What happened to Coffee?

originally posted by: watchitburn
a reply to: JAGStorm

Eye witness accounts are the least reliable for a reason.

Nothing personal, but I think memories tied to the smell of coffee probably make you think it was stronger. Because "everything was better back in the day".

There is probably a lot of truth to that but I experienced something with a coffee smell that makes me think otherwise.
There is a town in Florida, near Sarasota and an all Amish community. They have a restaurant open to the public. That place has the EXACT coffee smell I remember. (keep in mind this is how I remember coffee smelling everywhere when I was younger, at a restaurant, at home, at grandmas, it all smelled the same back then)

Maybe it's how they brew, or where they get their beans or how it is roasted, but that place smelled like the coffee I remember.

My own personal preference is for Ethiopian Harrar, not that easy to find, at least in my neck of the woods. Very earthy, bold flavor. But to each their own.

If you can... buy organic ungrounded coffee. Pesticides are used on coffee. Sometimes the organic stuff is on sale at grocery stores, and that's usually when I buy coffee. Although, sometimes I do get the cheap stuff. Caffeine... I must be a drug addict!

These big companies will do w/e they can to make a larger profit. The more people who buy organic coffee to avoid possible bad coffee grounds , the cheaper it will become.

Anyway, good luck on your coffee adventures.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: watchitburn
a reply to: JAGStorm

Eye witness accounts are the least reliable for a reason.

Nothing personal, but I think memories tied to the smell of coffee probably make you think it was stronger. Because "everything was better back in the day".

There is probably a lot of truth to that but I experienced something with a coffee smell that makes me think otherwise.
There is a town in Florida, near Sarasota and an all Amish community. They have a restaurant open to the public. That place has the EXACT coffee smell I remember. (keep in mind this is how I remember coffee smelling everywhere when I was younger, at a restaurant, at home, at grandmas, it all smelled the same back then)

Maybe it's how they brew, or where they get their beans or how it is roasted, but that place smelled like the coffee I remember.

Not talking about Yoder's, are you? They had really, really good food and their coffee was excellent, they had a very good reputation for it.

Edit: I'm assuming you're talking about the Pinecraft enclave in Sarasota here, Yoder's was the first place that came to mind.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Redbull is kinda like coffee

kinda like how

Nuclear weapons are weapons.

Nothing happened to coffee. We just changed how we use it. Years ago people just used canned coffee. Open one of those huge cans up and the smell was absolutely wonderful. But the coffee tasted like #. Now when we grind it's in small batches, so not much of the aroma gets out. A filter on top of a single cup just doesn't have the reach, but the coffee itself can be pretty good. And if you enclose it as it's brewing, it had even less chance to get out and spread the aroma.

a reply to: Nyiah

Not talking about Yoder's, are you? they had really, really good food and their coffee was excellent, they had a very good reputation for it.

YES it was!!!

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: Nyiah

Not talking about Yoder's, are you? they had really, really good food and their coffee was excellent, they had a very good reputation for it.

YES it was!!!

Lol, I had a feeling!

Such good food there, that was always a treat to stop into. You always walked out overfed, and extremely satisfied, those Amish know how to cook a good meal!

a reply to: Nyiah

Yes, they had great coffee and an amazing pot roast. Very wholesome real food.
The serving sizes were massive.

Try taking a zinc supplement for a couple of days and it may improve your smell and taste.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: JAGStorm


Don't buy pre-ground, packaged coffee, either grind it yourself or have them grind the beans where you purchase them. Coffee in a can is disgusting.

Well, the only two canned varieties I've tried (out of financial desperation, I might add) Were Costco's Kirkland and (I think) some kind of Folgers. The Costco stuff was barely drinkable (IMO) but then again, I really hate dark roasts and they don't have a light or medium roast in a can. The Folgers tasted really off. Like it wasn't 100% coffee off. Really nasty tasting stuff, IMO.

I do buy Dunkin Donuts ground in a bag and find it OK. I'm sure whole bean ground myself would be awesome but I'm really just too lazy for that. Dunkin Donuts sells fast enough where I buy it that it's pretty fresh. In fact, they're often sold out because it sells so fast they can't keep it in stock.

originally posted by: FilthyUSMonkey
a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Have to agree. I buy it in the store and there is a grinder right there in the aisle. I even have made my own blends. Ummmmmmm, coffee...

I grind mine daily or nearly so. I might have two days worth ground at one time. Then I add cocoa beans ground up or cooking cocoa and some honey to nip the bitter, yum.

originally posted by: schuyler
Nothing happened to coffee. We just changed how we use it. Years ago people just used canned coffee. Open one of those huge cans up and the smell was absolutely wonderful. But the coffee tasted like #. Now when we grind it's in small batches, so not much of the aroma gets out. A filter on top of a single cup just doesn't have the reach, but the coffee itself can be pretty good. And if you enclose it as it's brewing, it had even less chance to get out and spread the aroma.

I was going to post something similar. The more you smell the coffee, the less you taste the coffee.
I use the same coffeemaker as JAG when I'm at work, and it's very good. though not as good as small batch in the Press at home. I did go through a bunch of coffee brands and types until I found one that worked well in the ol Bunn.

I suspect that the reason that coffee doesn't smell the same now as it did in the 70s is because you are probably drinking a different variety of coffee bean now. There are two main species of coffee that are commercially important--Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Arabica is the species that was first discovered in North Africa and became popular by spreading to Europe. When the Arabica plants were exported to the new world (i.e., South America) and plantations were started, it became a huge cash crop in international trade. Unfortunately, the Arabica plant is subject to a variety of plant diseases that they encountered in tropical areas that were not present in North Africa. At one point, many of the coffee plantations in the new world collapsed due to catastrophic infestations of root disease. It was found that the Robusta species is resistant to those diseases, so they were widely planted where the Arabica plantations used to exist. In the immediate post WWII years, I think most of the coffee consumed in the US was of the Robusta species (it was cheap and plentiful). The Robusta species has a stronger, earthier aroma and flavor than Arabica (more caffeine, too). Starting around 1970, the US consumer started getting more sophisticated about coffee and started demanding more of the Arabica variety. It was found that you could graft Arabica shoots onto Robusta root stock and grow a plant that had the disease resistance of Robusta with the flavor and aroma of Arabica. So, that's where we are today. a reply to: JAGStorm

a reply to: JAGStorm

schuilcoffee.com...

-you're welcome.

Folgers has a new brand. 18__ something or other. They sell it as whole beans. We like this and works when we can't get Shuils.

Always up for trying new brands too, just havn't reached out far enough yet.

call me crazy... but the best coffee I have ever made was freshly ground coffee boiled in a pot of water, then decanted off the top. Sure you get some grounds now and again... but nothing else seems to beat it.

wow! so much valuable info about coffee in this thread, I feel like an expert now.
I also realize that the coffee that I usually drink is such a crap lol I almost forgot the taste and smell of real coffee.
Off I go to the nearest store to remedy this problem. Thank you for the inspiration!

a reply to: WhiteHat

and you really don't have to spend a lot of money.
the brand I settled on is house brand of Safeway/vons/Albertsons Grocery stores.
East African blend. Medium roast.
It's on sale this week for 3.39 per bag, so I stocked up.
Just experiment with different ones, and see what works best for the way you brew.

You are probably used to the smell. Don't make any for a week and then fire it up.

Sam's Club at WalMart is pretty amazing. I get the Guatemalan and Ethiopian and mix them. Whole bean, in the can.