Yes, Cathy, you are officially a coffee drinker. Welcome to the ranks!

Annie

Welcome to the dark (roast) side!

Cuban Café Bustelo (the brand my mom has always used), is what I've been drinking since I was 8-9 yrs. old. They start'em early on the island.

A few, short years later, I was introduced to iced coffee, at a friend's house. Her nanny fixed us tall glasses of café con leche y hielo (coffee with milk on ice). I thought I'd died and gone to coffee heaven.

Then, I came to the states, and thought American coffee was too weak, so I gave up coffee for a while and switched to tea. But my true passion remains the strong Cuban-style espresso.

So Cathy, between the chocolate-covered coffee beans (which I also like) and iced coffee, you should be swinging from your ceiling fans in no time.
In fact, coffee is another reason, I'm still going on and on about this subject.

Sol

For me, drinking coffee consists of eating coffee ice cream or some tiny candies from Bali called Latte Candy. You are supposed to eat four of them, but I only eat one or two during a day - I bought them at a Thai market.

The best coffee I had was on Maui, and the best iced coffee was at Cassanova Deli in Makawao on Maui. I had Kona coffee mixed with cream and served with chocolate and ice cream. I remember eating it as much as drinking it, and Kevin and I agreed that it had the best flavor of coffee that we had ever tasted. I am content now to eat coffee ice cream with Frangelico or chocolate liqueur or both. I ordered a pound of Kona coffee for Kevin's birthday, but it did not seem the same as what we had when we were there. I ordered a light roast, which is what Kevin says he likes, but I think we must have had dark roast when we were there. Kona coffee seemed not to upset my stomach, which is why I wanted to order it. It's expensive, however, and so I won't order it again, unless I order green beans.

Sol, did you see the Kardashian episode in which Khloe gets addicted to Cafe Cubano? I have an espresso machine, but I use it only for guests. I've seen coffee growing in Mexico around Córdoba, and I remember that there seemed to be banana trees in the same field and that it was fairly high elevation. Does Cuba export coffee to the U.S.? I never saw coffee fields in Hawaii.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Street view of Cassanova Restaurant

Well; DW and I think of ourselves as coffee drinkers even though that coffee is loaded with cream and fake sugar so you certainly qualify. I didn't calculate, but by eye it looks like you are getting a full load. Considering your coffee direction, may I suggest that you might like Vietnamese coffee. It is concentrated slow filtered Vietnamese coffee (it has butter fat or something) into sweetened condensed milk and ice. And if you went back to regular coffee, you might also like that with a small splash of bitters.

Cathy, coffee is such an interesting topic!
Sol, I can relate to all you said about coffee and Bustelo brand, long time ago when I lived in NY it was the only brand that resembled the coffee that I used to drink.
Lars, I had Kona coffee while in Hawaii and I like the smooth taste and I agree with you it is expensive to bring it home.
I like my coffee black, the dark roast, nothing added and I never had iced coffee even when is very hot, lol. The only time that I make an exception is to drink a real Italian cappuccino or Starbucks one if I have no other choice.
While I was recently at the Keys, I went to a Colombian restaurant where the young owner's parents owned a coffee plantation there and she traveled to get that coffee for her customers, was that tasty!
Also like Arab coffee with cardamon added when is being grounded, it is very strong!

Silvia

Annie, Thanks for the validation.

Sol, Living in Tampa most of my life, while I've never had it, I'm certainly familiar with cafe con leche as it's on most menus here.

Lars, You and I have the same likes and dislikes when it comes to how we consume coffee.

Chas, I'll give it a try. The only reason I used Cuban Café Bustelo is that's what I had in the pantry (probably for a long time) because I had a coffee drinking overnight guest. Coincidentally that's what the Pioneer Woman used so it further enticed me to go forward with the recipe.

Cathy, Renee taught me to make an iced French vanilla for the girls, they loved the stuff.

Make a really strong pot of coffee, twice as much coffee as you use for a pot, and half a pot of water. Add 1/4 cup of French vanilla syrup or the flavoring of your choice, a cup of milk and fill it up with the coffee. More or less milk, flavoring or coffee as your taste dictates, the girls liked more milk, less coffee.

I don't usually drink iced coffee but Elery does. I drink it hot, no matter how hot the weather is.

Annie

I gave up coffee years ago and only have a cup occasionally. I tasted Vietnamese coffee here in the Southwest and loved it, so we have it sometimes over weekends when we can breakfast together. It's very strong, with condensed milk added. I like it in summer over ice. DH has become addicted and drinks it hot in winter and iced in summer.

Cheryl

SharonCB (I miss her) mentioned coffee with sweetened condensed milk. I tried it and I liked it. A lot. Until I read the calories on the back of the condensed milk can, LOL, and I promptly gave it up.....

Annie

Yay Cathy! Next we'll hear that your driinking your alcohol instead of cooking with it! LOL

As much as a like a flavorful cup of coffee, made with a french press or an Americano -- expresso with hot water--I can't wrap my head around iced coffee. Odd isn't it?

I wanted to use sweetened condensed milk as the recipe calls for but subbed a low calorie creamer. Also the recipe makes 2 gallons, I made 1 gallon just in case it wasn't for me. My next batch I'll try the Vietnamese coffee. I'll look in our Asian grocery store, Amazon is pricey.

Ellen, I hope not, when I get into something, watch out!

Coffee has a flavor that I just don't like - not coffee ice cream, mocha mousse, Black Russians or any one of the dozens of varieties that friends have gotten me to try because I must have never tasted "good" coffee.

However, if it's 7 A.M.on a freezing winter morning and I'm standing outside waiting for an auction or event to begin and coffee is the only hot beverage available, I may morph into a coffee drinker PDQ.

Lars, I know Cuba exports their coffee beans to many other countries, except the U.S.
But with Castro's poor health, and his brother, Raul, in charge, it is possible that change may, finally, be on its way. That is, assuming Washington loosens its grip on the embargo.

I understand you can order 'Cuban-style' coffee online, but the coffee beans are grown in other countries, and not the island of Cuba.

By the way, I didn't catch that Kardashians' episode. The show comes on at a bad time for me, and I can't sit and watch it. But, I'll keep an eye out for the episode you mentioned. I'm also going to check out your latte candy!

Teresa, I'd love to try a real Italian cappuccino. But the closest I've been to Italy, was Milan. 'Milan, Michigan' :)

My mom is the avid world traveler in the family. Not me, so much, unfortunately.

Sol

If you have a French press coffee maker it's very easy to make iced coffee. I use equal amounts coffee to cold water. Set the press so the grounds are covered and let set overnight. The next morning just press and pour.

Suzy, Thanks for thinking of me. Using the Pioneer Woman's method, I have a gallon ready in the refrigerator for as long as that lasts. I do have a French press, two in fact and I don't know why I have them. Perhaps for emergency requests from guests or many be when I was into my loose leaf tea phase.

Dad never drank hot tea or coffee... iced tea in warm weather. My grandmother drank tea and grandfather drank coffee... whatever conconction my grandmother made up... probably NOT good??

When I went away to college, instant coffe in dorm and blech in dining hall.

I have been an iced coffee person for past couple YEARS! I brew a whole pot and stash in big jug in fridge.

So funny I drink iced coffee at coffee shops in the summer but never thought of making it at home. What a great idea. I am a coffee lover too. During the week we drink west coast dark roast but on weekends we grind our own beans. The best I have had was from Costco the Rwanda beans but haven't seen them in a few years. We now use Kirkland espresso beans so rich in flavor and no rot gut.

Thanks for the recipe

CL: costco coffee is my favorite too. At least in our area, we don't see the espresso, but Kirkland currently has a Costa Rican super dark roast that you might like and wouldn't have to pay the semi-premium for having Starbucks roast it. I think Rwandan coffee was in the red bags? I thought that the flavor went off years ago, and then they stopped selling all the country blends. I called costco and it turns out that the coffee buyer is accesssable. We had a nice long chat. He said that they changed the roasting and packing company and changed to all 2# rather than 3# bags. They were having some trouble ramping up the new production. He said the coffee in the red bags was having weather issues I think (2 years ago now).

Excuse my ignorance on this subject, I never go down the coffee aisle. If I buy the Costco beans, do I have to grind them or do they grind them? Should I get a grinder?

The Pioneer Woman's recipe makes 2 gallons, I am halving it and 1 gallon lasted 2 weeks. I'm just made a second batch; this time I used an Italian brand that had vanilla flavoring. It's not as bitter as the first brand I used. I bought it at Home Goods so it won't be consistently available.

I will look at the Asian market for the Vietnamese coffee that was recommended.

Since this seems to be something I will continue to prepare, I welcome and will explore different brands until I hit on the perfect product for my use.

Ah, Cathy, you have ventured into dangerous territory and there is no turning back. Yes, you are a coffee drinker.

I love coffee in any way, shape or form, the darker the better. I have Starbucks French Roast, black, every morning. Ka-zing. I love coffee ice cream, chocolate covered coffee beans, anything coffee. Coffee is my drug of choice.

Is anyone else watching Breaking Bad? It's about a chemistry teacher who cooks meth (no spoiler -- you know that from the start). However, he LOVES a good cup of coffee. This is my favorite scene from the show (possible spoiler, so don't watch if you haven't gotten past Season 3). "Why are we cooking meth?" LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: why are we cooking meth??

do I have to grind them or do they grind them?

Completely reasonable question and the answer is yes or yes.
You could buy a grinder so that you grind your beans immediately before you brew or extract them. Or, after you pay for them, you can go over to the coffee grinding machine and just like in the old days (if you remember them), select a finer or coarser grind setting, dump your beans in the top, put your bag down below, turn it on and the machine will fill your bag back up with ground coffee.

The standard inexpensive whirling blade grinders are probably $20. I have graduated to a $100 type with grinding burrs that do a better job of equal size particles. The costco grinder described above would grind evenly (perhaps better) also.

Since you may not be hooked yet :- ] AND you may be brewing large batches, you may as well let the costco machine do the work. If you were having hot fresh coffee every morning and every evening, then the very fresh ground beans would be more of an issue.

By the way; I mentioned the bitters because it is another flavoring much like amaretto or something even though the name is off putting. And the vietnamese coffee because the method was essentially the same except with fresh extraction. If you were to try getting the viet coffee, you might want to try it without adding other flavorings other than the milk of course.

DH gets his coffee ground at Costco, then stores the ground coffee in the freezer. He says it tastes fresher this way, and he doesn't have the bother of grinding it himself. I don't drink it so I wouldn't know.

We get Trung Nguyen Vietnamese coffee (see link), Gourmet blend from an Asian grocery store. It comes in sealed vacuum packs, two to a 500g box. The coffee is already finely ground. We brew ours in a French press, but I assume the cold filter method would work as well. The coffee tastes harsh to me. I usually drink coffee black when I do drink it, but I wouldn't like this blend without something to soften the flavor. A Vietnamese friend of mine is very dismissive of Vietnamese coffee which he says uses the cheapest beans available. He's a coffee snob, so I don't take him too seriously. Condensed milk smooths out the harsh edges. In my local shop, it's about $8 for the 500g box.

Cheryl

Here is a link that might be useful: trung nguyen coffees

Don't you think that if you put all that stuff in a cup of hot coffee that you would also find it tasty? I don't drink hot coffee plain, I don't care for black coffee...but with a bit of sweetness and cream...YUM! I am not sure where the whole idea that hot coffee is supposed to be drunk black came from but it's a totally ridiculous notion!

dedtired, I don't watch that show, but that clip was hilarious!

I like iced coffee in the summer. I make it with a double shot of espresso in a cup of vanilla almond or soy milk, and sometimes a half a tsp of sugar or so. Funny, I hate the taste of sugar in coffee if I'm drinking it hot, but enjoy just a hint of it if it's cold. I love Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk, but like Annie, I shudder at the calories, so this is my compromise and it's good for daily use in hot weather.

And Jadeite, as a card carrying coffee snob, I'm just crushed by your comment. Truth is, Vietnamese Robusta is considered sort of the standard for "bad". It is often low grown, poor quality and has sort of a burnt rubber undertone to it. So yes, it's harsh if drunk on its own.

I may try Ree's recipe for my son's graduation party this summer, it sounds great.

Cj

I would like to second Everything Cheryl just said. We used to go to Peet's Coffee, a very serious coffee establishment, and have them grind 2#. We kept it in the freezer. Actually, Peet's recommends the following:
What is the best way to store coffee at home?
We recommend that you keep a week's worth of coffee in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, keep it in the freezer. Packages of frozen coffee should be opened as infrequently as possible. Whole beans will keep up to four weeks, but ground coffee should be brewed within a week or two. Buying small amounts frequently and grinding your own beans is the best way to enjoy fresh coffee.

Trung nguyen is probably the biggest brand of Vietnamese coffee. We are happy to get it. I suspect Cheryl's friend is correct about the quality of the coffee. I doubt that US vanilla or almond flavored coffees are made from high quality beans either.

Again, I mentioned Vietnamese coffee because it is similar to flavored coffee and uses sweetened condensed milk. However, it is actually an individually made ritual. It has been awhile, but as I recall, at a restaurant etc. one receives a trey with a Little steel pot (like for cream) filled with hot water along with a stack of a small cylinder (and a metal lid) with small holes all over the bottom containing a scoop of fine ground coffee that you firmly press to the bottom with a little presser (also with holes), all above a small cup containing some condensed milk and a glass filled with ice. Action: remove lid, press coffee as hard as possible, add water, replace lid, talk with friends or read newspaper while coffee SLOWLY (if pressed sufficiently hard) drips for several minutes. Stir milk into coffee, grasp glass with fingers over top to retain ice and invert towards corner of floor to remove melted water, add coffee, stir, sip slowly.

Thanks for all of your input and support as I venture into the world of coffee. 6 weeks and I am hooked!

I have tried 3 different brands and flavors of coffee. The last was amaretto flavored from The Fresh Market; they grounded the beans for me. I thought this was the answer however it doesn't taste very good, but what do I know.

I'm thinking of trying "medium roast" based on the descriptions of the options I have been reading up on.

What's with this $192 for 3 ounces of coffee?

Here is a link that might be useful: Really?

Cathy, that Kopi Luwak coffee consists of coffee beans that have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet and then excreted. The 'processed' beans are recovered from the animal's doo-doo. While they say that all honest toil has dignity, being a Kopi Luwak harvester may be pushing the dignity envelope a bit.

That coffee was one of the biggest gags in the Jack Nicholson-Morgan Freeman flick 'The Bucket List'.

Back to iced coffee: If you find yourself making this powerful coffee extract a lot, just get a Toddy maker and it's even easier than the setup Pioneer Woman talks about. You store the extract in the fridge (stays good for a few weeks) or you can freeze the extract in ice cube trays and store the cubes in Ziplock bags for a long time.

Here is a link that might be useful: toddy cold extract coffee maker

Cathy - I've never been a coffee drinker. Hot, iced or otherwise. I will occassionally try a coffee when I go with co-workers...nope - I don't even finish the occassional.

I get one of my bosses coffee all the time. With the price of coffee at the shops I guess I should be glad I'm not fond of it!

Thanks for restarting/bumping this thread I had an ice coffee yesterday and thought about the thread now here it is recipe and everything.

Perfect Timing.

Thanks for the Kopi Luwak overview; I'll pass. The Toddy Maker looks interesting. I have made the PW's recipe (1/2 each time) three times; it lasts 2 weeks.

Teresa, I never even tried a cup with co-workers. Our Starbucks are packed; it amazes me considering what people are paying for a cup. But I'm sure there is something comparative that I am excessive about.

So, any thoughts on using "medium" roast for my cold brewed concentrate? Will it be less bitter?

Ahh yes,

Coffee talk indeed makes the world a better place. Keep it up.

Cathy you are big girl now!

michaelp

Cathy, I like a medium roast. I find the dark roasts can taste burned or scorched and somewhat bitter and a roast that is too light tastes weak or not enough like coffee, if that makes any sense.

Now I've been roasting my own I've been liking the Columbian beans a lot, but I have some Guatamalan beans that I like very much too. I didn't care for Mexican or Brazilian so far, they taste muddy.

Before I started roasting my own my favorites tended to be the Breakfast Blends for some reason. I lean toward Biggby and Paramount, only because they are Michigan companies and not because others couldn't do coffee well too.

I still don't care much for iced coffee but I enjoy a non-fat mocha, no whipped cream sometimes, and I equally enjoy just a nice hot cup of black coffee. Or I like it with sweetened condensed milk. I also like it IN stuff, like chocolate cakes, shortbread cookies, mousse. I think I just like coffee.

Annie

"Yeppers!", she says as she sips on her coffee. Raising my cuppa to welcome you into the fold.

P.S. I no longer drink caffeine coffee, except, once a year when I make a good strong double brew for iced coffee (Jude's coffee was the best yet, and I'll have to work hard to get coffee even equally as good much less any better). Every summer. I look forward to it in the coming weeks.

Cathy, you should definitely get a coffee grinder just because it would be another fun gadget to play with. I hear the burr grinders are better than the blender type ones.

I'm glad you are enjoying iced coffee... part of the reason I never drank coffee was because to me, beverages should be refreshing and hot drinks just aren't... Some people like their coffee practically boiling when they drink it and I can't understand that.

I bought some of that Cafe Bustello to use in my new Keurig for guests because several people told me it was really good and strong, so you may want to try that one. Millstone makes a caramel truffle flavored coffee that really rocks, and there's a coffee that comes out around Christmas called Barneys' White Christmas. They make an ice cream to match and you haven't lived until you've made a cup of that coffee and plopped a couple scoops of the matching ice cream right in the glass. It is amazing!

Enjoy your continuing coffee journey!

Sol warned "you should be swinging from your ceiling fans in no time". Thanks for the heads-up BUT no one warned me that I would speed and risk getting stopped by the sheriff! I usually drink my addiction as soon as I get up but this AM I was late and drank it before getting in the car to go to the gym. Thankfully it was the same sheriff from the turtle incident; he gave me a verbal warning. I guess he thought speeding wasn't as harmful as turtle relocation.

Michael, I was hoping you would chime in as you are the coffee guru.

I'm two months in and still experimenting using various suggestions you all have offered. I...
like medium roast
purchased a grinder
prefer medium ground
add a pinch of salt to the batch
add sweetener and flavoring to the batch so I don't have to bother with that every morning just add the creamer
don't like Fresh Market coffees
accidentally bought a pound of decaf and notice the difference but didn't know what the problem was until my batch was used up and I went back to the bag to use the remainder of the pound and saw that it was decaffeinated
bought 2 pounds online from CoffeeAM; haven't tried it yet but the company seems to offer many options

I am definitely hooked which is scary 'cause what if this was something harmfully addictive?