daily slice of life.
For very hot days I usually use a Japanese style iced coffee maker.
Otherwise I use Japanese style manual pourover 🙂
I prefer iced cafe latte and I use my Toddy to cold brew freshlu ground coffee beans.
My wife & I started with instant a long time ago, going to drip when we got married and bought a big French press a few years after. Now we mostly use the Bialetti moka when we’re home (to make a “long black”), sometimes using the Bialetti cappuccino maker when we feel like it. It’s all instant at work 🙁 but I’m trying to use the small French press lately. Now eagerly waiting for the Vietnamese thing which we requested from my sister-in-law when she went to Vietnam. I add only brown sugar while my wife adds powdered milk too. We’re looking forward to buying a real espresso machine before we retire.