Good inexpensive coffee

[Chadtuba]

With the return to grad school and a significant cut in our income we are looking for ways to cut costs, but there are some things that we just can't give up unless it gets that bad. For me it is my coffee. With rising costs I was wondering if anybody could recomend any favorite coffee brands/blend on the cheaper side of things. While I prefer some of the slightly pricier stuff when I have the extra $'s I usually drink Folgers or Maxwell house, whichever happens to be on sale.

Much thanks.

[Rick F]

Hmm? "Good and inexpensive". Sort of sounds like a duet for tuba and oboe

Seriously, I like to drink Maxwell house because it's often on sale locally as buy one / get one.

[bort]

Chock full o nuts or Eight o'clock are both reasonable. Or, if you're a Costco person, their coffee is ok too!

[SRanney]

...if you're a Costco person, their coffee is ok too!

This. The Kirkland brand coffee is quite good and at $13.00 for three pounds, it's a tough price to beat.

Steven

[Rev Rob]

You can purchase "Equal Exchange - Fair Trade Coffee" at your local Lutheran Church. I pay $7.50 for 12 ounces.

[corbasse]

For a huge instant improvement in your coffee quality, get a grinder and a french press. Then buy (cheap) beans and grind while your water is boiling. True afficionados say you should get a $$$ burr grinder for good results, but I use a $2 garage sale whirly thingy with reasonable succes. A cheap french press can be found at Ikea (don't know if you have one in the vincinity)

[tbn.al]

Target brand is about the same price as Maxwell House and the others but decidedly better.

[Dan Schultz]

I used to grind my own whole-bean Eight-O-Clock coffee. Now... I buy the cheapest stuff I can find at Walmart, Dollar Store, or wherever. Make it a little strong and defy anyone to know the difference!

Seems to me that the water you use has more impact on whether a cup of coffee tastes good or not. Fortunately, the local water here is 'the best'.

[tbn.al]

Roast your own? I have a friend who does this. Best coffee I have ever had. He uses a cast iron skillet on top of the stove. I don't have the patience, but he buys the green coffee for less than $5 a pound and winds up with better than Starbucks.

[Donn]

A couple good points there. If your municipal water isn't good, don't know if there's any inexpensive alternative, but at any rate your coffee sure isn't going to be any better than the water it was made from. And grinding your own will make a huge difference - if you can get freshly roasted coffee.

I roast my own, in a gas grill. In theory that could save money, but only if you can find a really cheap source of unroasted beans, which likely would mean buying by the 130lb bag. I was getting it for around $5/lb, but lately it's over $6 - and that comes out more like $8/lb as the water is driven off in the roast. Good stuff, though, when the roast comes off well. I roast about a pound at a time.

But for some perspective, if you pay $8 for a pound of coffee, that comes out less than 20¢ a cup, and that's a full strength cup made with 2 tablespoons of coffee. (6 or 8 ounce cup, your choice.) A small price to pay for the miracle of coffee, especially compared with sweetened bottled drinks of various kinds that cost much more and only serve to screw up your metabolism. Or bottled water, to take another incredible waste of money and resources.

[corbasse]

Roast your own?

Good call. Cheap & fun, and green coffee keeps its quality for a looooong time so you can buy in bulk.
I almost went down that road, but foresaw that in my case it would end with a converted popcorn popper or worse and a €1000+ Rocky and Sylvia setup so I steered away quickly.
At this very moment I'm drinking $9 an ounce chinese(oops!) tea, which is a much better investment since you can re-steep the leaves at least half a dozen times giving you a different (good) tasting tea every time.

[Chadtuba]

For a huge instant improvement in your coffee quality, get a grinder and a french press. Then buy (cheap) beans and grind while your water is boiling. True afficionados say you should get a $$$ burr grinder for good results, but I use a $2 garage sale whirly thingy with reasonable succes. A cheap french press can be found at Ikea (don't know if you have one in the vincinity)

I have the Ikea press and a decent grinder and do enjoy using it when I have the beans, not so much with the pre-ground stuff. I just moved to the area so I'll do some checking around at the coffee shops and grocers and do some comparisions and see what's available vs. cost.

[Chadtuba]

Found the very large can of Folgers on sale so just went with the standard for now. Will check back when it gets time to buy the next batch.

[Brucom]

I recommend Dunkin Donuts coffee beans, grind 'em myself, about $14 for 2 lbs.
Everyone I've served it to loves it.

[The Big Ben]

I'm just by myself here at Chez Benz and, no matter how I tried, I could never drink the whole pot of coffee. Bought a smaller pot but it didn't seem to matter. Most of my coffee money was going down the drain in undrunk coffee...

So.... Started drinking instant coffee. Bought the 'expensive brand" (Yuban) and it tastes pretty good. And there is no waste. I s'pose I could use the microwave to heat the water but I don't. Heating in the microwave gets the handle of the cup so hot I can't lift it. Bought an electric kettle. Works great. The kettle water is hotter and does a better job of dissolving the coffee, too.

YMMV

[Donn]

There's always a smaller pot.


Of course, that isn't a "coffee pot" in the sense of "percolator", it's a "moka" or "stovetop espresso" pot. This is where I would start if I had to equip myself to make coffee - a moka pot and a grinder. With a little skill and good freshly ground coffee, can be heavenly.

But there isn't any sense in using "can" coffee in one of these - I can't imagine but I'm sure it would not be good. That stuff (Folgers, whatever) is designed for a thinner brew.

[The Big Ben]

I've seen one of those. Looks interesting. One of the small french presses looks interesting, too.

Actually, I shouldn't be using caffeine at all. I've developed a minor heart rhythm problem so coffee should be out. However, I'm not cutting it out all together- just cut down to about 6 oz a day. Used to drink 32 oz. by 9 A.M.

Jeff "refuses to drink that vile non-coffee, decaffeinated" Benedict

[Brucom]

Has anyone tried the Dallah Genrul house brand, Butsludge?

Is that before or after you drink it?

[tbn.al]

I too favor the Dunkin Donuts brand, but I returned the last pound to the Kroger shelf after I saw the price, almost $9. What has happened to coffee prices? Supply and demand as reported by the Coffee Institue. If you guys would drink less my price would go down.

[Donn]

Caffeine pills are relatively economical, and a reasonable alternative to most grocery store coffee brands. Consider splitting them, a 200mg pill might be excessive for routine use.