Thursday, March 10, 2011

One Cup of Coffee

Coffee and I have a long, happy relationship. Followers of this blog know that I even take pictures of the places I've had good coffee.  Anyhow, making coffee at home has always been a challenge for me.  I'm the only one who drinks java here, so that's issue #1 - can't really justify a $100+ K-cup machine for just me.
(See, Kathy, I AM frugal!)

 I've tried the french press, and it's OK, but I didn't like to wait for the brewing, and sometimes the coffee was cold.  My 4-cup coffee maker didn't really get the brew hot enough, and it's ugly- see below.

Mr. Coffee TF5 4-Cup Switch Coffeemaker, Black

I'd read online about the coffee cone, and was intrigued.  They're kind of expensive online - from $10 - $20.  Imagine my delight when I found this baby at a thrift store for 75 cents over the weekend - definitely worth a try.  After a bleach soak and soap and water scrub, it was ready to use.  I love that you just put it on top of any mug, add grounds and hot water, and it's done!  

I found a great video tutorial here on how to use it - who knew there was a Coffee Detective?  And he has a nice accent.  Sounds like my kind of guy. 

I used it for the first time today, and I think I like it.  At a minimum, it's prettier than my old 4 cup coffee pot.  I like that I can control the strength of the brew based on how fast I pour in the water.  I did buy a new electric tea kettle (also in the photo), as I boil water each morning to make oatmeal.  Now, I just add a little extra  water for my joe.  And, I can also get rid of my ugly tea kettle.

Has anyone out there used this Coffee Drip method?  Any tips to share?

10 comments:

Unknown said...

oh yes, we have a couple of those in different sizes. The little one travels with us on holiday! The only tip I have is that for a single cup I wet the coffee first with a little water, otherwise I find it goes straight through and is weak. Love it. Enjoy!

Heather D. said...

I've been using a little one-cupper thing for years, similar to what you show but it doesn't require a filter because it has a fine mesh at the bottom where the coffee drips through but the grounds stay put. It's great! I don't do anything fancy, I've just figured out how much grounds I like for the strength of coffee I prefer and away I go. Quick and simple and yummy!

Lisa said...

I just love your frugality! I really miss your podcast. When do you think you might post another episode? Please come back!

Quilted Cupcake said...

Thanks for the tips, ladies!

Patty said...

Using this drip method is the only way my husband likes to make his coffee, and he likes it very strong! He is always sure to bring it along when we travel. I just make my coffee in my Mr.Coffee coffeemaker :-)
PS I enjoy your podcasts!

Quilted Cupcake said...

I never thought about how great it would be to take one of these cones on a trip- great suggestion. Has anyone seen plastic ones in stores?

Susan said...

Jean, my husband is the coffee drinker in the house. I bought him the "Ready Set Joe Cone 1-Cup Manual Black (comes in red too!) plastic coffee cone. Price on the Melitta site is $2.99 - think it was about $3.50 in the grocery store. I've seen it in every grocery store I shop at and at Target. He loves the coffee and the ease in how easy it is to make. It does come with us on vacation!

Enjoy!
Susan, aka The History Quilter

Janet said...

I have a French press coffee pot and it has taken me a while to get to where I like the stregnth of the coffee. I like how I can make my own one cup of coffee in the morning and save by not stopping at the coffee shop.
At Christmas my husband and I got an electric tea kettle. He was getting tired of me turning on the stove and letting the tea kettle steam and whistle while I was off in another room of the house. I love the new electric tea kettle. I had always wanted one here since I had one for a while when I lived in England.
Recently I was out of my yummy refrigerated coffee creamer so I opened up a can of sweetened condensed milk (that was just waiting to be used sometime) and put a large tablespoon or so into my mug of hot coffee. It is so good! I look for sweetened condensed milk on sale now so I can have it on hand.

Anonymous said...

I've been using this drip method for over 40 years (along with other methods too). My husband and I always come back to this method. We also always first put a little water in the coffee grounds to wet them before adding the rest of the water.
Love your podcast!

LisaAnn said...

I bought my first coffee cone in NYC in 1986 and used it for a decade. Wish I had one now.