Help with a Christmas gift -- coffee?

[Chocolatl]

We exchange wish lists for the holidays, and today we got an e-mail from my father-in-law saying he'd like coffee for Christmas.

I think coffee is vile, bitter, nasty stuff, and I know nothing about it.

SO. I am appealing to the collective wisdom of the Cellar for help.

KitsuDad writes:

I've tried the following and wasn't thrilled.
Peets house blend - ok but not great
Gevalia traditional roast - tastes burnt
Dunkin donuts original blend - not a good taste

I'd really like to try something else. I'm not comfortable with Starbucks. It's just tooooo expensive. So my wish is to have a number of coffees that I can try that are just normal original type blends, that are whole bean, so I can grind them at home (as that seems the best way to make coffee that tastes good?), and, that are not expensive (because if I like it, I don't want to "drain the bank" when I order more). I'm looking for something that isn't bitter, but smooth and flavorful.

I'm baffled by the qualification that Starbucks coffee is too expensive -- it's like, $10/lb? So he has single handedly wiped out any cool artisan coffees I probably would've found.

Halp?

[Gravdigr]

One word:

Kopi luwak

Make like a pusher, give him the first pound, then, after he's hooked, let him find out how much it costs.

Momdigr drinks Eight O'Clock Coffee almost exclusively, so it must be cheap.

[xoxoxoBruce]

When I was a lad, Mom would grind her own Eight O'clock coffee at the A&P store. Grab a bag of beans, dump them in the grinder, put the bag under the chute and push the button.
I wonder when they did away with that, probably about the same time they did away with the see though your feet machines.

Sorry Choco, I'm no help... I don't drink the shit either. It's just a crutch for people that don't do crank.

[lumberjim]

What he really wants is a keurig machine

[Pete Zicato]

The last time I paid attention, the local Jewel still carried whole bean coffee and had a grinder in the coffee aisle. I don't remember the brand. But not 8 o'clock. Though I remember 8 o'clock from way back when we had A&P in St. Louis.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

What he really wants is a keurig machine

Dey gots soup in K-cups now.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

...about the same time they did away with the see though your feet machines.

What'sthatnow?

[Chocolatl]

Originally Posted by lumberjim

What he really wants is a keurig machine

That's what I suggested initially, but he feels the machine is very costly. Cup for cup, regular coffee is way cheaper than K-cups, so I understand his reluctance.

I'm just super stumped. I understand getting someone gourmet coffee as a gift, just as you might get someone gourmet chocolates. But this is like... you just want me to get you a pound of coffee from the grocery store?

[Lola Bunny]

Choco: If your father-in-law thinks Starbucks is expensive, then you're pretty much limited to the brands that a grocery store would carry. Any really good coffee would cost more than that. Okay, so I drink Ruta Maya medium roast. I'm cheap for someone who likes good coffee. I get mine at Costco for $15 for a 2.2 lbs. bag. I found it at HEB for $18. If you want to give it a try, don't get dark roast, get MEDIUM ROAST. Sorry, haven't tried any of brands grocery store carries. Someone just gave me a bag of Starbucks, which I haven't tried so I don't even know if it tastes good. I read an article that says 8 o'clock is good. Maybe it might acceptable.

[Lola Bunny]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

about the same time they did away with the see though your feet machines.

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

What'sthatnow?

Uh...yeah. What are you talking about?

[Lola Bunny]

Originally Posted by Pete Zicato

The last time I paid attention, the local Jewel still carried whole bean coffee and had a grinder in the coffee aisle. I don't remember the brand. But not 8 o'clock. Though I remember 8 o'clock from way back when we had A&P in St. Louis.

I still see coffee grinders on the coffee aisle at the grocery stores here too.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Lola Bunny

Uh...yeah. What are you talking about?

Back in the day shoe stores would have x-ray machines that customers could use to view their feet. This was before people realized that too much radiation is a bad thing.

You know how we old people can reminisce about all of the cool stuff we could do in the old days without harm like ride bikes without helmets, eat stuff cooked in lard,....etc. Well it turns out some of that stuff actually can kill ya.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe-fitting_fluoroscope

X-ray fluoroscope machines installed in shoe stores from the 1920s until about the 1970s

1970's. Who the **** would let this go on into the 1970's. Let me guess - Texas.


Back on track: I agree that a K-cupper would be a better choice than some bags of gourmet coffee.

[DanaC]

I was looking at that site a little while ago, but the prices for subsequent orders seem higher than KitsuDad is wanting to pay (given the Starbucks comment).

[Nirvana]

Seattle's Best number 4 Organic Fair Trade

[Gravdigr]

Thanks for the explanation Mr. Levy.