I have one of those single-cup Keurig machines. The cheapest ones you can buy, since I’m the only coffee drinker in the house. I use a re-usable filter even though real coffee drinkers swear it doesn’t make the coffee strong enough. I use hazelnut coffee and I add hazelnut creamer. It probably tastes as much like coffee to a real coffee drinker as a glass of milk does.
But it’s my coffee. And even when I used to make the same coffee with the same creamer in a different machine at an office I worked at years ago? It never tasted right. I know a few coffee drinkers much like myself who said the same, some even stated that it might have been the coffee machine and that a nespresso coffee machine can be good and might be able to help with the taste.
I seem to only like my coffee in my machine with my creamer.
And most importantly?
In my cups.
We have tons of coffee mugs, but I stick to the same 2 which are the perfect size to hold and to fill. Over the years those “perfect” mugs have rotated a bit when one breaks, and I struggle to find a replacement so I at least always have two. When they’re both dirty and I have to resort to using something else in the cabinet? Like a boring mug that matches our dishes? Or a lame-o Firefox mug? I feel like the coffee tastes…wrong. And don’t get me started on hotel coffee. When I travel? I don’t even bother. I just drink Diet Coke out of the machine down the hall to get my caffeine fix.
So, if my cup is dirty? I wash it. Even if it’s 3am and I’m dragging after a bought of insomnia (like I’m currently dealing with right now) I’ll wash the cup before making the coffee. Just so that I can be assured that my morning jolt of caffeine is brewed how I like it, and contained in the right mug. Because then – somehow – the day always feels like it’s starting on the right foot.
Is this just me? Are you picky about your coffee? And if so – how do you deal with travel?
Or dirty dishes?
My husband keeps Starbucks in business; grinds his own beans, owns an espresso machine, etc. I, on the other hand, have never had a cup of coffee in my life. I started drinking tea in college just so I’d have something to do while my friends drank coffee. I don’t love tea. My caffeine of choice is Diet Coke.
I’ll drink coffee anywhere, anytime, anyhow. But I am picky about my mugs at home. I was just thinking about that today. I have 3 that I like: a library one that says, “Books nourish the soul,” a teal plain one that a friend bought me when my daughter died, and one shaped like a garbage can from a sanitation company. I like bigger mugs because I add ice. My husband has an espresso machine, but I use a Keurig.
I am so picky in the opposite way. We grind our own beans (a carefully selected light roast) and make a double shot long espresso in a (carefully selected) espresso machine with high pressure. He drinks it black, I add a bit of honey and some steamed milk. He strongly prefers the orange cup. I don’t care about the cup particularly. We rarely order coffee out, and he even bought an espresso machine for his office so that he could have his afternoon coffee without resorting to Starbucks. (Their coffee tastes burnt. Hate it.) The only places we’ve ever travelled that we haven’t complained about our coffee options were Europe and Portland, Oregon. If it weren’t for the weather and the distance from family, I would consider living in Portland. The coffee isa factor.
I’m more of a tea drinker than a coffee drinker but I am super picky about my cups. They have to hold enough tea to make it worth while and have a comfortable, large handle, and also be of a pleasurable weight in my hand. I will totally wash a cup if my favourites are dirty!
I’m with you. Sometimes I don’t even bother with coffee when I’m not home because it isn’t right. I like strong, dark(ish) coffee. I have a huge pottery mug (the only one that gets it really right) that I heat up about a cup of skim milk in (1:30 in microwave). Then I froth that cup of warmed milk with 2 splendas. Then I do my keurig coffee (sometimes Kcups, sometimes refillable kcup) on the smallest amount of water setting so it is strong. Then I (usually – this step is optional) add about a tablespoon of either hershey’s syrup or a sugar free flavored syrup (like they use at the coffee houses). So hotel coffee isn’t even worth brewing – yuck. I like a starbuck’s skinny hazelnut latte or chai latte but it is a rare treat because I am cheap. My husband laughs because in most ways I am so not a high maintenance person but when it comes to coffee I totally am.
I am the same way with a cup/mug/glass… doesn’t have to be coffee, soda, sweet tea, even water. I have a particular cup for everything and if I have a beverage in the wrong cup/glass then it seems to marsh mellow.
I’m picky.
At home I have my mug (a minnie mouse mug from Disney). I grind Starbucks beans and I like my coffee strong with just a bit of milk. I will absolutely wash my mug. My back up is my husband’s mickey mug (I know – cheesy).
This holds so much importance to me now because I was also buying two grande starbucks per day to the tune of about $5. I’ve cut that out completely. So my morning coffee – utmost importance.
When we were in Disney. I brought my ground starbucks and filters – and they changed the coffee makers to crappy pod things. It was a disaster. My husband took a cab to walmart to buy me a (cheap) coffee maker. He’s a keeper.
I only resort to drinkin coffee if I have a meeting to go to and I couldn’t sleep the night before. And even then I “water” it down with a crapton of sugar and a couple of splashes of milk. The only coffee drink I’ll buy (which probably tastes nothing like coffee to coffee drinkers) is the caramel frappe from McDonald’s. It’s crazy sweet, and tastes only fleetingly like coffee.
Absolutely. First, I am in love with my Keurig. I have tried the refill cups, but have not been thrilled with the weak brews they produce. I am the only coffee drinker in my house, so I love that I am no longer making a whole pot just for myself. I like the Donut Shop blend the best, but like any of the Green Mountain extra bold flavors too. I tend to buy them off of Amazon in bulk because the prices are much more reasonable than I can get here in Alaska. Now, I’m sure you could guess that I am very picky about my choice in mug. I like it to be big, and the handle to have a decent grip. At work I use this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/dd59/?srp=3 and at home I have been favoring my new Pinnochio mug. It’s giant, and it makes me smile. 🙂
I am a tea drinker. I have several mugs I use and will wash them if they are dirty. I use a kettle to heat my water–I do the microwave if I’m traveling or at work but prefer the kettle. For me it’s the process of making my tea and fixing it exactly how I like it. It just doesn’t taste right if I don’t do it correctly. I was traveling the last few days and though I drank my hot tea (I bring my own), it just didn’t taste right. I had a pod brewer for about a month and sold it. They definitely didn’t taste right.
I drink tazo zen green tea like its an Olympic event. When Tazo changed their labels and packaging , the zen green tea tasted awful! I have tweeted, facebooked, texted and called Tazo to file formal complaints about this. Tazo swears up and down that the recipe didn’t change. My question is “what DID change because its different and not in the good way?”
I feel the same about MY coffee. And then you combine that with necessary business that must be taken care of before long runs and the coffee must be Just Right. We are a peculiar bunch.
Nice post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I am inspired!
Very helpful information particularly the final section 🙂 I handle such
info much. I was seeking this particular info for a very lengthy time.
Thanks and best of luck.