How strong is your coffee?
Submitted by seashanty on Thu, 02/04/2010 - 10:22am
Hightest (very very strong)
9% (2 votes)
Strong - Starbucks-ish
43% (10 votes)
Not so Strong - Dunkin Donuts-ish
26% (6 votes)
Guests make their own to taste
9% (2 votes)
Other
13% (3 votes)
Total votes: 23
Comments
I really do not know how to vote - I have no idea how strong Dunkin' is. I am not Fivebucks strong.
I use about 2 oz of fresh roasted coffee beans in the grinder for a 12-cup pot of coffee. My guests have said the coffee was very good and that is all I know about it.
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Happy in my Hills
One of our previous guests commented (and DW and I agree) that if you're going to drink coffee, make it strong! We drink flavored Gevalia ourselves, but fix for the guests mostly Dunkin', Eight O'Clock, and on occasion a dark roast that we find we like.
I'm sipping a strong vanilla nut right now while the guests are eating and I have a lull...
One guest is drinking decaf... but that's another topic
i just went to a meeting graciously hosted by a local b&b. as we left, i was shocked that someone was complaining about the coffee. 'dishwater' she called it. i thought it was fine and said so. i turned back to ask if i could be of any help with cleanup, (yes i had started to leave along with the others
) but the owners declined and were obviously in sync as they cleared up. they said they have errands to do before a checkin later on so i got out of their way.
i was offended for the owners of the b&b who i just hope were out of earshot. they let us use their dining and living room to meet (for free) and provided coffee. some of us brought muffins and things. some people are really ungrateful! but that's another subject.
when making coffee for a group, i've always followed the one scoop per cup method. occasionally someone wanted their coffee stronger and i sent them to the senseo one cup.
my favorite brand is green mountain, but i'm really asking about coffee strength which is why i mentioned the two big takeout coffees as examples.
The comments we hear range around, 'Great coffee!' and 'I'm used to much stronger coffee.' 'Dishwater' has never been mentioned!
If I hear, 'We're used to much stronger coffee,' I tell them we've seen guests using the coffee bags to perk up their coffee. Those guests are generally from Italy or the Northwest. The Italians know our coffee is not as strong as what they're used to but 'when in Rome' (ha, ha) they go along with what is served.
The NW crowd, OTOH, thinks everyone should drink their kind of coffee and they make it very well known that they will be going out for coffee the next morning. When making coffee for a crowd it is impossible to satisify everyone. We don't even try. 'Good coffee!' is what we strive to hear, but we know it is not happening 100% of the time.
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The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. -Vladimir Nabokov
Here in Northern Cal, we like our coffee dark roasted and fairly strong.
I used to live in New Orleans and the coffee there is strong, too, even with the chicory mixed in. Folks in New Orleans will tell you the trick to good coffee is 2 spoons per cup.
If left to my own devices, I make coffee that's similar to one of those two versions and strong.
When I'm working in Southern Cal or on the Central Coast, it takes me a little getting used to the milder coffee they drink there. On the East Coast, the coffee does seem a little too mild for my taste in most places.
I think it's all a matter of what's considered normal for the region. And they're all different.
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“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Pericles
I find Dunkin' Donuts to be as strong as the middle of the road Fivebucks so not sure where my vote would be...
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If you cooked any more slowly, you wouldn't need an egg timer, you'd need an egg calendar ~ Stewie Griffin
Cuban coffee!!! A quarter cup of finely round beans, and about as much sugar, for a couple of "shots" of coffee. That's how they drink it in Miami! I love strong coffee, but it took me a while to get used to the "colada" here.
That said, I have a Kuerig machine. Guests can pick and choose their roast intensity, flavor, and strength...all by the individual cup. Ditto with tea.
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Ang
www.sanctuarycharteryacht.com
58' Hatteras Motor Yacht
Miami, FL
I just love that strong Cuban coffee!
Mmmm...how about cafe con leche made with cuban coffee????? To die for...
Absolutely the best ever!
I always regret it later because the sugar does a number on my stomach, but oh it's heaven to drink!
When it comes to coffee, my stomach can handle just about anything. No amount of sugar seems to hurt!
We use Community Club In Between Roast. Our guests love it. It I believe comes for New Orleans. You know coffee like wine is regional. I don't think people have a problem with stronger coffees these days because this IS the Starbucks era and our babies are weaned on espresso.
We use Community Club In Between Roast. Our guests love it. It I believe comes for New Orleans. You know coffee like wine is regional. I don't think people have a problem with stronger coffees these days because this IS the Starbucks era and our babies are weaned on espresso.
Yep, New Oleans! This one does not contain chicory.
I make my own blend of New Orleans coffees with chicory. It IS dark but is a VERY, VERY smooth blend with NO bitter after taste either, all of which are due to the chicory.
I have had people supprised by the deep color, thinking I am pouring a full cup of expresso, and some who use a lot more cream than normal, to get it to the 'right color' for their taste. But once they take the first sip, all the talk is over and just a lot of yummmmm.
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"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2
We use Community Club In Between Roast. Our guests love it. It I believe comes for New Orleans. You know coffee like wine is regional. I don't think people have a problem with stronger coffees these days because this IS the Starbucks era and our babies are weaned on espresso.
Yep, New Oleans! This one does not contain chicory.
I make my own blend of New Orleans coffees with chicory. It IS dark but is a VERY, VERY smooth blend with NO bitter after taste either, all of which are due to the chicory.
I have had people supprised by the deep color, thinking I am pouring a full cup of expresso, and some who use a lot more cream than normal, to get it to the 'right color' for their taste. But once they take the first sip, all the talk is over and just a lot of yummmmm.
I'm jealous - I am a huge coffee fan and have had it on my list of things I've wanted to do for a long, long time to brew some New Orleans style. Meghan in support (now marketing) at BB.com swears by it. I've heard exactly the comments you said above - now you have me motivated again! Sounds awesome.
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John Banczak
Chief Operating Officer
BedandBreakfast.com
RezOvation
I get my coffee from Cafe Britt in Costa Rico. I like it on the strong side and DH likes it on the weak side. When we were on a cruise a few years age we bought some coffee and we both loved it so we have bought it ever since and will serve this at the B&B. I is good stuff.
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Carolyn
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
Mark Twain
I don't drink coffee at all... 1/2 a cup and three days later my heart is jumping around. Of course, that could be because dh makes his coffee so strong it is off the charts...
ETA: He roasts Sumatra beans the night before, so it's fresh and apparently very, very good.
=)
Kk.
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College House Bed and Breakfast, Ashland, OH
And Sumatra is one of the STRONG varieties to me! But it is one that guests request.
I don't drink coffee at all... 1/2 a cup and three days later my heart is jumping around. Of course, that could be because dh makes his coffee so strong it is off the charts...
ETA: He roasts Sumatra beans the night before, so it's fresh and apparently very, very good.
=)
Kk.
A half cup of coffee in a cake I make can cause me to bounce off the walls. I, too, am not a coffee drinker.
I cannot breathe without coffee in the morning. Seriously do not think my body would work...
I cannot breathe without coffee in the morning. Seriously do not think my body would work...
I've had guests come out for coffee at 7 AM (before it's been started) to find me working away in the kitchen. When I say I haven't started the coffee yet, they gawk and ask how can I be working without coffee???
Gosh! 7AM and no coffee!! "Say it ain't so!! " How can you function? I could not find my feet!!! We are serious coffee addicts here. (Note coffee mug in photo at sunrise.) The coffeemaker is set for 5:15am 1/2 cup fresh ground per 12 cups for the two of us. Husband makes it stronger. We take it black, no sugar; if we have guests, I always offer hot water or milk to thin it to taste. I would never complain about any coffee offered to me though, ever. Too rude. I also will drink decaf, which the husband calls "hot brown water", and says he does not see the point. I always find that a good cup of coffee goes really well with a good piece of chocolate!
I don't drink coffee, at all. Don't even like the smell of it. I function on OJ and hot cocoa. I have to make notes to remind me to make the coffee when I'm in charge of the kitchen!
My kids don't drink coffee, either. We're just weird like that.
MY BIL has a Dunkin' Donuts 'GPS' in his head. He can be in the car sound asleep and wake up and yell, 'Turn here, I need a coffee,' and there will be a DD within a couple of miles!
We have friends who come for holiday dinners. They arrive about 9 AM and she expects a pot of decafe on arrival. OK. No problem. HOWEVER, without ever trying it, she will also expect the tea water to be hot so she can "cut the coffee". Knowing this, I use half the coffee (or less) I normally would but she still cuts it. I tell DH I should just drag a coffee bean through the hot water and then it MAY be weak enough for her. Her poor husband driks it! I sometimes wonder if he thinks that is how I make coffee....
You're going in the wrong direction...if she's going to cut it anyway, make it the way normal people drink it so everyone doesn't suffer for her weirdness. She can just add more water.
It is decafe - they are the only ones drinking it, I toss what is left. I hate to use more coffee than necessary. Yes, next time I will use the little amount of coffee but only make 4 cups instead of 8.
We have friends who come for holiday dinners. They arrive about 9 AM and she expects a pot of decafe on arrival. OK. No problem. HOWEVER, without ever trying it, she will also expect the tea water to be hot so she can "cut the coffee". Knowing this, I use half the coffee (or less) I normally would but she still cuts it. I tell DH I should just drag a coffee bean through the hot water and then it MAY be weak enough for her. Her poor husband driks it! I sometimes wonder if he thinks that is how I make coffee....
I agree with Morticia... make it triple strength or even stronger! Let her cut away and let her husband enjoy!
=)
Kk.
i like tea in the morning. around 2 or so in the afternoon, i lovelovelove a cup of coffee (a big one) late in the day, i'm back to tea.
What percentage of guest would you say drink decaf?
What percentage of guest would you say drink decaf?
Less than 10%. Probably closer to 5%. Not much at all...somedays we only make it if it's specifically asked for. Why waste it if no one asks for it?
I'd say less than 1 percent. I just hate it when 1 person orders it and then they drink just 1 cup. What a waste. I have to admit that sometimes we will mix in the leftover decaf in with the regular, but never the opposite.
This is exactly why I am really liking the Keurig machine I bought. I never have any waste and nothing to clean up. It does cost about 41 cents a cup. I'm a small operation with just three guest rooms. So with two crew, the MOST I am ever serving is 8 people, and not everyone is always a coffee drinker, and I don't always have a full house. I admit that if you have a large operation, then the Keurig may not be worth it; however, it may be useful as a secondary coffee maker just for the cup or two of decaf. Something to think about if you are having to make a cup or two of decaf every now and then. Same story for iced tea and flavored coffees.
...no, I'm not a dealer for Keurig nor do I have stock in it! LOL
I just found a great convenience and value in serving that cup or two of a specialtiy coffee to keep my guests happy by having precisely what they want to have.
One of our draws is that we do our own home roast. We have a Flavia single brew system which I love and that machine gets a lot more of the decaf use in the evening.
I totally agree with you it's great to have a single brew machine!
RARE!! I have roasted more decafe to serve at holiday dinners than I have for guests. I only want high-test myself.
What percentage of guest would you say drink decaf?
We make a full pot of decaf every morning unless it's only one room, in which case we ask what they want. 90% of the time someone drinks it. And we do keep the regular pot full, so it's not out of desparation!
I know how odd that is, but that is our experience here. We have the coffee carafes like the diners have (the glass ones with the color tops). We bought 3 'regular' and 2 'decaf' and there are days BOTH decafs are going.
On the flip side of that there are days one person will drink the entire regular coffee carafe by herself (usually a woman).
We find the same thing with the tea. The decaf is hard to keep 'in stock.'
I just went to shut off the lights and 2 guests were told what time the coffee is ready. Both asked for decaf 'if you have it.' We may just throw out the regular coffee tomorrow as I don't know what the other guests want.
We get a lot of guests that drink decaf and if we are more than half full we usually make a pot of decaf and some of it gets drunk. We ask when they check in but I am always shocked at the number of people who don't know whether they'll want decaf or regular in the morning. Lots of coffee drinkers here have a regular then switch to decaf. Usage-wise, I'd say we use about 20-30% decaf (compared to regular coffee).
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Jeanne
Thanks for the info.
i always made both - less of decaf than the other - would ask ahead for preference but somehow guests would often do opposite what they said
Our coffee is very strong. Folks can always put hot water or cream in it if they dont like rocket fuel.
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Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from any direction.
We never get complaints about the strength of the coffee; 1/2 cup for a 12-cup Bunn pourover.
Regarding decaf: maybe one in ten specify decaf when we confirm reservations, but we throw away more decaf than is consumed, that's for sure.
We use Folgers Gourmet Supreme, which is a very dark but smooth roast. Since switching to that roast, we get lots of compliments about the coffee. We very rarely get requests for decaf, but we do keep Folgers decaf packets in the hot beverage area.
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