Any coffee experts out there?

I just bought a new Cuisinart coffee maker, one that grinds beans for me. The first cup of coffee I made was fantastic. Now, coffee's not tasting as good.

I bought a large bag of coffee beans from Costco, Starbucks French Roast. I keep it in the freezer. A friend of mine said you are not supposed to keep beans in a freezer, and that they'll last up to a month. I read the side of the bag, and it says to keep them in an air tight container, and for no more than a month.

What do the experts out there recommend? Any other brand of coffee beans that are just as good, yet less expensive?

 

I've heard it's okay to put beans in the freezer, just not the grounds. But I'd imagine it wouldn't be that great either way. Even though I keep my grounds much longer than a month, it's probably best not too. But it doesn't bother me. Still taste better than the free stuff we have at work.

Did you prep the unit before making the first cup? I think you're suppose to run a cycle of vinegar or lemon extract/water mixture through a time or too and then run plain water through several times until the taste of the vinegar/lemon disappears.

 

I've personally tried keeping my beans in the freezer, in an air-tight container, in the fridge, in the same bag, etc.

Definitely do not keep the beans in the freezer, especially if they are still in the same bag you kept them in. You are just going to give them freezer burn.

What I've found is best is to grind only what you need for that pot, and keep the rest whole. I've also found that as long as the bag has not been opened, you can just put that directly into the fridge and they will keep that way for some time. (For instance, I just opened up a bag of Starbucks columbian beans that was given to me around thanksgiving/christmas of last year. I kept that bag closed and in the fridge, and I was able to make a pretty decent cup of coffee, even though the beans were bought over 6 months ago...).

If you have opened the bag, I have personally found that pouring as many beans as you can into one of those jars with an air tight lid, and then putting that in the Fridge will significantly increase the length of time that the beans will stay "fresh" (well, won't really get much worse).

Honestly, unless you tend to drink an incredible amount of coffee, or have a large number of people that drink coffee regularly, it is probably better to buy your beans 1 lb at a time to maximize freshness. The bags that you get at costco are definitely intended more for restaurants...

Also, even though the maker may grind the beans for you... I recommend using a dry paper towel to clean the grinder out after EVERY pot (unless you are intending to make another pot within the next 12 hours or so and had it grind enough to not have to do a second cycle), because sitting above the heat generated by the coffee maker or a second grind will QUICKLY make those grinds lose their flavor.

 

Buy green beans of your liking and roast them yourself.

You won't believe the difference.

www.sweetmarias.com

 

I did discover that. I rinsed the grinder out, and then went to dry it (so the ground coffee wouldn't stick to the wet surface), and got an incredible amount of residue on the paper towel, so I wipe it very thoroughly now.

 

I have discovered, or shall I say my wife discovered, that the problem is the filter. About a week after I got the machine, I bought a gold reusable filter. My wife said she tried it one day (she prefers the paper filters), and said the coffee didn't taste as good. So I went back to the paper filters, and all's well again in coffee-land!

 

I used to have one of those grind and brew Cuisinarts, and got tired of all the cleanup it required. I leave my beans out and they do very well. Make sure obviously that you're using a coffee bean you really like, and the grind is right. Second, for whatever reason the coffee brews better when you can put cold water into the boiler, but if you like to use a timer then that obviously isn't an option. Also, I've found that the water itself can make a big difference. We've tried filtered water and it doesn't taste as good when it's done.

 

I got tired of the extensive clean up process as well, and started buying the beans already ground. I keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. I also use our tap water, which is well water, so it's as pure as it gets.

I am happy again!

 

I buy beans from Caribou, but do use Starbucks French Roast as an alternate. I use an old Braun blade grinder, only grind what I need and keep the rest in the fridge in a ziploc. A pound of coffee lasts us about 2 weeks. I'll buy the large bags once in a while but prefer to keep it fresh.

 

This is great advice. I do the same. Delicious. And I've read that the freshness of your coffee depends on when they were roasted. After they are roasted is when the freshness starts to dicipate. So if you roast them the day you brew...it's about as fresh as it can get.

 

Do you have an Einstein's Bagels near you? They have a great coffee there called "Neighborhood Blend"--my favorite right now. I prefer a mid-range coffee, maybe more on the mild side. I never went for the too-bold brew of Starbucks.

 

Stay away- stay far away. That liquid they pass off as coffee will strip enamel from teeth!

 

Also, use bottled water if you get it at home.

The coffee comes out a lot better tasting than with tap water.

 

coffee machines were such a pain for me, I eventually decided that Id rather just spend 2 or 3 bucks and get mine ready made and not have to clean up or fix a little machine

 

absolutely no reason to spend that kind of money for bottled water. Go get a brita/pur water filter and save yourself the money (and probably get higher quality water) by filtering your tap water yourself.

 

I found the opposite here. We've tried regular tap water, filtered tap and bottled water. Still prefer our regular tap water. But it varies in different areas obviously. One of the pizza places (forget which) that franchised out was having difficulty re-creating the same taste in other locations despite shipping the exact same ingredients. After a while someone realized the only variable was water, which ended up being the difference. Now they ship local water along with ingredients.

 

There is a pizzeria here who's claim fame is importing water from NY for the authentic taste. They are always in the top 5 of LA every year....plus the owner is one of us!

 

My favorite is Lions Head, pure Kona, Espresso/French Roast and super fine ground... I grind it myself with the Krupps grinder, keep the coffee in the freezer when not in use.

http://www.lioncoffee.com/

Put that in your espresso maker, steam your milk first, then get the steam through the grounds, pour two espresso shots and wow! Use filtered water, we use the fridge filter.. Make sure the espresso starts to froth, you get that creamy coffee head on it..
I usually add a little shot of pure vanilla to the milk, along with some cinnamon and brown sugar...

 

That's it--I'm hungry. Send me one!