Coffee

Doubtlessly, coffee is one of the great classic drinks of humanity. Up there with whisky and chocolate milk.

Anyway, every morning on the way to work me and my partner grab a cup. Sometimes it's from the depaneur (corner store) which always tates like **** but at least come in a nice cup, or, if we're working in the fancy tourist town to the nearby, we go to the fancy coffee store and have a first class double expresso - double allonge. $3 a cup, but what a great morning buzz.

Today, at the fancy place, I asked for our usual double expressos but asked them to put them in giant cups and add normal (but still excellent) coffee on top of the expresso to fill the cup. $8.66 for two cups of coffee.

But it was gooood. :evil:

If we're in the tourist town, we usually get two double expressos at least during the day and sometimes a third normal coffee. That's about $8.00 each a day. I'm curious as the the desires and budgets of my fellow Frontroom coffee drinkers and their outlook on the precious black brew.

By the by - two cream, no sugar.

(This is not a coffee vs. tea debate. Both are wonderful in their own light.)

I’m worthless unless I get my morning coffee. It is a Godsend.

We have 2 espresso machines at work, I'm sipping my double latte with 3 sugars (my cup holds two standard coffees) :coffeenews:

Normally I go through 2 or 3 double cups per day.

Usually a good coffee such as a capocino or latte go for about $2.80 up to $4.00 for an expensive large one. Milk I suppose is relatively cheap in Australia and we have a large amount of Italian, Greek and Turkish immigrants which has helped lift the coffee drinking standards.

I dislike coffee. I rarely get anything from Joe Muggs (the coffee shop in Books-A-Million) unless it's a chai latte. Tastes like pumpkin pie, much better than coffee :loveg:

I drink coffee with a bit of cream. I'm pretty flexible about the types, just as long as it's not instant nor extremely cheap.

Ever since Starbucks opened in a small town nearby, I've been drinking coffee more and more. I even drink it at home now, often instead of my beloved cup of tea. There's something reassuring about a nice cup of coffee, but it's probably the caffeine in my double shot expresso latte that gives me that impression. Still, you can't savour the delight of dunking a nice Rich Tea Biscuit in a cup of coffee, it just doesn't taste right, and for that, tea still rules!

Hurrah for tea. Be gone with all you lower-class coffee drinking plebians!

Actually, aside from the awful coffee-breath affliction that comes from drinking too much coffee, there's nothing wrong with those who drink coffee, as I'm obviously amongst their number. I do, however, detest those snobby middle-class student looking, scarf wearing even in summer-time, ipod and left-wing paper carrying, waft around with an air of superioty about them types who frequent coffee shops everywhere you go. My foot has a tendancy to want to stick out as if to trip them up whilst they're carrying their 'posh coffee' with their nose pointing upwards in that aggrivating manner of theirs.

Crivvens what a rant that turned out to be.

It tastes bad, it's expensive, and I don't see the point.

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

We have 2 espresso machines at work, I'm sipping my double latte with 3 sugars (my cup holds two standard coffees) :coffeenews:

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Three sugars? Bleah! If my coffee even looks at a grain of sugar, I find it completely undrinkable.

Doesn't it just taste like syrup with three sugars? Mind you, you must get quite a jolt from a cup. I can see the value in that. :burnout: "Bzzzzzzzz!"

Beirut will feel better as this topic will eventually evolve into a coffee-o-philiacs stand. :2thumbsup:

But before, I have to indicate, as well, that I get no idea of what coffee is all about. It only gives me the worst stink that a mouth and stomach can hold. Maybe I should try some other variations but, for now, coffee is out of bounds for me.

(no no..no I won't do that..No Beirut has already s..said that this is no coffee vs. tea topic..oh I..c..can't..*Whooob!*...oh...it's gone..I'm fine..)

TEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!! ~:charge:

(damn..)

Tea is wonderful. It's the first thing I ingest every single day.

I was merely focussing on coffee here. I was certainly not disrespecting a fine cup of Earl Grey.

(Besides, my dearest AdrianII would be mortified to see a negative comment about tea arise from my keyboard.) :toff:

Tea is good too, particulary as there is a component in it that dampens the shakes that coffee can give.

I drink green tea and flavoured ones. Also Pearl (Bubble) Tea's are fun to have.

I have a sweet tooth, milk (calcium) and coffee (caffiene) both raise the metabolism... so the sugar provides the raw energy to match the gear shift.

Used to have Starbucks... on the whole lesser quality and more expensive... however their triple shot mint mochas are like a chocolate mint on steroids so they are a thing of beauty.

I don't like coffee. I only like frapuccino when it's well made.

I can only eat it in ice cream form. I was, however, at one point, addicted to root beer.

After seeing what it's done to the people around me, I'm a coffee temperance man. I pride myself on being able to wake up without any outside (read: caffiene) help. :knight:

That being said, I'll probably crack sooner or later...

I can wake up without coffee, but that doesn't mean I don't drink it.

Black, by the way. No sugar, no cream, no crap.

Tea is absolutely nasty. I have no idea why you Britons got so hooked on the stuff; it tastes like poison to me.

I generally drink one or two cups per morning at the Turkish Cafe' a couple of blocks down. Total cost .99 cents per cup and the best cup of coffee I've ever had. Even better than the stuff I had in Italy.

Generally One cream, none or sometimes 1 Sugar.

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It only gives me the worst stink that a mouth and stomach can hold.

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It's the caffeine that's probably causing the upset stomach.


I got hooked on cappuccinos in Amsterdam -- no way -- and I still like to get them here, but it can be hard to find any places that make them decently.

If I drink for energy in the morning it's usually Earl Gray. It's easily the best tea when done well, and one of the very worst when done poorly.

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Originally Posted by Zorba

Black, by the way. No sugar, no cream, no crap.

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Seconded. If you have to add sugar/cream to make coffee drinkable- it's crap and not worth drinking in the first place. :wink:

For my part, I roast, grind, and brew my own coffee and seldom buy it from stores- although Wegman's can brew a decent cup imo. I don't own a drip coffee-maker anymore, but have a french press, an ibrik, an espresso maker, and a little 1-cup brewer. :2thumbsup:

The best part about roasting your own beans is the amazing variety of exotic coffees that you can get- not to mention roasting them as dark (or light) as you want them. Check out this selection of green coffee... :dizzy2:

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Seconded. If you have to add sugar/cream to make coffee drinkable- it's crap and not worth drinking in the first place.

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The best cappuccinos are made w/ good beans.

The inclusion of the milk, frothed and steamed, with choclate powder on top has a taste that far exceeds that of the best coffee by itself.

:balloon2:

Thinking about the American tradition with cappuccinos, I think that I've summed up the problem:
"Would you like anything else with that?"
"Yes, may I have choclate powder on top?" (you have to ask here, usually.)
"...What, you mean, like, choclate syrup on the side?"

No good beans, no powder. Gah!
:wall:

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Originally Posted by Kanamori

The inclusion of the milk, frothed and steamed, with choclate powder on top has a taste that far exceeds that of the best coffee by itself.

:balloon2:

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Well, coffee drinks that can't be made without milk would be an obvious exception to my comments above. I like a good cafe mocha from time to time- but I wouldnt say it 'far exceeds' a really good shot of espresso either. :coffeenews:

meh

Regular coffe drinker here ... usually with friends, rarely alone.

Anyways, normally a machiatto ... a big cup goes here at about 1$ (a small one goes at about .75$, of course, the prices are like that if you know where to go) ... and that's the good stuff. The fact that Italy is just on the other side of the coast has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Although, according to the Americans I've talked with, the stuff popular here is strong enough to melt through a table. Just the way I like it. :2thumbsup:

Putting milk into an espresso would send an Italian (a real one, not an ersatz American-Italian) into fits, and they would know immediately that they were dealing with a North-American. ~;)

I don't drink coffee very often, but there's nothing that beats the pure joy and enlightenment of a cup of coffee, with milk and sugar, on a sunny sunday morning, sitting at the breakfast table with you lovely girlfriend, both still wearing you pyjama.

Ah, life's beautiful!

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Originally Posted by AndresTheCunning

I don't drink coffee very often, but there's nothing that beats the pure joy and enlightenment of a cup of coffee, with milk and sugar, on a sunny sunday morning, sitting at the breakfast table with you lovely girlfriend, both still wearing you pyjama.

Ah, life's beautiful!

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Ahh, now there's a man with a fine grasp of life. :bow:

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Originally Posted by AndresTheCunning

I don't drink coffee very often, but there's nothing that beats the pure joy and enlightenment of a cup of coffee, with milk and sugar, on a sunny sunday morning, sitting at the breakfast table with you lovely girlfriend, both still wearing you pyjama.

Ah, life's beautiful!

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Seconding Beirut's approval, now that's a man who conquered the world with all its wealth. May you be together for long :bow:

Good Lord, show me a day. :smoking:

Do I like coffee? Yup, there's traces of blood in my caffeine-system!

Probably due for a heart attack by now, but get through cups and cups in the day. Milk (never cream), no sugar - gave that up 20 years ago and now find sweetened coffee totally undrinkable. Instant coffee at work (can't spend too much time away from the desk, you know....) but the perc goes on as soon as I get home of an evening.

Tea really doesn't do it for me (looks around to check he has genuine British genes....) except the occasional green tea when I'm in a worrying about health phase :laugh4:

Capuccino is the cream of coffees, best experienced in a gentle Tuscan evening at a pavement cafe whilst all the local beauties are promenading. But it'd have to be a damn fine view to justify $3 a cup.

I'm terribly grumpy in the mornings, so have to have at least two cups of coffee before my first conversation of the day :skull: So much so that at one place of work, early morning visitors to my office made me coffee to bring in with them. Now some may accuse me of abusing the gullibility of my co-workers, but it worked :2thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Beirut

Ahh, now there's a man with a fine grasp of life. :bow:

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Originally Posted by LeftEyeNine

Seconding Beirut's approval, now that's a man who conquered the world with all its wealth. May you be together for long :bow:

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Thank you guys :bow: .

Best part of it : I'm going to marry that lovely girl next week, on saturday. I hope for a long life with plenty of sunny sundays, hopefully blessed with some nice children in the nearest future possible.

If there's one thing I'm willing to learn my yet to be born children, then it is to enjoy those simple but o so beautiful things as a cup of coffee on a sunny sunday morning in good company.

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Originally Posted by AndresTheCunning

Thank you guys :bow: .

Best part of it : I'm going to marry that lovely girl next week, on saturday. I hope for a long life with plenty of sunny sundays, hopefully blessed with some nice children in the nearest future possible.

If there's one thing I'm willing to learn my yet to be born children, then it is to enjoy those simple but o so beautiful things as a cup of coffee on a sunny sunday morning in good company.

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Wow that was great news to hear, Andres. If it wasn't coffee, we wouldn't be hearing that, right? :laugh4:

So that in addition to my previous wishes, may you have healthy kids that are as much to found a football club. :smoking:

Life can only be handled when you can enjoy a cup of coffee to its fullest. :2thumbsup:

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Putting milk into an espresso would send an Italian (a real one, not an ersatz American-Italian) into fits, and they would know immediately that they were dealing with a North-American.

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They can have their fit, and I'll have it the way I want.

I do not drink coffee yet, confining myself to tea for the time being.

Don't want to be totally dependant on caffeine for being able to keep my eyes open in the morning.

:balloon2:

I have an espresso percolator thingy, that makes about 8 shots. I have a mug that takes 8 shots. I'll occasionally make two rounds. Good for waking up in the morning, or for late night essaying.

Grind the beans first, of course. No milk, no sugar.

I'll have the odd cappucino in a cafe if I happen to wander by one. In fact, had one just now - no internet at home just yet.

I like a good Cappuccino, no sugar, from Costa now and again, but milk generally doesn't agree with my stomach too well, so it sends to be only an occasional thing. Starbucks is pretty poor. Their Cappuccino is weaker than Costa's. Cafe Nero isn't bad either.

I drink Finish coffee with milk.No sugar.Im not found of the fancy Italian coffee drinks.A good coffee in my mind is like Presidentti mixture ,light roasted mixture of Colombian and Central american coffee beans.No fancy stuff just great and tasty coffee.Here are couple Finish coffee´s: :coffeenews: http://www.allthingsfinn.com/finnish-coffee.htm

I don't need coffee in the morning, but I find nothing more relaxing before work, than a nice hot cup of coffee.

2 coffees a day, one for breakfast, one after lunch, about 5€ a day. 2 shots espresso with no milk, 1 sugar. Depending on the day I'll take no sugar, no milk; sugar with no milk;milk with no sugar; and anything in between.

I normally don't drink coffee, but when I do it has to be BLACK and strong. Those little Turkish coffees that a lot of people can't even get down are just about right for me. I once did a taste test for a coffee company, only their strongest was a bit to my liking, although I did point out that i would have liked it a bit stronger...

Part of the reason I don't drink coffee is just because nobody makes a decent cup to my liking. Having to drink a cup of water down junk is not my idea of a good time.
Of course, another part of why I don't drink more coffee is that the caffein would probably kill me (I get headaches from drinking too much cola sometimes...)

I do like IRISH COFFEE, with lots of whiskey and a bit of cream ! At least people tend to make the coffee part strong enough when making irish coffee.

Seems Turkish coffee has some reputation among coffee fans.

For those who say they can handle the most bitter coffee around, do not go back from Turkey before you try Mırra, which is a famous kind of coffee served especially in city of Şanlıurfa. (The word Mırra is derived from the Arabian word "mur" that means "bitter")

https://img177.imageshack.us/img177/1621/mirrary9.jpg

This thick burn-shot is served in ordinary Turkish coffee cup (=fincan), but is filled to its half and served twice. Mırra is made from usual coffee beans but the cooking process is what makes the difference. Better see it for yourself if you ever have a chance to visit here.

P.S. They say you have to return the fincan to whom served it. Or else you traditionally have to pay for your mistake (such as filling the cup with gold or contributing to the marriage expenses of whom served it) ~:)

LEN,

Sounds like the Klingon Tea Ceremony. I like it.

Best of all- it's now a health drink. :2thumbsup:

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If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

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Read all about it here.

Nice pic, but if that's what it has done to you at such a young age LEN, then I'll stick to the non-Turkish stuff thanks! :laugh4:

I once drank an entire quart, that's right, an entire QUART of espresso (I have a couple of machines running at once), on the day of my SATs.

My hands were trembling so hard, I could barely fill the bubbles out.

Black Coffe for me. If I have had a late night, I turn our native coffee into a culturally cross-bread, very unpopular creation mix of Eastern and Western cultures (Just like me!) with Whiskey and Cream. So good it is. LEN, if you want to try it go a hed, but I have met two people who have tried it and liked it outside myslef of corse.
Yes, I agree with LEN. Our coffe over here is REAL coffee. Not reccomended for those who:
A) Are not accustomed to it.
B) Think the sweeter the better.
A relative from out of the Country/Area was Nocked on his ass by our coffee, and he says he's a black coffee person.

I don't drink the stuff. Tastes bad, and I don't care to become hooked on it. Usually, I don't need it to wake up.

The stifling heat does that.

Crazed Rabbit

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Originally Posted by LeftEyeNine

Seems Turkish coffee has some reputation among coffee fans.

For those who say they can handle the most bitter coffee around, do not go back from Turkey before you try Mırra, which is a famous kind of coffee served especially in city of Şanlıurfa. (The word Mırra is derived from the Arabian word "mur" that means "bitter")

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I always thought some sugar, cardamon, or both (added before breweing) were considered essential to make Turkish coffee drinkable... is it common for people over there to drink it straight like that?

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Originally Posted by Beirut

LEN,

Sounds like the Klingon Tea Ceremony. I like it.

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What the hell's the matter with you?! Can't you think past your damn TV culture?!

Boss, these are the OLD ways! To hell with those damn Klingons, whoever the hell they are- and for god's sake, look at it through the eyes of an old man for once! That's the way you should see it!

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Originally Posted by Xiahou

I always thought some sugar, cardamon, or both (added before breweing) were considered essential to make Turkish coffee drinkable... is it common for people over there to drink it straight like that?

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Well in my previous post, I was not talking about ordinary Turkish coffe. It was Mırra I was talking about -which is a high-end bitter and thick tasting coffee only made around the city of Şanlıurfa.

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Originally Posted by Zorba

What the hell's the matter with you?! Can't you think past your damn TV culture?!

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Think past Star Trek? :inquisitive:

You mean, like, Star Trek: The Next Generation?

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Originally Posted by Zorba

Boss, these are the OLD ways! And for god's sake, look at it through the eyes of an old man for once! That's the way you should see it!

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I am an old man. Albeit with handsome features, a rugged exterior, and bearing all the hallmarks of an intellectual chick magnet.

Anyway, I like my raktajino with two cream, no sugar. With some gagh. (Very fresh.)

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Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

It tastes bad, it's expensive, and I don't see the point.

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Originally Posted by Carzed Rabbit

I don't drink the stuff. Tastes bad, and I don't care to become hooked on it. Usually, I don't need it to wake up.

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Agreed.

Oh and what's that Klingon Tea Ceremony, Granpa? :smoking:

Coffee is extremely disgusting, especially the aftertaste and the way it stain my teeth. My whole family are hardcore coffee drinkers except for my brother and I, we are tea drinkers.

i dont like coffee.

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Originally Posted by littlelostboy

Coffee is extremely disgusting, especially the aftertaste and the way it stain my teeth. My whole family are hardcore coffee drinkers except for my brother and I, we are tea drinkers.

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However I think that you should not abandon family's traditions, LLB. After watching that video..oh well..

..Wait..Mırra may treat you :laugh4:

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Originally Posted by Beirut

Think past Star Trek? :inquisitive:

You mean, like, Star Trek: The Next Generation?



I am an old man. Albeit with handsome features, a rugged exterior, and bearing all the hallmarks of an intellectual chick magnet.

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I was mildly high. Don't read too much into it.

(Don't worry, it was legal...)

I don't need caffeine for staying awake, I just get depressed if I don't have any.

Never trying anything that's dangerous and addictive...

used to be a big fan of coffee no sugers lots of milk.... then i started getting the shakes. dicided to quit went on to a nice mu gof hot chocalate instead. yum

Stay away from that retail, prepackaged crap. They usually mix robusta beans in with the arabica to cut costs. The downside is it makes for a worse tasting coffee and one with much higher caffeine levels than pure arabica would.

I roasted a batch of Sulawesi wet-processed coffee over the weekend. Good stuff. :2thumbsup:

Nothing is better than fresh imported coffee beans, specifically from Costa Rica. However, it is quite difficult to find anything in the US that is fresh considering we are a rather long distance from most coffee growing areas.

I settle with Turkish because even though it definantly has a much bolder taste than Caribbean it seems to have a better flavour retaining life span. I would be interested to see what Fresh Turkish Coffee Beans taste like though, so if I make it to Turkey I'll add that to my check list of must do's.

I have a natural energy like George Bush

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Originally Posted by Xiahou

Stay away from that retail, prepackaged crap. They usually mix robusta beans in with the arabica to cut costs. The downside is it makes for a worse tasting coffee and one with much higher caffeine levels than pure arabica would.

I roasted a batch of Sulawesi wet-processed coffee over the weekend. Good stuff. :2thumbsup:

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I think we need a tutorial with pics from you Xiahou, please :bow:

I will try any coffee. I love the espresso based ones espresso/latte/cap etc. I will drink percolated if I have to. And when going a long distance I will have instant with sweetened condensed milk... its liquid candy with caffiene.

Really, a quadruple shot of espresso made from good Turkish or Indonesian beans kicks hard. I just wonder why people can't handle straight espresso?

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

I think we need a tutorial with pics from you Xiahou, please :bow:

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Well, Im no expert- but if anyone has any questions Id be more than happy to tell them what I think or point them to online sources of info. :bow:

A few general pointers I give to people: If you really want a fresh cup of coffee, you've gotta grind your own- get a decent conical burr grinder. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a good one- but for me, this one is an amazing value (it's the one I use). Buy whole beans, and grind them right before you use them for maximum freshness. Those sealed bags with one-way gas valves let CO2 out and keep the beans fresh for a long time. After being opened, they're usually pretty stale inside of 2 wks- sooner if not properly stored.

A cheaper way for beginners would be to grind your beans at the store- but this really only works if you can just buy enough for 2-3days max. Once beans are ground, they lose flavor very quickly. On the other end of the spectrum, for coffee nerds like myself- you can get yourself a portable roaster and roast/grind your own beans(green, unroasted beans keep for months and are generally cheaper to buy than roasted ones). You can buy them online at places like http://www.sweetmarias.com(also a great coffee info site) :2thumbsup:

i adore my coffee. i never find it has bad taste, unless you made it too weak or your coffee is stale.

i do agree there is some aftertaste, but you know what? i like it. i do brush my teeth 3 times a day though and definitely before i meet anybody that i want to talk with closely.

i always buy beans. never ground. even a cheap grinder can be bought for 8-12 bucks and gives back huge dividends. never grind anything but coffee in your grinder it will mess it up.

i do not use sugar as i am diabetic. i do use a touch (only a touch) of creamer. i do not want to mess up a perfect cup of coffee.

i store my coffee carefully to avoid it going stale, but it really can not in my house as i drink up to 3 lbs. a month. unlike xiahou i do not roast my own. i do not think i have ever seen green coffee. i have access to a farmer market that imports beans directly. maybe i will have to ask about green coffee and try roasting it myself.

i tend to like robust tasting food as well, deli food, pickles, hot spicy food. i think some personal taste for food and drink has to do with your inherited tongue. some people have more or less taste buds than others. some people can be much more sensitive to tastes as well.

i occasionally make tea, either green japanese tea or earl grey. i never take anything in my tea.

They've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.
The president's daughter was seen drinking water and was fined a great big fifty dollar bill.

Best normal coffee is Santos from brazil, make sure you buy beans because it really makes a difference. No machine, oldschool baby. I usually drink espresso from Illy though, very metropolican of me.