Coffee Equipments for Dorm?

[wct1490]

Hello everyone, I am new to this entire coffee world.
I just got a frenchpress pot for myself and I am wondering how can I best enjoy coffee with my limited space and resource.

I only drink once a day (3cups) but would like to try different flavors and kinds of coffee. My budget is about of $150 (for the equipments). I dont have a car so going out and get freshly grind coffee is kind of hard. I guess I'd be better off buying beans and grind them at the dorm when I drink.
Can someone suggest some basic equiments for my purpose?

Thanks

 

[equus007]

idea

What school are you at. We(all)may know of a roaster near you where you could get ground fresh roast. As long as you use it fairly quick...which you will in school trust me...it will stay good.

 

[wct1490]

Univ. of California @ San Diego.
The only coffee shop near I guess is peets, just a mile away.

 

[equus007]

coffee woes

Peet's has suprisingly good drip coffee though their espresso sucks just as bad as any other A&G coffee house. Try a few of their blends in the shop and if you don't like any of them why not order some from one of the lovely roasters on this site. Many can get you fresh ground coffee if you promise to be nice to them. They are old men who can't resist needy kids. Just make sure you specify you are using a french press so you can get the right grind. I'm really suprised that the only shop around there is Peet's. Looks like a pretty ripe market.

Whole beans are always better. For a french press you need a fairly coarse grind and can do a decent job with a standard blade grinder with practice. They cost about 15$. Burr grinders are real nice but they are too costly for the budget you have.

Enjoy

 

[Caffe Latte]

hey there. I am not sure about your specific school, but the majority of them frown upon studetns haveing machines with no auto-matic shut off on coffee machines in their dorms.

That said, unless someone goes into your room and sees what you have or complains, it's not a big deal to have a regular machine. just remember to turn it off

I had (and in fact, still do two years out of college) a simple 4 cup autodrip machine.

Since space is usually at a pretty high premium in dorms, I wouldn't go with anything big, really. simple, easy to use, and generally cheap is the better way to go, unless you have a big dorm room or will be living off-campus.

Keep in mind that you will probably be brewing coffee for these reasons:

Morning wake-you-up.
Evening pick-you-up.
All Nighter KEEP-YOU-UP :-D (and yes, that will be your heart when you head to class in the AM with the paper, hahhah :lol: )

Now, I DID have a grinder, as it was easier for me to store whole beans outside than pre-ground, which tend to lose potency and flavor quicker.

I also preferred to grind my own since I know the consistency I like, and for the machine I use. Also, the sound helped wake me up in the morning for work

after saying all this, I know you said you already have a french press. I am not familiar with that style so I can't help you on that front, sorry.

 

[NW JAVA]

Augh, get a electric tea pot (http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/re ... ic_tea_pot)

Like any one of them. An use that hot h20 to pour into the FP

get a grinder like

http://www.target.com/gp/search.html/60 ... et&x=0&y=0

And then look for some coffee roaser in SD. Like

San Diego

New World Coffee
Artisan Roasted Beans, Espresso & Food. Great place to study. - 1602 Front Street, San Diego, CA 92101 - Tel: 619-231-6313 - Fax: 619-702-5437

Rocket Roast Coffee Co.
Coffee roaster, premium Arabica blends with 50% caffiene added - 16466 Bernardo CENTER Drive, Suite 279, San Diego, CA 92128-2533 - Toll Free: 1-888-619-JAVA (5282) - Fax: 619-673-2113

Or any coffee house, they probibly see beans too....

That's my $.02