My brother stayed with me a few weeks ago and was shocked to learn that I didn’t own a coffee maker. “I am shocked to the core!” he said or didn’t say depending on whether or not you think I’m Frasier and my brother is Niles Crane.
I remedied this a few days ago when I purchased a Cuisinard coffee maker from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Of all the Cuisinards, this was the least expensive—it doesn’t grind the beans—but it’s nice enough to deter me from my habit of spending millions of dollars at coffee shops just for the privilege at staring at other people drinking coffee and reading newspapers and wondering why they don’t buy their own damn coffee makers.
After purchasing my coffee maker, I made a beeline straight for Dunkin’ Donuts which sells the world’s best coffee. I purchased a bag of French Vanilla, made my way home, unpacked the coffee maker, followed the instructions, plugged it in, cleaned the coffee pot, cleaned the filter basket, placed a filter in and went to open my bag of coffee. Only I noticed that I’d purchased Whole Beans, not already ground, and I made my way down the elevator, back to 7th avenue, where I returned this bag of the world’s best coffe: bean version for the world’s best coffee: grinded up like we like it. (Perhaps I will one day buy a coffee grinder!)
Along with my coffee, though, I’d need some pastry—and what better a pastry to make for a new coffee maker then a coffee cake? Do I really need to tell you where I got the recipe? I know you know. You know you know. Must we really? All together now: BAREFOOT CONTESSA. (Yes, yes, I’m so predictable—but you still like me, don’t you?)
So here they are, the happy coffee couple: coffee maker and coffee cake.
Don’t you just love a new appliance? I know Samantha does on “Sex and the City” and so do I. Welcome home, coffee maker… you’re part of the family, now. Don’t let us down or we’ll throw you in the river with your sister, Sissy the underaccomplished teapot. WE TOLD YOU, SISSY, BE SHORTER! BE STOUTER! YOU DIDN’T LISTEN!
When you do get your coffee grinder, buy two: one for spices and one for the joe!
I have a Krups; it was like $20 and it came in second in Cook’s Illustrated’s testing. First was a Capresso, a brand I’ve never seen anyplace.
I’m glad to see Dunkin Donuts vanilla coffee get the recognition that it deserves! It is by far my favorite coffee :)
Oh, AG, I love your blog and I am a lurker at heart. But I have to come out of the lurk to say something about DD coffee. I too, used to love it. But not any more. It’s sour. I don’t like sour coffee. You’re in NY, you love food. Have you tried a local roaster? You should host a blind coffee tasting, as I once did with 40 oz beers. One of the funnest parties I ever had. Explore other coffees! BTW, Miller High Life came in first place. My typical coffee love now is actually a whole foods blend called Bull City blend.
local roasters: have you tried Oren’s Daily Roast? wonderful coffee, extremely fresh! i purchase all of my beans there. i love their beowulf blend for espresso, and really enjoy their sumatra for regular drip coffee. but i’m a dark-roast kinda gal. try the NYC Blend!
and speaking of beans, any coffee will taste infinitely fresher and fuller and more…like itself (for lack of a better description) if you grind it yourself, right before using it. i used to drink DD Vanilla, and even that benefitted greatly from being freshly ground (even though it isn’t freshly roasted). so invest in a grinder; they’re inexpensive, and add to the “coffee ritual”! :)
grinders: i’ve got the capresso that the first commenter alluded to; i think it was $29.99 at Macy’s or BBB or one of those places. it’s wonderful…but i use it only for spices. i take my coffee way too seriously, so i have a hardcore industrial looking burr-grinder, the Rancilio Rocky, which I highly recommend for anyone looking to
when did i become such a coffee geek? :)
What’s funnier than spelling it Cuisinard instead of Cuisinart is that if you search for Cuisinard on Google, your site is the first hit!
CuisinarT CuisinarT cuisinarT! It’s right there on the coffee maker! AS in the are ART of food! When was the last time you went to an “ard” museum Honey? Sorry…I couldn’t let the rage fester any longer….It was eating me. Like I want to eat that tasty looking coffee cake. Hmmm, maybe I’ll make some….
CuisinarT is a right coffeecake maker.i like ur blog.it’s really fantastic.Like I want to eat that tasty looking coffee cake.
Gourmet Coffee
Cool!coffee pot
I have found your site very interesting. Please give the updates.
Cheers,
James
—————————-
http://www.coffeebreakusa.com/