Can I Use Cafe Bustelo in My Mr. Coffee for Espresso?

[Adeimantus]

OK, I'm a coffee noob so try not to laugh too hard. If I put this

Cafe Bustelo

in my little 4-cup Mr. Coffee, will it come out tasting awful? I'm not sure if 'espresso' refers to the blend or how finely the coffee is ground. Also, what do youse guys use for a coffee travel mug? I tried a stainless steel one, but my coffee tasted like metal :yuck:. Yes, I washed it very thoroughly before using it.

 

[Cyrus]

Why would a metal mug make your drink taste like metal? ....sorry I don't think so.

 

[Adeimantus]

Why would a metal mug make your drink taste like metal? ....sorry I don't think so.

I'm not sure. Maybe it was the djinns. Whatever the case, I'm not drinking it.

 

[nottheone]

Espresso is a combination of things. The grind, which is usually fine, is really dependent on the coffee machine. The way most espresso machines work, they use a fine grind. They work with pressurized water although there are some that work like a percolator which don't like a fine grind, the fine grind is pretty much exclusively for a pressurized system. Mr. Coffee would probably not like a fine grind, the drip would take forever and probably clog the filter. The second thing is the roast. Espresso is always an extremely dark roast.

Espresso was invented for a quick cup of coffee. Made in a small, concentrated quantity that can be made quick and drunk quick. Hence the name.

I have pretty sensitive taste but I never noticed stainless steel to have a taste. Was that thing made in China? I would toss it if so. I don't recommend anything made in China to be used for food purposes, especially microwaved things, definitely not any of their ceramics. Always buy ceramic food stuff from north american manufacturers or western european countries unless you have an MDR for lead. Chinese stainless steel usually rusts too. The only thing Chinese products are good for is to fill up our landfills.

PS If you want a coarse grind espresso just buy any Starbucks coffee, guaranteed to be overroasted to perfection for the non-descriminating taste. They should change their name to Kingsford, they probably produce more charcoal.

 

[Adeimantus]

Espresso is a combination of things. The grind, which is usually fine, is really dependent on the machine. The way most espresso machines work, they use a fine grind. They work with pressurized water although there are some that work like a percolator which don't like a fine grind, the fine grind is pretty much exclusively for a pressurized system. Mr. Coffee would probably not like a fine grind, the drip would take forever and probably clog the filter. The second thing is the roast. Espresso is always an extremely dark roast.

Espresso was invented for a quick cup of coffee. Made in a small, concentrated quantity that can be made quick and drunk quick. Hence the name.

thanks for the info!

I have pretty sensitive taste but I never noticed stainless steel to have a taste. Was that thing made in China? I would toss it if so. I don't recommend anything made in China to be used for food purposes, especially microwaved things, definitely not any of their ceramics. Always buy ceramic food stuff from north american manufacturers or western european countries unless you have an MDR for lead. Chinese stainless steel usually rusts too. The only thing Chinese products are good for is to fill up our landfills.

Could you recommend a brand name? Yes, my low-end SS mug was made in China, so obviously Chinese djinns were the culprit. Or lead

 

[nottheone]

It will be hard to find a steel one not made in China. You might be better off with a ceramic one but you will have to look carefully to see that it shows where it's made. A lot of stuff from China isn't marked made in China (wisely so). Look for a ceramic mug that fits your cup holder and is clearly marked made in the US, Italy or Germany. If you can find a stainless one it needs to be insulated or it will get cold quick. An insulated stainless one will probably keep it warmer longer than ceramic. I wouldn't worry about lead with stainless, just crappy stainless alloy that rusts and therefore will leach into food, that's why there are alloys of stainless specifically rated for food applications.

 

[physics girl phd]

I've always favored glass mugs myself (for tea in particular). I'm still upset that I gave away my favorite glass mug before my last move. I'm going to have to go get myself a nice one and have it be "hands-off" for the kids (my husband tends to serve the morning juice or milk to them in the only glass mugs we have (which are some logo-mugs he didn't get rid of... probably because they were the only mugs he had before we got married). The past two days I've been forced to take my tea from our Pyrex measuring cups!

I think the glass cleans better. I've noticed that he's managed to get virtually indestructible coffee deposits from our expresso-maker on both our ceramic and stainless cups. Of course he's also obsessive about butting any dishes I use in the dishwasher (often just seconds after I used them), while his dishes don't ever find their way there! But I felt glass cleaned better even before we moved in together.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

nottheone is right. there is a particular sort of bean and roast used for esspresso. these are chosen specifically to make it strong yet smooth and retain as much of the oils as possible through the roasting process. its ground fine to optimize the oil and flavour extraction by the flash steam/boiling process used in an esspresso machine. if you put the fine grinds in a regular coffee machine it will clog the filter. you can, however, grind it more coursely but it will not be like esspresso and may even turn out weaker than a regular dark roast. also you can finely grind dark roast and run it through an esspresso machine but it may turn out watery and weak depending on the bean. normally a dark roast looses more oils (and caffeine) in the roasting process. it also won't have the smoother taste of an esspresso bean and may turn out rather bitter.

if you're looking for an extra kick in your homemade coffee there are a number of companies that make a mild/dark blend that is infused with extra caffeine.