Coffee

A friend of mine got a job in Starbucks in the US once, and she said that iced coffee over there was just coffee poured over ice. Is that true? Here it involves ice cream and other stuff

Iced coffee everywhere else is a frappe: cream, crushed ice, sugar, coffee.

Ice cream in coffee is a milkshake, only if you BLEND it.

I drink at least one cup of coffee a day. But I'm not addicted to it, like I can go for like 3 months without coffee, and then take it up again like that. I do that all the time. I apparently have some sort of caffiene immunity in my blood from my mom drinking like 5 pots a day while she was pregnant with me.

(At this point, Sarah remembers she does not even have a kettle)...

That explains alot.

I like coffee because it's the water of flavored beverages. A judicious amount of cream & sugar, and it's like drinking sweet warmth (which, right now, is fantastic).

Caffeine & me had a nasty break-up about 2 or 3 years ago. We still hook up every so often, but it's always a quickie, and nothing too serious. We have an understanding. Back in college, though, I was all about COKE - I constructed a tower wall of cans from the cases (cases!) of soda I downed on a daily basis. Now, my stomach winces every time I think of eating ... well, anything. But the drug used to LOVE me, oh yeah.

Naturally, I got hooked on the sauce (my form: white chocolate mocha) for a while, but I quit right around the WTC tragedy. There was no need to make myself more tense, when I was already too tense.

I do think the smell of coffee is far, far better than the taste, though.

Lived ontop of a coffee shop for awhile and the smell in the morning of four pots brewing at once was amazing.

I feel like a douche ordering breves and even more of a couche since no one here knows what they are or how to make them. But they are so yum that I don't mind my true doucheness shining through.

hoochie coochie

fat

oh wow this is the 3rd thread this week where i've written what i wrote 6 years ago and been shocked! now i LOVE turkish coffee and real coffee without lots of syrups and crap in it!

i like this essay. bring on the 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine.

that is good. she never quite says it, but i like the idea of coffee as being partially responsible for the enlightenment.

It is difficult, at best, to get a good cup of coffee in San Francisco. Why this is, I have no idea.

Hypercoffee

So far, the Clover is still something of a cult object, with just over 200 machines scattered around the world. But it might soon become a common sight: Starbucks has just bought two.

Designed by three Stanford graduates, it lets the user program every feature of the brewing process, including temperature, water dose and extraction time. (It even has an Ethernet connection that can feed a complete record of its configurations to a Web database.) Not only is each cup brewed to order, but the way each cup is brewed can be tailored to a particular bean — light or dark roast, acidic or sweet, and so on.

The Clover works something like an inverted French press: coffee grounds go into a brew chamber, hot water shoots in and a powerful piston slowly lifts and plunges a filter, forcing the coffee out through a nozzle in the front. The final step, when a cake of spent grounds rises majestically to the top, is so titillating to coffee fanatics that one of them posted a clip of it on YouTube.

“There is some gee-whizness to it,” said Doug Zell, a founder of Intelligentsia. “But hopefully the focus goes back to the cup of coffee.”

In the grand tradition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_room_coffee_pot";>Trojan Room coffee pot</a>.

In the meantime, coffee? Yes please!

this shit is not good for you

but it's the future! of shit that's not good for you

(It even has an Ethernet connection that can feed a complete record of its configurations to a Web database.)

Oh ffs.

this shit is not good for you

They can take my coffee away...when they pry my cold dead fingers off the cup.

Hahaha the last sentence on the first para made me think somehow the last automatic step the machine did was upload a video of itself to Youtube.

http://www.discostyle.com/discochart/191-200/192b.jpg

http://www.discostyle.com/discochart/191-200/192.jpg

^^^^^^great album

Oh, man, I would pay nearly anything for a coffeemaker that was constantly uploading pictures of itself to its MySpace page and stuff

"got wasteed with the toaster last nite, LOL, i was still makin irish coffee in the morning . man im so bord now, why is the water hear so HARD"

BREWMACHINE'S BLOG

MADE COFFEE

Category: Dining
Current mood: Silly

I made the coffee. I made it. I shot the water into it. Now it is coffee. This was 121º F. It is coffee now. I made the coffee. See my Flicker account.

<link to video>

How do I shot water

Okay, I'm DESPERATE. I want a proper cappuccino/caffe latte maker. So I need a cappuccino machine, right? Anyone have any ideas on which one to get? I don't want one which uses Nespresso (fuck that). Pads are alright but a bonus, not the main thing.

*sigh*

Yes, I crossposted this shit. And YES I know I said that it's bad for my migraine. but fuck it, I'm craving for lattes. BIG TIME.

It really depends how high your standards are. Do you want really good quality espresso or is it more just that you want your caffiene with some frothy milk.

If the former is really important to you, you're going to have to lay out hundreds of dollars. The cheapest non-pod machines that meet espresso snob standards are the La Pavoni Europiccola and the Rancilio Silvia, and they both run in the $500-700 range. And the Pavoni is STILL not easy to froth milk with, although you can learn to do it (don't know how the Silvia is).

The Nespresso machines are actually considered very good and much cheaper so you might want to re-think it - although otoh the coffee pods are much more expensive than buying your own coffee so it's kind of like the printer/ink thing in the long run. You'll get a more consistent result (and less work and mess) without having to grind and tamp yourself. I'd re-consider it unless you have some kind of ethical problem with the Nestle corporation.

Espresso drinks are not easy to do right, but they are a wonderful thing. This site is a pretty good comprehensive guide:

http://coffeegeek.com/

I have an 8-cup Pavoni. I can't quite get a pro-style cappuccino out of it, let alone three or four, and I've been told that it's because the little thing just doesn't produce the amount of steam you need. The drinks I make are just as tasty and satisfying though, just not as impressive-looking.

Those machines you see in Grumpy or Joe or wherever often cost anywhere from $8000-$15000.

A waaaaaay cheaper option:
I really love my bialetti stovetop espresso maker. it is not up to fancy espresso machine standards, but it makes lovely lattes for me. and they now have a model (Brikka) that supposedly forms a real crema.
http://www.bialettishop.com/index.html

I really love my bialetti stovetop espresso maker
that's all ya need

Bah, those are American products righht? I live in shitty Belgium. Still, maybe I'll get that Nespresso machine. I noticed a very nice DeLonghi machine. Hmm....

http://www.vandenborre.be/WEB/images/products/300/252174_0.jpg

*drool*

I'm sure Italian espresso makers are available in Belgium.

Stovetop machines are a totally different animal. However, they do not froth milk so you can't make a cappucino or latte with one.

a *real* espresso machine forces the water through a very tightly packed coffee *cake* at very high pressure, and thus it extracts the oils differently. You can't get that effect with a stovetop machine, however you can still get coffee that's quite tasty in its own way.

oh, I think there are also separate milk frothing devices if you want to make a cap with a stovetop espresso machine. Might be a cheaper way to go, although I can't vouch for the effectiveness of those frothers.

i need to make another batch of cold brew.

How do I founding frothers?

maybe here:

http://www.wholelattelove.com

er, nevermind that. Here are a few, anyway:

http://www.espressozone.com/milk-frothers.html?gclid=CLS8qZiRi5ICFRIrHgodpnLd9Q

Has anybody used the stovetop machines with extra little valves? I think the idea is to increase the pressure of the steam enough to come closer to real espresso (though its still going to be a more bitter if the temperature is higher, no?). I gave up on the stovetop a few years in favor of a press, but might be interested if you can really get something closer to cheap home espresso without the foolishness of expensive home machines.

I'll probably get that Delonghi one which works with Nespresso. Can't be bothered with learning all the different things. It makes lattes. It makes cappuccinos. Fine with me. Alas it'll be in a couple of months, cause I don't want my mommy milk drinking baby to wake up at 5 am ready for a scream cause of all that caffeine I pumped into her stomach. (Not that she doesn't do that now, but it's not cause of caffeine...)

yeah, sounds like your best bet.

the stovetop frothers work pretty well and it is a good morning workout for the forearms

pavoni is the business

Yay aeropress!

Yay Aeropress as in you've used it and it's great? Because I'll buy one right now with a little encouragement.

hmm, maybe I'll get one of those. I kind of want a simple one-cup method of making a regular cup of coffee when I don't feel like an espresso-based drink

I love that it's made by the same company who makes Aerobie

the aeropress, which i have only just seen now for the first time, is one of those things in the world that makes me react in a way that to causes me to worry about whether the levels of cynical douchebag in my system have reached critical and what to do abt that

wait is aerobie a frisbee?

levels rising

wait what do you mean robyn?

yeah aerobie is a magical flying ring that flies really fucking far

they were popular when I was around middle school age. They're actually a lot less fun than frisbees because they go so far.

i always almost cut my palms on those things! on the off chance that i am throwing those things around

i like frisbee
i don't like the organized frisbee game
xpost

but wait what did you mean about the aeropress making you feel like a cynical douchebag?

i don't know why! it seems gimicky! and has a stupid name!

i'm sad that my own awesome frisbee disappeared. i guess i leant it to someone.
xpost to self - that organized frisbee game is called 'ultimate'. which i also don't know why i dislike so much.

fact: i almost bought a new stovetop espresso maker via internet today but then it was 6pm and i had to leave the office. maybe tomorrow.

I just ordered one of those aeropress things. I've been thinking about getting a stovetop espresso maker for at least a month, and this was cheaper and looked worth trying.

report back! i don't want to be a cynical douchebag! at least not abt coffee!

I broke my French press a couple of weeks ago. And came this close...

> <

... to buying another one. Another customer at the fancy kitchen store talked me into the aeropress. It's a dumb name but it makes fantastic espresso and coffee. I even bought a bag of decaf beans because it's so good that I wanted an afternoon cup, but I can't handle caffeine after lunch, keeps me up at night.

Doesn't this happen with tea as well? Staying up? I don't really notice the difference. God, I want a latte now. :-( But can't as I am breastfeeding....

so why doesn't the aeropress come with a free aerobie is what i want to know
i wld like this one in orange
http://www.aerobie.com/ProductInfo/WebImages/Main/SqDisc-Main-ForWeb250.jpg

French Press = most overrated coffee device ever. Even regular drip coffee tastes better to me if made right.

i agree
which is why i'm curious about how/why this aerobie coffee machine is better
aesthetically i like the stovetop stainless steel bialetti ones, and as i've said on this thread or another, i like the sound they make as they bubble up, it is the I AM COFFEE AND I AM HERE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW sound

I would think the fact that it uses a vacuum to force the water through the grinds probably results in a better extraction of oils from the coffee without the nastiness that results from grinds either sitting in water too long or having too much water go through them.

Also, disposable filters, easier cleaning.

I love my glow in the dark squidgee disk.

if it's good enough for italians, it's good enough for me (from wikipedia)

In Italy, caffe latte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop Moka and poured into a cup containing heated milk. (The Moka does not produce true espresso, but rather a double-strength coffee. Also, unlike the international latte drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)

all this coffee threads today..i've had 4 cups already!!

So the original latte is basically just a cafe au lait, where as the "international latte" is more like a weak-ass capuccino

i'm being sold on the 'vacuum' idea but

i wld like to know how this much equipment is easier to clean than a stainless steel stovetop thing made of 3 parts

http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/AeroPress/Aeropress1e.jpg

oh wait:
Clean up is quite easy, and maybe about as easy as you are likely to find in a coffee-making device. Lift the Chamber assembly off the cup and remove the Cap. Simply hold the assembly over a trash receptacle and press the plunger down as far as it will go. The Plunger's seal comes out the bottom of the Chamber and the puck is ejected from the chamber (as seen here) and is easily disposed of.

The high-quality polycarbonate material washes clean with little effort, and a quick wipe of all the parts with a soapy rag and a rinse in clean water is all that is needed.

and it's only $35! i'm kinda getting sold on it

Wiki only half right. The international latte is available in italian coffee bars as a Latte Macchiato, stained milk, normally served in a tall glass, with handle, although in much smaller quantities. Most starbucks style cappuccinos would qualify as oversized Latte Macchiatos in italy.

xpost

$27.50 at Willoughby's.7.50 at Willoughby's. I got my shipping confirmation this morning, can't wait.

i wouldn't want to use platic for cooking everyday, even if it is polycarbonate

deals like that do not apply to canadians :/ hidden costs form the core of the sadness of cdn online shopping experience
(i found an online cdn retailer tho!)

More than 100 studies have explored the bioactivity of bisphenol A leachates from polycarbonates. Bisphenol A appeared to be released from polycarbonate animal cages into water at room temperature and that it may have been responsible for enlargement of the reproductive organs of female mice.

An analysis of the literature on bisphenol A leachate low-dose effects by vom Saal and Hughes published in August 2005 seems to have found a suggestive correlation between the source of funding and the conclusion drawn. Industry funded studies tend to find no significant effects while government funded studies tend to find significant effects.

Uh oh. Good thing I'm past breeding age.

you guys are tearing me apart here
xpost

$25.98 at Zabar's

http://zabars.com/aerobie-aeropress-coffee-and-espresso-maker/B21L001,default,pd.html?cgid=Tea_Coffee_Makers

If you want to make good coffee, you have to be willing to do a little cleaning. Coffee leaves residues that get really nasty really fast.

we have a lavazza espresso point in my office that the director begrudgingly will let clients have a cup of, he's like IT IS ONLY FOR THE OFFICE!

only 2 of us drink coffee btw and i kind of prefer my cold toddy.

this
http://www.creativecookware.com/images/Bugatti%20diva%20red.jpg

is crazy lookin

There was another coffee thread recently where Remy was telling what cleaner other than dish soap to use on coffee implements. Can anyone link to that thread or remember the stuff?

it was this descalers
http://www.urnex.com/urn.htm

(xxxpost) you can tell it's an espresso machine because it's got a speedomemter...

There was another coffee thread recently where Remy was telling what cleaner other than dish soap to use on coffee implements. Can anyone link to that thread or remember the stuff?

there are so many coffee threads

^^^ ILX is like a tapestry made of coffee

and pizza

we used cafiza cleaner in our espresso machine.

there are also a lot of straight up CAFFEINE threads

Okay, I've used the aeropress for three days and it makes a good cup of coffee -- not ZOMG U R THE BEST COFFEE EVAR, but good. What they don't tell you is that it takes a lot of effort to press that plunger and get the water through the grounds and filter. It's not for people with, say, freakishly skinny forearms.

how do i get bigger forearms?

With AeroFlex

I only just now saw this thread... I've had an Aeropress for over a year now and like it a lot though you really want to make sure you're using good beans and a good grind. It won't magically make mediocre coffee good.

Starbucks Purchases Clover

I just noticed the machine has had a slight restyling and is 50 euros cheaper! Hurrah! And I can get decafs which is GREBT as I breastfeed. Hurrah! Won't be so grebt for my diet though as it'll add cals. But what the fuck, right? RITE? :-)

Came away a bit disappointed on a recent trip to Guatemala (hoping for amazing coffee). They know how to grow it, but (seemingly not) how to make it.

they sell all the good shit to foreigners. locals can't afford it

There was another coffee thread recently where Remy was telling what cleaner other than dish soap to use on coffee implements. Can anyone link to that thread or remember the stuff?

-- Rock Hardy, Friday, March 14, 2008 1:14 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Link

Old diner waitress trick is ice + lemon + salt and shake it around. For serious descaling you probably have to use one of those commercial products.

<i>they sell all the good shit to foreigners. locals can't afford it

-- Hurting 2, Friday, March 21, 2008 6:24 PM </i>

understand that, but even at cafes targeting only the tourist dollar (and claiming they only use locally-produced beans), it was average at best (and atrocious at a couple of places).

Ok, when I have real money I'm getting one of these:

http://www.italiankitchenaids.com/prodimages/DivisioneCasa/Familyretro/MicroCasaLeva/MicroCasaLevaCop&Brass/lever.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5idyptK15w

If she could just make a decent cup of coffee, she could relax.

i think i just found a new religion: http://illwiththecomposition.blogspot.com/2009/07/ill-product-java-time.html

btw, Aeropress + Tony's Espresso Noir drip grind = damn fine cuppa coffee

what is the best grinder for french press coffee?

Burr grinder, fairly coarse grind.

ive been reading that most burr grinders are too fine for frech press coarseness?

Dunno. I've got one of these Capresso infinity burr grinders and I've not had problems on one of the three coarse settings.

that seems to be the one to get

i got given a delonghi nespresso machine for christmas by my parents. it is amazing and has revolutionised my home coffee experience!

i finally got an aeropress over the weekend. i think i need to keep experimenting because the coffee is coming out kinda thin. what's the secret?

(i've been using trader joe's bolivian beans with a coarse grind)

that is weird. use a finer grind?

I use a finer grind with mine, more medium - 1 scoop and water to the 2 mark. I probably stir for longer than 10 sec, and it sits a bit after that before I press it.

I realized yesterday I should probably drink coffee more often to avoid making a huge production out of it whenever I do make a cup.

might try it with intelligentsia black cat espresso beans instead.

http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/product/id/137

that is weird. use a finer grind?

― just woke up (lukas), S

why is that weird? finer grind = more surface area = more extraction, iirc.
xpost

"weird" = i was surprised that an aeropress would produce a thin coffee even with coarse grind, but yeah, that's why i recommended a finer grind

i usually do use a fine grind (for turkish coffee). i think my version of aeropress coffee is going to end up being a lot like my version of turkish coffee.

I have realized that no coffee is as good as stumptown, but also that stumptown is kind of expensive for me to buy every week.

I accidentally bought $20 per canister Kona coffee from Trader Joe's. I hope it is good.

The Kenyan coffee from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is excellent. It almost makes me sympathize with Britney Spears for wanting their coffee from anywhere in the world (so I've heard).

Dear coffee,

I love you but you're really bad to my stomach.

- toast

get bent - it's the coarse grind that's the problem. for an aeropress, you want to use a fine grind. (not too fine or else it will be impossible to plunge down).

ppl say use a coarse grind for a french press style coffee cuz a fine grind will get overextracted, but it seems like the process is so quick with the aeropress that there isn't much time for overextraction.

hmm, I've always heard people say to use a coarse grind for french press because they don't want to drink coffee sediment in their coffee (lamers). generally your grind should be as fine as possible to get maximum extraction potential

yeah it def doesn't get overextracted, the only thing i worry about w/ fineness is clogging the filter and making it too hard to push down. i let mine steep for like 10 minutes too.

aeropress needs a fine grind

2. Coffee made in my AeroPress is so smooth it seems weak. What am I doing wrong?

There are three possible answers to this question.

• The grind was not fine enough. A finer grind will yield a richer brew. If you are using a blade grinder, be sure to run it for 20 to 30 seconds. If you are using a burr grinder or having your coffee ground at the store, set the grinder midway between drip and espresso grind.

• You are not using enough coffee. Use the AeroPress scoop which is sized to optimize flavor.

• You are accustomed to coffee with a bite (the bitterness) and the smoother brew from an AeroPress without the bite seems weaker.
We have learned that many AeroPress users enjoy their coffee stronger now that they can brew it without the bitterness and with lower acidity. If you wish to try stronger coffee, just increase the amount of coffee used or reduce the amount of hot water used to dilute an espresso to an American cup.

finally ordered one of these

its about time

i might get an aeropress

i used to think i was "searching 4 the perfect cup of coffee" when i switched methods every 6 months or so but now i realize i just like having new toys to play with. maybe i will go back my bialetti for now.

im happy with my keurig since im not too much of a coffee person.

http://common1.csnimages.com/lf/1/hash/872/570763/1/1.jpg

^ new toy

we had a keurig in the office. it was crazy convenient and the coffee is pretty good.

yeah we have one here too, i like the coffee. im a dark roast extra bold guy

dont give me that flavored shit.

the only keurig i can stand is 'jet fuel' and even that is p crappy

i cant drink black coffee though unless im wearing a diaper.

lol

extra bold dark roast is some disgusting savage shit imo

I'm sitting here drinking some panama carmen shit my mans roasted for me yesterday, it's delicious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp_bN8T7jUk

First, I'm surprised he didn't press boiling water through the filter first. Second, can someone explain what the point of the inversion is? Or the double pour?

I am totally in favor of my AeroPress style becoming super arcane but I want to be able to justify it.

explain me this aeropress?

i think the main thing w/ inversion is you avoid dripping until you flip and plunge

i also do the filter warm-up first but otherwise the method in the vid is the one i use

chris its like a coffee brewer in the form of a big syringe

Fucking christ, that is a recipe for me not pushing completely straight down and SLINGSHOTTING half a cup of coffee across the kitchen every time.

i got an aeropress from my gf's mom, it's pretty nice. first time i've made espresso at home.

also i'm happy to support the makers of:

http://aerobie.com/ProductInfo/WebImages/Alones/Sprint-Yel-ForWeb350.jpghttp://aerobie.com/ProductInfo/WebImages/Alones/Sprint-Yel-ForWeb350.jpghttp://aerobie.com/ProductInfo/WebImages/Alones/Sprint-Yel-ForWeb350.jpg

not pushing completely straight down and SLINGSHOTTING half a cup of coffee across the kitchen every time.

its got a lip that sticks out and rests on the top of the cup to prevent that

Well I wish you all every speck of good luck and delicious coffee using this instrument. Truly it is the nectar of the gods. I will be using a french press.

fuck this is amazing

if you like coffee and u dont have one of these i dont know what to say

coffee preparation methods looking more and more like meth production

no explosions. yet

except for the explosion of FLAVOR in your MOUTH

HOT LIQUID DOWN YOUR THROAT!!! GIVING YOU STIMULATION!!!!!

Can you get fine grounds with a hand grinder? Can anyone recommend one?

I'm so happy with my aeropress. Since getting it is the first time I've regularly drunk coffee tbh. Strength + easy cleaning = finally something to rival tea.

Uh wait electric ones are much cheaper than I thought, maybe I should go for that

The wikipedia page for the aeropress says that the inverted method results in more oils extracted. This seems like bs though, how does that work?

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/index.php/grinders/manual-grinders.html

I have a hario hand-grinder, it's better than an electric blade grinder but not as good as a electric burr grinder

I think zassenhaus are the most recommended of the manual hand grinders, but they are expensive and big and heavy

thankyou the hario slim looks very nice

I use the Capresso Infinity conical burr grinder and they still sell for around $85-90. I find it to be perfectly good.

I don't want to lay down too much money till I know coffee is not a fad for me

Seriously though I find my aeropress americano as good as coffee-chain coffee (in the UK)

i got an aeropress because of this thread, best thing ive ever bought because of ilx. chemex and bialetti going into storage.

I overscooped into the aeropress this weekend while half asleep, made an incredibly strong but so smooth cappuccino.

i just thought i totally fucked up a cup and it turned out to still taste great--is it even possible to make bad coffee with this thing?

think I'm gonna buy one too

i've been thinking about getting a french press. this is better?

waaaaaay better

i like my french press. how much coffee can you make at one time in the aeropress? i need to make about 30 oz at a time.

i guess i can google that

yah the other reason I never really use my aeropress is because it only makes like 2 ounces at a time. I like making a big cup and just sitting there and drinking that cup. even if the caffeine content or w/e ends up being the same.

Got some "New Orleans" brew from Albertson's that had a big label "WITH CHICORY!!!" whatever tf that is. Anyways, read yer labels: I get home and supposedly chicory is supposed to be great thing because it drastically reduces caffeine content.

ffs i don't drink coffee because i enjoy it, i would've gone to starbucks

now i have to drink 6cups before leaving the house just to get a buzz

also, it tastes like plants

yah the other reason I never really use my aeropress is because it only makes like 2 ounces at a time. I like making a big cup and just sitting there and drinking that cup. even if the caffeine content or w/e ends up being the same.

― Neu! romancer (dayo), Wednesday, February 23, 2011 7:14 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

you can make americanos dogg

i like the americanos i make w/ the aeropress and my bialetti more than the concentrated "espresso"

americanos don't have the same mouthfeel imo

ugh i hate that word

otm

aahhhh, tastes like teen spirit

haha

you would also be drinking an 'americano' xp

handtaste

xpost Chicory coffee sucks. IIRC, chicory coffee was historically simply a poor man's method of extending coffee grounds, akin to watering down milk.

Personally, I love my Chemex, and have yet to have a home brew equal to what I get out of it. As intriguing as the penis-pump looking Aeropress may be.

lol that's the first thing I thought of when I watched the video

penis pump b/w scalding hot coffee

tell me how my mouth feel

What's y'alls coffee intake regimen? How can I consistently get my buzz on?

one cup in the morning on an empty stomach, black.

^this

I eat a thermosfull everyday - I am die-dard for Cafe Bustelo - cheap and black - hot and stacked

Went all y'day without any coffee due to sick hangover and by this morning I had a crashingly bad headache. One strong stovetop espresso later and I'm 100%. DAMN U CAFFEEN.

coffee makes everything all better

Sweet sweet coffee numbs the pain

I now dumb an expresso into my normal coffee in the morning and then I usually have another one before eleven. Than it's like 2 more before lunch.

Probably not healthy all things considered.

I'm headed down that route myself. 3-5 a day.

but it might prevent prostate cancer!
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_bb0a8000-c84b-5fdc-9707-f4174ff05f37.html

too bad I read that it might also be a carcinogen somewhere else. ¯\(º o)/¯

california?

it IS healthy dammit!!!!!!!

had been thinking about picking up a crank grinder (Hario mini slim) and Aeropress for work, for quite a while now and finally did. I just had my first cup. I rarely have afternoon coffee, but damn... it was delicious and I am significantly more awake at 3pm than I usually am. Aeropress was easy as hell to use, too.

i've been given a nespresso machine and now i can't sleep so good

So the place I've worked the last few months has a keurig, which makes pretty crap coffee (bad enough that I started drinking flavored with milk and sugar because I couldn't take the taste of the regular). I was fortunate enough, however, to discover that another associate and a paralegal here are both coffee snobs like me, and we went in on a hario hand-crank burr grinder, a hario single-cup ceramic pour-over dripper, some paper filters and an electric kettle, all told a $90 investment split three ways. We're taking turns bringing in bags of coffee.

I have to admit, the pour-over coffee is nice. I do the whole deal where you wet the filter/warm the cup first, then pour in small batches through the center. I usually rearrange the grinds with a coffee stirrer after each pour. You can't really get a perfect pour with the electric kettle but I think it's good enough.

One of my favorite things about it, actually, is that the mug itself gets super warm from the process, and that makes the drinking experience much nicer.

The downside is that people in the office look at us a little funny, including partners. I guess being "an attorney" now I can sort of get away with it more than if I were just office drone #7 though. Ah, privilege.

I bought a Hario hand-crank with an Aeropress, and end up having a conversation every morning about it. I guess I'm the "coffee guy" in the office now. Do you guys draw straws to decide who gets stuck with the grinder? Not that it's super strenuous or anything, but I grind mine pretty fine (more taste with less beans), and it takes me about two and a half minutes of pretty intense grinding. I'd hate to have to do it for three cups.

Really? I find I only need to grind for maybe a minute, but you don't need a lot of grinds for one cup drip

Yeah I also find it's a conversation piece. One secretary said something about how there are hipster lawyers now.

how many clicks are you setting your hario?

idk actually, the other dude set it and it seems to work where it's at. It's not really "clicks" though, just like a screw you turn.

which hario did you get? the mini slim or the regular?

From looking online it looks like the one called "Skerton"

btw dude I was wondering about you and how it's going. we should e-mail or something.

yeah its funny, the aeropress is so great and quick but i need like 2-3 minutes to grind w/ my hand-crank so theres kind of no net gain in time saved. i should post this on the other thread where harbl was talking about how nice it is to have no wait time for a cup of coffee, especially if youre just using it to wake yourself up.

i think this is why k-cups are okay by me--i never found them to be undrinkably horrible when i was working in an office with one (in fact some of the k-cup blends were surprisingly tasty)--and whatever flava sacrifices u make are counterbalanced by the speed of it

this is the thing about being "into" coffee (not that i really am, not at dayo/hurting levels), sometimes you just need it to open your eyes and could gaf about how it tastes

what do you guys put your coffee in after you make it in a chemex? i usually make enough to have 2-3 cups in the morning but it doesn't stay hot so i dump it in an old automatic drip thermal carafe which is on its last legs. any recs for a nice insulated carafe or similar?

Coffee gets gross if it sits more than an hour or so imo. Although it seems to stay good longer in those giant pump thermos stainless steel thingies that they sometimes have at coffee places. So I guess something more-or-less air tight is good?

it usually doesn't last more than an hour or two in my house, but an hour in no thermos equals cold coffee and reheating coffee is even nastier.

I like cold coffee

I finally got one of the Hario mini mills and am on the "can't have any unless you grind it" plan. Was getting frustrated because the nut kept slipping looser and looser as I'd grind - until I realized I had turned it upside down. It's a straight thread, so will screw on with the detent side facing either way.

Yeah did you get the Skerton?

http://fourbarrel.tumblr.com/post/283821195/easy-way-to-set-the-grind-on-a-hario-skerton

the mini mill is not quite the same design iirc

yeah, the mini is different - the nut goes underneath the burr,and it has a lid.

oooh did not realize mini mill was the name of a thing. well if anyone DOES pick up the skerton ... it's p nice.

I like cold coffee

― flagp∞st (dayo), Monday, March 5, 2012 3:41 PM (44 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

So La Colombe is getting in on the single-origin direct trade game. I picked up some of their Papua New Guinea and made myself a pour-over cup this morning and I'm not too happy with it, but I think I may have used too much water. It has a slightly funky smell though and it tastes dark to me for a supposed medium roast. Also it tastes kind of similar to their standard Corsica blend, which I'm also not that fond of.

In any case, the Colombe dude has a new No Reservations style show about coffee on Travel Channel, apparently.

can anyone recommend a good entry-level electric burr grinder?

Capresso makes an excellent one. We've had our for 10 years, still going strong.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AR7SY/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?redirect=true&tag=coffeegeek-20

back when I did research on this it was the capresso ^ and the bodum barista that were recommended, I have a bodum and I like it

First response Hall of Fame.

+ whisky

I've had the Capresso for six years and I use it for actual espresso grinding. Haven't had to do much to it other than clean it with a little white rice. Still works great.

we use it for espresso, drip & french. A+ for all

VegemiteGrrl otm.

http://slingshotcoffeecompany.com/

I am drinking this right now. Pro: it's good. Con: it cost $6.50. $6.50! (I tried to return it when I saw the price, stupid cashier couldn't figure it out, I wound up leaving so I could get back to my office).

But anyway, what's sort of neat is that I notice a very different flavor from the water, bc it's brewed in Raleigh instead of here.

$6.50 for 16 oz is not much more than canned Starbucks.

I want something that tastes good through a Keurig (I have the refillable cup) - it seems to work too fast and regular good ass coffee tastes real watery. I need something ground up fine and dark. Any suggestions???

well first step is to stop buying ass coffee

what's the second?

I have been experimenting with cheaper brands of wholebean coffee. Just got the Trader Joe's columbian supremo whatever -- man it's so thin, it's like coffee water. Bleh. You have to use more to get it to taste any good, so the savings are pretty null.

Per Dayo's rec in the artisanal thread I'm going to check out Target's Archer farms SO beans

At this point it's just kind of an experiment, to see what's out there that's affordable and not terrible. So far the Peet's Major Dickason's Blend is about the best. it's always on sale at Safeway or Savemart.

go to yer supermarket, get a bag of whole bean coffee, and use their grinders set to an espresso grind setting

I had done that. But it wasn't fine enough. Maybe their grinder sucked. I got some Caribou French Roast and it was okay. But I need something darker. I wish the Keurig would just have a setting to do it slower.

well... what you're talking about it sounds like is that the grind size is not fine enough, the finer the grind the more time it takes for the water to go through the grinds

so yeah sounds like yer supermarket has a shitty grinder... there's a lot of variability in ground coffee that you buy in bags, different companies have different ideas about how fine the grind should be, but invariably it's always still relatively coarse

what's the second?
― frogbs, Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:56 PM

throw away the keurig

it belongs to my boss

$6.50 for 16 oz is not much more than canned Starbucks.

― nickn, Thursday, March 28, 2013 12:51 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

no it isn't and who cares

I mean these are three for $8 and they have all kinds of other crap besides black coffee in them:

http://www.campusdepot.com/#/item/starbucks_doubleshot_mocha_15fl-zs-oz_3ct

But anyway, what's sort of neat is that I notice a very different flavor from the water, bc it's brewed in Raleigh instead of here.

man if this takes off then maybe they can expand their product line and just sell the tap water separately

It gave me this idea to host an expensive coffee tasting with cold brews from around the country, called "Like Water for Coffee"

Would also like tips for good k-cup coffee as my friend has a keurig machine and makes me coffee a lot.

Also: I fucking love my AeroPress

A good trick for improving your results with the keurig is to pour HOT filtered water into the chamber to start, tilt the machine forward, and push it into the garbage can.

ha

hurting, did you buy cold brew concentrate? can't wait to start making that again (via Toddy) this summer.

no it was just regular ready-to-drink cold brew

i assume the concentrate is more expensive?

I imagine so

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/05/21-to-drink-coffee/275621/

There are of course a ton of extremely successful, healthy people who drink inordinate amounts of coffee. Voltaire was rumored to have drunk 40 to 50 cups per day. Meanwhile the FDA has set a pretty arbitrary limit of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day as healthy, which is like one Starbucks venti or two 5-Hour Energies. A huge number of people are drinking a lot more than that. When it's in our oatmeal, though, that's a call to action.

voltaire otm

coffee is my only real dietary vice. i don't like sweet things or heavy/salty things, but i crave caffeine pretty much constantly, and drink coffee pretty much constantly. i don't want to hear anything bad about caffeine because, really, i don't feel i should deprive myself of such a modest pleasure.

Ordered a Bialetti Moka Express this morning. Still searching for that best tasting/easiest to prepare/easiest to clean sweet spot.

got a pile of sbux vias from Costo for cheap, they've been getting me through the draggy afternoons. It's ok. Kind of a baseline for average coffee.

but I still look forward to the weekend and homemade lattes.

http://www.yowazzup.com/coffee/images/vietnamese-drip-coffee.jpg

anyone ever have this? it's vietnamese drip coffee. it takes forever to make but it has a unique flavor to it. almost toffee-like, but i think this flavor actually inheres in the coffee somehow: it's not flavored. it's pretty cheap too you can buy the stuff on amazon but my parents picked it up for me in asia.

mr veg raves about it but I have never tried it

the condensed milk is the key to that drink, also using either cafe du monde or trung nguyen coffee xp

i had it with the trung nguyen. didn't know about the condensed milk, obviously not an expert. thanks for the tip.

yeah I heard the condensed milk is the best part. dying to give it a go, sounds amazing

i think i'm going to try out the condensed milk thing tonight. give a full report.

Still searching for that best tasting/easiest to prepare/easiest to clean sweet spot.

I think a good old cone filter does pretty well on all three requirements.

French press with pre ground coffee is pretty easy.

french presses are kinda bullshit to clean though

or maybe i'm just easily annoyed

what differentiates vietnamese drip coffee from any other drip coffee besides condensed milk?

French press is a bit more cleanup than a cone filter. It gives a different flavor profile too, so it might depend on your preferences. If the only coffee you have available is coarse ground though, a cone filter is not going to produce a very good result, so you'd be better off with the french press.

i had it with the trung nguyen. didn't know about the condensed milk, obviously not an expert. thanks for the tip.

― Treeship, Wednesday, May 8, 2013 5:43 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

well if youre raving about the toffee-like taste that comes from the condensed milk

i recommend http://i.imgur.com/uZMp9W4.jpg

what differentiates vietnamese drip coffee from any other drip coffee besides condensed milk?

― huun huurt 2 (Hurting 2), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 5:52 PM (57 seconds ago) Bookmark

usually has robusta beans, cafe du monde version adds chicory

i was just talking/speculating with my coffee buddy at work whether there might actually be something worthwhile in the flavor of robusta beans and whether the "100% arabica" thing was legit or just a marketing ploy that had created a standard

need to investigate I guess

i just drank this black and i thought it tasted sort of toffeeish. i assume the condensed milk will make it sweeter, and i will look for that brand at the asian grocery store.

anyone ever have turkish coffee? that stuff is good. i can't go to the only local place that serves it though because i used to be an employee there and was fired (not for drinking too much turkish coffee).

but yeah, they leave the grounds in that and so it is like espresso but thicker, with a silty bottom. we used to tell everyone who ordered it not to swallow the grounds.

omg I love turkish coffee

my friend's roommate used to make it all the time. definitely a rookie lesson: don't drink all the way to the bottom or you get the mud bleeeeggggggghhhhhhhh

Turkish coffee is good when it's made well I guess? I would say out of maybe 10 places I've tried, it, two made it very well. The rest it was still an enjoyable enough after dinner thing though. It's often made too sweet imo.

yeah i had it without sugar once and it was better, tbh. i'm a coffee veteran though.

yeah it's gotta be made well, otherwise it's not v impressive

and DEF no sugar, that would ruin it

i was just talking/speculating with my coffee buddy at work whether there might actually be something worthwhile in the flavor of robusta beans and whether the "100% arabica" thing was legit or just a marketing ploy that had created a standard

― huun huurt 2 (Hurting 2), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 5:55 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

iirc higher caffeine content to robusta, therefore more bitter

we're all gonna be drinking robusta beans in like 20 years anyway, thanks global warming

i read a book about starbucks that implied that robusta beans have a duller taste, and "good" coffee is always comprised mostly of arabica beans. probably a dubious source.

incorrect, xp, caffiene itself is tasteless

the very first line of the wikipedia article says otherwise? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

i know i'm addicted because i don't want to not be addicted

I live in a town with a big Armenian community and their version of Armenian Coffee (*never* call it turkish coffee!) is dynamite. Best side-effect of shopping locally in the late afternoon is that inevitably someone will ask if you want a coffee - and everyone is an expert at making it.

I remember hearing the "Arabica much better than Robusta" thing from Trader Joe's many years ago.

that sounds cool. in the town i live in, it's all about keurigs and nihilism.

xpost to elvis, sry

incorrect, xp, caffiene itself is tasteless

― huun huurt 2 (Hurting 2), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 6:03 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark

i'm curious to see your sources for this

has anyone here ever tried civet (kopi luwak)?

yes i have licked a civet's ass

ok apparently it is not tasteless, however I believe the bulk of the "bitter" flavor in coffee is not from the caffiene? I mean decaf is bitter too.

yeah, i am not interested in the kopi luwak.

my Filipino friend was trying to convince me of its value the other day

ok apparently it is not tasteless, however I believe the bulk of the "bitter" flavor in coffee is not from the caffiene? I mean decaf is bitter too.

― huun huurt 2 (Hurting 2), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 6:18 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

decaf is p weird it goes through all these weird processes i wouldnt trust it

i also would never ever admit to drinking decaf in fact i don't think i've had decaf before in my life

i've had some coffee from indonesia that was labelled "kopi luwak" and it was delicious, a rounded sweet taste like very dark chocolate, and i thought "this is terrible, now i am into civet torture coffee" but then it turned out that this stuff was just called "kopi luwak" and was probably artificially produced.

filipinos are great people but if you get food advice from one of them you should probably do the opposite

lol, I'll let her know. She said she had a connection to get me a really good price.

My French press takes like 10 seconds to clean. I just dump the coffee and rinse.

I went through a tremendous amount of angst in finding the right coffee press. OXO's press was overly gimmicky. Bodom ones wore out too quickly. Finally settled on the WMF "Kult" press. It's kinda designy and expensive, but it's sturdy - feels like it should be installed on a spy plane.

i only use a french press when we're camping, stainless steel REI job we got as a wedding present. it does good work, I always enjoy it when we have it.

Ordered a Bialetti Moka Express this morning. Still searching for that best tasting/easiest to prepare/easiest to clean sweet spot.

― What makes a man start threads? (WilliamC), Wednesday, May 8, 2013 4:11 PM (1 week ago)

May have found it.

I am an espresso drinker, and 100% Arabica is neither a scam nor "the best" -- if well roasted, it gives you a mild but still flavorful cup without much crema. BUT: "if well roasted" is ALWAYS the key here, and I think a lot of New School US roasters burn the shit out of their 100% Arabica trying to fake a pleasant bitterness and "thickness" that they would get in a much tastier form if they just added some good quality Robusta beans. I usually get a locally roasted or Italian (I am close enough to Italy that the stuff is still fresh when it gets here) blend with about 30% Robusta/70% Arabica, much less of a dark roast than you see at fancy US placers, and that shit is gooooood. I have a Breville Barista Express (in the German-speaking world it's under the Gastroback brand) which is the cheapest way in to the fancy grinder/real espresso machine world, and the thing is reliable like a 1966 Plymouth Valiant.

And yeah, if I can't get to a real espresso machine, a good grinder and a Bialetti is totally the way to go.

I got into an annoying conversation in Israel with a friend of H's who used to train Baristas. He was like "you don't really have good coffee in New York" -- based on his time living there over 15 years ago. I tried to explain to him what had happened since (leaving out the part that I think the better coffee places in New York are now considerably better than most Israeli espresso bars, which are largely good).

Anyway, I told him I made espresso at home and he started in with "you can't really make espresso at home as good as a cafe can." "H, do I make espresso as good as the cafes?" H: "Better" Israeli Dude: "Yes, but you see you have to grind fresh every day." Me: "I grind fresh every shot." Him: "Yes but you can't have the same kind of freshness a cafe can with its high turnover." Me: "I buy coffee that is stamped with a roast date and use it within a few weeks." Etc. It's a very Israeli trait to argue like this -- they insist they know their way around your own house better than you do.

And then I was like, "(sniff) By the way, your baby needs a diaper change." Him: "No, I don't think so (checks) oh, you're right."

BTW this was H's ex-boyfriend. PWNED

I feel like Bob Benson is the only person who understands me wrt coffee.

You shoulda just been all "yeah you're right I think it's just your coffee" after he said "I don't think so"

That person sounds infuriating.

lol xp

Israelis are weird wrt coffee too. They have good espresso everywhere, but at home they drink instant in the morning and this weird ersatz version of Turkish coffee in the afternoon (known as "botz" or "mud"). It's not bad -- their instant is actually tastier than the instant here, and the botz thing is alright. The climate kind of doesn't lend itself well to big strong cups of drip or french press, and I found myself not wanting as much coffee while I was there.

sounds like dude needs less coffee. instant? nasty.

Any recommendations for a burr grinder? My old grinder finally bit the dust this morning...

I use a Hario Ceramic Slim which is manual why bcz it cost $40. If you want an electric one you have to spend at least $100; I'm told the Baratza and Capresso models are great

I'm 100% ride or die with Capresso burr grinder

same

I also find that it does a better job and has more grind control than the hario manual

The Hario grinder takes forevvvver btw

like you do not even realize how long it takes to grind coffee til you are doing it by hand and it takes like 90 sec to grind 2 tablespoons

ugh

It is a nice zen moment in my morning routine though

the Hario grinder takes forevvvver btw

This is true. I've got one, but I think it's just a matter of time before I bite the bullet and buy an electric. I guess the manual would be nice to have in the event of a blackout though.

hario grinder takes as long as the water does to boil

^ truth

Thanks for the Capresso confirmations. Just ordered one.

"has anyone here ever tried civet (kopi luwak)?"

I'd never even heard of this until I read this, and now I will absolutely not ever drink it

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/13/civet-coffee-cut-the-crap

hario grinder takes as long as the water does to boil

Longer, in my case, but I have a pretty fast electric kettle.

Capresso grinder arrived this morning. Tried it out on this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BUjSViSCQAAjPw3.jpg

put shoes on you hippie

is lynch's coffee any good?

I'm a fan of the I'm Inside Your House Blend

how do you like the grinder, elvis? and also plz send me a bag of them there beans

Update: I love the grinder - thanks for the recommendation!

Unsurprisingly, Lynch's coffee tastes exactly what you would imagine the coffee at the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks would be like - it's not just diner coffee, but diner coffee's ideal form. Very very good. I could probably drink a bucket of it. Of course, you're also spending 15x as much for that damn fine cup of coffee but it's all part of the conceit.

Not sure if I'll get it again... It's expensive ($17 for that bag) and not well-suited for the hi-octane Armenian coffee I typically make.

For well over a year my co-worker and I have been taking turns bringing in different coffees to work because we both hate the keurig. We do pour-over with a hario dripper, and we have an electric kettle and a capresso grinder (we don't have the fancy hario kettle). I've generally had the best and most consistent luck with Stumptown, followed by Grumpy and Counter Culture. We tried a few recently from Sight Glass, which were ok. Right now we have an ethiopian from somewhere called Novo which I find a little skunky, but maybe it just doesn't go well with milk (I find a lot of east african coffees are like this). Mostly had bad luck with La Colombe's single origin coffees even though they're supposed to be a great company.

We don't really do Intelligentsia because it's not widely available here, but I have generally liked their coffees.

Super happy that the local WF now carries Bridgeport, which is one of my favorite coffee roasts in the city.

I <3 La Colombe

but I <3 Philly Fair Trade even more

I had a bag of beans from Ritual Coffee in SF, goddamn that shit was smooth

Right now we have an ethiopian from somewhere called Novo which I find a little skunky, but maybe it just doesn't go well with milk (I find a lot of east african coffees are like this).

I've had some Ethiopian coffee that was like this. Strong and complex, with prominent acidic notes - kind of wine-y. I usually like half-and-half in my coffee, especially in the morning, and I agree this flavor profile probably isn't the best suited for it. I tend to prefer similar kinds of medium to lighter roasts with acidic flavors, but sometimes Ethiopian can seem a bit too much. It's probably better suited as an afternoon coffee served black.

We succumbed and got a Keurig. I can have my dark roasts, my wife and daughter can have their weak stuff and their flavored coffees. Convenience über alles.

GET OUT...BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!

We've never done a coffee vs beer?

AKA the 4 o'clock question

I recently learned that the ancient bag of coffee from my husband's old place, which I insisted be tossed when we moved, was the famed CIVET SHIT coffee!!!

Me: why didn't you tell me that when we were discussing whether or not to toss it???

Him: I did tell you! Of course I told you! You must have forgotten!

Me: I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED CIVET SHIT COFFEE!!!!

so into coffee rn. local roaster cafe ibis is a godsend.

they have a kona that's savory and tastes like peanut butter. my favorites are the ethiopian coffees they get, fruity light roasts opening up my brane.

My local roaster place has Kona pour-overs for like $5. Haven't taken the plunge yet. I usually stick with Ethiopian, Costa Rica, or Papua New Guinea for $3 a pop.

I've been messing around with chemex filters vs. hario filters lately and have come to the conclusion that chemex filters are better for mediocre coffee but hario filters are better for really good coffee. The main difference I can discern is that chemex filters are thicker and less pourous, so the water sits in the grinds longer and takes longer to filter through. I guess it makes sense that if you have really complex and delicate flavors, this could ruin them, but if you have just ok coffee you might want to extract as much out of it as possible to at least get a full-bodied cup.

Also, here is something we can make fun of:
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/crosspollination/2014/03/blue_bottle_coffee_vcs_search_for_the_new_starbucks_starts_in_san_francisco.html

I haven't tried different thicknesses of filters. I have tried to adjust brewing time by adjusting the coarseness of the grind. I find that the grind should be fairly fine in order to get the optimal brewing time (around 4 minutes). It also helps to wet the grounds first.

Carl broke my french press and I'm looking for a new coffee making device. Has anyone tried either of these:

http://espro.ca/shop-master/espro-press
http://shop.gamilacompany.com/impress/features/

blue bottle is awesome

Really want this: http://uncrate.com/p/2013/12/ratio-eight-coffee-machine-xl.jpg

blue bottle annoys me. I don't think they're as good as stumptown or toby's and they have more attitude.

Trying out bulletproof coffee

My coffee is making hissing noises

Hacking my life feels great

just had some dope coffee

'A bright, refreshing coffee grown on the fertile volcanic soils of Mount Kilimanjaro'
suspect this means somewhere near to there rather than on the mountain itself which is just snow and rock
its nice tho

Yeah my favorite coffee beans are African

Yirgacheffe

i like coffee

i am drinking coffee rn

make coffee with just boiled water many times in a week

the time to have coffee is always now

I am rly into light-to-medium roasted coffee that is not too acidic and has bright berry notes

I did not try bulletproof coffee proper but I did but 1 tbsp of unsalted kerrygold in my coffee yday morning and it was p good! But I sit at a desk ll day (sometimes I stand up for a few minutes at a time) so idk if i can rly gauge all of the energy it did or did not give me

if you put butter in your coffee I suggest using maple syrup as well

for waffle coffee

waffee

omg i wanna peep dat waffee

WAIT

maybe coffle is a better name

that sounds cawful.

a hong kong-style restaurant nearby here offers "lemon coffee", which i haven't been brave enough to try yet

suggest banoffee

yikes

idk about lemon coffee.

Iced latte - is this a recent invention? I don't remember this being around a few years ago. Then again I always order regular coffee when drinking out.

they'll dump ice in anything

my far-flung gf makes this p much every day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee

often with rum

i rather cannot wait to try it

the coffee too amirite

Does she use Trung Nguyen coffee though

I was into that for a minute, cafe du monde seems to be the stuff of choice here judging by the huge pallets at the ends of the aisles at all the Asian supermarkets. With sweetened condensed milk.

Chickory outside of viet iced coffee is horrible though

So given that my coffee routine is taking too long on the mornings I have to also get my toddler out of the house, I decided to sell my soul and try to find a drinkable instant coffee. I found this stuff at a local grocer that carries a lot of Russian and middle eastern stuff -- I think it's actually a swiss brand but it's probably popular in those locales:

https://www.eurofooddeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Davidoff-Rich-Aroma-100g.jpg

It's honestly not bad at all if you make it strong -- kind of tastes like real coffee. Better than k-cup coffee in any case.

The Keurig is too damn expensive. Back to the french press.

lol fuck a keurig

ugh I have yet to have any decent coffee from a Keurig, wtf.

Stevie are you still aeropressing?

I was confronted with a Keurig at my last job and I could not get a remotely drinkable cup out of it. Seriously WTF

I liked the convenience. But same as heroin addiction and inkjet printers, the consumables are where they get you.

A hotel I stay in a lot "upgraded the coffee experience" in some of the rooms with Keurigs, so not great. The tea pods are also bleh. At home I've been switching it up between cold brew, aeropress, and instant espresso (either Ferraro or Caffe D'vita).

i've been buying the trader joe's cold brew, which isn't bad.

this is my favorite cold brew on the market, but i believe it's only available in new york and via mail order:

http://www.gradyscoldbrew.com/

the chicory cuts the bitterness a little.

supposedly a retailer down in irvine has it, which may be of some interest to mr. telecom.

I have not aeropressed in a minute but I still do from time to time.

(i stand corrected re irvine. the place is in brentwood. for some reason the google map gave the route to irvine when it brought up the address.)

this thread lead me to this item. made a wee investment and it's all-time. sis got one too and she LOVES it. really nicely made i think and makes sucha damn fine cuppa:
http://shop.gamilacompany.com/impress/making-coffee/

i liked keurig tbrr

Is 10 PM too late to make a cup?

Do not go gently or just, you know, go gently

after a cup that late you'll go like dulcolax in the morning ime

Feel the desire to note that I was doing pour-overs way before they were a desirable way to make coffee. It was a way to rapidly get decent coffee in my person with little fuss and little cash.

a hong kong-style restaurant nearby here offers "lemon coffee", which i haven't been brave enough to try yet

lamill in l.a. makes a nice orange-infused cappuccino (i think they run some orange around the cup before pouring, and then top it with cocoa powder and orange zest at the finish).

Keurig is a step backward in office coffee making. Sad really. The best option my office has is the donut shop extra bold, which is palatable with milk and sugar but still pretty bad. It helps a little to only make 4 oz from one pod.

A drop of the meyer lemon/tangerine bitters I made last year floated on a hot coffee was astounding - I tried it because i witnessed a guy I work with twist a lemon peel over his espresso once.

I've been on this.

Keurig is better than burnt percolator coffee, but when I want more than one I've a lovely Chemex 6-cup vessel and a selection of dark roasts.

keurig waste appalls me and i am far from any sort of environmentalist.

our old office percolator made coffee that tasted like steeped batteries

the keurig was like angel tears in comparison

lamill in l.a. makes a nice orange-infused cappuccino (i think they run some orange around the cup before pouring, and then top it with cocoa powder and orange zest at the finish).

― Bill Nighy the Science Gighy (get bent), Monday, December 29, 2014 10:21 PM (1 hour ago)

this sounds amazing

one thing i'd like to do at some point is get a batch of kerrygold butter to infuse with w33d and add an occasional dollop to make thc-infused bulletproof coffee

wow that sounds good. have you tried that in the past?

keurig waste appalls me and i am far from any sort of environmentalist.

The coffee itself is fine. It's certainly better than the Green Mountain Breakfast Blend that's been sitting in a never-washed carafe for an hour or two, which is what we've got in my office.

*Blorp*

Coffee utensils should nn everber be washed imo xp

wow that sounds good. have you tried that in the past?

― calstars, Tuesday, December 30, 2014 5:40 AM (3 hours ago)

no, never. and apparently it's not an original idea!

http://munchies.vice.com/recipes/cannabis-infused-bulletproof-coffee

my big Christmas gift this year was a Chemex carafe and goose-neck teapot to go with it. Been making some very good cups of coffee, but it is an incredibly slow process.

xposts

i aeropress every once in a while too. i use it whenever i just want a single cup, which is not very often (on weekdays i grab coffee near my work, and on weekends i generally make a big press pot because i'm an addict. but i'd highly recommend an aeropress to people who just want a single cup of coffee. the packaging of it suggests that it's a made-for-tv gimmick but it's actually very good!

why aren't you guys environmentalists

ya I only make a single cup of coffee so it is v perfect

I can understand the appeal of pour over coffee, but who has time for that?

My morning routine:
-Start water boiling in kettle before I get into the shower
-After shower, scoop pre-ground coffee into FP, pour in water
-Attempt to empty the dishwasher in the 4 minutes that the coffee is steeping
-Eat cereal and drink coffee
-Everything else that I have to do before work

No time to babysit some coffee. Plus I don't want the illusion of all this masterful control over each little element of my cup of coffee. I just want good coffee, that is no fuss and taste about the same every morning.

The last time I used the Aeropress I managed to slosh extremely hot water/coffee grounds on my hand and had to stop wearing my wedding ring for a couple of weeks while the burn healed so me and the Aeropress are not currently on speaking terms.

XP, forgot to mention feed the cat in those 4 minutes. Sorry Francie, maybe tomorrow.

xpost

! that's awful! how did the sloshing happen?

FWIW we recieved a Keurig for the house and it's way better than the one at work. I'm guessing it's because it's a newer model that pours a little more slowly and hence doesn't taste as watered down. Also if you hate waste just get one of those reusable cups and put your own grounds into it (but don't pay $29 or whatever for one, barf)

aeropress wins on every level. taste, speed, ease of cleaning, i honestly pity people who think they like coffee but have never used one

lol fuck a keurig

― y kant max read (Stevie D(eux)), Monday, December 29, 2014 4:35 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yea i hate these things

i kind of swear by my bialetti moka express, those stovetop espresso things. it makes a good cup - stronger than a regular coffee but not quite espresso. it's good.

! that's awful! how did the sloshing happen?

― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Tuesday, December 30, 2014 4:12 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Trying to balance the thingy over a cup that was a little too big while I pushed the plunger and the whole thing tipped over somehow, so it was pretty much entirely my fault but I have to live with myself everyday whereas the Aeropress can sit in a cabinet until I'm done being angry with/scared of it, so I'm projecting.

Honestly, I've never quite figured out the right amount of grounds to put in the thing, either, nor have I ever seemed to get the amount of water right. I don't know. I may just be constitutionally incapable of operating the dang thing.

i've never made a satisfactory cup of coffee from a french press. i know a lot of people swear by them but everytime i try it's either watery or muddy

the aeropress would be much more popular if it featured iphone-style packaging instead of a hexagon cardboard box with testimonials like "I used Aeropress last week and I liked it ok!" plastered all over the side

As noted, Jeff successfully uses the French press every day, but whenever I use it, I end up with a mouth full of coffee grounds.

I'm starting to get depressed about this.

one scoop coffee, fill to the "1"

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i do find that it's pretty important to have the right grind though. not the super-fine genuine espresso grind (at which point the thing is unpressable), but the grind used by illy, lavazza, costa etc for their espresso coffees is fine. if i'm getting it ground in the shop i ask for it ground for aeropress, or if they don't know what that is (rare these days) i ask for "something between espresso and filter" grind.

I didn't like the aeropress because of the danger mentioned by Carl, and also the need for filters. I don't need something else to keep in stock just to make coffee.

i have a wire mesh filter ($3 at korean grocery store) that i use to make pour over. if i want it stronger i let it steep. so easy.

carl did you throw away the Aeropress scopo?

french press tips

- make sure you use coarsely ground beans, not fine.
- only fill it up 1/3 of the way for the first minute. slosh it around (but not on your hand!) a little.
- after one minute, fill it up the rest of the way.
- push it down after 5 minutes, never before. pushing it down a little bit late is a lot better than pushing it down a little early.

No! I still have everything except the octagonal box. xp

oh, and

- tie a little hand towel around the carafe. it looks nice

have temporarily switched from french press to instant espresso

-- the stuff i'm using is decent, but i am sure there is better ... recommendations?

one scoop coffee, fill to the "1"

But that makes like, four ounces of coffee. I'd go through a pound of coffee in three days.

it's an espresso strength shot!! pour however much hot water you want into your mug afterwards to get it the right volume/strength

aero and FP all seem like way more work (and things to clean) than my little plastic dohicky that holds a cone filter for pourover. Used coffee/filter goes into the compost bin, plastic dohicky gets a quick rinse. I dunno about pour over babystitting; I just fill the thing to the top with water from an electric kettle and a mugful comes out.

When travelling, I take Starbuck's Via italian roast instant for drinkable hotel room coffee.

So yes I drank Starbucks in north korea.

Sarahell, which instant espresso are you using? My favorite so far is Ferraro, Caffe D'vita second, Mediglia D'oro third.

xp FP is easy, just dump grounds in trashcan, rinse pot and the plunger/filter in sink. Takes about 20 seconds.

i kind of swear by my bialetti moka express, those stovetop espresso things. it makes a good cup - stronger than a regular coffee but not quite espresso. it's good.

― marcos, Tuesday, December 30, 2014 10:20 AM (14 minutes ago)

I completely forgot that I have one of these.

But that makes like, four ounces of coffee. I'd go through a pound of coffee in three days.

― carl agatha, Tuesday, December 30, 2014 11:27 AM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark

This is by design

Another option would be to use the AP as a de facto pourover - do one scoop (or one and a half) and fill it to the brim with water and let it drip down

No plunging means no chance of burning

I use Mediglia D'oro

I've settled on the Hario woodneck as some sort of purity / essence of coffee ideal that's not expresso

http://i.imgur.com/xmqNhyr.jpg

Cloth filter means nothing to keep in stock

No paper nothing to throw out

Only bad thing is how long it takes (you have to do two fills to get a nice 8-12 oz)

But very zen

coffee not so zen tbh

Pro tip: Most germophobes recommend keeping the cloth sock in a little jar w/ water in the fridge

But just wash it and leave it out to dry

I've been doing that for 4 months and it just smells like coffee, no mold

Keeping it in water (even in the fridge) seems like you're asking for funkiness imo

Inspired by anecdotes of coffee drinkers in SA who keep their coffee socks hanging on the wall

Used coffee/filter goes into the compost bin, plastic dohicky gets a quick rinse.

this is exactly the AP process so i think it's a tie in this regard. however you do get a satisfying little "thunk" when the puck of compressed coffee comes out the end of the AP, i could never give that up.

FP is easy, just dump grounds in trashcan, rinse pot and the plunger/filter in sink.

come on now, if that's true how come every FP ever spends 95% of its life with spent grounds in the bottom of it, just stewing

FPs certainly lead to stewing that's for sure

Ferraro is a darker roast than either D'oro or D'vita and doesn't have any crema. It seems more chocolatey to me.

however you do get a satisfying little "thunk" when the puck of compressed coffee comes out the end of the AP

That is completely OTM. I do love the puck of compressed coffee.

wait Tracer with the aeropress you have to, y'know, *press*! Pourover is just gravity, man.

i like to chew up a coffee puck and spread the resultant paste between two intact coffee pucks.

part of the draw to the chemex was that it was similar to french press but without all the gunk getting into your coffee. it is indeed slow, but I'm planning on using it mostly on weekends when I'm not in as much of a rush.

Pourover is just gravity, man.

right, i have to wait for it! waiting makes me antsy!! i'm in a hurry, man.

Protip: have a cup of tea while you wait.

come on now, if that's true how come every FP ever spends 95% of its life with spent grounds in the bottom of it, just stewing

#NotAllFP

If yr in a rush

Do an impromptu redeye each morning

buy an automatic espresso machine

Churn that first thing

Whiel you wait for yr pourover

ive had an aeropress which i use every weekend for about a year but i'm still not entirely clear on HOW to brew w it. ive read conflicting shit all over the internet which just leaves me even more confused. how do yall brew with yours? shit that makes me confused: inverted method, stopping when you hear air going through the grounds, should i be adding more water afterwards?

Think there is no right way

Don't be a prescriptive presser

Do what feels right and good my man

(note that slopping hot water and coffee grounds over your hand feels neither right nor good.)

Exactly. Preferred method is whatever gets coffee in the cup w/o damage.

yeah, you want to add water to your cup unless you just want a shot

supposedly pushing the air through the grounds extracts more of the bitter oils, but i find aeropressed coffee exceptionally smooth to begin with so i want as much of that as i can get. plus sometimes that last push creates an amount of pleasing froth on top

heh ew?

That's crema

ty, tracer

i went to the store and forgot to buy coffee and i am out and it is 0º out : /

Fuck it, making a cup

Extracting dark roasted beans with Everclear right now for the ultimate cold brew.

i can't drink brewed/drip/french press coffee anymore, it's too harsh on my stomach. and if I do have one I have to have it with tons of cream which kind of defeats the purpose. i tend to opt for lattes ie lots of milk. a good home latte is my favorite thing :)

Can you tolerate cold brewed? All the ones I've tried are so smooth and low in acid, I wonder if it would work for you? I fill mine up with creamer (coconut cream/milk mixed with some vanilla).

maybe i will give it a shot!

But you can't cold brew espresso *rimshot*

fnar

I bought some cold brew concentrate from Trader Joe's :D

it's pretty good

Hope it treats you right!

so far not even a stomach cramp :)

I much prefer the stumptown cold brew to the grady's fwiw, not that into the chicory.

Lately I have actually been sometimes using Starbucks Via Colombian instant packets in the morning when I'm in a rush, and it's a surprisingly good cup of coffee. Still do the pour-over/fresh local roasts thing at work.

bought some intelligentsia guatemalan shiz inspired by recent thread revive; kinda wish it were tomorrow already so i could drink it

I tried the TJ cold brew and didn't think it met fresh brew standards.

I saw TJs carries Jamaican Blue Mountain last time I was there and bought a can ($20 for 13 oz). It's very good but I'm not sure it's that good (compared to the Bali $9/can coffee).

After a couple of hours of reading espresso people argue and basically come down to "if you're not spending at least $1k on a grinder and machine you're a savage and even then you're still kind of a savage" I'm going to get a Moka Pot from Bed Bath and Beyond tomorrow. I liked the espresso I got from my mom's Nespresso machine so I'm guessing I don't exactly have the most delicate palette for this shit anyway.

i realized at some point a couple years ago that as far as my palate is concerned there are really only two levels of coffee, good and bad, and most important thing i can do to get from bad to good is grind beans fresh. i like the ritual of my aeropress and hario burr grinder but i dont fuck with recipes or weights or temperatures or anything, and you know what its pretty good coffee!

I didnt find fresh ground to make much difference tbh but storing grinds airtight after opening def does imo

Yeah, I just buy bags and get them ground for french press. Good enough and one less thing I have to do in the morning. I can't really tell a difference between that and grinding them immediately before.

xp max I have the same routine! Do you have the skerton or the mini mill?

mini! skerton is more than i need

Is that the skinny one that has the lid? If so how many "clicks" from all-the-way-tightened do you set it at for Aeropress grinding? Also do you fux w water temp or just boil it?

the grinder is regular, no lid or clicks. i boil and then usually wait 10 seconds or so, more so that the water doesnt jump out of the tea pot than to get it below boiling point

Agree milo, moka pots are great IMO and are good enough for me. Easy to clean too and I like the routine of using them

i do every fancy coffee thing and I LOVE IT

coffee is good it gives u visions

xp max I have the same routine! Do you have the skerton or the mini mill?

that is my exact routine too, I have a mini

I have occasionally weighed things out, it adds like 20 secs to prep time idk

i weigh weighing is tite

fresh grind or die

i used to areopress but why is it so small need to make bigger one now i pour over, i own an insulated metal french press too, i own a moka pot, i have an electric burr grinder, i have a scale, i buy single origin beans

electric kettle of course

i mostly just fuck w espresso

lpulling espresso shots is like this cool sorta jenga puzzle, every step is kinda u&k

ya its tricky

I think espresso is where all the micro choices you make really start to show, it's true for non-espresso and drip and aeropress that 'good enough' is great

I got the gooseneck electric =]

No temp control but who cares

haha veg it is like jenga or something! My bf got us a refurbished espresso machine (pavoni, a small one with only a few buttons) for Christmas and so far I'm the only one trying to master the art of it - I think I'm doing pretty well. Need a better grinder though, that's where I run into problems with the puzzle :/ Yet it still makes a more rewarding and delicious cup of coffee than the stovetop pot I used for years and thought I was okay with...

ya mismatched size grounds are espresso death m/l

龜
Posted: January 31, 2015 at 1:24:18 PM
I got the gooseneck electric =]

is it good it looks so fn goofy man idk i will get it tho if it makes me more of a coffee man

omg rrobyn i love that pavoni, so jelly

diff beans need slightly diff grinds even! it's really interesting w all the variables

i saw a vid from some coffee shop about tamping & it upped my game considerably

they said to spoon yr grounds into the portafilter & pat them down like yr making a sandcastle THEN level off with yr finger THEN use the tamper to fully squash them in

it made my shots way better
dont ask me why though lol

capresso burr grinder is not too $$$ & has lasted us for years of daily use
i highly recommend

Oh I will check that out!

People are like oh you need to spend more on a grinder than on the espresso machine and I say wtf

I have a really cheap burr grinder that I got a couple of years ago but it doesn't grind fine enough for this machine. So I grind the coffee and then grind again in little blade grinder for a few seconds. Probably that makes me a coffee heathen. Mostly it's just annoying.

might hav to cast u out of the coffee thread

Will try to atone. But I understand.

mods

How will I ever learn

flagged u rrrobyn sry

I was just looking at how to mod a cheap burr grinder like the one I have - pretty easy! And possibly dangerous! Maybe that'll give me some cred here.

maaaaaybe

im tentatively willing to entertain this coffee mod

capresso burr grinder is not too $$$ & has lasted us for years of daily use
i highly recommend

― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 31 January 2015 18:56 (3 hours ago) Permalink

Capresso Infinity is the gold standard of burr grinders of people who are not insane

haha veg it is like jenga or something! My bf got us a refurbished espresso machine (pavoni, a small one with only a few buttons) for Christmas and so far I'm the only one trying to master the art of it - I think I'm doing pretty well. Need a better grinder though, that's where I run into problems with the puzzle :/ Yet it still makes a more rewarding and delicious cup of coffee than the stovetop pot I used for years and thought I was okay with...

― obliquity of the ecliptic (rrrobyn), Saturday, January 31, 2015 1:37 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I've had a La Pavoni for about 8 years and I love it! It needs servicing though and I've been kind of putting it off because now that I have to get K to preschool every morning I don't have time for the full ritual anyway. It's a beautiful piece of machinery, difficult to tame, but once you do it can make amazing coffee.

A few other tips:

1) ONLY use the larger filter basket (IIRC it comes with two, one is sort of tapered on the bottom, hence smaller, and one is not). It's supposed to be a "double" but it really holds the ideal amount for a single shot, and double-pulling the same grinds is a ridiculous idea.

2) A couple things to keep in mind for the future, but that require shelling out more: a "bottomless" portafilter (no oil buildup = cleaner espresso and easier cleanup), and a tamper that actually is the same size as the pavoni portafilter (IIRC the one that comes with it is weirdly smaller).

3) The thing is a burn hazard, so be careful. The whole thing is metal that gets and stays super hot. Also any time the machine has been in use recently, only open the water chamber VERY slowly as there's a lot of pressure in there and it can shoot hot water all over your hand if you move too fast (you can also use the "steam wand" to empty out the pressure before you open)

4) You don't absolutely have to use an "espresso" roast, in fact if you like nu-coffee places a lot of them use something lighter for their espresso. You can really make espresso from any coffee, although at least a medium roast is better imo, because light roasts have so little oil that they don't produce much "crema."

5) For cleaning, I find that lightly wetted pieces of paper towel work best (for cleaning the inside ring of the head where the grinds get stuck).

There are also some great sites where people give you tips -- will try to find. Some of them are a little OTT crazy, but it's fun to try the different techniques and see what works for you. Give yourself some time and practice, and be a little obsessive about it. I have had people tell me that I made "the best coffee they've ever had.

I could give a lot more tips too but this probably already sounds absurd.

gbx how many clicks do YOU use??

Oh and absolutely get the Capresso or similar, blade-chopped grinds will mean you don't get a nice tightly packed "disc" of grinds and you won't get proper pressure/extraction.

what's ur fave btwn nescafe and Maxwell house

keep the crazy espresso tips comin this is good stuff

http://imagecdn-0.findnsave.com/289/10039972-420

I will check it out.

I like to make a paste of the coffee and a lil milk and sugar first, smooth it all out adding milk til ive the right amount, then microwave that before adding the hot water, best coffee you'll ever taste #protip

good lord

gbx how many clicks do YOU use??

― Jennifer 8.-( (Stevie D(eux)), Saturday, January 31, 2015 4:43 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

good q, no clue -- 3.5 thread roots visible on the adjustment screw

I tighten it all the way and untighten it 10 clicks, rly hope I'm doing the right number of clicks

no charge matt happy caffeine ;)

all of the coffee i make is perfect so i'm not sweating it

Thanks for la pavoni tips! I figured out a few of those on my own, like I just laughed at the tapered "single shot". And was just reading about bottomless porta filters! Seems like something to try. I don't like nu coffee because it kills my stomach but also I don't like how it tastes. We got a blend from the Faema store that refurbed the machine and it was good! But I have other coffee sources I'm going to experiment with.

Biggest issue right now is grinder and tamper. I was looking at the capresso abs or ss and the Gaggia mdf, hmm.

espresso tip - 30 pounds of pressure for legit tamping. get your shoulder squared over top & bear the fuck down. mr veg got me this little rubber pad that helps

oh and we have this stainless steel tray that goes under the grinder, it helps pull out any static - dark roast oily beans get crazy staticky & the tray stops the grounds flying all over the counter

not must-haves by any means, but are cool if yr so inclined

my favorite for espresso shots is def medium roast colombian, i got one from ritual roasters that was like GAME: CHANGED, my shots were like buttah lol

oh and seattlecoffeegear is the website i used - has tons of how-to videos, mad helpful imo

Is there a $500 torque wrench-like gauged tamper for the discerning espresso drinker? If not, let's get rich.

http://espro.ca/tamper/ Damn.

lol holy shit

ehhh that's for pussies

O_O

tampin' it

oh, man alive, what size bottomless portafilter and tamper go with the la pavoni ebr? i guess i could just ask the guys at faema store, but why not ask ilx, and i might buy online.
my bf got a standard portafilter for the machine rather than the pressurized one it originally comes with because he'd been told that was the way to go.

oh hang on, hang on, that's a diff model then I have, for some reason I assumed you were talking about a europiccola (lever machine) based on what you said. Don't know if all my tips apply then. Probably some of them don't. I do stand by bottomless portafilters in general though, don't know what would fit but most places that sell them tell you which models they fit.

my favorite for espresso shots is def medium roast colombian, i got one from ritual roasters that was like GAME: CHANGED, my shots were like buttah lol

― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 31 January 2015 23:44 (Yesterday) Permalink

Medium roast colombian is my go-to for espresso as well, it's the most bang for buck (I find that even with the cheaper beans you can get good shots out of it for whatever reason). I do like Stumptown's Hair Bender a lot but for a while for everyday use I was just buying bulk colombian from costco.

yeah it's p reliable even when it's not fancy $$$

oh those pavoni lever machines are so cool and beautiful. its design would make our quaint kitchen look shabby, haha.
i think my bf got this one because it was there at the time and an inexpensive refurb, checking the boxes of what we can deal with right now.

going to get a freakin grinder asap. and some mildly-fancy medium roast.

I'm still not in the market, but Breville makes a $600 machine w/ grinder and temp control, etc. built in - espresso people, predictably, think it's garbage. But the average drinker would probably think it's capable of making a good espresso, right?

I don't know enough about it but my strong suspicion is that espresso snobs are basically audiophiles.

$600 is too much to pay for a goddamn Breville imo, and that's not me being a snob

if you have that kinda scratch, get a good brand refurb or at least invest in something with replaceable parts & longevity

i have had a breville electric kettle for 1 year & it's already starting to rust ffs

The Breville is well designed and makes a good espresso but it breaks quickly and has electronic controls you will not ever need -- their customer service is lousy where I live and it isn't serviceable by folks who know espresso machines, so mine had to go in the garbage after a a year and a half, which suddenly makes $600 for a decent machine and a decent grinder crappy value.

The current value-for-money/snobs-will-not-mock-you champion is Lelit, an Italian company that is relatively new in espresso machines and thus not quite as well known, but which has been making industrial steam irons (!) for decades which are considered by industrial steam iron snobs to be top notch. You know how those industrial steam iron snobs are.

My espresso shop guy, who runs his own repair shop, started carrying the brand after opening one up and being seriously impressed by the build quality, and he insists he has not had to repair one in the two years he's been carrying the brand. I have heard that the non-European distributors kinda suck, but they are really good machines and make really, really good espresso if you are into practicing and getting it right.

Wow, seriously envious of the Europiccola and its spartan looks. Anyone have tips associated with the Gaggia Classic? After a few years heavy use, I just recently took the thing out of storage, disassembled, and thoroughly cleaned everything.

I'm still not in the market, but Breville makes a $600 machine w/ grinder and temp control, etc. built in - espresso people, predictably, think it's garbage. But the average drinker would probably think it's capable of making a good espresso, right?

I don't know enough about it but my strong suspicion is that espresso snobs are basically audiophiles.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Sunday, February 1, 2015 6:34 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Well paying $600 for a breville with everything built in is probably the equivalent of buying a $600 "all-in-one" stereo when you could get better individual components for the same total price. Buy the $100 Capresso grinder and spend $500 on a separate espresso machine and you'll be happier with the results.

Sure, I get that about automation and fragility and buying parts - but the espresso people are less "buy a receiver at the pawn shop" and more "my diamond-encrusted cable really allows me to HEAR this section of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' for the first time."

Made a Moka Pot cup for the first time - medium roast from a local roaster, espresso grind on my grinder, boiled water then poured it in and screwed on the top, took it off of heat once I couldn't see the bottom anymore (was following half-remembered instructions I saw online) - it was very smooth, not nearly as heavy/thick as I was expecting. Not sure it will be a good option for bleary-eyed mornings given the need to clean quickly and the possibility of self-injury, but neither would an espresso machine - and I can always just down a couple of shots of my cold-brew concentrate if all I need is caffeine.

The thickness in espresso is about as much from your bean blend (more robusto = more thickness) as from the method, but moka pots make a really tasty hybrid that I like better than filter coffee.

Sure, I get that about automation and fragility and buying parts - but the espresso people are less "buy a receiver at the pawn shop" and more "my diamond-encrusted cable really allows me to HEAR this section of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' for the first time."

Mostly no. The difference between the espresso you get out of a top-quality commercial machine like a La Marzocco and out of a substandard quality home machine is enormous. There are pricey but not insanely pricey home machines where you can get pretty close to the Marzocco quality with the right technique. And certain factors in making espresso are pretty well-established -- pressure, temperature, grind, tamping (not to speak of the beans themselves). The best machines are simply able to produce the appropriate pressure and temperature consistently, which is surprisingly difficult. Other bells and whistles can make a difference -- the bottomless portafilter, for example, but there's a pretty commonsense reason for that one -- in a normal portafilter oils from the coffee build up and are hard to clean away. The bottomless portafilter simply eliminates that problem.

meanwhile

http://www.unicefusa.org/press/releases/unicef-too-many-children-dying-malnutrition/8259

as someone diagnosed with scurvy due to a diet of only coffee and patisserie, i sympathize with their plight

momateurist

Are there double-blind taste tests between $200, $450 and $800 grinders?

Oh on the grinder I agree -- at some point your grinder is 100% adequate to make good espresso and it's other things driving the price (elaborateness of "dosing" feature, liability to break down etc.)

proud of rrrobyn's coffee journey, I may have seen her grab some pre-ground coffee out of a freezer once and said nothing

my grinder is the electric bodum one (uhhh I am sure I got a deal or something) and I broke the container that came with it so now I hold a cup under it and it still sprays grounds all over the counter

oh yeah, and my friend bought me some kona beans for christmas and they were delicious! even pulled out my french press.

milo on some great "I mash the beans on the ground with my boot and lick the grounds off the pavement" shtick

cowboy coffee or gtfo

Haha mh I know, I was a coffee heathen for real (my grinder broke and I took like 2 years to replace it...)

I just cleaned my cheap burr grinder and discovered it's not mod-able :/ so I may just go for the baratza in my price range. Oh this coffee journey...

I shave myself into my French press, just plunge the result and I'm good to go

godspeed on the way to the coffee promised land

Intelligentsia beans are apparently widespread enough here that Target is carrying them, if only regionally. Weird.

For crazy coffee shit, I do appreciate the HG-One, it looks like a futurist sculpture.

i was trying to get into coffee so i was drinking it pretty frequently and various types for about two weeks. then this weekend i decided to take a break. good lord. i felt ill and had a headache for 1.5 days.

how do you guys deal with the withdrawals?

drink coffee

i was afraid of that :'(

other stimulants

Can't go around it, gotta go through it. On day 3, the sun rises and the birds chirp.

Meth.

never withdraw

coffee is ride or die

quitting is the worst

if you have to, gradually cut back but dont cold turkey. it aint worth the death-feeling

i got back to one small single shot latte a day

but i got lazy and now i am back to drinking way too much

i actually love coffee, but was, like, maybe i should drink a juice or just water for today. boink. bad decision. i took some advil and i still felt bad but no neck/headache. sunday was fine and the rest of this week was fine, but i'm craving some of that delicious roasted coffee bean

do it do it

Aside from cost there's not really a downside to coffee for most people, is there?

my bowels may disagree but nope, no downside

Caffeine jitters and stomach rebellion

xp heh

hi five *sadface*

milo on some great "I mash the beans on the ground with my boot and lick the grounds off the pavement" shtick

― 龜, Wednesday, February 4, 2015 1:18 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

cowboy coffee or gtfo

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Wednesday, February 4, 2015 1:19 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

my friends own a coffee shop where they roast their own single origin coffee in the light style of the day and their brewing method is cowboy coffee, which in this case really only works cause theyre at altitude

i miss coffee.

u shd get some

how do you guys deal with the withdrawals?

went cold turkey about 12 years ago.
3 days of fever/sweats/headaches etc
stayed off since.

One a day is usually not enough for the withdrawal symptoms to hit if you stop for a while. After my last cold turkey, I try to keep it to one shot and take a day or two off on occasion -- no problem.

Just gimme a little taste, man, I'm shaking real bad.

i love coffee and wish i could drink it regularly, the caffeine is too strong for me though and i get mad anxious as the day goes on. the first couple hours after drinking it are bliss though

so i limit my coffee drinking to days where it is okay to be a little wired and jittery and when 1) i'm going to be pretty physically active and/or 2) i know i can drink some beer later on or smoke some weed to chill out at the end of day

yesterday I had a keurig cup at the car dealer and a cup of folgers coffee at work

bwahahaha

sue yr employer imo

i used to be really wired/hyper, but no more, and to be honest, i don't miss it.

i just do one cup and it hits the spot, not too hyper, am capable of moving forward

sometimes i have another before i workout

sometimes ill have another if im tired and need to do work in the afternoon, this never works btw

usually just one tho

I now eat breakfast before I have coffee. Helps me with the jitters and the urge to drive fast.

i always take a lil food w my coff

my first one gives me a boost and makes me productive; if I have a second in the afternoon it almost always makes me wiry/jittery/speedy (like even moreso than I am by default)

once i get tired nothing can stop it i need to nap

I drink decaf. :(

Although sometimes if I'm really really tired and I really really need to get something done, I'll do 1/2 and 1/2 decaf and regular. Anything more than that and I'm flirting with a full blown anxiety attach.

Ha. Attack.

all the people I know who drink decaf are either women who drank it while pregnant or their significant others

My bf will literally only drink Nescafe and turns down actual coffee. It's amazing. I have...come to accept it as a hot, caffeinated, coffee-flavored drink.

I don't know that I've had it, is it better or worse than Sanka?