In article >,
Vox Humana > wrote:
>
>"John Hendrickson" > wrote in message
...
>>
>> Let me start off with - I don't drink coffee... Well, I've had
>> maybe a dozen cups in a 48 year lifetime. I have a special friend
>> that HAS to have coffee. I would like to make good coffee for
>> her, but I don't know how.
>>
>> What kind of coffee should I buy?
>>
>> What kind of coffee maker should I get? What features are
>> worthwhile to make better coffee?
>>
>> Should I get a coffee grinder? Does coffee get stale? Is fresh
>> ground coffee better?
>>
>> Anything else I should know?
>>
>Coffee is like wine or chocolate: you like what you like. Good to one
>person isn't good to another. There are different kinds of beans, different
>roasts, and different preparation methods. Rather than guess, I would ask
>the friend what she likes - the type of coffee, the type of roast, and the
>preparation method. Otherwise you are just taking a stab in the dark - a
>stab that could be quite costly. Generally speaking, coffee does get stale
>and fresh ground is better than previously ground. The problem comes in
>that you can also buy raw beans and roast them yourself as well as grind
>them yourself. You can use a blade grinder or a burr grinder. There are
>just too many variables (including the type of water you use) so the odds of
>you guessing are not good. Furthermore, my mother is one of those people
>who must have coffee, but she only drinks the worst commercial brands brewed
>in a cheap coffee maker and only likes her coffee very weak with a heaping
>spoonful of non-dairy creamer. If you went out and purchased raw beans, a
>roaster, a grinder, and an expensive Italian coffee maker, you wouldn't be
>more off the mark for making coffee that she would like even though she is a
>compulsive coffee drinker. How much do you want to spend? Is this friend
>here for the weekend or will you see her frequently? Like I said, you
>probably should just ask her.

Or buy a thermos and go to Dunkin Donuts. :-)


Chuck Demas

--
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