Coffee Catch-All

Tuffalo, you know i agree with everything you say, but I think pour over is awesome for coffee. It's my preferred method right now. Some of the best coffees i've had in PDX have been Chemex brewed at Stumptown or Water Avenue Coffee.

I like pourover as well - probably my favorite at the moment. But it isn't feasible for my work unfortunately.

jonnypolite wrote:

Tuffalo, you know i agree with everything you say, but I think pour over is awesome for coffee. It's my preferred method right now. Some of the best coffees i've had in PDX have been Chemex brewed at Stumptown or Water Avenue Coffee.

I agree. Pour over has become my preferred method as well. I get a very good cup of coffee. I think bean freshness and grind matter much more with pour over than other methods, but if you have access to recently roasted beans and a burr grinder, it's a great way to go. Relatively inexpensive, plus it's quick and easy with minimal clean-up. I have filter cones at both home and work, and make several cups a day this way.

I drop opinions in the coffee thread like it's P&C. I like the consistency of pour over. It's just always tasted a little weird to me. Mostly, the mechanics bother me. I feel like you should have the coffee ground sitting in the water free to move around so their surface area is all nice and exposed to the water for an exact period of time. Then, it seems like you should get those grounds filtered out instantly. With pour over, some of that coffee that pours out has only been exposed to the grounds for a few seconds. I got that vacuum pot thinking I could get a pour over consistency with the flavors of a press pot, but I've had trouble with the valve. It ends up clogging when I make the grounds too small but it's rather weak when the grounds are big. I haven't used it in awhile.

Ultimately, the beans are gonna be about 80% of the reason your coffee tastes good or bad, so I'm splitting hairs. It's just what I like to do when it comes to coffee. I think it's just about the only thing I enjoy arguing about for no particular reason. Anyways, it's all in good fun. Finally, just so you all don't think I'm too much of a coffee snob, I had pour over at work this morning using pre-ground Trader Joe's French Roast and a filter that's supposed to be used in a drip machine. I'll drink what I can get if I'm being lazy and/or cheap.

I certainly wasn't calling you out:0 Personal preference and all. I agree about the beans. I can tell the difference if i use fresh ground beans vs. beans that were ground and sat for 10 minutes.

I keep hoping this thread will degenerate into furious factions flinging fierce fiery formulations at each other about why pour-over fans are facists and why the Aeropress is an Obama conspiracy designed to take our guns and make us beholden to the UN, but you people are being far too reasonable!

trichy wrote:

I keep hoping this thread will degenerate into furious factions flinging fierce fiery formulations at each other about why pour-over fans are facists and why the Aeropress is an Obama conspiracy designed to take our guns and make us beholden to the UN, but you people are being far too reasonable!

IMAGE(http://idmdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/coffee.jpg)

How did I not know about this? Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Tanglebones wrote:
trichy wrote:

I keep hoping this thread will degenerate into furious factions flinging fierce fiery formulations at each other about why pour-over fans are facists and why the Aeropress is an Obama conspiracy designed to take our guns and make us beholden to the UN, but you people are being far too reasonable!

IMAGE(http://idmdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/coffee.jpg)

my favorite picture along the same vein:

IMAGE(http://www.stationbay.com/images/products/hu1714.jpg)

I have one of those posters hanging in my kitchen.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think that pour over is a bad method for making coffee, but I do it when I'm in a pinch. Sometimes, coffee is just coffee.

WHAT! I'm on a huge pour over kick at the moment. I do like french presses (when done right), and I do like a good latte or american, but I find the paper cone + a nice fresh roast is really allowing me to taste the breadth of the beans flavor without weighing it down with the steep time + oils of other methods. I'm sure ill find another method soon enough and latch on to it, but a pour over is FAR from a bad method of making coffee.

Blotto The Clown wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think that pour over is a bad method for making coffee, but I do it when I'm in a pinch. Sometimes, coffee is just coffee.

WHAT! I'm on a huge pour over kick at the moment. I do like french presses (when done right), and I do like a good latte or american, but I find the paper cone + a nice fresh roast is really allowing me to taste the breadth of the beans flavor without weighing it down with the steep time + oils of other methods. I'm sure ill find another method soon enough and latch on to it, but a pour over is FAR from a bad method of making coffee.

See my other post above. I meant bad as in less than ideal and I'm totally not being very serious about all this. Anyone watch Seinfeld in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? It's excellent. I particularly like the Alec Baldwin episode.

Finally got around to watching them tonight. So so good. Loved the Baldwin show, the Regan episode was hilarious too. The one with Michael Richards was very sweet, and poignant, all good.

That was me you jerk.

boogle wrote:

That was me you jerk.

boogle wrote:

That was me you jerk.

Pfft. I don't know what you're talking about. I wouldn't have made an error like that. See? Look at my post! It clearly says you!

So Boogle, not Psych, convinced me to give Tonx coffee a shot. I should have taken pictures, but I will with the next shipment I get.

Short version: Oh sweet mother of caffeine, where has this stuff been all my life.

In another time, this is the coffee that peasants wouldn't be allowed to drink. Only nobles would sip at this delectable, subtle brew, finally knowing in the first sip that their life up until that point was a hollow waste, and that all other beverages that had previously been imbibed were as swill from the brow of those very peasants who would never know this coffee.

So yeah, it's pretty damn good and you should all sign up. Under my email link, so I can have free coffee. LOTS of free coffee. But in all seriousness, it's some of the best coffee I've ever had.

I balked at Tonx when they asked for a credit card.

trichy wrote:

So Boogle, not Psych, convinced me to give Tonx coffee a shot. I should have taken pictures, but I will with the next shipment I get.

At the risk of offending people, I'm going to come out and say if you're not buying organic, fair trade (not necessarily 'certified' as that doesn't hold much water), fresh roasted beans, you're doing it wrong. I believe Americans get most of their antioxidants from coffee these days, and if you're drinking a lot of the stuff, it should be organic and fresh.

I'll give another shout out to http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com/ - which is the best and freshest I've had. They have an awesome subscription program, and when you buy a POUND from them they actually give you 16oz. (you know, an actual pound) instead of the skimpy 12oz. that everyone else seems to sell (and why do we let them get away with calling it a pound!?) They have monthly roasts, as well as a variety of regular roasts ranging from light to dark. They also do SW decaf and half-caff for those that are sensitive.

Try it!

On the subject of coffee at work.

IMAGE(http://i48.tinypic.com/wtwq37.jpg)

I had originally bought this to take coffee to my wife's softball games last fall while I read case books. It was also supposed to come along with us on winter hikes (that never happened).

But the clinic I am volunteering at has no coffee maker, yet. This little darling was filled at 7 AM, and the coffee was still too hot to drink when I had the last bit about 7 PM. That included an hour in the bed of my truck in 20 degree weather.

At 48 ounces, that is 4 medium cups of coffee from a shop.

Symbiotic wrote:
trichy wrote:

So Boogle, not Psych, convinced me to give Tonx coffee a shot. I should have taken pictures, but I will with the next shipment I get.

At the risk of offending people, I'm going to come out and say if you're not buying organic, fair trade (not necessarily 'certified' as that doesn't hold much water), fresh roasted beans, you're doing it wrong. I believe Americans get most of their antioxidants from coffee these days, and if you're drinking a lot of the stuff, it should be organic and fresh.

I'll give another shout out to http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com/ - which is the best and freshest I've had. They have an awesome subscription program, and when you buy a POUND from them they actually give you 16oz. (you know, an actual pound) instead of the skimpy 12oz. that everyone else seems to sell (and why do we let them get away with calling it a pound!?) They have monthly roasts, as well as a variety of regular roasts ranging from light to dark. They also do SW decaf and half-caff for those that are sensitive.

Try it!

fresh yes, from a reputable good roaster yes, fair trade yes. Organic isnt on my list. Well maybe it is indirectly, I dont seek out that label but I trust the various roasters I order from.

Blotto The Clown wrote:

fresh yes, from a reputable good roaster yes, fair trade yes. Organic isnt on my list. Well maybe it is indirectly, I dont seek out that label but I trust the various roasters I order from.

Coffee is one of the most absorbent crops on earth. If you aren't absolutely certain that your (non-organic) beans aren't grown using pesticides (and most are), you're most likely getting a healthy dose of Endosulfan and Carbofuran.

I forgot to mention 'shade grown' as another important factor.

http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com/he...

It takes a lot of effort and quality control to become certified Organic, and that gets you a better cup of coffee.

So you're telling me that my $4-a-pound already-ground Costco coffee is crap?

If you enjoy your coffee, you're doing it right. The rest is just details.

trichy wrote:

If you enjoy your coffee, you're doing it right. The rest is just details.

The one detail I seem to be missing is the paycheck to afford top-shelf coffee. One of these days!

You should probably steal premium coffee, or sell drugs.

You might as well do both.

Symbiotic wrote:
Blotto The Clown wrote:

fresh yes, from a reputable good roaster yes, fair trade yes. Organic isnt on my list. Well maybe it is indirectly, I dont seek out that label but I trust the various roasters I order from.

Coffee is one of the most absorbent crops on earth. If you aren't absolutely certain that your (non-organic) beans aren't grown using pesticides (and most are), you're most likely getting a healthy dose of Endosulfan and Carbofuran.

I forgot to mention 'shade grown' as another important factor.

http://www.camanoislandcoffee.com/he...

So I talked to some roasters and they say the farmers care more about 'direct trade' more than fair trade. Small bootique roasters that have smaller crops that the like of Starbucks etc pass over run the risk of losing an entir crop if they try organic. Seems a bit risky for the farmer all these marketing terms.

Pretty much. Farms have to pay to get the "organic" label, which excludes the little guys. Fair trade is the same way. Generally, if you're buying from a boutique coffee supplier they obtain their beans from good sources though. The economics of coffee wiki page is pretty handy too.

I refined my vacuum pot technique to where I'm extremely happy with it. I'm now getting all of the full flavors and more of the press pot method without silt. Unfortunately, the Bodum instructions are terrible and there's not a lot of good info on the internet. The Stumptown guide isn't very good, and I disagree with it. I'm basing my method on the idea that 4 minutes of coffee grounds being exposed to hot water is the ideal exposure time. I've always thought that more exposure time than that leads to bitter and bad flavors and less time than that leads to not enough flavors.

Here is my method using a Bodum vacuum pot and an electric stove with a heat diffuser.

1. Fill the bottom section to the 6 or 8 cup mark depending on how much coffee you would like to make. Note that the 6 espresso cup mark is actually 3 normal cups and the 8 cup mark is actually 4 cups of water.
2. Use a burr grinder to grind 6 tablespoons for the 6 cup mark or 8 tablespoons of grounds for the 8 cup mark. Use a medium grind setting somewhere in between an espresso grind and a french press grind.
3. Place the top section with valve in place on the lower section so that it seals leaving a gap of about 1/2" to 3/4" between the tube and the very bottom. This is very important because you do not want all the water leaving the lower section.
4. Put the grounds in the top section.
5. Place the device on the diffuser and turn the heat up to high. Do not turn the heat on beforehand. You want the glass and diffuser to heat up at the same time to avoid breaking the glass due to a big temperature difference.
6. As soon as the grounds have been exposed to water (this will be gradual at first), set your timer for 4 minutes. The top bulb will quickly fill with water at this point.
7. Leave the device on the heat until one minute is left on the timer. This is the most important part! The Bodum instructions tell you not to do this for fear of breaking the glass. They are assuming, however, that you shoved the bulb way down and so all the water got sucked out of the lower section. Leaving a half inch to three quarter inches of water in the bottom boiling, however, fixes this issue. Once the top section is filled with water, I turned the heat down to medium-high.
8. After the three minutes have passed, take the device off the burner. Using the plastic cover to hold the top section helps, but I would take it off after you've placed it the device on a hot pad. During that remaining minute, the coffee will be released into the bottom section. Bingo! The water has been exposed to coffee grounds for exactly 4 minutes. Another important thing is to not stir the coffee in the top section at this stage. Its time boiling on the stove will have let the grounds move around in the hot water plenty. During that remaining minute, you want the coffee grounds floating on the top so that it doesn't clog the valve. If you stir it during that remaining minute, the valve will get clogged, and it's a disaster. You have to dump the clogged portion into a press pot to rescue the coffee.
9. Take the top section off and serve in a ceramic cup or something that's made of glass. You can wrap a clean towel or two around the pot with the remaining coffee and put the little plastic cap on it to keep it warm.

So, this may help anyone who's interested. I can now claim that this method will make the best cup of coffee possible.