Which is better: Perked or Drip or Pressed Coffee?

[Doc Dan]

Nothing goes better with examining a nice knife than a good cup of coffee. In this age of drip coffee makers and steam and pressed coffee makers, I went back to an old fashioned percolator. I think they make the best coffee. What do you all think?

As a funny aside, my wife had a party and when I put on the percolator one of my wife's female guests saw the coffee perking in the little bubble on the lid and thought it was overflowing. So she shut down the stove and started yelling to me in a panic! Wonders of the modern age!

[The Deacon]

Know there are coffee connoisseurs who will disagree but, to me, the "best" coffee is whatever blend or blends you've grown accustomed to, brewed the way you brew them. At least for me the first few cups of anything new are going to taste strange, at best, and downright nasty at worst. Then again, I've yet to try a french press and it's been decades since I owned a percolator, so my experiences have been confined to my own drip coffee and whatever Dunkin Donuts and Staryucks use.

[Blerv]

I use an Aeropress with a steel filter. Kinda goofy look but extremely smooth.

[dsmegst]

I agree with Blev except I use my Aeropress with the paper filters. I just pre-soak the filter to get rid of any paper filter taste. Even so, there's nothing quite as easy, fast, and smooth as the Areropress. I gave up my french press, Keurig, drip machines, and percolator for this simple little tool.

Before I started roasting my own coffee beans, I found a store owner that sold me his coffee shop's beans from a local roaster so my coffee beans were never more than 10 days past the roast date. That made a big difference, more than any changes in the brew method. Also, only grind enough beans for that one brew each time.

[Blerv]

Ah nice :) . I preferred the paper filter actually just burned through my supply and gave the metal one a shot. Lately I've been giving it more brew time trying to eek more caffeine out. Winter months, etc :p

[tobii3]

Turkish. Definitely Turkish.

[butch]

aeropress for me too i have the SS filter but i get more grinds then i want in my cup (i hand grind extra fine) so i use the paper filters (i do wash then out once or twice tho and reuse)

i get my beans local that are nicely med roasted and i can get many flavors or house blend but i like the plain bean from different places best as they all have a slightly different flavor

[Pinetreebbs]

I prefer drip coffee, but metal filters and coffee presses have their place. If it tastes good to you then it's good.

Cuique suum

[bh49]

My wife is using Senseo and I do not care too much and will drink almost anything in the morning Monday through Friday as long as it is strong enough to wake me up.
If I want to enjoy beverage, I will have black tea. Preferably Ahmad English tea#1.

[phillipsted]

I'm normally a Bialetti Brikka fan - this is a stove-top espresso machine you've probably seen before. Definitely old-school. It produces are really nice full-bodied cup of strong coffee that isn't quite espresso, but it a very tasty brew. It is a bit labor intensive, though - not a "push the button" kind of solution...



However, my wife petitioned for a Keurig last winter and we bought a machine for the house. She loves all the pre-packaged K-cups, but I find them bland. Personally, I like the reusable "roll your own" K-cups that you can add your own ground coffee to. I keep a supply of Sumatra beans handy and grind them right before brewing - not a bad cup at all... But it definitely would *not* impress the coneissuers out there! :rolleyes:

TedP

[Clip]

I've been looking at the Aeropress setup, but was gifted a Cuisinart grind/brew setup with vacuum carafe that makes a good cup on the weekdays, weekends it's French press time.

[kbuzbee]

I use an Aeropress with a steel filter. Kinda goofy look but extremely smooth.

Absolutely!

I support Paul's position. There is no wrong way, as long as you enjoy the results. But the Aeropress is a design of functional genius. I can brew almost any style I want, anytime. Hot, cooler, longer brew or shorter, fine ground or coarse, super strong or mild. I can get flavor (almost) as intense as my La Pavoni or mild enough for my wife. It's sturdy and packs well for travel. If I had only one coffee brewing device (and I have over a dozen this would be it. It's only limitation is you can only make one cup at a time. But it's not a limitation for me in daily use. I'd want something larger to entertain 4+ people but for 1 or 2 it's not an issue.

Ken

[kbuzbee]

I'm normally a Bialetti Brikka fan -

My second favorite method behind an Aeropress. That must be a new design? Mine is older, no thumb ramp. But it makes a great cup (though even less quantity than the AP)

Ken

[kbuzbee]

Turkish. Definitely Turkish.

... and this is my third favorite.

Okay... Honestly, the La Pavoni gives me the best of the best. But only if the beans are REALLY fresh. After 3-4 days from roast) I have to move on. So for 90% of the time, it's something else.

Ken

[dsmegst]

aeropress for me too i have the SS filter but i get more grinds then i want in my cup (i hand grind extra fine) so i use the paper filters (i do wash then out once or twice tho and reuse)

i get my beans local that are nicely med roasted and i can get many flavors or house blend but i like the plain bean from different places best as they all have a slightly different flavor

I really tried to like a medium roast but I keep going back to Full City to Full City+ levels. Maybe it's my roasting process but I keep getting brews that taste a bit too lemony for my tastes.

[Blerv]

I'm Starbucks Verona for the commercial stuff. Somewhere between paper cone and espresso for the Aeropress. I really prefer bold and extra bolds.

This will prob be the next one to try.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ecf3/?srp=10

[kbrouwer]

Although I'm 14, I love coffee. I drink it black, with nothing added (sugar ruins coffee lol) when I can drink it, I use a Keurig machine, the coffee comes out perfect almost every time.

[butch]

i have found round here that much more then med roast ends up well past jsut blackened :) and i dont put a thing other then coffee and water in my cup means i dont want a burnt bean :)

[Doc Dan]

You guys should go and buy an old fashioned stove top percolator. It continuously runs the coffee brew over the grounds. I went back for that full bodied flavor that I get with no other method (even MH and Folgers taste better this way). But that is me. And, I will agree that some of those suggested make fine cups of coffee.
I do not like flavored coffee. I like full bodied roasts. However, I do have a weakness for Community Coffee New Orleans Style :)

As I type this, I am enjoying a good cup while examining a new knife purchase.

[angusW]

When not at work I have regular Nescafe Rich instant coffee with a bit of Baileys, but I do not like using flavoured coffees.

For my work coffee, I grind some beans the night before, put it in my drip coffee maker along with some filtered water and set the timer for 05:00.

One of the best coffees I ever had was at my wife's friends home. Her husband made it using a pot on the stove. I wasn't paying attention on how he made it but it tasted great.

One of the strongest coffees was from a friend of a friend who is from Poland. It tasted good as well and when I asked for some cream to put in it he asked if I was a baby :) I guess in Poland they don't use cream in their coffee?