The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Cooking & Recipes => Topic started by: les snyder on January 15, 2019, 11:27:45 AM
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I just started drinking a little more de-caf to try to get away from the iced tea... I use an inexpensive Mr Coffee 4 cup plastic machine... I have noticed that the Folgers de-caf tastes a lot better if I use two basket filters... seems to slow the flow through the brew chamber, and possibly filter out some oil
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Get a coffee press!
The oils, water temp, grind size, steep time will improve even decaf but Folgers has gotta go...
Buy a press and better coffee! I grind mine from whole bean a few times a week. Been using a press for ten or more years.
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You might find them as "French Press" and I do agree they produce the best coffee.
The grind should be a bit coarser than for a drip brewer.
Bodum makes good ones is 3 sizes. Check them out here:
https://www.sweetmarias.com/bodum-chambord-french-press-three-sizes.html
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Seriously? What's it to you if the guy likes Folgers from his drip coffee maker? Maybe when Michael moves this forum to the new platform people will start talking more about guns and less about biscuits and coffee. Bogan was right. This forum has become completely lame.
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You did notice that this subject is in a forum on cooking?
I’ve had four hip replacements so yes, I’m a bit lame! I won’t speak for the rest...
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One thing I commented on that I liked about this forum was the broad knowledge base of the members. We have heard input on many things, including how to operate a locomotive.
No doubt the major focus is firearms related, but as we tend to become "friends" here, it has never been "required" to limit our interaction to one topic....and I do hope it never does.
If you want guns only, just look in those topics...don't try to limit the interaction of other members from
what ever topic they choose to bring up....
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Years ago Consumer Reports tested a bunch of drip coffee makers and the absolute worst of the bunch was Mr. Coffee. I don't know if they've improved since then or not. I've been using drip coffee makers with #4 cone filters for a very long time. I don't know why, but the coffee seems to taste better than the same kind made in a coffee maker with a basket filter. If you need 2 filters for your coffee you may need to buy better filters. And you should drink whatever kind of coffee you like.
One of my doctors told me not to consume anything with caffeine in it, including decaf coffee, because my medicine will work better if I don't. I tried it his way for a year or two then started drinking decaf. I was drinking several varieties of Gevalia coffee before that, so I tried their decaf. It tastes good to me so I keep buying it. The store I shop at always has sales or digital coupons for different brands of coffee that they don't have in decaf, but I still keep an eye out for something new. Some coffee I've tried in the past just didn't taste good. I had a cup of regular Maxwell House before and I could barely drink it. I like coffee that tastes like coffee so I drink it black, but not if tastes like that.
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Looks like we lost another one...
So what’s Bane going to change around here? He, Marshal and Teresa have been missing for years now! Anyone in contact on FB with Teresa?
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Coffee and guns go together in my opinion.
I agree the best flavor I've had is from a press, but since I don't have time to use it every time I want coffee we also use a regular drip maker.
I don't grind my own yet but want to get there.
We've tried a variety of pre-ground coffees on the market from specialty brands to major brands and the Folgers ain't as bad as some. The smoothest flavor I've found from what I'd call the "big bucket, wide market" coffees is the medium roast McCafe (McDonalds brand). If you make it at home it tastes nothing like what the McD's restaurant coffee tastes like.
New England Coffee Co has several good blends.... I like the Doughnut Shop blend in both the drip maker and the press (just have to vary the amount of grounds).
We also switched to unbleached filters in the drip maker, but am thinking of going with the basket filters.
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I'm the only one drinking it my house so I buy whole bean from local roasters. Depends on where I am when I need beans. Runs about 13-15 bucks a pound but worth it...
Local markets, I buy Peet's Whole Bean in a couple of roasts. Runs 8-9 bucks in 3/4 lb bags.
With presses, you need a very coarse grind. Pre-ground is way too fine for mine and you risk blowing the glass beaker if you press too fast.
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I got a blade grinder free with some whole bean coffee I ordered. I guess it worked well enough for drip coffee. Other than that one time I've always bought ground coffee. But I don't buy it in big cans like my mom does. It always smells really stale by the time she uses 1/4 of it. If you're using a French press and grinding your own beans you need a burr grinder. Most of them cost hundreds of dollars but will give you a consistent grind that a blade grinder like mine can't. Mine works like a blender with a dull blade that beats the beans into submission.
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Burr grinder, 40 bucks. Works fine with fine to coarse.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190116/ade4a43177a24fc9c14ed0d9bcd62e58.jpg)
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For those interested in the above grinder.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1547678856&sr=8-2&keywords=cusinart+dbm-8
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Don’t grind if the wife is sleeping!
It’s a noisy grinder. LOL
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That grinder got good reviews, but also really bad ones. Here are just a few bad things people said about it. They don't last long before they break. Maybe it's because of all of the coffee that's sucked into the part where the motor is. It makes a fine powder no matter what grind you set it to. Or it leaves big chunks in the grinds. And it never grinds the same amount twice when the setting is the same.
If it works right then you're one of the lucky ones. Some people aren't so lucky. To make inconsistent grinds like some people say it does, it sounds like it's not really burr mill at all. Some cheap grinders that claim to be burr mills only have one set of teeth, and not the two sets of teeth grinding together that a burr mill actually has. But I don't see a picture of the innards and don't know what it is. It's probably still a lot better than my coffee grinder.
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I’ve had mine well over a year. No problems yet but I clean it often.
Would have preferred a high end one but I grind maybe a pound every two weeks or so.
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Seriously? What's it to you if the guy likes Folgers from his drip coffee maker? Maybe when Michael moves this forum to the new platform people will start talking more about guns and less about biscuits and coffee. Bogan was right. This forum has become completely lame.
Well, we were left to fend for ourselves.
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There would be more talk about guns if more people would stay here and post instead of leaving the forum. I blame people like BAC, but those of us still here have to talk about something.
Anyone know what "the new platform" is. I never heard anything about it until this thread. It wasn't in any of the weekly emails I get and I didn't see anything about it on the site either. It seems like there should be a big headline on the home page if the forum is moving to a new platform.
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Well, we were left to fend for ourselves.
IMHO that is as it should be. As you know I don't post very often but I DO read almost every day. Those of you on FB know I also post there once in a while.
I really don't know any of you but have read enough to know I would feel right at home sitting down around a pot belly stove with any/all of you (Even Tom Bogan).
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If you're cutting down on iced tea to avoid the caffeine, they do sell decaffeinated tea. You can make sun tea or steep it just like regular tea. The store I do most of my shopping at has about 18 kinds not counting all the herbal teas. Too bad they only have a few different kinds of decaf coffee. I still drink way more coffee than tea but I do really like iced tea.
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<snip>
I really don't know any of you but have read enough to know I would feel right at home sitting down around a pot belly stove with any/all of you (Even Tom Bogan).
Not a pot belly, but I do have this:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-cast-iron-logwood-wood-stove-with-legs-1-600-sq-ft?cm_vc=-10005 (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-cast-iron-logwood-wood-stove-with-legs-1-600-sq-ft?cm_vc=-10005)
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Concerning forum talk and guns vs other topics I will mention this: there must be some folks out there interested in reading about boring, non-gun stuff......there is a post about what folks eat every day that has had 22,165 post views since last February when it was started.
I've always looked at this forum as being slightly "different" than other "gun" forums because of the open discussion nature here. There are many bigger forums out there and ten years ago I tried those out just looking around. Most are overbearing in nature and can get downright rude to the point of booting people if they even slightly drift off the given topic....and if a newbie asks what they "veteran forum folk" deem a stupid or too-oft asked question I've seen them ridicule them when a simple answer would suffice.
I don't want to be a part of that type of forum activity which is why DRTV is the only one I still engage in (I do FB, but always check in here first and then several times a day).
I'm proud of the fact that the DRTV forum is the gun forum equivalent to the bar on the show Cheers.
If ya wanna talk guns, we'll do that....if ya wanna talk coffee, we'll do that to with equal enthusiasm.
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With presses, you need a very coarse grind. Pre-ground is way too fine for mine and you risk blowing the glass beaker if you press too fast.
I use a procedure that makes it easier to press at the end.
After I have the grounds in, I stir the mix as I pour in the hot water. Then I put the cap on and 1 minute later into the brew, I lift the cap enough to stir the grounds that have floated to the top to be sure they are soaked and the final press is always fairy easy.
Give it a try if you don't already do it.
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You did notice that this subject is in a forum on cooking?
I’ve had four hip replacements so yes, I’m a bit lame! I won’t speak for the rest...
I'm still hobbled by my third knee surgery. These things were sure a lot easier to take 34 years ago.
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Well, we were left to fend for ourselves.
And that has always proven dangerous. Be thankful we are talking about food and not our latest oooooops in the shop.
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Concerning forum talk and guns vs other topics I will mention this: there must be some folks out there interested in reading about boring, non-gun stuff......there is a post about what folks eat every day that has had 22,165 post views since last February when it was started.
I've always looked at this forum as being slightly "different" than other "gun" forums because of the open discussion nature here. There are many bigger forums out there and ten years ago I tried those out just looking around. Most are overbearing in nature and can get downright rude to the point of booting people if they even slightly drift off the given topic....and if a newbie asks what they "veteran forum folk" deem a stupid or too-oft asked question I've seen them ridicule them when a simple answer would suffice.
I don't want to be a part of that type of forum activity which is why DRTV is the only one I still engage in (I do FB, but always check in here first and then several times a day).
I'm proud of the fact that the DRTV forum is the gun forum equivalent to the bar on the show Cheers.
If ya wanna talk guns, we'll do that....if ya wanna talk coffee, we'll do that to with equal enthusiasm.
This right here is why I hang out here and quit AR15 long ago
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I heard so many bad things about arfcom that I never joined. I like hanging out here with my extended family of firearm aficionados. I don't know about anyone else but I drink coffee more days than not, and I eat more than once every day, but I don't shoot my guns every day. Some parts of the forum like this one have everyday topics like cooking, instead of I just got a new gun, etc. Take it or leave it, that's how it is. And no one is ever forced to read anything that doesn't interest them. There are parts of the forum that I don't think I've ever looked at.
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We can also bring this thread back to guns quickly:
On a trip to Tulsa to shoot in the Pro-Am, I shot sweet guns belonging to Rastus and he treated me to pizza; I had burgers with Phil Strader; in Mesa I had sub sandwiches with Rob Leatham, and I met Nils Jonasson, along with his dad and brother Peter, when he was but an unclassified early teenager (on our second meeting, a chance encounter at Airguns of Arizona we moved to a local burger shop where I nearly went broke treating those boys. And, scotch, really good scotch, with Angus Hobdell; I've enjoyed a steak dinner with Larry and Brenda Poterfield; and there were sandwiches with Julie Golob, when she was a very young mother and I could scare her with parental experience, and drooling on my lunch with Jessie Harrison (pre-Duff and during her Abbate years).
Local SASS matches end with a trip to the local bar for burgers and sandwiches as a group; bullseye has a group that comes straight from work, and fast food in the ready room; trap and sporting clays usually have a grill fired up and smoking all evening; and long range is known for range picnics.
Food is the emulsifier in our society that brings us all to the same level. Put a group of people of similar likes together in a room, and leave them to talk, or put them in a room and serve lunch. Food breaks down the barriers and makes us all comfortable.
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How about a post on guns and coffee in just 4 words?
Black Rifle Coffee Company.
https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/
I just found out they have decaf now. I didn't see any when I checked before.
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Not a pot belly, but I do have this:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-cast-iron-logwood-wood-stove-with-legs-1-600-sq-ft?cm_vc=-10005 (https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-cast-iron-logwood-wood-stove-with-legs-1-600-sq-ft?cm_vc=-10005)
Works for me.
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How about a post on guns and coffee in just 4 words?
Black Rifle Coffee Company.
https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/
I just found out they have decaf now. I didn't see any when I checked before.
And don't forget the BRC youtube commercials are great too.
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Last night I looked to see how much it would cost to get 2 bags of BRC Just Decaf. It was $12.99 per bag, $25.98 for 2, plus $5.95 for economy shipping. The grand total for 2 12-ounce bags was $ 31.93. Then I checked to see what I paid for 2 bags of Gevalia at Kroger Tuesday. It was $6.99 per bag, 80 cents off the regular price like it is a lot of times, and I had a $3.00 off digital coupon good on the purchase of 2 bags. The grand total for 2 12-ounce bags was $10.98 and no tax. The $20.95 difference in the price is worth the time and money spent to drive 1 mile to the store and back. It covers 70% of the price of the coffee maker I ordered at smile.amazon.com last night for $29.99 with no taxes or shipping. I'll find the other $9.04 somewhere in my budget. Oh yeah, I already did when I saved $14.47 off half a tank of gas yesterday.
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In a few days I'll know if my new coffee maker is any good or not. There's no clock and nothing to program. It has a switch to turn it on and off and that's all. It doesn't automatically shut itself off either so I have to make sure it's off before I go anywhere. It's purely electric with no electronics AFAIK, so I don't think an EMP would effect it. It has a reusable mesh filter, possibly nylon, but I only know what people said online. It also takes paper filters which I'll use if they can keep up with the flow.
Melitta filters always worked well in my old coffee makers, but I don't think I've ever had any filters that didn't. If Melitta filters aren't on sale I buy the Kroger brand because they're cheaper. I never double up and my coffee isn't oily or bitter. I hope the new coffee maker works as well as my last two.
I got another digital coupon to save $3.00 on 2 bags of coffee at Kroger and it's on sale for $6.49 per bag now. If I'm doing the math right in my head, that's only $9.98 for 2 bags. I already have a half dozen in the cupboard but it'll keep. If I can get coffee I like that cheap I'll never find out if BRC is any good or not.
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I was surprised that the post office delivered my coffee maker on Sunday. I ran it a few times with no coffee, just water, to hopefully remove whatever Chinese chemicals were in it, and I made my first pot of coffee with it today. So far I don't think a $30 coffee maker makes coffee as good as one that costs $200. But it still wasn't bad, and I haven't figured out yet how much coffee to put in it. The #4 cone filters I already had fit great, and it didn't overflow but did get up to 1/2" from the top. They say not to use fine ground coffee in it or it can overflow the filter holder, but that's all I ever have. It makes 10 4-ounce cups, or 5 actual cups, which I think most manufacturers would call 8 cups. The carafe looks tiny compared to my 12 cup coffee maker. I could barely get my hand in it to wash it out but the hot soapy water made it easier to squeeze into.
I got an extra dollar off my last two bags of coffee, so that was $8.98 (regular price $15.58) for both. That's about 72% less than 2 bags of Black Rifle Coffee. I'd like to try it some time, but not for the prices they charge. There were a bunch of things they were taking money off of at Kroger that I didn't know about. They gave me another 12-ounce bottle of Sweet Bay Ray's hot sauce for free plus took 50 cents off of it. Then when they overcharged me on another item, they had to refund the difference plus give me 10 times the difference because of the Michigan Scanner Law. They must really like giving me money.
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As long as the filter and coffee are of acceptable quality and the coffee maker works right, you should have good coffee using one filter. I got lucky and Kroger had a digital coupon for my preferred coffee filters - Melitta #4 cone filters in the 100 count box. It was only good for that brand, filter size, and package size. It was like the stores had a sale for everyone that was really made just for me. :) The coupon was good for up to 5 boxes and I got my limit, so with an unopened box already in the cupboard I'll be set for close to 2 years. Cheap!
I just read on Wikipedia that the Melitta company is named after Melitta Bentz who founded the company after she invented the drip brew paper coffee filter (German patent granted July 8, 1908). They know a thing or two about coffee. BTW, the 30 buck Gourmia brand coffee maker makes a decent cup of coffee. The first few times I used it, it didn't seem to get as hot as all my old coffee makers. Now it's really hot like they were. It had a chemical smell at first too but the coffee tasted good. The smell burned off soon enough. Eight cups (32 ounces) in it is about the same amount as the 6 cups (30 ounces) I was used to drinking most of the time when using my 12-cup coffee maker. Making less than 1/2 a pot of coffee is inefficient and it doesn't taste the same, so you would need to use more grounds per cup and it still might not taste right. I always made a whole pot or a half pot, and never less, with any of my coffee makers.
https://www.amazon.com/Gourmia-Automatic-Extra-Large-Reservoir-One-Touch/dp/B07KGJ1479/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2FR46VYM966JP&keywords=gourmia+coffee+maker&qid=1572815651&refinements=p_89%3AGourmia%2Cp_n_feature_twenty-seven_browse-bin%3A17696984011&rnid=17696981011&s=kitchen&sprefix=gourmia+co%2Caps%2C169&sr=1-2
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Coffee "professionals" advise that for the best taste ALL the grounds should be in contact with ALL the water from 4 to 6 minutes depending upon taste preference...so it is likely that the two filters did allow a longer soaking time overall which could improve the taste.
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That's possible. Filter paper supposedly absorbs the oils that make coffee bitter too. It would have overflowed my coffeemaker if it slowed it down. A French press takes even less time and all the water is in contact with all the grounds, but I don't want to get that involved with my coffee. Cold brewed tastes the best of any coffee I've had, but who wants to soak a whole bunch of coffee grounds overnight?
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I used the unbleached coffee filters. Community dark roast as a base that I will add other coffee's to.
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I used the unbleached coffee filters. Community dark roast as a base that I will add other coffee's to.
We use unbleached filters as well.
We generally drink McCafe medium roast as our "bulk" coffee (tastes nothing like McD's in-house brews) and New England Coffee Co doughnut shop blend as well as 1850 Pioneer blend (made by Folgers). The 1850 is pretty good coffee, strong but smooth.
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If you ever get down around Beamont, TX, try some Seaport dark roast.
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Anybody tried Black Rifle coffee?
https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9YygwIbW5QIVDSsMCh3QFghZEAAYASAAEgLevvD_BwE
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I haven't, but may order some.
We have a local-area owned coffee operation called Red Owl Coffee (headquarted and roasted about 50 miles from me) that is just about ready to open a second location in town (first one is inside the lobby of our hospital. It's about half the price of Starschmucks and actually tastes like coffee.
My mom had her thyroid removed about six weeks ago and while in the waiting area I went to grab the wife and myself some. The young girl working the counter, having been swamped making those creamed-steamed-moocha-soy-half-caff-vanilla-BS things that ain't coffee, seemed pleasantly surprised when I ordered two large coffees. She asked how I wanted them and I said in cups, please (with two creamers on the side for the wife). :D
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Yea, I do not care for Starbucks and Dunkin is the worst!
We have a local gas mart (Cumberland Farms) that sells a decent brew for a buck that is better than anything around.
It works in a pinch when I run outa bean at home.
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I was going to try Black Rifle Coffee until I compared the price to supermarket coffee. I only drink decaf and I'm not even supposed to have that, but I like coffee. I drank a whole bunch of Gevalia decaf and some McCafe decaf and they both taste good to me. I finally tried some Folgers decaf when it was on sale. I guess it was okay at first, but not good enough to make me want to buy more. I think this is the first time I've ever had it, and it's already gone stale before I could use up the 22.6 ounce plastic can.
I never have that problem when I buy coffee in 12 ounce or 16 ounce bags. I have a Ziploc bowl that's just the right size to dump 8 ounces of coffee in. Then I fold the top of the bag over a few times and fold the metal ties over to seal it up. I use the coffee in the bowl first, and the coffee in the bag is still fresh when I dump it in the bowl. This Folgers doesn't even smell like coffee anymore but there's only enough for 2 pots and I'll use it anyway.
I buy brown filters if they're the same price as white filters, but they're usually a little higher where I shop. When I got my 5 boxes on sale I took all of the brown ones on the shelf, 3 I think, then got white ones to equal 5 boxes. It used to be that white paper was bleached and brown paper was unbleached. Then I read someplace about paper being bleached white then dyed brown. Huh??? That way they got a nice even tone in the shade of brown they wanted. I'm nearly certain that the paper I was reading about was coffee filters, but that was years ago. I've cleared the cache in my brain where that information was and overwritten it. Too bad I can't defrag my brain, because it's 10% fragmented and needs it.
If I ever have coffee that leaves oil floating in my cup or seems to be missing flavor, I'll try doubling up on the filters. That was a good idea, which I may not have acknowledged earlier.
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I haven't bought any Black Rifle coffee recently, so there may be something new. I bought some of their "Murdered Out" which was supposed to be their darkest dark roast coffee. I think it's toned back a bit from what I am used to due to regional preferences so I went back to what I was buying.
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Jumbo, I also tried the McCafe decaf just because I was making it at the time.
We had a function at church and, since the coffee our church stocks for normal use is crappy, I bought some McCafe medium roast (one regular and one unleaded) and made two 100 cup percolator urns. I did a side by side taste test and really couldn't tell a difference.
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Hey guys, does anyone here use reusable coffee filters (https://www.coffee-statistics.com/best-coffee-filters/#product_8)? I consider buying it. But still I'm not sure if I need it.
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Hey guys, does anyone here use reusable coffee filters (https://www.coffee-statistics.com/best-coffee-filters/#product_8)? I consider buying it. But still I'm sore if I need it.
I use a press. No filter required!
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Well this a thread I missed when I was away.
I use a press and a blade grinder. My biggest problem with most coffee shops is the coffee tastes burnt. For me keeping the water temp below 200 is imperative. That's what's wrong with most coffee makers is they have to heat the water to boiling to work. I have an electric kettle that has temp settings. For coffee I use 190. (Miss Kitty like 212 for her tea.)
This spring read an article about filtering out some unhealthy stuff, so I now have a filter basket I set over the cup when I pour. Use #2 unbleached filters. On one hand it's an extra step taking extra time. On the other hand it's made me be more consistent with brewing time (5 min).
I hate cleaning reuseable filters and am not sure they do as good a job as paper.
Oh, and like Gibbs I take my own coffee when traveling.
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TillWill
I use both. I put the paper filter in the reusable.
What grounds get out of the paper one get caught in the 2nd one.
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I take a 15 second pause after the boil and find the water is always in the sweet spot of 190-205 degrees with my instant read thermometer. Five minute steep but I make about 20 oz per press so it sits and steeps a bit for the second pour. It’s a bit sludgy but I don’t mind!
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TillWill
I use both. I put the paper filter in the reusable.
What grounds get out of the paper one get caught in the 2nd one.
It sounds reasonable to use both of them. Thanks for advice!