CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: I really love coffee, but I only have a regular Coffee Maker, and for my taste, the coffee is pretty weak both in taste, and in quality. I'm thinking about buying a Coffee Machine, but i also saw a Espresso machine, and I don't know the difference, nor their prices, and I also have doubts about what type of coffee to buy to get the best cup of coffee that I can make (strongest in taste and wake me up power). I know this is not a serious thing, but I really feel tired of drinking 5 cups of 'Folgers' in the morning, instead of drinking 1 cup of a good, fresh coffee. Please, only serious answers. Thanks in advance for taking the time....

A: I bought a regular drip and Espresso combo from Wal-mart for only $30. This is a rare find, but those deals are out there, so you should shop around online. For drip coffee (a normal coffee maker), go with a dark roast. This will have a stronger flavor. The darkest is Espresso roast, but don't confuse it with actual Espresso grounds. If you are at a grocery store, a package of pre-ground "Espresso Roast" coffee should be what you buy. If you get your beans from a local coffee shop (just go to the counter and ask to purchase pre-ground coffee in bulk - they will usually do 1/2 pound or 1 pound bags for cheap), ask for the darkest roast they have, ground for a drip machine. For an Espresso machine, no matter what roast you get, it is going to be strong. I have never been able to find pre-ground Espresso at a grocery store. A lot of grocery stores have a "coffee isle" where you can ground your own coffee. Put the beans into the bag, then pour them into the grinding machine. Select the Espresso settings, place the bag under the spout and start the grinder. You can also go to a local coffee shop, and they will sell you 1/2-1 pound of pre-ground Espresso. Make sure that you specify it's for an Espresso machine. You don't just want "Espresso Roast". You can also do this at places like 'Starbucks'. Go right up to the counter and ask, don't let them talk you into buying one of their 1lb bags of "premium" coffee and a grinder or something. They're supposed to sell pre-ground bulk beans to you for something like $8 a pound (that's cheap for 'Starbucks' considering it's $2-4 per CUP if they brew it for you). The great thing about these combo drip/Espresso machines is that you can do pretty much anything with them. They have the drip coffee if you prefer that, or if your guests prefer it. Then you can still put regular coffee in it, if you receive it as a gift (it's a very common thing to get coffee as a gift). Also, you can have all of the coffee house Espresso drinks that you like, or just drink it straight up. You could pay just as much for a regular fancy drip machine as you could for a combo machine. They also usually come with the frothing wand. It looks like there are 2 brands that sell most of them right now. Mine is something like Westinghouse or west something. These are places you can buy them: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in... http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/in... http://www.fadfusion.com/selection.php?p... http://www.thecateringchef.net/delonghi-... http://www.thecateringchef.net/mr-coffee...I know exactly what you mean. I used to drink 'Maxwell House', and it would take four or five cups to get me going. Now I drink pure 'Kona Coffee' from Hawaii and there's nothing else like it. Rich, robust and satisfying, it only takes one cup to get me started. 'Kona Coffee' is specially grown, harvested and roasted, so the key is to get pure stuff and not blends. A lot of local gourmet shops call it 'Kona' when it's really only 10 percent 'Kona' and the rest is regular coffee. I order the real deal at https://konaluna.com where you can also find the story of 'Kona Coffee'. Making it in a French press tastes the best.