The joy of coffee

Nothing is better in the morning than a hot cup of joe at my desk.  Now I take it a little further than most and not as far as the real coffee nerds. 

My basic set up for making fantastic coffee in the office includes four main components.

A Britta water filter.  Brand isn't important any filtered water will help because better water makes better coffee.

A decent coffee grinder.  Mine is an Armin Trosser I picked up at an antique store for 15-20$.  Fresh ground makes a huge difference.  You need something that can give you a consistent grind.  I know many a coffee nut that says if you are going to spend 550$ on coffee equipment spend 500$ on a mazzer mini grinder and 50$ on a nice french press set. 


A good french press. There are many good ones out there.  My press of choice is a Planetary Design desk press. http://www.planetarydesign.us Double wall vacuum insulated steel and it's unbreakable and dishwasher safe.  I have had coffee hot two hours after I have brewed on those occasions where work interrupted my coffee drinking.  It is also easy to clean which is important because clean equipment makes for much better coffee. 

A hot pot to heat the water.  I have a nice one at home and a 12$ cheapie at my desk.

Water Filter      20$
Grinder            15$
French Press    30$
Hot pot            15$
Total                80$

You can spend more if you like frills or less if you look around. 

Now you can get a drip maker for 30-50$ but the coffee is going to be thin and bitter in comparison.  For the extra dollars you are going to get consistently superior coffee.  For me the routine is pleasurable.  I get a fantastic pot of coffee in about eight minutes.  Four minutes for the water to come to a boil and four minutes to steep. 

This may seem like a lot but it only takes up about 2 square feet of space in my cube.  Not significantly more than a drip pot.  If you can't have a setup like this in your cube it is also easy to store in a cupboard in a break room. 

I did forget the most important item.  The coffee.  If you are happy with Folgers or some other cheap bulk coffee then this whole post was a waste for you.  This will make your whole bean grocery store coffee taste significantly better.  Although for not much more you can get significantly better coffee.

Here in Madison Wi we are fortunate to have several outstanding artisanl roasters.  My favorite is EVP http://www.evpcoffee.com/ who use a Sivetz Fluid Bed air roaster.  This makes for a very consistent roast.  I have not purchased online but I drink their coffee every day but their brick and mortar shop is very professional. 

Another outstanding roaster not from Wi is Uncle Beanz http://www.unclebeanz.com/merchant2/.  They are based out New Jersey and have some fantastic rare and exotic coffees you won't find elsewhere.  They have fair prices and outstanding customer service.

It is really a simple set up and the coffee is the best you are going to get without serious material investment.  It really does bring some joy to my morning routine.  You also get a lot of appreciation from co workers when you offer them a cup. 
Cheers