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I'm in the market for a good coffee maker that will produce a coffee-shop quality cup of java. The only catch is that I rarely drink more than two cups at a time, so it needs to be small. I've used the Black and Decker one cup maker before, but the result tastes terrible. Even some sort of stovetop contraption would be fine- I'm not bound to the idea of an electric coffee maker.
-EG
Ask Gothamist likes to use a french press for making small amounts of coffee. According to I Need Coffee, "Coffee fanatics and connoisseurs maintain that French Press coffee is the best way to experience the daily grind."
French presses have the added bonus of being inexpensive and simple to use. You should be able to pick one up that makes two cups of coffee for around $10 - $30, which will cost you much less than buying a small electric coffee maker. Just boil some water, grind your coffee coarsely, add the coffee and water to the press, and put the top on without depressing the plunger. Let it steep for 3 - 5 minutes, depress the plunger, and voila.
Of course, you have to start with fresh, high quality coffee beans - you should have no problem finding those just about anywhere in the city - and grind them yourself to get top-notch coffee. For the best-taking cup, use filtered water and make sure to always keep your coffee maker clean (we wash our french press after every use).
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I highly recommend using a french press! I usually put the coffee and the water into the glass container and then microwave for 3 to 5 minutes, instead of boiling water ahead of time and then adding that to the coffee, and it works just as well.
I use a French press at work just about every day, and I love it. The only drawback is that I get small amounts of fine coffee grounds at the bottom of my cup. You can buy a small cloth filter and pour the coffee through the filter into your cup, removing the fine grounds. I'm not that much of a coffee snob, so I just live with it. I read that it's a bad idea to wash your coffee pot with soap, as it will alter the taste of the coffee. I just rinse the press pot and plunger with hot water and let it air dry.
Rohr's at 85th & 2nd sells fresh coffee beans in many varieties. I'm enjoying their French roast this week, and their hazelnut coffee is excellent as well. FreshDirect also has great coffee beans.
i think the percolator produces the tastiest cup of coffee. nice, black and strong.
Coffeee.....
Shesh... has anyone ever noticed the latest trend in multi-market espresso making? Starbucks, Prêt and other vendors have been using automatic espresso makers.
Gone is the clang and bang out the old ground.
Gone is the sound of the whoosh of cleaning the espresso press handle with a shot of steam.
Gone is hand leveled coffee tap and twist of the wrist and pull of the press.
It is all automatic now.
Doesn't anyone worry that your $3 plus espresso has no guarantee that it is actually fresh and not a second press?
Doesn't anyone worry that the press cup doesn't get quite clean in the hidden mechanism, so you are getting some of the previous brew?
I'm just saying for that much extra dough, I need a verifiable hand pressed coffee and the performance to go with it to boot.
the little italian aluminum stovetop espresso makers are awesome too. you unscrew it, put water in the bottom, put your grounds in the little pan, screw it back together, put it over a medium low flame, and in a couple minutes you have a couple cups of REAL espesso, complete with the light brown foamy stuff on top. you cant beat it. the french press thing is awesome too, but if you love espresso, this is the way to go. they are CHEAP too, about 10 - 15 bucks, the nicer Bialetti ones are about $30. DONT get the stainless steel ones. they might look fancier, but the coffee produced wont taste as good.
heres a link that show a good range:
http://www.kasbahouse.com/espressostovetops.asp
Check out SFist Trimethyldioxypurist's advice on homebrewing.
http://www.sfist.com/archives/2004/11/30/a_trimethyldioxypurist_holiday_survival_guide.php
Electric perk coffee tastes really good; and, of course the better the coffee, the better the taste. And, surprise, you can make one cup or 12 cups in mine; you just have to measure appropriately.
bodum makes a really simple, single-cup, filterless dripper (they call it filtre belgique) that i have replaced my french press with. french press is similar in quality, but this little thing is easier to clean and your grounds don't soak in the brew any longer than necessary, thus keeping acidity to a minimum. boiling your coffee in a perc makes the most acidic/bitter brew of all.
best of all, it's under $10 including the cup.
FOR THE ULTIMATE FRENCH PRESS EXPERIENCE:
THE PRESS:http://frielingmall.frieling.com/merchant/index.htm
THE COFFEE BEANS:http://www.lacolombe.com
Believe it or not the Starbucks 4 cup (which is actually like two nice size cups) makes an excellent brew and can be bought on sale for about $30. Its pretty close to a store bought cup if you like bucks.
You got to go with the Bodum French Press -- check out http://bodumusa.com
I would encourage the stovetop espresso maker for this purpose -- in addition to a few other factors, at least you're boiling your h2o in the same contraption that makes the coffee. Also, I find "coarse grind," which the french press takes, harder to achieve in the groggy a.m. with my average-priced grinder, than a fine grind, which you use for the stovetop maker.
Get an aluminium, small (2 cup or actually 4 wee espresso cups) stovetop Bialetti.
G.
Isn't coffee made from a french press less healthy than filtered coffee?