Bean There, Done That

A lovely coffee tasting at Lamill

Here's my latest roundup for Variety Weekend on coffee. I found out that most of these roasters could make me an amazing cup of coffee, but making my own was a bit more challenging. There's life beyond Starbucks, and although Peet's can be good, if you really like coffee it's worthwhile checking out companies like Lamill, Ristretto, Monkey and Son and Graffeo for really top-tier stuff.

Here's a few tips on making drip coffee at home from the coffee experts I interviewed:

• Buy a week's worth of beans at a time. Some say to freeze the rest if has to be stored longer, others argue that's best just to keep them in an airtight container.
• Never use a small blade grinder, which beats up thebeans. Get a burr grinder like a Kitchenaid or a SolisMaestro Plus, both under $200.
• Grind only what you're going to use for one pot.
• Use water filtered with a small home carbon water filter, if possible. Bottled water doesn't have enough minerals; tap water has too many.
• For good home-brewed regular coffee, use a French press pot, an electric drip coffeemaker, or a manual drip like a Chemex. If you want to make really great espresso or cappucino, you'll need a machine that approaches commercial quality -- which can get expensive!
• Experiment with different grinds. The slower the coffee takes to brew, the coarser the grind.
• Use about two tablespoons of coffee per 6 oz. of water.