Every drink I've ever ordered at Starbucks (I rarely went to other chains for coffee because no matter what you tell me, Dunkin Donuts does not compare) for the past several years has begun the same way: "Triple Grande Soy...."
Whatever came after was immaterial; as long as the three shots of espresso and soy milk were there, everything was OK. Even when I didn't have enough money for lattes, I'd order three shots of espresso in plain black coffee if I had to. I liked my coffee strong, I liked that hyped feeling.
None of the coffee I've ordered in other places ever gives me a stomach ache-but when I attempt to make coffee at home with the strength I am used to it almost *always* gives me a stomach ache, and those bizarro spins and shakes others tell me they get when they've asked me to pick them up whatever I'm having from the cafe.
When brewing coffee in an at home coffeemaker, packing in extra beans for added strength doesn't churn out anything even similar to triple-grande-soy efficacy. I had always heard that espresso wasn't actually the brewing of a unique "espresso" bean, but in fact just a *method* of brewing extremely strong coffee-my mistake was assuming this "method" was in fact just brewing more coffee beans/cup.
Needless to say, this has never worked, and over the years I've often found myself ditching my coffee at home and heading to the 24-hour Starbucks in East Brunswick, almost 30 minutes away from my college campus in New Brunswick, just to get that perfect hypey brew I needed.
But the economy and my general necessity for coffeetastic energy are forcing me to stay in, and make my own way around my Mr. Coffee, but it seems that with this machine my only non-nauseating option is to brew an of-normal-strength cup of joe.
I guess what I'm trying to ask of all you foodie Xangstuh's is...
Is it possible to brew extremely strong coffee at home without springing for an espresso machine? I already buy the strongest/darkest coffee beans I can find!
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Comments (33)
No matter how strong you make your coffee, it's not going to be espresso. The difference between coffee and espresso is that the coffee your making is by the drip method. An espresso maker uses steam pressure to push through the grinds, in addition, the grinds are extremely fine. I bought a brand new Krups coffee/espresso maker on craigslist for $50. I see espresso makers on there allllll the time. If your shelling out money even once a week at a coffee shop, your espresso maker will probably pay for itself.
I had my first espresso in New Brunswick, hah.
Try vietnamese coffee. I hear it's stronger than your average cup of joe.
Well yes, Espresso is simply a style of coffee, just like Drip, french press, Moka are all different styles.
I suggest you purchase a french press (about 15 dollars). Buy a burr grinder (about 50bucks at WilliamsSonoma). Experiment with the amount of beans, type of roast, duration.
Also, try doing a cold french press: Put grounds in press, add cold h20, stick in fridge for 12+ hours, press down slowly, and pour.Very, very rich but not bitter. Its just different. Nuke if necessary.
yeah, french presses are much better for a nice strong coffee than a drip coffee maker if you don't have the money for an espresso machine. however, they are a royal pain to clean out LOL (which is why i rarely use mine)
@TransportPhenomena@xanga - No espresso is not a simply a style of coffee. It's roasted darker, ground finer. It's supposed to be brewed in an ESPRESSO machine, it should only take exactly 25-30 seconds to brew a shot of espresso. If it was as easy as buying a bag of coffee. do you think coffee shops and restaurants would purchase espresso machines worth hundreds of dollars? If you see a bag of coffee in a store that says espresso, it's either instant add water crap, or it's just referring to the roast and the grind appropriate for brewing espresso.
No. Espresso is a form of brew from a coffee bean. It uses the same beans. I own one and use it daily for a morning Americano.
You can use any roast you damn well feel like, though typically you go darker because lighter roasts have a wider array of bitter flavors.
I would go for a French press. It's better than a regular drip coffee machine, but not so spendy as an espresso machine. I often have used one myself for customers who wanted a stronger coffee than the regular drip, but didn't need to spring for an Americano.
And espresso is the way in which beans are roasted. Typically, it's on the darker end of the coffees you can buy. I used to work at Starbucks, and the only two that were as dark of a roast as espresso beans were Italian roast and French roast.
Good luck! I personally make iced coffee, which is twice the strength of a regular cup of coffee. So either half the water or double the grounds, add ice, and stick it in the fridge. It is good and doesn't make my stomach ache.
I got to a point where I stopped incorporating water into my coffee. I don't think my coffee ever got any stronger than that. @_@
Yeh, you do need the espresso machine. It's worth it though, then you can make Triple Soy Lattes at home as well and don't have to settle for black :)
As Chillmell says, no coffee expresso without a expresso-machine. it is worth it though. The expresso coffee beans are specially blended and roasted for expresso. You can find good brands like 'Lavazza 'or 'Illy 'or 'kimbo' . They also have the nespresso kind, it uses capsules, they are are very good but not cheap.
I just use my espresso machine.
I miss your Tripcrazed posts.
Get a cheap french press! They can run for under $20. You just add the coffee and then hot water. Yum!
Buying and using an old-fashioned percolator is a great way to do this. You can also invest in a french press (well worth it IMO) and double-brew nice dark coffee.
Coffee is stronger in terms of caffeine; espresso is stronger in terms of flavor.
I agree with those who said to get a french press. You can make fairly strong coffee with it. I bought mine for under $20 at Starbucks.
@Man@mancouch - lol thanks boo!! i'm writing on this site now and on the "travel" tab on this site, happy weekend!
i like freshly grind coffee beans and i mix my coffee without the use of any coffee maker
@MsButterworth311@xanga - wait...really? does that mean that one shot of espresso isn't stronger, or at least as strong as, a regular cup of coffee? i always thought espresso was strong in terms of hyping ability lol
Coffe makes me have to poop.
I don't know anyone who has been able to do that without the espresso machine.Great post !
French press is definitely a great way to go, except if you're not a fan of the jitters, be careful how much you drink! When I was first being trained at Starbucks they told me that one of the reasons a french press has such a stronger taste is there is no paper filter in there to absorb the natural oils that occur in the coffee, so you get more in your actual cup. Consuming a lot of these, often found in darker, stronger roasts can definitely lead to a few stomache upsets.
Getting an espresso machine is definitely the best way to go.
Espresso machines are worth the money, but french presses are cheaper. I keep one at my desk at work and brew starbucks coffee there. If you let it sit long enough it gets good and strong.
@missneeraja@tripcrazed - check the calorie pamplet at Starbucks the next time you go. They break the caffeine content down into grams. And yes black coffee has more caffeine than a standard latte.
@missneeraja@tripcrazed - espresso has less caffeine than drip coffee because the water is in contact with the beans for a shorter period of time. the strong flavor of espresso is due to the concentrated nature of brewing, not the amount of caffeine. buy a stovetop espresso maker: they run around $20 and make a hybrid cup between a dark roast and an espresso.