If you are looking for a great pot of Joe, how do you buy your beans? Do you go to your local grocer, pick up your favorite can of Folgers, Maxwell House, or __________ ground coffee of your liking? If the answer of this question is no, then you are on the right track. However, even if you a) go to the bulk bean dispenser on the coffee aisle, and b) grind it there to bring home, this isn't doing you any justice either.
For the first part, you never know how long those beans have been sitting on the shelf, and secondly - if you dont use the entire lb or bag quickly - the grinds will become old and stale.
I would recommend that your first purchase isn't a brand or type of roast, but actually this purchase should be in the housewares section of your local department store. Your first purchase should be a Coffee Grinder
. Not one of those funky pots that you put the beans in and it grinds and brews all at the same time. I haven't found anyone that hasn't had issues with these breaking down. Remember with electronics, the more bells and whistles, the higher the chance of it breaking. The grinder doesnt have to be that expensive - just the regular grinder will do. If your want to spend the money- then a burr grinder is the way to go, as it has a more consistent grind. But don't fool yourself - its not needed.
After you have the grinder - find a coffee pot that works well. The cheap drips aren't a good fit for making good coffee. But you don't have to spend $300 for a pot either. A good basic Krups or mid-lever pot at Target, or other retailers works just find. Just remember that a good pot of coffee starts with a 1:1 ratio of tbls of ground coffee per cup of water. Here are a few Coffee Products
that might be a good fit.
Lastly the beans, whether your love Starbucks, or any local coffee house brew, you normally can buy their coffee in whole bean form. Open your horizons there are so many types, Indonesian, Brazilian, Sumatran, French Roast, Italian Roast, and not to mention the various flavors and blends. Just experiment and find the coffee you like. I always have a few bags of various types in my cupboard to satisfy my ever changing palate. If you aren't sure of what type of coffees you might like and don't want to research where the best coffees are sold in your area, finding a Coffee Home Delivery Service that sends samplers is the way to go.
So get grinding and brew yourself a great cup of Joe!
As I continue on the Anglophile topic, our journey takes us right next door to A Salt and Battery, to Tea and Sympathy. This wonderful little British restaurant & store located at 110 Greenwich in Greenwich Village is the right place for anyone who is looking to purchase almost anything British in nature (especially food or beverage related). The restaurant is complete with all the English favorites, such as bangers and mash, welsh rarebit, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and much more. The food, for those of us that love British fare, is fantastic, and makes you think you are sitting in a restaurant in the UK. Even if you cannot go tot he restaurant and have an upcoming office party, or event, Tea and Sympathy does cater as well. Its been written up in the US with rave reviews in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveller & the New Yorker, and even has great press across the pond in British Elle, The Sunday Mirror, the Independent.
After your meal, visit the attached store, where you can buy English Teapots, a wide range of teas (like Typhoo & PG Tips), and a wide range of groceries, like clotted cream, varied beans and british foodstuffs, and a wide range of candies (like fruit gums, wine gums, and Cadbury chocolates (from the UK not US).
Whether you want to stop in and eat or shop, or take advantage of the free local deliveries that are available between the West Side Highway and 5th Avenue, and from Canal St to 33rd Street, try Tea and Sympathy to fill your British Cravings.
For those who enjoy great cheese, this one is a necessity. This cheese is made by Artisanal Premium Cheeses which if you look at their cheese lineup, looks as if it was pulled from The Cheese Shop skit made popular by Monty Python, of course they actually have the cheese in stock!
This cheese which is made by Benedictine Monks at the abbey Notre-Dame De Belloc (between this cheese and the beer they produce, these hooded bald dudes sure know their stuff), is not cheap as it costs about $22.00-$25.00 a pound. Abbaye De Belloc, made with sheep's milk (the red-nosed Manech ewes) , has a very mild flavor, and a slightly grainy texture, and in my opinion is one of the most flavorful cheeses out there. It would go well with Zinfindels, and its nutty characteristics would go great with some of the top Belgian beers (i.e. St. Bernardus Abt 8, or Trappiste Rochefort).
If you live in the New York City area, you can get it from FreshDirect, or you can buy it from their website if you live outside the area (if your local gourmet grocery doesn't carry their wares).
