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I'm a couponing fool and I've found a few decent brands at the grocery store that allows me to stack manufacturer and store coupons. I also used to be a Starbucks junkie but DH likes DD. I found a roast by Gevalia that works for him...the "Traditional Roast". With stacked coupons a few weeks ago, I got 12 oz bags for under four dollars.
Ditto...there are always coupons out for Seattle's Best, Starbucks or Gevalia, which are about as low-end a brand I am willing to drink. CVS and Target frequently have store deals that will stack with the coupons, so you can get decent brands for ultra cheap. I also use my Staples rewards from buying ink, printer paper, etc. to buy coffee there. Office Max has a similar rewards program.
I used to use a French Press, as the flavor derived from a French Press can not be equaled. However, like the OP, I find that I am making coffee for only me in the morning now, so I bought a very large porcelain cone that I purchased on Amazon along with a natural paper filtered (wet with boiling water first) and usually get Costco Large bags of their Kirkland (Starbucks imitation) coffee. I continue to try new brews from time to time in search of the expensive tasting beans at a less expensive cost, but usually without success. Like you, my morning coffee is important to me and has become one of life's treats, so I want to make it as pleasurable as possible.
Once in a while I treat myself to some just roasted beans from Whole Foods, which run about $12 a lb., but are very good. But not economical enough for every day use. Probably going to be hard pressed to beat Costco's large bags whole beans from a $/taste criteria.
The only brand of coffee that has enough caffeine to keep me awake the entire day is Kona classic sunrise. It is cheaper than Peets coffee which I prefer anytime over Starbucks, and luckily I found that Cost Plus carries it or I can buy it online through Amazon Prime if I'm too busy to go there :-).
Trader Joe's is my coffee bean supplier of choice. I grind it in the morning, make a fresh pot (4-6 cups depending on the mood of my wife), and we each take our coffee to work in a thermos.
I like certain types of coffees more than others, and I will always try cheaper options, but if I don't like the beans, I'm not going to buy them simply because they are cheaper. I'd rather just not drink the coffee.
I buy the big can of Great Value Dark Roast at Walmart - $6.98 per. Lasts me a good few weeks.
I used to to be a serious Cafe Bustelo person but it is just too expensive now and this is a reasonably good alternative.
I use it with a drip coffee maker that I've had for eight or nine years that still works well enough that I can't talk myself into buying a new one.
I purchase unroasted coffee beans and roast them myself. It isn't rocket surgery.
Unroasted coffee beans are called "green coffee beans", although technically they are not a bean - they are a seed. There are many sources on the internet. Personally, I buy from Sweet Maria's Home Coffee Roasting Supplies - Sweet Maria's although there are many others.
To roast them at home, just get a hot air popcorn popper from Goodwill for $5. It takes about 6 to 7 mins to roast a level measuring cup of coffee. Let it sit for a couple days (flavors develop) and then you're off to the races.
Think of the quality of green coffee beans being on a "bell curve." The wholesale price tends to reflect the quality, and large volume players such as Starbucks end up buying beans in the middle of the curve, commercial brands such as Yuban & Folgers tend to buy a bit less expensive beans, and stuff you're served in a coffee shop at a truck stop tend to be from the bottom.
There just are not enough of the top quality beans to supply large volume players like Starbucks, Costco or Wal-Mart.
Top quality beans tend to go to specialty roasters and are available to the public through the internet. So, for $6 to $8 per pound unroasted, you get the best quality beans. Roast them yourself - they will lose a bit of their weight due to moisture loss during roasting, but still it tastes better AND costs less than the stuff you buy in stores.
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I use a single cup Melita drip cone, and make one giant single cup of coffee. Once in a blue moon, like today, I drink 2 cups. I live alone, so no pot of coffee here.
What do you do?
I drink coffee the way you do -- a cup at a time.
Check out the "Clever Coffee Dripper". It uses Melita-style cone filters, but makes a better cup of coffee than a traditional Melita-style plastic filter holder.
I'm fascinated by the idea of roasting it at home in a popcorn popper! Sounds like fun!
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