c/coffee-enthusiasts

A quick tip from a stranger at the cafe on 5th Street

I was waiting for my pour-over at the local spot, and the guy next to me saw me about to toss the grounds from my home grinder. He said, 'You know, those old grounds are great for your garden, they keep slugs away.' I started putting them around my tomato plants, and it actually worked. Has anyone else found a good use for used coffee grounds?

Heard a guy at the cafe say he only uses cold water for his pour-over

I was waiting in line at The Daily Grind yesterday and the person in front of me was telling the barista about his method. He said he started using water straight from the fridge six months ago because he read it cuts down on bitterness. I tried it this morning with my usual beans and, honestly, the coffee tasted totally different, not just less bitter but kind of... brighter? Has anyone else played around with water temperature like that, or is that just a weird one-off thing?

Hit 200 grams of coffee beans ground by hand this morning

I got a manual grinder for Christmas and have been using it every day. This morning, I weighed the beans before grinding and saw the total on my scale hit 200 grams since I started keeping track. It took about three weeks to get there, which felt like a lot of work for one person. Anyone else track how much they grind by hand and find it adds up fast?

My coffee scale hit 1,000 brews this morning and I had no idea I was keeping count.

My local shop switched to oat milk only, and I'm sticking with dairy

They said it was for sustainability, but after a month of flat lattes, I went back to whole milk for the foam. Anyone else find plant milks just don't steam right?

TIL my morning coffee has been tasting sour because I was grinding way too fine

For months I thought my new bag of Ethiopian beans was just super acidic. My friend came over last Tuesday, watched me make a cup, and just said 'your grinder sounds like it's working really hard.' I checked and I had it set to a 4 on my Baratza Encore, which is basically espresso fine for a pour over. I dialed it up to a 15, tried again, and boom. All those floral notes came through and the sour bite was totally gone. I feel like I just wasted half a bag figuring this out. Anyone else have a simple setting that just works for most light roasts?

TIL that fancy coffee water is a waste of money

I bought a box of those third-wave mineral packets you add to distilled water. It was 25 dollars for 12 packets. After a week of testing, I couldn't tell the difference from my regular filtered tap water in a blind taste test with my partner. My wallet felt the difference, though. Anyone have a cheaper way to manage water hardness that actually works?

I tried a $40 hand grinder for a month after using a cheap blade grinder for years, and the difference in my morning cup is huge.

Question about the first coffee you ever really liked

About three years ago, I was in a diner in Cleveland and the waitress just poured me a cup from their regular pot, nothing fancy. For some reason, that plain black coffee tasted amazing that morning, and it hit me that I'd been adding too much stuff to hide the taste. What was the first simple cup that made you actually enjoy drinking coffee?

Pro tip: I was wrong about pre-ground coffee for cold brew

I always thought grinding beans fresh for cold brew was a waste, since you steep it for so long anyway. Last week I ran out of my usual pre-ground stuff and had to grind some whole beans I had, a medium roast from Guatemala. The difference was crazy, it tasted way more clear and less muddy. Has anyone else tried this and noticed the same thing, or did I just get lucky with those beans?

Appreciation post: my local roaster told me to wait 10 days after the roast date before brewing

I always used my beans right away, thinking fresh was best. The owner at Ground Up in Denver said to let them rest for a full week and a half to let the CO2 settle. I tried it with a bag of their Ethiopian, marking the calendar. The coffee was way smoother, no harsh bite at all. Has anyone else found a specific rest time that works better for certain beans?

My dad told me to always preheat my mug with hot water before pouring coffee.

I thought it was just an old habit, but after trying it for a month, my morning cup stays noticeably hotter for longer. It's a simple step that really makes a difference. Do you have any other small rituals that actually improve your coffee?

Shoutout to the old guy at the diner in Boise who taught me about coffee

Honestly, this was maybe ten years back. I was at this 24-hour spot called The Griddle after a long drive, just wanting a basic cup. The guy next to me, looked like he'd been there since the place opened, watched me dump three sugars in. He just said, 'You're killin' it, kid.' He asked the waitress for two mugs of their house brew, black. He made me try it, just sip it. Tbh, it was bitter, but he told me to hold it on my tongue for a second. He said, 'You gotta let it talk to you. It's got notes, not just heat.' I didn't get it then, but that moment stuck. Now I always taste my first sip plain. Anyone else have a simple tip that completely shifted how you drink your coffee?

My old French press finally gave up the ghost this morning

I've had that thing since my college days in Boulder, maybe 15 years now. The glass carafe just shattered when I poured the hot water in, coffee grounds everywhere. It felt like losing an old friend who saw me through all those late nights. I had to dig out my backup drip machine, which just isn't the same. Has anyone found a really sturdy replacement press that can handle daily use for years?

I tried making cold brew with my leftover morning grounds and it actually worked

Had about 30 grams of used medium roast from my morning pour over. Instead of tossing them, I threw them in a jar with 500ml of water and left it in the fridge for 18 hours. Filtered it out expecting brown water, but it was a solid, smooth concentrate. Mixed it with some milk, and it was a legit iced coffee. Totally changed how I see my used coffee now. Anyone else try this with their spent grounds?

I used to think cold brew was just weak iced coffee

Last week at a cafe in Boise, the barista, Sam, explained how their 18-hour cold brew process pulls out different flavors. I tried a cup of their single-origin Ethiopian batch and it was so smooth, not bitter at all. Has anyone else had a cold brew that totally changed their mind?

Serious question, has anyone else bought a really expensive coffee subscription?

Honestly, I signed up for a fancy one that was $45 a month for six months before I realized I was mostly just getting beans I didn't even like. Ngl, that's over $250 down the drain for coffee I ended up giving away. What's a better way to try new roasts without getting locked into a subscription?

Appreciation post: My local shop in Portland finally dialed in the perfect light roast

Last Tuesday was a standout coffee day for me. I walked into my usual spot, expecting my regular cup, but the barista handed me a sample of their new Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. The first sip was wild. It tasted like blueberries and jasmine, with zero of the sour bite I usually get from light roasts. She said they spent a full week tweaking the grind size and water temp, aiming for 205 degrees exactly. I ended up buying a whole bag for $18, which felt totally worth it. I've been making it at home all week and it's been a game changer for my morning routine. It's so good it almost makes me not miss my old dark roast. Has anyone else found a light roast that actually tastes sweet and not just acidic?

A trip to the Blue Bottle in San Francisco made me question my whole pour-over method

I was there last month and the barista, Maria, showed me a different way to pour. She used a much slower, steadier circle, taking a full four minutes for a single cup. I always did fast pours, thinking it was about even saturation. Now I'm torn. Is a slow, controlled pour really better for flavor, or does it just make the process feel fancy? What's your take on pour speed for a V60?

My brother said my pour over tasted like burnt pennies. I was grinding way too fine.

Watched my friend grind a whole bag of beans at once and store it in the fridge

He bought a two pound bag of Ethiopian beans last weekend and ran it all through his grinder on Tuesday. He keeps the ground coffee in a big jar in his fridge, saying it keeps it fresh. I tried to tell him that grinding right before you brew is the whole point, but he just shrugged. The coffee he made tasted flat and bitter, which makes sense because ground coffee goes stale so fast. How do you even start to explain why this is such a big deal to someone who doesn't get it?

Am I the only one who started blooming my Aeropress coffee in the plunger?

My morning cup was always a bit weak, so after seeing a video from a roaster in Portland, I tried adding the grounds and a splash of water to the plunger first for 30 seconds before inverting and brewing. It made a huge difference, but my friend says it's a pointless extra step. Has anyone else tried this method?

Finally got my pour over to stop tasting bitter after a year of messing it up

I always ended up with a sour or bitter cup from my V60, no matter the beans. Last Tuesday, I watched a video from a roaster in Seattle who said to pour way slower than you think. I tried it with my usual 22 grams, taking a full 45 seconds just for the bloom and first pour. The coffee came out smooth and sweet, not harsh at all. Has anyone else found that slowing down the pour that much made a big difference for them?

My cold brew experiment with a mason jar turned into a weird science project

I tried making cold brew in a big mason jar like I saw online, but I left it on the counter for 18 hours instead of in the fridge. The result was this fizzy, sour mess that smelled a little like vinegar. I think the warmth let some weird bacteria grow, which was a total surprise. I learned that temperature really matters for cold brew, not just time. Has anyone else had a batch go fizzy, and how do you keep yours stable?

Just picked up a cheap hand grinder after using pre-ground for years

I've been drinking pre-ground coffee from the grocery store for like 5 years, no joke. Last week, my friend gave me a bag of whole beans from a local roaster and basically dared me to try it. I had to choose between buying a $50 electric grinder or a $25 manual one. I went with the cheap hand grinder because my kitchen is tiny. It took me 4 minutes to grind enough for a pot this morning, but wow. The coffee tasted totally different, way more bright and fruity than my usual stuff. Has anyone else made the switch from pre-ground and been surprised by how much it actually changes the taste?