www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Great info Whosear, I ususally buy it grounded and then put it in a 2lb plastic coffee can, and the refrigate. But i will try it in beans and ground myself and put the rest in the frezzer.

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"Some people hear voices.. Some see invisible people.. Others have no imagination whatsoever."

Since coffee is mainly water, use a good pure water (not usually tap) for the best results.

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It's not the size of the wand that put the rabbit in the hat, it's the magic in it!!!

For coffee lovers, here is a very good site for all sorts of coffee related information...not C.R. related but general coffee info. I've ordered all my expresso machines from them and it's a very resourceful website:

www.wholelattelove.com

Kudos to Brother BT on sharing this great site. In the market for a machine? Check out their refurbished section. Plus you're buying from a Led Zeppelin fan--not a bad thing.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

I have a Gaggia Titanium and it is amazing. Worth every penny of the $1300.00. I ended up plumbing it in to my R/O water and put in a float valve so it auto fills, Just add beans and press a button.

I myself have used the Rancilio Silvia for the past 8 or so years. I just got a new Silvia about 2 months ago and it kicks ass. For the price ($500 - $600) it's best in its class. I actually ordered a $1400 Expobar just to try something different and turned out to be a piece of Crap so I returned it. Have also owned Gaggia's in the past but so far, based on my experience and considering the reasonable price the Silvia is the Best machine out there for "personal" use.

Coffee Britt has done very well marketing its products. They are very successful. I still prefer other brands.

Just scored another Gaggia Titanium on Ebay for under $400 now I have one for the house too.

I agree cafe Britt is overpriced, perty colored bags and all.
I will buy some but I do more often ask the locals at the auto mercado or wherever what they would recommend, it is not usually Britt.

Cafe Leyenda is a very good coffee as well. It is processed by Grupo Britt, does not have all the hype and is usually less expensive; sometimes much less expensive if on sale.

Brother DiegoC confirmed what I'd suspected: That Britt had a lesser or "private label" brand. After all that's customary among makers/ vendors of most things in the US; why not here? Those Grupo Britt folks are savvy businessmen, from all appearances.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Any suggestions for good quality coffee makers for less than $100?

My old one died recently, and I'm now using a stove-top percolator which really isn't that good since boiling water isn't best for making coffee.

That kind of makes me curious how good coffee was made in the days before electric coffee machines.

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"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB

Kickstand, I just bought the Michael Graves Hamilton Beach coffeemaker. Consumer Reports rated it its best buy, and I read reviews on other coffee sites. As far as I know, you can only buy it from Target or target.com. It runs about $45.00. After I read the first article last spring, I tried to find one, but Target was sold out. They are now available.

It is very simple to use, push a button to brew, and has a very viewable clock. People remark about these two things. I bought one as a wedding present for my younger sister, and I gave out info to people all day long. In North Carolina.

The coffee, "Bible" that a friend gave to me said that freezing ground tended to dry it out and degrade the oils. My experience seemed to match this advice.

But I froze ground for a couple of weeks and didn't notice much change in flavor, so I may do it from time to time.

It used to be gospel among coffee shop owners and people in the business that freezing beans were bad. But this seems to have changed.

Personally, whatever type of coffee you like best in the way it is made to suit your tastes in fine. There really is no qualitative difference in the better beans, it's a matter of what you like.

I know what I don't like: coffee that is burnt, that is, sitting in coffeemaker until it is burnt by the heat; a little new coffee added to grounds to make a new pot, and old coffee, both brewed and bean or ground.

Thanks Whosear. I'm going to check out that coffee maker.



Simple to use: that's how I like my coffee makers and my chicas

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"All them women gonna make me,
teach 'em what they don't know how..." TMIB