French Coffee

[idahorn 26]

The late Mrs. Idahorn and I spent several weeks in France in the early '70's (I was in the Army and stationed in Germany). I loved the coffee-wherever we got it.  It all tasted pretty much the same, but it was fabulous; particularly with croissants, butter and apricot preserves for breakfast.

Please note the topic is not "French Roast Coffee".  I have tried every brand of French Roast I could find (Starbucks, Major Peet's, and Seattle's Best, et al.), and none even reminded me of the real thing.  I've used a French Press for 20+ years so the technique is not the problem. 

I am wondering if anyone on here, having been to France and enjoyed the coffee, has ever run across some brand that is close to  the real thing, or some way to access the real thing.

Edited November 14, 2019 by idahorn

[idahorn 26]

Just ordered some Cafe Noir beans from France-via Amazon.  They come recommended by folks who claim to have been to France. Will pass on the taste test.

[idahorn 26]

At least two restaurant where we had supper served coffee from a French press, one in Beaune and the other in Orleans.  I don't recall if that was the case in hotels or other restaurants.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

Almost definitely espresso from 90% of the places you'd go, though french presses are there for smaller cafes. I prefer them, personally, but the espresso machine route is fine, too.

At any rate, high quality beans, fresh grounded, is the most important part, as is using the hottest possible water. If it's not boiling when you put it in, you didn't let it heat up enough. Find a good local roaster, and use boiling water, and everything else usually falls into place.

[HenryJames 66190]

Coffee in France is pretty bad in my experience.

[futureman 22557]

OP, folgers has a decent french roast at a good price point. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

55 minutes ago, futureman said:

OP, folgers has a decent french roast at a good price point. 

[AustinMT 952]

59 minutes ago, futureman said:

OP, folgers has a decent french roast at a good price point. 

"If it's Folger's, it has to be good"

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by AustinMT

[AustinMT 952]

2 hours ago, idahorn said:

The late Mrs. Idahorn and I spent several weeks in France in the early '70's (I was in the Army and stationed in Germany). I loved the coffee-wherever we got it.  It all tasted pretty much the same, but it was fabulous; particularly with croissants, butter and apricot preserves for breakfast.

Please note the topic is not "French Roast Coffee".  I have tried every brand of French Roast I could find (Starbucks, Major Peet's, and Seattle's Best, et al.), and none even reminded me of the real thing.  I've used a French Press for 20+ years so the technique is not the problem. 

I am wondering if anyone on here, having been to France and enjoyed the coffee, has ever run across some brand that is close to  the real thing, or some way to access the real thing.

My wife and I were there in April, and she noted the same thing. The coffee we had was uniformly very good, even compared to the relatively high end brewer and burr grinder we use at home.  Maybe it's just because we were in France, but it really did seem very good.

[Underdog 28804]

1 hour ago, futureman said:

OP, folgers has a decent french roast at a good price point. 

And good to the last drop. 

[52-80 19271]

3 hours ago, HenryJames said:

Coffee in France is pretty bad in my experience.

Yep.  They're known for this and even the locals will admit it. 

[Horn Draoi 256]

Not my experience, at all!  Generally excellent coffee in France, from small towns to Paris.  Classic French breakfast for the workers seems to be a croissant with plenty of butter, a cup of coffee, a shot of brandy/liqueur, and a cigarette.  England, OTOH......... (13 trips to France in the last 22 years, and a coffee junkie!)

[Player 4576]

OP, folgers has a decent french roast at a good price point. 

[idahorn 26]

The French coffee, ordered from Amazon, was Carte Noir:  nothing special and not what my taste buds recall from France.

[TxTower 652]

Coffee in France is what got me hooked. For now I make mine w Peet’s FR beans in a burr grinder and a Chemex. Pretty good but not the same. I’m fairly sure it’s not just the coffee and the grind but mostly the method. If someone ever solves the mystery, I’m all all in.

[Eggo 3995]

If you're describing a coffee by X big brand, you're probably not getting fresh beans. All in all, coffee beans start to go stale after about a week from roasting and exposure to oxygen. The best thing you can do is find a local roaster to buy from or, even better, roast them yourself. I roast about a pound of coffee each week and use an espresso machine to make either Americanos, lattes, or just straight espresso. If I need to make more for guests, I use a pour over.  I can't buy coffee from a grocery store anymore because it's not even close. 

Historically, French coffee is some of the worst, second probably only to British. At some point, you'll have to decide whether the coffee was good or if it was the ambiance.

[Guest Lobo]

what part of France do they grow the coffee beans?  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

12 minutes ago, Lobo said:

what part of France do they grow the coffee beans?  

The Roast region ?

[Brandywine 1317]

On 11/14/2019 at 2:26 PM, HenryJames said:

Coffee in France is pretty bad in my experience.

I’ve been to France a couple of times and truthfully I don’t remember the coffee. Maybe the OP has more of a memory of being there than just the coffee. My last trip a couple of years ago was in South France and it was one of the best trips my wife and I ever took. The light, the countryside, the food. It was wonderful. I’m going back next year and I’ll definitely focus on the coffee.

[Braff Zacklin 13666]

2 hours ago, Eggo said:

Historically, French coffee is some of the worst, second probably only to British. At some point, you'll have to decide whether the coffee was good or if it was the ambiance.

The "croissants, butter, and apricot preserves" probably contributed a great deal to the experience, as well as the moments with his wife.

On that note, condolences on your loss, @idahorn.

[jimmyjazz 46269]

I don't really recall mind-blowing coffee experiences in France, either.  Best I've had was an Americano in Barcelona, Spain.  I don't know if Spanish coffee is a thing or if that was just that particular coffee shop, but I'll never forget it.

I'm interested in trying the home-roasted angle.  Is a roaster necessary, or is the "whirly-pop" technique viable?

[Eggo 3995]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't really recall mind-blowing coffee experiences in France, either.  Best I've had was an Americano in Barcelona, Spain.  I don't know if Spanish coffee is a thing or if that was just that particular coffee shop, but I'll never forget it.

I'm interested in trying the home-roasted angle.  Is a roaster necessary, or is the "whirly-pop" technique viable?

I use the air popper because it's stupid easy and cheap. The popper will burn out eventually from non-standard usage, but there's a lot of ROI to justify replacement. You'll want to make sure it's one of the air popper that swirls the air (read: side vents) rather than pushes it straight up from the bottom or you'll lose a lot of beans. I get the vast majority of my beans and information from Sweet Maria's. 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/

[BabaYaga 15331]

I drink FREEDOM coffee you summbeeches!