Coffee, Tea, or…..
June 14, 2007 11:08 PM Subscribe
[Glorious-Caffeine-filter]: Help me in my search for the elusive gourmet coffee single…
Several years ago, around 1999-2000, I used to purchase boxes of gourmet coffee singles. They were fantastic for me, a student, who didn’t have time to wait for a pot of coffee to brew, and needed to rush out the door. I purchased them at Pavilions in Southern California, if that makes a difference. They were available in French Roast (Dark) and Vanilla.
They were identical to tea bags (with the exception of containing ground coffee that seemed to brew well when submerged in boiling water), complete with string and stapled paper tag on the end. I believe the front of the box displayed a painting by Renoir (perhaps this one?). Aside from that, the box was dark and made out of waxy cardboard.
Since that period in time, I have not come across them. No amount of googling or store-shelf searching has lead to our joyous reunion. WHERE DID THEY GO?! They were such a brilliant idea! Such flavor! Such convenience! So perfect!
For the sake of clarification, I assure you they were not:
• Granulated, instant coffee crystals
• Senseo, or “coffee pods” of any sort
• Folgers, Maxwell House, or Taster’s Choice (god forbid!)
• in cartridge form (they were in perfect little tea-bag form!)
• flavored powder coffee blends (i.e. Int’l Flavors)
What say you, wise sages of askme? Can you help this poor, under-caffeinated soul find her peace?
Several years ago, around 1999-2000, I used to purchase boxes of gourmet coffee singles. They were fantastic for me, a student, who didn’t have time to wait for a pot of coffee to brew, and needed to rush out the door. I purchased them at Pavilions in Southern California, if that makes a difference. They were available in French Roast (Dark) and Vanilla.
They were identical to tea bags (with the exception of containing ground coffee that seemed to brew well when submerged in boiling water), complete with string and stapled paper tag on the end. I believe the front of the box displayed a painting by Renoir (perhaps this one?). Aside from that, the box was dark and made out of waxy cardboard.
Since that period in time, I have not come across them. No amount of googling or store-shelf searching has lead to our joyous reunion. WHERE DID THEY GO?! They were such a brilliant idea! Such flavor! Such convenience! So perfect!
For the sake of clarification, I assure you they were not:
• Granulated, instant coffee crystals
• Senseo, or “coffee pods” of any sort
• Folgers, Maxwell House, or Taster’s Choice (god forbid!)
• in cartridge form (they were in perfect little tea-bag form!)
• flavored powder coffee blends (i.e. Int’l Flavors)
What say you, wise sages of askme? Can you help this poor, under-caffeinated soul find her peace?
OneCafe? (My magical search terms, in case you're interested: "tea bag" coffee.) Also the NYT elaborates on why a clip is necessary: "The key to the new bag, Mr. Serbu said, is a detachable frame on the cup that anchors the bag below the surface of the water. Normally, he said, gases released by the coffee would cause the bag to float up and release most of its flavor into the air."
posted by anaelith at 4:27 AM on June 15, 2007
posted by anaelith at 4:27 AM on June 15, 2007
What say you, wise sages of askme? Can you help this poor, under-caffeinated soul find her peace?
Well, I can suggest an alternative. I've heard good things about the Aeropress coffee press, and it seems like a good way to make yourself a single cup of REAL coffee in a jiffy.
posted by tastybrains at 5:36 AM on June 15, 2007
Well, I can suggest an alternative. I've heard good things about the Aeropress coffee press, and it seems like a good way to make yourself a single cup of REAL coffee in a jiffy.
posted by tastybrains at 5:36 AM on June 15, 2007
I've got an Areopress, and while it makes great coffee, I would not put it in the same category as what numinous is asking about. The Areopress is fairly fidly and reasonably time-consuming to do right (about the same as a french press, for example).
That said, have you thought of using reusable teabags? You can your own out of muslin, if you prefer. Pop in some fine-ground coffee and you'll probably have something very similar to what you're looking for.
posted by bonehead at 5:42 AM on June 15, 2007
That said, have you thought of using reusable teabags? You can your own out of muslin, if you prefer. Pop in some fine-ground coffee and you'll probably have something very similar to what you're looking for.
posted by bonehead at 5:42 AM on June 15, 2007
A true coffee snob would never pour boiling water onto ground coffee (in a bag or not). ;-) That would burn the coffee. Always heat the water almost to boiling for a better brew.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 10:36 AM on June 15, 2007
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 10:36 AM on June 15, 2007
Oh.. and here.
I've always known them as coffee bags. In Australia you can just buy them at the supermarket.
posted by t0astie at 1:05 AM on June 16, 2007
I've always known them as coffee bags. In Australia you can just buy them at the supermarket.
posted by t0astie at 1:05 AM on June 16, 2007
Response by poster: And an update: my brother recently brought back a few boxes of Robert Timm's Coffee Bags from his trip to New Zealand, and these are exactly what I was looking for! Thanks to t0astie's suggestion (and clarification that said coffee bags were purchased in Australia), I was able to request that my brother check for them while he was down in the Southern hemisphere and Lo! Success!
Thank you, t0astie, and to everyone who responded. Now that I've found a coffee bag that I like, I will be writing to the Robert Timm's company to see if I can order from them directly.
posted by numinous at 5:34 PM on January 14, 2008
Thank you, t0astie, and to everyone who responded. Now that I've found a coffee bag that I like, I will be writing to the Robert Timm's company to see if I can order from them directly.
posted by numinous at 5:34 PM on January 14, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
A web search for "safeway select cafe roast coffee singles" turned up only four results, all for a link to a forum discussing some coupons from last year - could it have been discontinued? I'd call Pavilions (which is really Safeway) to find out: 1-877-723-3929.
posted by mdonley at 12:04 AM on June 15, 2007