No More Clouds in My Coffee

[logisticslad]

Last week, my coffee maker produced some bitterly awful coffee. At first I thought that it was due to my having changed my Brita filter, because when I tasted the newly filtered water, it didn't taste right. So after running a fair bit of water through the new filter, that went away, but my coffee didn't improve too much. It had been wisely suggested to me that I clean my coffee maker, so I bought some vinegar and was about to pour it in, when I realized that there might be an actual procedure. Here it is:

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Coffee-Maker

I'm glad I looked! So I diluted 1 part vinegar with 2 parts water and ran it through, then ran just water through a few times. Lo and behold, my coffee tastes much richer and fuller this morning, without the bitterness.

Comments

[defenestr8or.livejournal.com]

Say goodbye to bitter coffee forever - cold brewing (http://www.amazon.com/Toddy-Cafe-Cold-Coffee-System/dp/B0006H0JVW). It's low in acidity and produces the best-tasting coffee you'll ever have.

[logisticslad.livejournal.com]

Ain't technology grand? Do you have one of these, yourself?

[defenestr8or.livejournal.com]

No, but I was bragging about my French press skillz to a fellow bean-buddy at work a few weeks ago, and he invited me over for dinner (w/ the wife) and served this up. He said it can be messy, but totally worth it. May get it for myself as a holiday gift.

[nutmegger.livejournal.com]

As someone who does not do alcohol, I am pretty fussy about my coffee. (By way of example, there is an excellent restaurant down your way called Pace One. I used to go there back when we were in college. I took my wife there last year. They make excellent food, but in 20 years of trying they are unable to make a good cup of coffee. Stick with their hot apple cider. Anyway....)

Clean coffee-makers definitely help. I would also advise starting with cold water, not warm/hot water. Finally, fresh beans are great. My tastes have evolved over time on where on Earth you should get your beans from. In college Kenyan AA was to my liking. I've gone through Sumatran and Ethiopean Harrar phases. Jamaican Blue Mountain is always a treat, but it is rather expensive. Try different beans until you find what you like.

And please, please, do not get those "flavored" beans. The flavoring is burned on during an extra cooking process, which hurts the taste of the bean, and the beans used to make flavored coffees are generally lower quality, since they think the flavoring will mask any deficiencies in the beans.

So... there is a very long comment and there was not even a question. This is why I became an attorney, I suppose.

[logisticslad.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I don't know Pace One. What town is it in?

I actually order my coffee beans from Green Mountain Roasters in VT and grind them myself. They are quite good and have a wide selection. However, I must confess that I love the flavored beans, but it is good to know that there are limits on their quality.

[nutmegger.livejournal.com]

http://www.paceone.net/

It's out in Thornton, a ways off the major highway. I think I first went there with Andy Podolsky, although I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, dim lighting, but great atmosphere. Great hot cider (especially in the fall) with a cinnamon stick. Great seafood and deserts. Just terrible coffee.