A few days ago, Gordon said, “Look at these pretty cups.” I came to look, and indeed the cups were very pretty. That’s where it ended except that said cups now arrived in the mail and were presented to me by my husband as a surprise.
I’m drinking Zhang Autumn Oolong from Verdant Tea, brewed at 180 degrees out of my new fancy cup, and it is delicious and light. Oolongs are an acquired taste, like grapefruit, but right now they are hitting the spot. I really like the roasted varieties.
Gordon doesn’t drink tea, but he drinks coffee, the normal variety in the morning, and we both drink decaff at night. We go through a lot of HEB coffee. Mmm, Bavarian Hazelnut…
It’s become a little ritual. I know the workday is over when I get a cup of decaff at night and sip it, while playing computers games.
We usually buy whole bean, and we’ve been using the simple coffee grinders to grind it, like this Mr. Coffee one.
Gordon decided he wanted to upgrade, so we bought this.
We hate it. It is incredibly loud, like a jet taking off, it takes forever, and it doesn’t seem to actually grind enough coffee. Even when set to maximum capacity of 18 cups, it makes less than 1/4 cup of ground coffee. I have to grind repeatedly and the noise level is insane. This morning, I got up first and reached right for the old grinder, because the entire point of making coffee before your spouse gets up is to surprise them with hot coffee, not jolt them out of their sleep with a sawmill in your kitchen.
The grinder was expensive at $60, and I would return it, except that there is nothing technically wrong with it. It just sucks. Loudly. Maybe it’s defective and we just don’t know? Anyhow, do not recommend. We’ll have to find an alternative.
What are your hot drink preferences?
I drink shade grown coffee (it is lower acid and better for the birds) and drip brew. I have an in line grinder but it is loud and a pain to clean so I just use ground. I am again the only coffee drinker in the house (firstborn is at uni)
Thanks for the info on the grinder! I hate grinding one pot at a time so I generally just buy already ground. But I get whole bean goodies from friends who travel, so I had been looking at that very grinder. No thanks! No horrible noises allowed.
Hope you had a lovely productive week. Enjoy your weekend!
Over the years I’ve gone back & forth between coffee and black tea. Coffee must be freshly ground each morning. Now I mostly drink English breakfast tea in the morning and Smith’s Meadow tea after two-not overly flowery or chamomile. I’ve enjoyed Scottish Breakfast tea in the past & this post reminded me to order some. Thanks
I wonder if you got a defective grinder. I have the same cuisinart one. It’s loud but I usually set up for 6 cups and it’s perfect. When I do 12 cups it’s also perfect.
I buy my coffee from Batdorf and Bronson. Alton Brown uses them and they have great small batch coffee’s. As for the grinder, Baratza is one of the best brand out there. I use the Encore and it works beautifully and not too loud. Amazon sells Baratza brand coffee grinders. Sorry you had a bad experience!
In the morning, decaffeinated Yorkshire Tea. It has the same strength without turning me into a monster Energizer Bunny!
I’m a coffee in the morning tea in the afternoon. Coffee is Folgers Black Gold because it’s a caffeine vector and as long as it doesn’t taste bad I don’t care if it has nuance. I don’t have brain power before coffee. Scoop and pour is all I can manage.
I like black tea. Darjarleen or Oolong, usually oolong. Or herbals, either Tazo or Celestial Seasonings or something else.
In the summer it’s black tea or herbals or a blend iced.
Indian chai made Right! And that means boiling water with a generous amount of grated ginger, adding teaspoons of black tea leaves (2 per each chai mug serving) and some chai masala (cardomom and the like). Let it boil until well steeped and then add milk. Strain into mug (no delicate cups to be found here!) and then add sugar/sweetener or choice. I like my chair strong, spicy and sweet.
I feel just as strongly about good coffee. South Indian Filter coffee is glorious. As are cappuccinos!
One thing for sure, whatever the hot beverage, if it’s not capable of burning my tongue, it’s not hot enough.
no reason needed for return, return it.
Earl Grey iced tea or Diet Coke
I have a small grinder too. Love the scent of freshly ground coffee in the morning. In the evening I have a fruit decaf tea with lots of tapioca pearls.
Today’s pleasure, sugar free HEB hot chocolate, slug of half & half, slug of Baileys, topping shot of maple whipped cream from Aldi.
Return the grinder. Being too loud is a good enough reason.
Shocking because the new grinders are definitely quieter like my new Jura!
Cuisinart DGB-400 Automatic Grind and Brew 12 Cup Coffemaker Black/Stainless We’ve had 4 of these in a row (over a 14 year period). We are about replace and for some odd reason, hubby wants to try something else…
I drink hot beverages all. the. time. In all kinds of weather. I grew up drinking black teas, and switched over to coffee when I firs went away to college, working 2 jobs to pay for it (picture a dining hall tray with 6 cups of coffee and no food, because I was too tired to make multiple trips to refill). This was reinforced by 3 years in the army. By mid-20s, missing a cup was one of my migraine triggers..I actually missed a family trip to Disney because of a debilitating migraine.
After that, I realized that SOME of my coffee drinking was really about being cold, so then next 30 years have been coffee in the morning, the occasional after dinner dessert coffee for special occasion dinners out.
The REST of the day is all tea, all the time, every kind of caffeine free tea. Love Tazos, was a Teavana fan, Twinings blends, Stash blends) and the extended family is constantly gifting me with loose tea. (thank you!). my loose tea steepers include a guy hot-tubbing in my cup, a dolphin, a dinosaur, a squirrel, an old-fashioned diver, and a sloth.
My favorite coffee is sumatra mandehling, and my favorite teas are tied between assam and darjeeling for black tea, and rooibos for herbal.
My favorite tea is hojicha. It is a roasted tea with a smooth somewhat toasty flavor. It is also low in caffeine.
I drink herbal teas and really like Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer.
Very pretty cups!
we like our Bodum burr grinder. Not too loud, grinds fast and as much as we want. https://www.bodum.com/us/en/10903-04us-3-bistro.
We have, to our wonderment and amazement, actually given up caffeine for the most part. So decaf coffee beans for us. I like Matcha latte mixes, (yes, with caffeine i know )and keep looking for herbal teas but no luck yet.
I love tea – english bfast and chai’s mostly (Twinnings, Tazo and a local company called Silk Road https://silkroadteastore.com/). Only in the AM – no caffeine after 12:00 or no sleep for me.
Suggest looking for a grinder here https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-coffee-grinder/
Hot chocolate
I would recommend going old school. Find an older hand crank coffee grinder at a resale or estate sale.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it works for a lot of stuff. Including coffee.
Love,
A Coffee Snob
I love your tea recommendations. You are the reason I buy from verdant tea. Love them! Oolong teas are my favorite, love Tieguanyin teas. Been drinking that since I was a child.
You could possibly still return the loud grinder to Amazon. My husband hates anything loud, that would have been an instant return.
In the morning and midday I drink really good locally roasted coffee, ground at home in a medium level grinder. We got tired of the hand grinder even though it makes better coffee. I occasionally drink oolong and really enjoy it. At night I drink decaf black tea or coffee.
Hot tea or hot chocolate. I love the smell of coffee but cannot and will not drink it. My beloved husband also will not let me make his morning coffee. *sigh*
I’m in the market for a grinder so your timing is perfect.Thanks
I had a very old Krups grinder which worked perfectly for many years. When I had to replace it I bought what appeared to be the same model. It was loud. It was so loud I was sure OSHA would have complained if it were in a factory. I returned it and bought a different Krups grinder advertised on the box as being their quietest grinder. Quiet costs extra now.
I was planning to have a cup of coffee & Kahlua for my after-dinner drink tonight and before I made it I sat down and read this blog post (and all the comments).
I have drunk coffee since before I can remember – my mom used to make a mug of coffee milk for me in the morning so I could drink coffee with Mom & Dad. When I was still living at home, my mom and I would often have a cup of coffee together before going to bed, and I was so habituated that it didn’t keep me awake.
A year or two ago I splurged and bought myself a Technivorm drip coffee maker and later a Baratza Virtuoso+ burr mill grinder. I had a Breville drip coffee maker with a built in burr grinder and really liked it for a while, but the grinder became unreliable. I wasn’t willing to grind my coffee in the morning (which everyone says you should) until I got the Virtuoso+ grinder – I make a full pot of coffee in the Technivorm using 40 seconds of grinding whole bean coffee that’s locally roasted. Both gadgets were pricey, but since coffee is my drink of choice I decided it was worth it. In the morning I can toddle into the kitchen half-asleep, punch the button on the grinder (which is already set for 40 seconds) and dump the ground coffee in the basket. Six minutes later it’s coffee.
I will occasionally drink lemon-ginger tea or mulled cider, but it’s usually coffee or water
I had a Rancilio Rocky grinder for several years – way expensive and weighed a ton. But when it stopped bringing I got a Baratza grinder It works for me. I like Kicking Horse coffee beans. Lately Grizzly Claw , although I sometimes get Hoodoo Jo or Pacific Pipeline if I want a medium for a change.
The tea I am drinking lately is Vahdam Masala Chai or High Mountain something.
we have that same grinder and the husband has it in the garage. :-/ it is crazy loud.
Hot drink preference – instant coffee powder in whole milk with enough suger to make the spoon stand!
Very much enjoy the Shou Mei Cake pu’er tea from Verdant Tea when I want something smooth and mineralish (not a word, I know). Then when I bought a new canister of Irish Breakfast from Harney I decided to try a new Maté they have since I was out called American Buzz. It’s great. Then on decaf time I drink Hibiscus or the Numi turmeric teas.
I hated my Cuisinart coffee grinder too. It produced a lot of static. I sold it on Craigslist and bought a Shardor coffee grinder from Amazon. Much better.
My friends who drink the stuff all have this one.
http://www.bodum.com/ca/en/11750-01us-bistro
I’ve had five different brands of grinders, and they’re all loud. The one of mine that has the least high-pitched, fingernails on a blackboard sound is the Capresso Infinity; it’s loud, but not so grating. But if you want to grind coffee for a press, you have to turn the hopper to the coarsest setting or even a little beyond.
Tulsi tea from Cherry Valley Organics. They use the Kapoor Sacred Basil, which is so lovely.
Working my way through my annual stockpile of Trader Joe’s Wintry Blend coffee, whole spices are ground with the coffee, no “flavorings” added. Electricity out due to an ice storm, so I made cold brew in my French press. I need my caffeine in the morning, it was good, but cold coffee will never be high on my list. ( My sister brought me hot coffee, and brought me and my 2 little birds back to her house. Family.)
I’m a coffee drinker in the morning, and the specific coffee varies based on my mood. A good French roast is nice, but so is a light breakfast blend… I have a Kurig, so I can get a number of varieties and pick what sounds good in the morning. I don’t drink coffee at night, but may have an herbal tea, or Lady Grey. Usually my evening beverage is a glass of wine.
We’ve been drinking Peet’s French Roast since the ‘70’s. Recently switched from whole bean to a #7 grind due to the purchase of a bougee new coffee maker recommended by Son the Elder. He was right, it makes excellent coffee. We buy 3 lbs at a time and go through it at an embarrassingly rapid rate. I have one LARGE cup in the morning then switch to Sadaf cardamom tea around noon then no caffeine after 3. Love a cup of decaf coffee in the evening.
Happy weekend to everyone here!
We have the same one. It is loud and ours has the opposite issue, we only want it to grind 1/4 cup for the Americano, but it won’t stop until all the beans are ground. We now brind the beans in the evening to cut down on the noise in the morning.
Ceylon and India tea (also known as orange pekoe) that I get from Harley. The can8ster from Harley is better than Lipton’s orange pekoe tea bags but Liptons is close enough when I’m at my dive bagel shop and want my orange pekoe and skim milk with my poppy seed bagel.
PG Tips. Round, malty, deeply comforting, like a rich blanket of mellow—which I need because I do not Morning well. At all. I add milk and sugar for the perfect milk tea, and sip while curled somewhere where no one will talk to me. Also Scottish breakfast by Taylor and Harrogate (has more bright notes but still comforting).
I had silver needle white in San Francisco’s Chinatown once, and it was as complex and nuanced as wine. The importer is gone now but I made the small bag I purchased last as long as I could. I brewed it in a blue and white teapot I Bought there, thinking of one of my favorite trips ever while sipping a favorite thing.
16 oz mug of mocha coffee at midday, and decaff tea at night. I love most teas, but these days I usually drink it at night so decaff it must be. If I am feeling fancy I will have scones and a pot of looseleaf darjeeling or pu-erh in the midafternoon instead of coffee. My favorite night drink is a 40oz mixup of 2 bags decaff green tea, 1-2 bags of Prince of Peace lemon ginger honey crystals, a bag of lemongrass tea, and about half a lemon squeezed. Plus sugar or non-sugar depending on evil me vs good me. I also like a mix of decaff green tea, lemongrass, and chamomile. Or decaff green, mint, and strand of saffron. Or decaff black with a couple of rose petals and a cardamom pod.
I love STRONG black tea. I put 2 bags of Tetly British black tea in whatever cup I have regardless of size. I have a small hot pot ( have worn one out!) that is faster than the microwave. Also great for things that need boiling water ie instant mashed potatoes (I’m only cooking for 1).
Jasmine tea is also tasty, I use loose leaf. I bought (empty) tea bags to fill, no mess!
Have you ever tried hot lemonade? It is the bomb when you have a cold! I use lemonade mix.
Return the coffee grinder if it’s been less than 30 days. ‘Defective, makes unusual very loud noise’
Mostly tea. Coffee is for special occasions (caffeine and migraines, no no no) or using up the last of the pot before I make a fresh one for Husband Person. Occasional hot cocoa, but again, sugar is an issue. I do make alot of London Fogs at home though (even make my own vanilla syrup, out of our own honey!). Otherwise, tea. Just got some hibiscus, which is yummy. Also have a jar of the ginger/lemon/citrus jelly teas you find at Asian groceries in the fridge. Awesome for colds and sore throats, although I do doctor it with more lemon juice, because it is sweet.
This is what you want. https://www.bodum.com/us/en/10903-01us-3-bistro. We’ve had ours for over ten years. I mean, grinders are loud, but this thing is great.
Detox blend herbal tisane from Simpson & Vail. Might be the most perfect blend. https://svtea.com/products/detox-herbal?_pos=1&_sid=217dc01d3&_ss=r
I like two cups of coffee (with cream) first thing in the morning. After that, all coffee tastes horrible (especially all coffee shop coffee in this city) so I switch to tea (with milk) if we have breakfast out. Then a cup of black or green in the afternoon, and decaf black and herbal after dinner. A hot toddy is in the mix of a cold is coming on.
I am a coffee drinker and absolutely love HEB coffee. I live in MI but have family who live in TX so whenever I visit, I stock up! Cafe Ole Houston blend and Rio Grande blends are my favorite. I also drink tea at night and, because I live in cold country hot chocolate.
I love my Aeropress coffee in the morning and an Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar in the evening. 🙂 Our Baratza Virtuoso grinder is my favorite.
We love coffee so much here that we started roasting our own a few years ago as Olilu Coffee. My husband does the roasting, I do the drawing/designs, and we smushed our kids’ names together to create the name, hehe.
Tea, baby, tea! Mostly black, but also a few oolongs and greens. Every time I drink Golden Monkey I snicker a little bit.
I would return the grinder as it is not working as specified. We have a simple one that allows you to select the grind and will grind for 30 seconds. That is enough for about 10 cups.
Strong brewed Coffee with French vanilla cream. Tea Lipton black with French Vanilla creamer at night.
Tall narrow mug or cup. Keeps the heat and cup must be microwave safe. Since I sometimes set down cup and forget where and it gets cold.