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Biotech It's funny. Laugh.

Which Instant Coffee? 291

Posted by Cliff from the post-consciousness-beverage-choices dept.
nhn asks: "Being a caffeine-addict, I feel quite miserable not having my favourite coffee, every morning. I can't walk to Starbucks/Gloria Jeans, while I'm at work, since there is an instant coffee machine available (and I dislike filtered coffee). For the record: I hate Nescafe, it simply sucks." What must you drink, after your dreams have evaporated into the waking world? What types of coffee would you recommend to a seasoned coffee afficionado...or even your garden variety caffeine addict?

"Given:

  • I'm a fulltime developer.
  • I like very strong coffee, my usual cup is espresso machiato.
  • My coffee-style: French, or Italian as a second choice.
  • I need coffee to keep myself awake for at least 8 hours (you know how it feels like when you have to debug thousand lines of code, don't you?)
  • I drink coffee first for the taste, then the caffein, not the other way around."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Which Instant Coffee? More

Which Instant Coffee?

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  • Nothing but the best (Score:4, Informative)

    by SnakeNuts ( 44263 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:22AM (#8178195) Homepage
    Java Blue Mountain. 'nuff said. - I wonder if you can get that as an instant...

    • Re:Nothing but the best (Score:5, Insightful)

      by FosterSJC ( 466265 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @09:30AM (#8178928)
      I am not sure whether you mean the Blue Mountain bean from Jamaica, or some other coffee. If you do mean Jamaican Blue Mountain, I have to advise against this. In the previous century, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, a transplant from Papua New Guinea, was renowned for its clean, bright, flowery flavor, and easy acidity. However, due to the economic situation of Jamaica, the Arabica (read: good) plantings were cross-bread with any number of harsh Robusta plants to increase yield and simplify farming. There is no certification board in Jamaica for JBM, and thus no real way to know whether you are getting what you are paying (outrageous prices) for. All this, plus pesticides, below fair trade prices for growers, robusta beans, and whatever violence is engendered against mindful Jamaican growers, makes for plenty of reasons not to buy JBM. On the other hand, Papua New Guinea still produces excellent Arabica coffee, which can be found at a large number of coffee sellers nationwide.

  • coffee quality (Score:5, Insightful)

    by d_i_r_t_y ( 156112 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:24AM (#8178205) Homepage Journal

    anyone who regards starbucks/gloria jeans' coffee as decent doesn't deserve getting a reply.

    QED.
    • Starbucks beans are not too bad, but it depends how its brewed, how long it sits around, water quality, etc.

      Starbucks in the store goes for around $8 for a 12oz bag. Go to Costco and get 3lb for $8. I generally do a 2:3 mix of french roast to house blend. I also found that the costco "san francisco bay" coffee was quite good, but it seems to be regional to just the mid-CA area.

      Good Instant coffee? Doesn't exist. What's worse is the liquid concentrate crap - OMG it's bad. Get a small drip machine to have a
      • Starbucks in the store goes for around $8 for a 12oz bag. Go to Costco and get 3lb for $8.

        Unfortunately, I usually buy Sumatra, which Costco (at least around here) doesn't sell, so I'm stuck buying a bag a week at Starbucks.

        On the bright side, a 3lb. bag would probably start to go stale before I finished it.

        My best advice for someone looking to get through the day in an office that won't allow you to go out and get coffee during the day is to bring a large caraffe that'll keep the coffee at a good tempe

  • Dear Cliff, (Score:4, Funny)

    by ObviousGuy ( 578567 ) <ObviousGuy@hotmail.com> on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:27AM (#8178213) Homepage Journal
    YHBT

    Espresso has lower caffeine per volume than drip coffee, so any illusion that the submitter is under that his espresso machiatto is keeping him up better than a cup of joe is mistaken.

    Second, espresso tastes of burnt wood. It is the nature of the roasting method that it be unrecognizable as anything but black tar. The submitter is lying to himself and to us when he thinks that he's drinking espresso for anything other than to show off his gay Frenchiness.

    And finally, no one who really enjoyed coffee can enjoy freeze dried coffee crystals, much less prefer it to drip coffee. The submitter again pulls our leg with the ridiculous statement that he would much rather drink instant horse piss than brew a cup of coffee in a coffee maker.

    And by answering here, IHBT too.
    • Actually, it's only Starbucks (and maybe Peet's) that tastes like burnt wood. There is good espresso to be had in this world.

    • Re:Dear Cliff, (Score:5, Informative)

      by Sheridan ( 11610 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @07:26AM (#8178515) Homepage
      ObviousGuy wrote:-

      Espresso has lower caffeine per volume than drip coffee,
      Nope. Espresso has lower caffeine per typical serving than drip coffee, but has more caffeine per volume.

      Reference: The Caffeine FAQ [coffeefaq.com] - a 7oz cup of drip coffee has 115-175mg of caffeine compared with 100mg of caffeine in a typical espresso (1.5 - 2oz serving ). (i.e. espresso would have 350-467mg per 7oz)

      HTH

      • Yes, however, what he SHOULD HAVE said is that espresso has less caffeine per volume of beans, because that is indeed true. The extra roasting reduces the amount of caffeine in the beans.

    • Re:Dear Cliff, (Score:5, Funny)

      by eap ( 91469 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @09:30AM (#8178927) Journal
      Second, espresso tastes of burnt wood. It is the nature of the roasting method that it be unrecognizable as anything but black tar.

      This is like saying, "It's the nature of the fermentation processs that causes all wine to taste of sterno and armpit vapor" when all you've ever drank is prison pruno.

      You're drinking the sludge served by your local Starbucks. Real Italian espresso is not over-roasted and black. Try espresso made with Illy* beans. True, it brings out the gay Frenchiness in you, but hell, you are posting on Slashdot.

      *not affiliated with Illy

    • If you have to stay awake for eight hours at a stretch then you need to try a different strategy:

      1. Gather the following supplies: glass crack pipe, ground coffee (any brand will do), baking soda, a cigarette lighter
      2. Mix the coffee grounds and baking soda with a little water to form a paste
      3. Press it into a block
      4. Allow it to dry
      5. Break off a piece and stuff it in your pipe
      6. Hit it with the lighter and WHOA!
      7. Once your eyeballs recess back into their sockets, grab your kb & start coding!
      8. Repeat as needed, r

  • Instant Goodness (Score:3, Interesting)

    by richie2000 ( 159732 ) <rickard.olsson@gmail.com> on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:31AM (#8178227) Homepage Journal
    My mum and sister went to India a year ago and brought back some Nescafe from there. I dunno what the exact difference between that and the regular European Nescafe is, but it's definitely something. Different blend of beans, maybe. Anyway, I take a mug, fill it with milk, stick in the microwave on nuke for two minutes, add a teaspoon of the black stuff and two to three lumps of raw sugar. Enjoy. It's not really coffee, but it tastes great. It's like liquid candy. Besides, it's the sugar that keeps me going, not the caffeine.

    From the man who brought you Star Trek Tea [improb.com].

    • Been told that, but from the opposite point of view, obviously (that non-Indian Nescafe sucks). :-)

    • Re:Instant Goodness (Score:2, Informative)

      by Hast ( 24833 )
      My current favourite coffee-milk mix is frappochino. Make a big batch of espresso and mix in about 1 tbl spoon of sugar per cup. Let that stand in the fridge for about a day (or until it's not hot anymore). Use a shaker and shake first only the coffee-sugar mix with ice until you get a nice crema, then shake with milk. Remove the ice as your pour it.

      Great afternoon "drink" in the summers. Tastes a bit like milkshakes really.

    • Re:Instant Goodness (Score:2, Informative)

      by jperegrino ( 38469 )
      Wow, that confirms my suspicion about Nescafe: it's a different blend depending where it's made.

      About 8 years ago I was enjoying an excellent cup of coffee in Chihuahua, made similarly to the Indian method above, and it turns out it was Nescafe. But the jar said "made in Mexico", while the stuff I get here in Boston says "made in Canada".

      So instead I get Nescafe at the small 'Hispanic' stores around town and look for the "made in Mexico" variety.

      I haven't done a side-by-side taste test, nor have I done
      • That's true of pretty much any sort of mass produced food product that's sold all over the world. Greek Nescafe makes excellent frape (a shaken coffee drink, with milk, sugar and ice).

        Greek soda-pop has much more of a kick to it than the American counterpart. I have many friends who swear by Mecican Coca-Cola, which they say is truer to the original formula (no, not the one with cocaine in it).

    • Besides, it's the sugar that keeps me going, not the caffeine.

      If you just want a yummy caffiene hit, try to find "Pocket Coffee" candy by Ferrero from Italy. It is rich chocolate surrounding real liquid coffee (probably espresso of some type). This is the BEST CHOCOLATE that I have ever had. It is easy to find in Eurpoe, but a challenge to find in the US. A quick search turned up this [capriflavors.com]. But I have never ordered from them.

      It is easy to find truffles from Ferrero in gas stations, so I wonder why pock

  • Carte Doir is good, but i dont know if u get it in the states. Two spoons of that, tastes great and wakes u up a treat.
    • That's Carte *Noir*, Carte Dor is Ice Cream :)

      • Re:In the UK (Score:2, Funny)

        by batemanm ( 534197 )
        Maybe he was talking about the ice cream. He says it tastes great and that a couple of spoon fulls really wakes you up. Ice cream generally tastes good and I'm sure that having a couple of spoon fulls dropped on you while your asleep will definetly wake you up :-)

  • Nice + Ethical (Score:5, Informative)

    by mpr ( 446204 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:38AM (#8178256)
    I only drink this stuff [cafedirect.co.uk] when drinking instant.

    Allows me to feel all warm inside from the really nice coffee + the fair-trade-ness [cafedirect.co.uk] of it at the same time!
    • Get yourself a timer on your coffee pot and make it the night before. Or you can do what I do - coffee quickly degrades in flavor when left on heat, so I always TURN OFF my warmer after I've made my coffee. When I want a second cup I just microwave it to reheat it - it tastes much better that way. Coffee left on the warmer for more than 30 minutes really starts to taste off, cool coffee keeps its flavor much longer. Try it, you might like it.

  • Priorities... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by kinnell ( 607819 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:44AM (#8178272)
    I need coffee to keep myself awake for at least 8 hours (you know how it feels like when you have to debug thousand lines of code, don't you?)

    Staying awake and alert for 8 hours should not be a problem for any normal healthy human being. Caffeine keeps you awake, but reduces your ability to think clearly. Learn to sleep properly, or if this is a problem, see your doctor.

    I drink coffee first for the taste, then the caffein, not the other way around.

    And you're looking for instant coffee? All instant coffee tastes like shit, relatively speaking. Buy a percolator, or if that's not your thing, a small espresso machine. If you're dead set on instant, I find the more expensive it is, the better it tastes.

    • I absolutely agree (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Undefined Parameter ( 726857 ) <.moc.oohay. .ta. .modeerf4leuf.> on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @06:17AM (#8178330)
      Submitter, start weaning yourself off of caffeine; don't go cold turkey, but start consuming less and less of it. What you're describing appears to me to be a chemical dependency at best... a serious medical problem at worst. Go see an M.D. about this... you deserve to stay awake for a reasonable length of time without artificially increasing your heart rate.

      Also, if you absolutely cannot break your caffeine addiction, go with tea. It's much better for you than coffee, and it's just as "instant" as "instant coffee," if not more so.

      I apologize, as I have not answered your question, which was the intention of your submission, and because my advice might seem like telling you what to do with your life, even though that is not its intent. I'm not a medical professional, but I have been informed by medical professionals on the subjects of caffeine and coffee, thanks to a rather serious stomach disorder.

      Anyhow, good luck in finding (a) solution(s) to your problem(s).

      ~UP

      • Cold turkey (Score:3, Insightful)

        by nuggz ( 69912 )
        No, go cold turkey, just stop.

        If you try to slowly back off, you will likely drift back to it. Just one more, or drinking your 2pm coffee at noon, and silly games like that.

        If you go cold turkey, you lose the silly excuses. If you drink it, you didn't quit.

        Myself I drank way too much, I tried to cut down, didn't work.
        Ended up just switching to a thermos of coffee, when it is gone, that's it.
        I have also quit, but then after a few months I forget why and start again.
    • Caffeine keeps you awake, but reduces your ability to think clearly.

      Care to back up that claim with evidence? Everything I have ever read seems to indicate the opposite.

      • Re:Priorities... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by blacksway ( 464427 )
        Not sure if any of what I'm about to say is absolutely true but...

        Coffee gives you a instant boost but can also dehydrate you.

        Being dehydrated reduces your concentration levels.

        Drink more water to help your concentration!

        • Re:Priorities... (Score:3, Informative)

          by ajagci ( 737734 )
          That's a myth. See here [healthcentral.com] for an explanation.

          • Re:Priorities... (Score:3, Informative)

            by ajagci ( 737734 )
            Here [cosic.org] are some more references, albeit from a more biased source.
            • That's a much better article than the above "friendly doctor" article. I can't stand articles where they say things like "...so scientists decided to see whether the warning could hold water."

              Yeah, great. This isn't poetry: give me studies, please.
          • It's not a myth, it's simply exaggerated. You still lose more water when you drink coffee, especially when you don't already have a tolerance to its diuretic effect. You obviously won't die from dehydration by drinking too much coffee, but I wouldn't call it a myth.

            • Re:Priorities... (Score:3, Informative)

              by ajagci ( 737734 )
              Follow the links. Even if coffee has a small diuretic effect, you still get more water from a cup of coffee than you lose. So, no, it doesn't cause dehydration at all.

    • Re:Priorities... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by keller ( 267973 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @08:19AM (#8178667)
      All instant coffee tastes like shit, relatively speaking.

      This kind of statement always bugs me... It's equivalent to people saying

      "I don't like light products, they taste like shit..."

      No! They just taste different compared to the original product, but that doesn't mean that it tastes bad! Different people like different things!

    • Re:Priorities... (Score:4, Funny)

      by Zardoz44 ( 687730 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @09:22AM (#8178891) Homepage
      Before you recite the evils of coffee, take a look at this report:

      Drink 6 Cups a Day [msn.com]

      Mix this with your two glasses of wine a day (to help you sleep after all the coffee) and you're all set. It's *twitch*normal.

    • I drink coffee first for the taste, then the caffein, not the other way around.

      And you're looking for instant coffee? All instant coffee tastes like shit, relatively speaking. Buy a percolator, or if that's not your thing, a small espresso machine. If you're dead set on instant, I find the more expensive it is, the better it tastes.

      It requires advance preparation, but an alternative to espresso machines, percolators, or small drip units is The Toddy [toddycafe.com]. It's sort of a drip-filter cone on massive steroids, u

    • Re:Priorities... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by The Fun Guy ( 21791 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @12:30PM (#8180291) Homepage Journal
      I'll second the comment about caffeine and sleep. During a peiod of serious caffeine over-use (first year of grad school), I found that I just could hardly keep my eyes open in the afternoons. "How could this be?", I thought, "It's only 2:00, and I've had 14 cups of coffee today!" I was exhausted by the end of every day.

      What kills you with heavy caffeine use is the fact that all of the residual caffeine in your body makes it almost impossible to get good, restful sleep. You wake up drag-assing, and the first four or five cups of joe only serve to get you functional, not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the way they should. Taking in more caffeine makes the problem worse in the long run. I'd advise cutting back, and really limiting caffeine in the afternoons, to the point of "no caffeine after lunch". You'll sleep better, function better in the afternoons, and those morning coffees will be much more stimulating.

      As far as taste, I'd skip instant coffee. I won't go so far as to say that they all taste like shit, but for a quick cup of good java, get a french press. You can steep some grounds in scalding hot water for a couple of minutes, then press out a cup of actual coffee that will taste better than almost any instant coffee, in almost the same amount of preparation time. Brew with whatever roast/grind/blend/flavor coffee you like, for a better selection than instants. Also, it's portable, so you're not tied to an outlet as with a percolater/drip/espresso machine.

      Here's a tip, though... if you want stronger coffee, use more grounds with the same steeping time, rather than a fixed amount that you let steep longer. More flavor, less bitterness.

      • Re:Priorities... (Score:4, Informative)

        by pbox ( 146337 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @03:39PM (#8181975) Homepage Journal
        Agreed. There is no better way of making coffee, than french press. I make espresso-strength coffee with it, and it also have the sought-after "crema" on top.

        Here is what I do:

        1. Put about 2 tablespoon of medium-fine grind in the press. (adjust to liking)
        2. Boil water (roiling hot), one or two espresso cups.
        3. Pour a little of the water on the grind, mix it. It should just make the grind wet, without drowning it, mix it with non-metallic spoon.
        4. Wait 2-4 seconds.
        5. Pour in rest of the water, mix it again (crema forms at this point)
        6. Insert plunger and cap, but do not press it yet (to keep it from cooling off).
        7. Let it steep 30-60 secs. (Adjust to liking)
        8. Add desired amount of suger to the bottom of the pre-heated cups. (You can boil the water in them)
        9. Either swish the whole she-bang around or mix it with the spoon to move the grind from the top (to make it easier to press down)
        10. Press it down, slowly. Just use the weight of your hand (if you press it without abandon, you end up scalding your hand, or coffee on your counter/ceiling, or both)
        11. Pour it carefully, so the crema ends up in the cup, not on the wall of the press.
        12. Stir to dissolve sugar.

  • Timmies! (Score:3, Informative)

    by MachDelta ( 704883 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @05:44AM (#8178273)
    Every Canadian out there already knows what the best kind of Coffee is: Tim Hortons [timhortons.com]. ;)

    (PS: Timmies uses Arabica beans, which are more expensive and flavourful than the Robusta beans usually found in instant-coffee. They don't have as much caffine though, but that just means you get to drink more! Yum!)
    • They also add chicory to their coffee. It makes it taste richer and more full-bodied, but at the expense of making it much more acidic.

      I love it, but it gives me heartburn.
  • ... especially when it comes to flavour. My advice: give up the idea of actually drinking coffee and buy something with a strong secondary flavour - hazelnut, caramel, mocha/chocolate, whiskey if your boss will believe you're not a terminal alcoholic ... and learn to love the decent coffee when you do get a chance to drink it. Though if you really do consider Starbucks a decent coffee, your taste is probably all in your arse anyhow.

    In Korea, where I live, an espresso costs about US$4, it's invariably poorl
  • if coffee wasn't invented, would we have any computers now ?

  • Why make instant? (Score:3, Informative)

    by gr8fulnded ( 254977 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @06:24AM (#8178348)
    Assuming you have your own desk, get a personal coffee maker for when you're in the office:

    Coffee pot 1 [target.com]
    Coffee pot 2 [target.com]
    Coffee pot 3 [target.com]

    It's better then instant and it's better then the crap they serve from corporate coffee machines. You can easily pick up a bag of Starbucks beans (or, for ease of use, already ground) and make what you want right at your desk.

    --Dave

    • Go for a French Press (Score:5, Insightful)

      by meldroc ( 21783 ) <meldroc@fr3.1415926ii.com minus pi> on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @07:13AM (#8178477) Homepage Journal

      Listen not to the purveyors of drip coffee makers. And never, ever get instant coffee!

      Instead, get yourself a French press. They're cheap, easy to operate, and you can just bring the thing with you to your cube or the break room. Just use the microwave to boil some water, put some coffee in the press (the good stuff that you find at decent coffee shops.) Get a little grinder & use it if there are no objections to the noise, as coffee beans have a short half-life once they're ground. Pour the boiling water into the press, let the coffee steep for four minutes, then press the plunger, pour your coffee & drink! This method is the absolute best at extracting all the subtle flavors out of the bean without the nasty flavors.

      The french press kicks the combined asses of all drip coffeemakers.

      • The Mocha Pot (Score:2, Interesting)

        by YGingras ( 605709 )
        Sure French press brew the 2nd best coffee on earth but I can't get my French to brew the same kind of delicacy that I get with my mocha pot [google.com].
        • Actually, I find French Press brews the third best coffee in the world. Now we are talking about home brewing here with non-home-roasted beans:

          Tie for first: Mocha Pot / Glass Vacuum Pot
          Second: French Press

          It depends on what mood I am in... If I want a velvety rich coffee with a good bite to it, I will go for the mocha pot. If I want a lighter cup of coffee, to ease me into a good book or something, I go for Vacuum pot. It is like ethereal, actually good, drip coffee.
        • I've gotta second this one here.

          A very good friend of mine just came back from Italy and she brought the greatest coffee gift ever: A Bialetti Moka Express stove-top espresso maker [amazon.com].

          Basically, you fill the bottom part with water, place some ground espresso in the metal filter, screw the top on, and cook on the stove top. About 3 min. later you've got 3 of the best espressos I've ever tasted. Nice, neat and oh so easy.

          And if you look, they've got an electric [amazon.com] one that looks perfect for a desktop. Not th
      • What he said.

        Actually, they're only known as the French Press [wikipedia.org] in America --- the rest of the world knows 'em as cafetieres.

        My parents used to have a twin-bulb glass syphoning percolator. It ran off a little alcohol burner. It was a lovely thing; there was a jug on the bottom, and a big bulb on the top. You filled the jug with water, put your coffee grounds on the top, and set the whole thing heating.

        When the water was hot enough, it would automatically syphon up into the top bulb, steep, and drip dow

      • I've kept a kettle at my desk in several workplaces with shitty cafeteria coffee, and I heartily second this recommendation with one minor variation: throw the french press in the garbage where it belongs, and buy a #2 drip cone and a pack of filters.

        The Joy of Coffee [amazon.ca] recommends this process over normal drip coffeemakers in any case, as there is no boiler apparatus to get gummed up and fill your coffee-water with smelly scum. The only things in actual contact with your coffee are an easily cleanable cone,
      • I love my french press! It was one of those wedding gifts that gets constant use. For some reason, the coffee brewed in the press simply tastes better than my drip maker. The only drawback is that cleaning the press is a bit of a mess. The coffee grounds are separated from the liquid easily enough by the screen, but you end up with half a cup of grounds in the brewpot. Shake them out and rinse out the rest. Not horrible, but some people freak out when you dump a few grounds down their kitchen sink. T

  • Screw making coffee, that's what baristas are for. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Perdo ( 151843 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @06:34AM (#8178362) Homepage Journal
    Venti Iced Latte (basis for the drink).

    Add 3 Shots (6 total).

    Add Breve (Half & Half).

    Add Cinnamon Syrup (Ever try to sweeten an Iced coffee?)

    Don't ask me how to say it in Starbucks speak.

    2 a day.

    $300 a month.

    Twice the price of my cigarette habit.

    Liky twice as bad for me too.

  • liquid coffee extract (Score:3, Informative)

    by ajagci ( 737734 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @07:00AM (#8178437)
    You can get liquid coffee extract at your supermarket. Some brands are quite good. I find it's a lot better than the dry stuff. Note: the extract must be refrigerated after opening, so you can't just keep it sitting on a shelf.
  • To give you a reference point, I enjoy two different styles of coffee: dark french roasts and classic diner coffee (a la Dunkin Donuts). You can count three, as I also drink iced coffee, which is entirely different. The latter I have a taste for from picking up DD in the mornings when I lived on the east coast, and late nights at pre-Millstone Dennys. When Dennys went Millstone, I stopped drinking coffee there.

    At home and at the office, I use a french press, which gives enough coffee for myself. I got

  • Instant Coffee that bad? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by mabster ( 470642 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @07:30AM (#8178529) Homepage Journal
    I hear a lot from the US about how bad instant coffee is. Is Australian instant coffee different or something? Most of the time I prefer it to brewed coffee.
    Either is fine by me. I like Nescafe Gold, or any of the Moccona varieties. Brewed coffee's nice, but instant's just fine in my book.
    • I hear a lot from the US about how bad instant coffee is. Is Australian instant coffee different or something?

      In my opinion, the same brand of instant in US is much worse than the Aussie sold version (only tested with Nescafe B43 & Maxwell House).

  • When you want the best, you want coffee that's already been eaten by weasels.

    Firebox's Weasel Coffee [firebox.com]

    I've already bought some for my (sadly ex-) boss, who was proud of his weasel status and not under fond of the odd cappuccino.

    D.
  • One of the worlds best coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. While it is not instant coffee as the poster asked for it is one of the best tradional filterd coffee's. While i cant find any exact data online one of the reasons it is supposidly so good is the altitude it's grown at. It has a nice smooth flow... i definatly recomend trying some if you get a chance. Look out though, it's rather spendy to buy online. Every year when i bring it back with me i pay roughly $12 a pound.

  • Ask a lawyer! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Pete (big-pete) ( 253496 ) * <peter_endean@hotmail.com> on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @08:31AM (#8178693)

    Hey - why are you asking slashdot - if you want professional advice you shouldn't be asking a load of geeks who barely know what they're talking about! Ask a lawyer who can tell you the real facts for your situation.

    Ooops - wrong standard answer...I'll try again...

    Why don't you just google for this type of stuff, instead of bothering all us slashdotters who have better things to do than gather information that you could have easily found yourself!!

    Bugger - that doesn't fit either...wow - is this actually an Ask Slashdot where people can't bring out their old tired complaints?! What is the world coming to?!

    -- Pete.
    Mmmmm - coffee!

  • First point - like many of the other posters, I think you may wish to start reducing your caffine intake, as it sounds like you are becoming chemically dependant. I was in a similar state a few years back - if I slept in on Saturday, I would awaken with a caffine-withdrawl headache; I simply HAD to have that first shot of coffee before 0730.

    OK, so assume you either a) cut down or b) disregard - what to do about coffee? Go forth to the World of Wally, and purchase an Air Pot - this ia a large Thermos-style
  • Espresso machine for you desk at work. You can get a simple one for $30 or so and you won't have anything left to complain about. Buy your favorite bean, in small pre-ground quantities so it doesn't go stale, and enjoy.

  • ...and go with this [ryancoffee.com] coffee concentrate. Pour a capful into your cup, fill with cold water, nuke 2 min. It tastes great, and you can adjust the amount to taste. They sell it in many stores [ryancoffee.com], and offer it by mail [ryancoffee.com].

    Read how they make this stuff - they actually distill off the aromatics and belnd them back in after reducing the coffee down to a concentrate!

  • http://www.coffeekid.com/

    http://www.sweetmarias.com/

    Home-roasting your own beans is the only way to go.

    • Don't forget CoffeeGeek. [coffeegeek.com] Tons of information on every method of coffee making imaginable.

      I'm lucky to have a rockin' [chriscoffee.com]
      espresso machine at home and use a pour over Mellita cone at work with a small burr grinder. Most important - hot water (just off the boil) and fresh ground, freshly roasted beans. If you can find a store that roasts regularly, you're on your way. Whole Foods is particularly good.
  • There once was a thread a long time ago on slashdot in something to do with coffee, where someone referred to something called "cold brewed" I think.

    The jist is that you soak grinds in cold water in a fridge for a long time, pour off the liquid into a container, that you can use to make your own 'instant' with hot water.

    I don't remember more than that, (anyone done this?) but the folks who mentioned it swore by the flavor.

    Anyone?

  • Turkish Coffee (Score:3, Informative)

    by Permission Denied ( 551645 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @09:43AM (#8178985) Journal
    Try some Turkish/Greek/Arabic coffee. It's the only stuff I drink and it's what "coffee" means in large parts of the world (Arabic coffee also adds a type of spice, but's it's really the same thing). I'll call it Turkish coffee from here out, with profuse apologies to my Helenic friends.

    For the uninitiated: this is pure, unfiltered coffee. A small flask-shaped pot (called an "ibrik") is filled with one heaping teaspoon of coffee for each serving and one half teaspoon of sugar to taste. The coffee must be ground to a fine powder or the flavor won't be extracted, and for maximum flavor, you must buy beans and grind them yourself (don't let the powder sit for too long). If you're really into this, you can buy green beans and roast them yourself, but I screw that up so I buy roasted beans. Water is added to the ibrik, about 60 grams / 2 ounces. Put on low heat and wait until it gets frothy at the top, mixing occasionally. It should not boil - when it reaches the boiling point, the taste changes completely and it's ruined. The froth at the top has a particular name which I forget, but is considered the best part and should be served to guests. Whenever it starts foaming, remove from heat for a couple seconds and mix - repeat this a few times. When you drink it, whenever you feel the grounds (I believe they're called "zatz", unsure of spelling), let the coffee settle for a bit and try again. By now, you should realize that this is hardly "instant" coffee, but it's worth the effort.

    Caffeine content is about 1.0 mg/g, compared to about 0.5-0.6 mg/g for filtered coffee, but the servings are smaller, so you're actually getting less caffeine but with much more flavor. Same idea as with Espresso, but this tastes good, not burnt.

  • Bad news: instant coffee will never come anywhere near the flavo[u]r of freshly-brewed coffee made from freshly-ground beans, roasted not too long ago.

    A very long time ago I drank Taster's Choice and Maxim. The freeze-dried coffees tasted better than the instant coffees made by other means.

    Why not keep a coffee pot and grinder at your desk as I do? The morning ritual of fetching water, grinding beans and brushing out the grinder (buy a small high-quality paint brush) doesn't take more than 7 or 8 minut

  • You don't need to spend money on a French press or an espresso maker. Get yourself a coffee filter cone like this. [amazon.com]

    You put the cone on your mug, put a filter in it, pour in some ground coffee, and pour in some hot water. Almost as fast as instant, same quality as any drip coffee maker, and no big outlay of $$$.
  • I don't know about you, but when I drink any kind of coffee- home-brewed, starbucks, instant, etc., I think about these things:

    1. Is this coffee made from 100% Arabica beans? -Arabica beans, unlike Robusta beans, taste cleaner, less harsh, and require more care to grow. Trust the experts, they are better.

    2. Is this coffee organic? -This matters to me, at least. Your mileage may vary.

    3. Is this coffee purchased at Fair Trade prices? -Others have gone into depth on Fair Trade in this thread- that said

  • jacobs (Score:2)

    by GiMP ( 10923 )
    In regard to instant coffee, I drink Jacobs - the one with the green lid, I have it imported from Poland. I just boil water and pour it over the coffee, add sugar.

    Yummy.
  • I know this doesn't really address the topic at hand, but if you are having trouble staying up for 8 hours without coffee, maybe you should change your lifestyle a bit. I'm not talking anything drastic here, but I'd suggest drinking water instead of coffee and sleeping more. I find I'm much more alert at work when I get 6-7 hours worth of sleep, instead of 3-4 or so. And water is better for you than coffee anyway.

    And if that still isn't enough, you can always try pills [thinkgeek.com].
  • I bought myself an expensive toy...a Jura F9 super automatic espresso machine. It's like having a liquid crack machine in the kitchen. I make myself a skim latte in the morning and in the evening I have some great crema coffee. The F9 was very pricey, but I look at it the same way I do any other serious appliance or long term electronics purchase (TV, receiver, etc).

    For something at the office I recommend a french press. It's quick, easy, not messy, and makes great coffee. Far better than any drip or
  • One: Get a thermos. Make yourself a big honking pot of whatever you like in the morning, fill your thermos, drink it all day long. This technology has been around since the fifties or so. Second: French Press. If you have the capability of making/getting near boiling hot water, then you can make good coffee at your desk. If the grinding noise (fresh ground is best) bothers others, take your grinder to the kitchen. Third: Little expresso machine or coffee maker for your desk. Again, fresh ground is best.

  • Vietnamese instant coffee (Score:3, Informative)

    by davidhan ( 539718 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @11:53AM (#8179954) Journal
    Ever try Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk? Traditionally it is made with a per-cup coffee press, with condensed milk mixed in. It is strong and sweet. Restaurants serve it both hot and on ice. I agree that most instant coffee is crap, but at home I drink an instant Vietnamese coffee, and I swear it is not bad at all, especially if you like your coffee sweet. You can see the version I like here: Vinacafe [hvnclc.com.vn]. It's the one called "3 in 1 milk coffee." Go to an Asian supermarket and look for it.
  • Drip can be good if you:
    • Pick the right bean - my personal preference is Sumatran or other Indonesian coffees like Celebes
    • Grind it yourself - you don't want to grind it too fine because it gets bitter. My grinder is set to the 2nd or 3rd coarsest grind.
    • Use good water - we have nasty tasting tap water here and it affects the taste of everything noticeably, especially coffee - I have a filter on kitchen main which makes it drinkable directly and makes good coffee to boot
    • Result: good coffee - most of my f
    • Water is key, I have to agree. I have a distiller at home and use the water from that.

      The other key is consistency - if you always buy the same kind of (beans,roast,brand) and always use the same amount of water and grounds, you will get consistent coffee every time. For an eight-"cup" coffeemaker, I use 7 flat coffee measures of coffee, and make sure that there are no hard chunks of compressed grounds.

      My coffemaker is programmable [fresh coffee at 6am rocks] and drips straight into a thermal carafe - n
  • Spanish coffee has the reputation of being a stronger coffee, and many americans shy away from it because of it. I don't know about the american brands like Nescafe and Foldgers, but what are 'really' in those crystals???

    Try "Cafe Bustelo".

    Disclaimer: Individual effects may very. Consult your physician before trying a new regimen. Side effects may include, jitteriness, excessive talking, urine smelling like coffee, paranoria. In some cases, users ran for days without stopping then died. Enjoy!
  • My first choice would be to buy a decent espresso machine [don-francisco.com] and some some high quality pods [illyusa.com] (I prefer fine grounds, but pods are cleaner for the office). Someone at my office does it and it makes the day worth living sometimes. I can hear the barely imperceptible screeee of the steamer warming up from 15 cubes away, like a dog hears a silent whistle. Granted, the owner of the machine is way up the food chain, so she can get away with steaming a pot of milk every now and then. It might be different if every ot
  • Home coffee roasting is the greatest thing ever... once you taste fresh roasted coffee you'll never drink anything else. Now, if you're dead set on "instant" coffee you're hopeless :) That's not coffee, sorry. Get a coffee roaster, and buy GOOD green (unroasted)beans (St. Helena is *the* best ever, but it's hard to find and pricey). www.sweetmarias.com is the best place to look for green beans and roasting equipment. You'll save money and have the best coffee ever. No, I do not work for any coffee pla
  • Diners ALWAYS have the best coffee.

    It comes out of that horrible, nasty looking urn that hasn't been cleaned since Nixon was in office.

    But it tastes the best, by far.

    Oh, and get taylor ham & egg on a hard roll while you're at it.... good stuff.
  • I have a basket, but see a lot of cone machines.

    Is there a difference?
    Really which one is better?

  • College Roommate Story (Score:3, Funny)

    by severoon ( 536737 ) on Wednesday February 04, 2004 @02:53PM (#8181542) Journal

    I understand you don't want to drink instant. But that's probably because you're drinking it wrong!

    Try the method I learned from watching my freshman year roommate in college every morning:

    1. Wake up. (Don't skip this step.)
    2. Take one heaping teaspoon of the instant coffee of your choice by mouth. Chew if necessary.
    3. Make face.
    4. Take one level teaspoon of granulated sugar by mouth. Chew if necessary.
    5. Make face.
    6. Scramble over to mini-fridge, usually stubbing toe on alarm clock furiously hurled against wall just prior to step one.
    7. Make face.
    8. Curse loudly.
    9. Remove a one cup carton of heavy whipping cream from mini-fridge, open, and gulp.
    10. Make face.
    That's all there is to it. You can refine this further by considering the finer points of: (a) instant coffees that include "flavor crystals" and (b) substituting light whipping cream or whole milk in place of the heavy whipping cream.

    You may also wish to employ other time- and energy-saving techniques I learned from my first year college roommate, such as:

    • Don't bother washing clothes. Instead, just run them through a dryer cycle. Remember: warm equals clean.
    • Do not exceed more than one shower per week.

    Bottoms up!
    sev

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