CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: I'm a Disabled Veteran and I live alone, and today I was at a Restaurant and had a cup of decaf coffee, and it was very tasty. Surely, they may use a tasty type of coffee, but, I'm thinking they just use the right amount. When I make a Pot of Coffee, I only use 5 "heaping" Tablespoons of Coffee for a 12 cup pot. My Coffee just isn't that tasty. It's rather bland and seems weak. I use either 'Hills Bros.', or 'Folgers' "Regular or French Roast"'. How much should I use to make a tasty pot, so each cup has a definitive coffee taste? What kind of Coffee would you use? I don't like the coffees like hazelnut, or vanilla tastes, and I don't buy or have Cappuccino except once in a great while,......usually seasonally. Ladies, or anyone that likes a good tasty cup of coffee, how much should I use in a standard 12 cup drip maker?

A: Hey sweety...I am a coffee loverrrr! It never tastes right unless it's 'Starbucks', but my at home method is perfect, darling. 1, 4, 2, 6, 3, 8, 4, 10, 5, and 12 cups, bUt make sure the scoops are heaping, or if yu dont have a coffee scoop its 2 tablespoons=1coffee scoopnfor the brands you mentioned. Start w/ 8 heaping Tbsp of coffee grinds to 12 cups. My DH would probably make that w/ 10 for 12 cups. We have some eight o'clock coffee now, and it's so cheap, he has to use 11 scoops (Tbsp) for 10 cups! What a rip-off! We dont' like flavored coffees, but will occasionally use a flavored coffee creamer product, just for grins. If you pay the extra money for a top quality brand like 'Krispy Kreme', or 'Starbucks', you'd probably only need 5-6 Tbsp. For your 12 cup maker, OK, it's one (1) TBLS. per 8oz of water. I work for 'Starbucks', and as I get it free, I'm not sure about your brands. I would suggest calling the restaurant to find out what brand they served you. Of course, tell them how much you enjoyed it. Who knows, maybe you can buy it. If you are interested in trying Starbucks, you can taste different types and it is free. Mild is roasted the smallest amount of time, and has the most caffeine, Smooth, is the second longest, and the most popular, and Bold, is just that, and as it is roasted the longest, it has the least caffeine. Of course all of their coffee is also available decaffeinated, and you can grind the beans, or tell them what type of coffee filter you have, and it will be ground just for you. Oh, if you have it ground one degree finer, you get more flavor. I suggest, the Italian Roast, but all of the bags are clearly labeled to tell you the type of taste. Any good coffee shop can help you as well. 'Green Mountain' is excellent, also. Good luck, and enjoy your cup of coffee. Thank you very much for serving our country. We are very proud of our Veterans. 5 Tb did not sound like nearly enough, is your coffee the color of tea? ;) Had to go set up my pot to figure out the answer for this as I have a special wooden scoop, hand crafted by a dear friend, I always just heap it twice. Anyway, I measured it into my glass measuring cup first and it came to 1/3 cup, I do not know what that translates into in terms of tablespoons, but 1/3 cup coffee for a 12-cup Bunn (drip) coffeemaker is what we use. I suggest you start with that and adjust (up or down) accordingly. Currently using 'Folger's' custom roast, which is a medium roast, finely ground. We also like 'French Roast' or 'Maxwell House Master Blend' for a change, but my absolute favorite is 100% Kona.

Lisa Bambu said:

Wow I have a 4 cup coffee maker so how many spoons do I use I usually use 6

Coffee Enthusiast said:

Well, since I am just an average guy (and not a Starbucks employee posting an advertisement, I will put in my advice. I grew up with espresso in my baby bottle, and have a love and passion for the perfect cups. Firstly, unlike the big "stars" of the coffee business who care about your "bucks" going in their pockets only, I would go to a local roaster, and taste the different blends they have. Ask questions about the different roasting techniques....IE...why roast a coffee seed darker than another; Why blending coffee types produces a different feel in the mouth. Most roasters will allow you to taste and they are always willing to talk about their roasting process. You need to be aware of the science behind brewing coffee check out www.coffeefaq.com/1thebasics.html it has good reading about coffee. In it it states how even the highest-graded coffees can taste like the worst if not brewed correctly.....temp of water, quality of water, the amount of time the water is in contact with the grinds, the quality of grind (too fine....too course)....all these need to be taken into consideration when brewing in your home brewer. The freshness of the grind also plays a big factor in the quality of your coffee. No offense to the Starbucks employee.....but according to Howard Shultz's story, he intentionally roasts over-roasts the coffee because he didn't want the flavored shots to take away from the coffee, unfortunately, over-roasting cheap beans gives it the "Starbucks" taste....that to TRUE coffee conisseours, is considered burnt. I have to say.....to each his own.