Yeah, I've never had any interest in arcade games, but have fun. I'm not a gamer at all.

This meeting is turning into a real dud; Jeanette does not if she should go off on her own to play a video game or stick around and find out what others may be interested in. At least two people, Jeanette and Russ, have found something they are interested in: coffee.

Jeanette Isabelle

Coffeeee...

Good coffee too, not that stuff you find preground in a 2# can at the supermarket. Arabica beans, medium or dark roast, still in the bean so you grind it just before brewing. The latest container of beans I've opened are a medium roast 100% Kona; normally I brew up 100% Colombian medium roast, but I saw the Kona on the shelf and went for it. Kona is spendy though, I'll go back to Colombian Supremo when the Kona is gone.

I'm not even close to over-the-top on coffee, but I prefer good coffee to flat. I brew it manually with a small pot. I bring the water almost to a boil and pour it over the ground beans into a separate pot (Melitta pot & filter combo). From reading on various sites, the water hitting the coffee should be between 195 and 205 degrees F. Below 195 the coffee will be weak, above 205 the coffee will become more acidic.

The reason I don't use an automatic drip machine is that the water goes into the middle and those grounds get used up, while the grounds on the fringe get used less. With the manual system, I can pour the water such that all the grounds are used evenly. I can also control temperature better.

Dad made coffee with an old percolator. Essentially boiling the coffee over and over, strong but I have no idea how acidic. I couldn't drink it. It would be interesting to compare pH of coffee made with a percolator and coffee made as described above.

Mmmm, it's almost time....

"Funny you now mentioned the coffee." Jeanette says. "I was just thinking about the coffee."

Note: My previous post contained only narrative, no dialog.

Jeanette Isabelle

[casually uses foot to push totes full of assorted headlamps, flashlights, key chain lights, etc into hiding]

Nope, no one here with a flashlight problem

[whistles innocently]

I like a good cup of coffee but it has to be freshly brewed. In the past I'd make a large pot and have a cup and when I "freshened" the cup with more coffee, it wasn't as good, the flavor was "off". Now I brew just enough coffee for one (large) cup (a Venti mug I bought at St@r8uck5 (no affiliation other than as an occasional customer)).

My wife and I are beginning to get a bit more fussy about our tea and coffee and we often see directions that require temperatures just below boiling for both beverages. How do you control for the right temperature? stir with an armored thermometer??

This may be slightly off-topic....

Boil in a non-pressurized pot and the temp won't go over 212F. Pouring the water should bring the temp down to 205'ish.

I use a thermometer and bring the temp up to 200F -- halfway between 195 and 205. It works for me.

I have this ultimate solution for like 7 years already. The hot preboiled water is available 24/7 at the exact temp you need (we drink mostly tea) with almost zero effort.

"When I lived in Duncanville, a suburb of Dallas, I would get a cup of decaf at Race Track. It must be an embarrassment to local places that serve coffee that a gas station has the best decaffeinated coffee in town."

Jeanette Isabelle