Coffee Catch-All

boogle wrote:

You just don't drink the bottom of the cup.

Nope, you chew it.

Good luck on the coffee making!

Made my first cup last night, but I got a little impatient. It turned out OK, but a little weak; I'm learning they really do mean gentle pressure on the AeroPress.

This morning I did everything by the book, 175 degree water, 10 seconds of mixing, slow pressure on the press. MMMMM, turned out really good.

Now I need to get a tiny bit of milk and I've got the closest thing I've had to a proper espresso macchiato here in the states. =)

Step 2: start experimenting with beans and find if there are other blends/roasts I like more.

AeroPress ordered yesterday, and this thread pops up today! I should have it by tomorrow, and I'll try to report back.

I've had an AeroPress for a while now and can attest to its awesomeness. Coming from all the bothersome cleaning of a cafetiere it's a breeze, and makes excellent coffee to boot. I kept it at work until they bought one of these:

IMAGE(http://www.coffeemachinecompany.co.uk/media/epoca1/epoca1sidered.jpg)

I gave up coffee two months ago. Haven't had the customary "weekend headache" since.

Gorilla.800.lbs wrote:

I gave up coffee two months ago. Haven't had the customary "weekend headache" since.

I drink coffee on the weekends to alleviate the "weekend headache".

Gorilla.800.lbs wrote:

I gave up coffee two months ago. Haven't had the customary "weekend headache" since.

I only get a 'weekend headache' when the weekend starts with tequila.

Fact, coffee drinkers have a more active sex life.

Querry. I would be interrested in a Burr grinder, as I realize that my blade grinder can do 2 things-coarse drip grind, or fine powder with a few large nuggets. But looking online I see poorly rated cheap ones, bulky and expensive ones. Is there something good, even manually operated, for under 50 bucks, that will not take up a ton of shelf or counter space? My Kitchen Aide is fine because it does a million jobs for its size-mixer, sausage, pasta, ice cream, meat grinding.

I skimmed. Don't know if it's in there, but find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, and finish of your meal with a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk over ice. Probably just an espresso roast and grind but the best dessert a coffee lover could enjoy. That, and I love getting the hot and sour soup, then bbq beef on vermicelli. So it's all an experience for me.

Ghostship wrote:

I skimmed. Don't know if it's in there, but find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, and finish of your meal with a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk over ice. Probably just an espresso roast and grind but the best dessert a coffee lover could enjoy. That, and I love getting the hot and sour soup, then bbq beef on vermicelli. So it's all an experience for me.

Agreed; there was a place by my old job that did lousy banh mi, but great iced vietnamese coffees.

Ghostship wrote:

I skimmed. Don't know if it's in there, but find an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, and finish of your meal with a Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk over ice. Probably just an espresso roast and grind but the best dessert a coffee lover could enjoy. That, and I love getting the hot and sour soup, then bbq beef on vermicelli. So it's all an experience for me.

Yeah, I had some when I was up in Milwaukee last month. Good stuff.

I love my Aeropress, and I just got a spiffy new burr grinder on Sunday. What I am struggling with now is finding a good storage medium for the coffee I grind at home to bring in to the office. I need to find something with a one-way valve on it that is sturdy enough to survive the walk to work and will hold enough for ~8 cups (avg. weekly use). Any suggestions?

I'm spoiled I get to pick what coffee service is brought into the building and so i have gone with the Latte Lounge
IMAGE(http://www.corpcofe.com/images/content/latte_lounge.jpg)

This thing is awesome three different beans in the hoppers ground when you request, milk, cocoa, 3 flavor additives (irish creme, french vanilla, vanilla hazelnut) and a support team that comes on site whenever something (if ever) breaks.

Kraint wrote:

I need to find something with a one-way valve on it that is sturdy enough to survive the walk to work and will hold enough for ~8 cups (avg. weekly use). Any suggestions?

I find an old tin of Illy works really well, although it doesn't like being tipped upside down and doesn't have a one-way valve. But still. Keeps it fresh.

KingGorilla wrote:

Is there something good, even manually operated, for under 50 bucks, that will not take up a ton of shelf or counter space?

I researched a bunch for grinders as a Christmas gift, but it appears that manual ones are pretty limited. Zassenhaus is pretty popular, especially the vintage ones, but they are not under $50. The other option is the ceramic ones like this or this. Cheaper than the steel ones, still more expensive than an electric blade grinder. I don't have actual experience with any of these, though.

I will check those out when my blade inevitably fails. I know that day is coming soon in fact.

Floomi wrote:
Kraint wrote:

I need to find something with a one-way valve on it that is sturdy enough to survive the walk to work and will hold enough for ~8 cups (avg. weekly use). Any suggestions?

I find an old tin of Illy works really well, although it doesn't like being tipped upside down and doesn't have a one-way valve. But still. Keeps it fresh.

Lame as it may sound, a suitably sized piece of Tupperware or similar that seals well. The coffee shouldn't be degassing unless you just roasted it yourself, and if it's degassing it's too fresh to use , so the need for a valve is minimal. It won't let moisture in and the lid won't pop off.

And DO NOT refrigerate ground coffee, EVER. No matter what your grandmother told you. The number of fights I've had with people who don't understand that temperature changes create condensation is astounding. And always with the 'my grandparents/parents have always done this' excuse.

I would recommend not grinding a week's worth of coffee at a time, but grinding daily is a PITA so it's understandable.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

I would recommend not grinding a week's worth of coffee at a time, but grinding daily is a PITA so it's understandable.

Its the ritual. I prefer to obsess about my coffee and the ritual surrounding it. That's why I go for daily grinds.

COFFEE.

My AeroPress should be here tomorrow. I'm tossing around the idea of grabbing a myPresso Twist as a budget espresso machine for now too. I really miss the days of being behind a high-end double-boiler machine. My wallet however does not.

LiquidMantis wrote:

My AeroPress should be here tomorrow. I'm tossing around the idea of grabbing a myPresso Twist as a budget espresso machine for now too.

So far, so good with mine; the coffee is coming out a bit sour, still, but that may be due to the absolute crap that I'm using. I withhold final judgment until I get a good bag of whole beans and a grinder.

boogle wrote:
MrDeVil909 wrote:

I would recommend not grinding a week's worth of coffee at a time, but grinding daily is a PITA so it's understandable.

Its the ritual. I prefer to obsess about my coffee and the ritual surrounding it. That's why I go for daily grinds.

Personally, I find it easier to press a button that leads to grinding the right amount of coffee for my French press than to measure the right amount of pre-ground coffee.

wordsmythe wrote:

COFFEE.

Sweet, sweet caffeinated happiness.

Kraint wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:

COFFEE.

Bitter, bitter caffeinated happiness.

FTFY.

MikeSands wrote:
Kraint wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:

COFFEE.

Bitter, bitter caffeinated happiness.

FTFY.

MikeSands,

You're doing it wrong!

French Press + the below (less than a week old) = no bitterness whatsoever. Bitterness comes from poorly made coffee which is about 98% of the coffee made by people.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/FjhVX.jpg)

Look, I prefer bitter to sweet and nothing is going to change that.

MrDeVil909 wrote:

And DO NOT refrigerate ground coffee, EVER. No matter what your grandmother told you. The number of fights I've had with people who don't understand that temperature changes create condensation is astounding. And always with the 'my grandparents/parents have always done this' excuse.

okay dude. I know my beer, I know my whiskey, and I'm getting to know my way around a bottle of wine, but I know nothing about coffee. It is just a method by which I can get caffiene into my body. But as with all things, I'm not intentionally ignorant, just unfortunately so. And I keep my coffee in the freezer.

So I am throwing my ignorant self on the mercy of this thread, and asking, "why is that bad? What should I be doing instead?"

MikeSands wrote:

Look, I prefer bitter to sweet and nothing is going to change that.

Well, at least it's easy to find and cheap.

I use a Capresso Infinity burr grinder, it's great and can be had for about $100. It will grind for espresso or for french press no problem. Static electricity is a pain sometimes in the plastic bin it grinds into, throwing coffee grounds onto the counter and sink.

A note about the Aeropress - following the instructions didn't yield a good cup of coffee for me. When I would pour the water in, it would immediately begin seeping through the coffee and filter into the cup. I know that coffee brewing needs more time than .1 seconds, so what I do is put the plunger in the cylinder about a half to 3/4 inch, turn it upside down on the counter, add coffee and water to the cylinder, stir (not with the silly paddle it came with), let it sit a sec, and THEN put the filter and black holder on and carefully invert it on top of the cup to press it out. The extraction is more even. Dangerous? Yeah maybe. But it makes a better cup of coffee.

Fresh, whole beans are important. Local if possible, they should be oily. Dry beans are not fresh. Peet's and Starbucks are OK commercially, and 8 O'Clock bean is a good budget alternative.

Please, grind for each brewing.

Seth wrote:

... And I keep my coffee in the freezer.

So I am throwing my ignorant self on the mercy of this thread, and asking, "why is that bad? What should I be doing instead?"

No need to keep in the freezer. Cold things, when put in warm places, get condensation. Water takes away some flavor from the beans. Plus, I found "freezer taste" occasionally when I did it. Also, my freezer is full.

The whole beans are pretty good at keeping freshness on their own, especially compared to pre-ground. Store in a container that has a gasket or just keep it in the bag wrapped tightly. I drink probably a pound a week, maybe more. I only buy at the rate I drink it so I'm not storing coffee for long periods of time.