I do. I really do. I've turned into a total maniac about it.

I got a new coffee maker a while back. I was having trouble waking up in the morning because of a new anti-depressant they put me on early this year, so I thought, maybe this would be a good time to indulge in some "leaded" instead of the decaf Folger's I used to drink.

I felt like I had an epiphany. Like... Angels played trumpets and Jesus kissed me on the cheek and said, Knock 'em dead, Kiddo. Like, Ohhhhh... that's how people are supposed to feel in the morning!

Well, I don't just mean the caffeine. This stuff tastes great. I've been buying some of these gourmet and varietal coffees that I was always curious about. I really was missing something. This is good stuff! There is a great deal of variety to the tastes and aromas. I've been dabbling quite a bit, trying to come up with my favorite little blends by mixing some of this with some of that.

I suppose this all sounds dumb to people that drink coffee every day, but I've been caffeine-free for so long that this is new stuff to me.

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"And so, in my State of the—my State of the Union—or state—my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation—I asked Americans to give 4,000 years—4,000 hours over the next—the rest of your life—of service to America. That's what I asked—4,000 hours."

And, just a little wired, eh?

LOL

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April

The face of a child can say a lot -- especially the mouth part of the face.

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I love coffee, too. I have it with only heavy cream and have no taste for the "flavored" kinds (hazelnut, etc). On a rare occassion, I might add some cocoa, vanilla and liquid splenda, but never in the morning. That's just for when I want coffee to be my dessert.

I like to experiment with the different tastes from different parts of the world, too. And I only buy beans. Each pot is freshly ground right before brewing. M-m-m-m-m-m.

Something about the smell of coffee brewing and bacon frying that just feels right in the morning.

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Lol April!

Welcome to the club Doc!

I like mine freshly ground too. 100% Columbian, hot, black and strong.

The aromas of brewing coffee and sizzling bacon? Gee Maggie, you are a woman after my own heart!

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keep on keepin on

As of 1-3-2009
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I dearly love coffee too!! I will give up anything but never ever my coffee.. the 100% thing! No decafe for me..lol... Hey, if you like REAL coffee... buy some of the starbucks brand. You haven't had coffee til you try theirs... it comes in mild,, some inbetween thing, and BOLD! Guess what I buy???? Bold, of course!!!!

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In the cookies of life, we are the chocolate chips.

Dark french roast, and Kona are my favorites fresh ground, mmmmmcan ya smell the love?

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Jackie

When I gave up coffee for a couple of months I was never fully awake. I also love the fresh ground gourmet stuff but I'll drink cheap instant if I can't get anything else. Heck I've been known to make a cup of microwave instant while waiting for the "real" coffee to brew.

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You all are too funny! But I am right there with you. I LOVE COFFEE!!!!! Cream only please! I don't know how I made it through induction without it. Sometimes I think the bulk of my headaches during induction were actually caffeine withdrawel.

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Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

I love it too. I don't know what we would do without our espresso machines, grinders, and stove top "brevettata" pot. Life would be terrible!

In fact, I just recently learned ALOT about coffee. And mostly, I learned just how much I didn't know! LOL We went to "Coffee Fest" in Vegas last weekend and it was quite the education.

For you daring types, you might check out these sites...

http://www.espressovivace.com/intro.html
This one is owned by David Shomer whom we saw at a seminar at the coffee show. I don't know much about him but he's apparently a coffee guru and after watching him talk, I believe it!

http://www.quiknet.com/~frcn/Coffee/Coffee.html
This guy has kept a running "novelette" since the day he bought his first "real" espresso machine. Some of the chapters are quite informative.

Both of these guys talk mainly about espresso and Shomer is mainly focused on commercial applications but still, he has some interesting articles in his archive for the coffee enthusiast.

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Heh, I don't think I'll ever be able to stand cheap coffee again.

By the way, the only "good" cheap coffee that I've tried is Yuban. Columbian coffee, in general, (and Yuban is pure Columbian, although it's probably a blend of cheaper beans) seems to have the best aroma of all the coffee's I've tried (which may not be as many as some of you have tried.) Some of the varietals I've tried, like Sumatra, don't seem to have the same strong aroma that Columbian has, which can fill the room up before you finish pouring the cup.

I haven't tried Starbucks. The price is a little daunting, but I'll probably give it a spin soon. I've been dabbling in Trader Joe's and Gevalia's coffees.

My favorite homemade concoction, right now, is four scoops of Columbian Supremo with two scoops of Trader Joe Moka Java, with 8 cups of water.

I was a little surprised to find out that real Moka isn't "mocha-flavored," which I assumed when buying it. It's a type of bean, from the port of Moka, Yemen, one of the oldest commercially traded. The TJ Moka Java blend has a puny aroma, but it's great when mixed with Columbian to round it off. It gives the coffee a nice finish that leaves you inhaling slowly to enjoy the fumes on your breath. It's hard to describe the small differences, but I would describe it as a little bit "smoky."

I hated TJ's Kauai. Gave it away.

Kenya AA was great. It smells wonderful. It's now my brother's favorite coffee. It has a very pleasant, tart taste to it, not bitter. It's too tart to taste right with cream, but tastes very nice black.

Columbian Supremo seems to have the best aroma of all I've tried.

The flavored coffees from Gevalia are sickening if you make the whole pot with it. I do kind of like the "mocha" (chocolate) flavor if I only add 1/2 teaspoon of it to whatever regular coffee I'm making, just enough to notice.

I bought Trader Joe Sumatra Lintong yesterday. The first two pots were a total waste and ended up being tossed out. I usually use 5 or 6 scoops of coffee (I assume my scooper is a tablespoon but I'm not sure) to 8 cups of water. It eventually took 9 scoops of Sumatra to get something that didn't taste bland. It doesn't seem to have a strong enough aroma to it. This morning I tried mixing it with Columbian, 4 scoops Columbian with 2 Sumatra, and that seemed to make a better pot. The Sumatra has a nice taste to it, hard to describe, a little like blackstrap molasses. Sumatra has such a good reputation, though, I wonder if I just got a lousy Sumatra can from TJ's.

Ones I still want to try -- Antigua (Costa Rica), New Zealand, and Kona.

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"And so, in my State of the—my State of the Union—or state—my speech to the nation, whatever you want to call it, speech to the nation—I asked Americans to give 4,000 years—4,000 hours over the next—the rest of your life—of service to America. That's what I asked—4,000 hours."

Oh, I'm a coffee fanatic, too. We have Peets here - their beans beat the pants off Starbucks (mind you, we like Starbucks espresso drinks - a lot). I almost fainted last week when the barista at Peets told me they were temporarily out of French Roast beans. "ACK!!! How ~could~ you be out of FRENCH ROAST! When is it coming in?!!!".

I don't make a pot at a time. We have little cone filter holders, so each cup is fresh brewed.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
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Hi! I couldn't help but read this thread! I am totally NOT the coffee drinker, never have been, but boy, do I sell it!!
Our company has just partnered with a company called Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. They roast the coffee and Keurig makes the fantastic machine. Scope out their site at www.greenmountaincoffee.com . This company is so particular about their coffee beans! We watched a 15 minute film about how coffee is grown and harvested and roasted, etc. Even for me, a die hard tea drinker, it was very interesting.

They are also very environmentally and socially conscious. There is some info about that on the site also. I was DREADING going to the mandatory "coffee meeting" last week. By the time we left, I was just about to switch from tea to coffee and quit my job so I could sell these coffeemakers and coffee full time! In all my years of working in the vending and coffee supply industry, I have NEVER seen a neater system that GMCR and Keurig have put together. No mess, no waste, no drips, and a perfect cup (of your choice) each and every time. They also have regular ground coffee in bags.
We are doing free 2 day demos right now. We let the potential customer keep the system (and free coffee) for a couple of days to try it out. These things sell themselves. Sooooo coool. I want one because they have Celestial Seasonings teas in the "K-cups" also. Marvelous.

Just to clarify, I am just giving information for those who love good coffee and want to scope out this system for themselves. I live in Texas and most of you don't, so if you all want to try the GMCR/Keurig system, you would have to contact them online or by phone anyway. I am in no way advertising (or naming) the company I work for. I don't want to violate any site rules here! I was just so impressed by this company and their coffee system, I want to pass the news along, just like if I ever find a zero carb banana pudding recipe....I'll let ya'll know that, too!


P.S. ever heard of Blueberry coffee? Green Mountain makes one....smells great, even to me!

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French Vanilla. All the way. With light cream, no sweeteners. I have that most mornings.

The funny part is is that I'm a total freak of nature - caffine has NO effect on me. I only drink coffee when I'm in the mood for the taste of coffee or I feel like having "something" but I"m not really hungry. I can go days, even weeks, without drinking the stuff, to no ill effect.

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Gosh, I'm right here with you all...

we use Starbuck's VERONA blend - ground fresh every pot!

"Hi my name is andrea, and I'm a coffee addict."

no kidding!


yOU ALL mIghT enJOY ThiS:

In the style of David Letterman's TOP TEN LIST...

The Top Ten Ways to know you drink too much coffee

10. Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
9. You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
8. You get drunk just so you can sober up.
7. Your birthday is a national holiday in Columbia.
6. Your survival kit has a pound of coffee & a grinder.
5. Your life?s goal is to amount to a hill of beans.
4. You don?t sweat, you percolate.
3. All of your children are named Joe.
2. When someone says how are you? You say, ?Good to the last drop!?
1. You want to be cremated so you can spend eternity in a coffee can.

Be careful of some of the more darkly roasted Starbucks beans such as the French roast, most of the ones I've run into (and hence, I don't buy anymore) are burnt to the point of no return and very bitter.

I haven't tried the Verona but went and read the description, sounds nice!

Where's Trina? She's our resident Starbucks expert!

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It is always necessary to leave some part
of cooking to improvisation. - Paul Bocuse
Member since 2001