Official Coffee Thread

[*DUMBCAN*]

This french press talk is making espresso seam piss easy...

Anyway I thought I'd use this post to talk about how much my Gaggia MDF sucks as a grinder. I only paid £50 for it, which it's definitely worth because it's quite good at grinding beans, but in other respects damn it is atrocious. List of failings:

- the doser is just pointless.

- the pointless doser is impossible to remove and replace with a slidey-thing.

- the hopper isn't big enough to take a whole bag of beans

- the portafilter holder is built like shit

There are others I've forgotten.

Anyway, unless you can get one ridiculously cheap save your money.

 

[987321654hgfd]

^ Grinder is the most important thing after beans. You'll never get the full potential of any machine with a sub par grinder.

 

[*DUMBCAN*]

^ Grinder is the most important thing after beans. You'll never get the full potential of any machine with a sub par grinder.

The actual grinding is quite good, it's just ergonomically dreadful.

Also I forgot that the sum of all these failings is a lot of wasted grind. Like every cup there's at least a teaspoon stuck in the doser or got shaken out when I pulled the PF away.

 

[cornholio]

do any of you aeropress nerds do the inverted method? i didn't realize that was even a thing but am about to go try it out

also how much grounds/water do you typically use?

my typical brew (for the big 20 oz thermos) is 2 scoops of grounds, fill to 4 with water, stir about 20-30 sec, then i re-add water for whatever leaked out back up to the 4 right before pressing. then add water to mug to fill 'er up. i guess i cut the recipe in half if i end up doing a smaller mug.

 

[Laurent.]

do any of you aeropress nerds do the inverted method? i didn't realize that was even a thing but am about to go try it out

also how much grounds/water do you typically use?

my typical brew (for the big 20 oz thermos) is 2 scoops of grounds, fill to 4 with water, stir about 20-30 sec, then i re-add water for whatever leaked out back up to the 4 right before pressing. then add water to mug to fill 'er up. i guess i cut the recipe in half if i end up doing a smaller mug.

I had to google the inverted method, turns out to be my normal method, preferably turn with cup otherwise you can fling coffee out over your kitchen.

Depends on the beans/grind.

Get an accurate scale, helps tremendously

Example:

18,6 gr of Columbia.

Add 60ml of water

Paddle 30 seconds.

Add 190ml water gently

Wait 1:30

flip

PRESS WITH ALL MY MIGHT.

 

[DrewPeacock]

 

[theVan]

Hey guys,

I wanted to chime in and say a few things. First, I am totally jealous of you guys that have high end espresso machines & grinders AT YOUR HOUSE. I take my coffee pretty seriously too and always love learning more and upgrading. I currently use an entry level Breville concical burr grinder, storing my whole beans in Italian glass food jars and using my Bodum french press to make a respectable cup.

I wanted to point out this organic coffee, currently sold by Rogers Family Company. This family owned business is one of the few that actually take seriously good care of the coffee growers and the coffee farm itself. They go in to where the growers live, in to those communities, and build them new homes, new schools, putting a smile on everyone's faces. They pay them a fair wage for their hard work. The land is transformed after going organic, the birds come back, water starts flowing there again. Does everyone here know why organic coffee is better? Or what fair trade means? Shade grown? One of my favorite coffees is grown in the Jaguar corridor, and portions of the online sales are donated to Panthera, a big cat conservation program that kicks serious ass and is helping to preserve amazing animals like the Jaguar.

This coffee is LEGIT. Check the single origins too.

www.gourmet-coffee.com

 

[hulkhoganite]

I usually buy a macdonalds coffee and then throw my ciggerette butt in it

 

[taylor_gang]

my advice is to start at around 4 minutes and have the water between 180f and 200f (82c and 93c). normally that means start pouring the water 30 seconds from when you take it off of a boil.

i would also recommended to stir the bloom 5 times one minute after you pour the water in

Perf just what I was looking for ! Thanks +k

 

[DayMan]

Blade grinders are worse then stale store grind, get a Hario Skerton.

You will improve your coffee game tenfold and gain extra wanking arm strength if grinding fine enough.

Just bought one on Amazon, I'm excited.

 

[galaxia]

Just bought one on Amazon, I'm excited.

i picked up a mini mill a few weeks ago - and like it. a lot. granted i only drink one cup at at time and at most 2 cups per day.

 

[987321654hgfd]

I would actually recommend the mini over the skerton. On coarser settings and without modding the skerton burr moves all over the place. Switching grind on the mill is much easier too.

 

[Laurent.]

I would actually recommend the mini over the skerton. On coarser settings and without modding the skerton burr moves all over the place. Switching grind on the mill is much easier too.

I never put my Skerton above 4 notches even for French Press anyway, if you go coarse it will indeed wobble without enough beans to level it out, it's much better to grind with though, the Mini Mill is such a slippery piece of equipment, I have them both and the Skerton just stays put.

That said, if you are really critical, you should just sell a watch and get the HG one with it's luscious 83mm Mazzer Robur burs. We are talking about 30 dollar grinders, they will never be perfect.

 

[987321654hgfd]

Yeah for $30 you're getting a very useful piece of equipment with way more pros than cons. The skerton served me and my bodum well for most of last year. If I ever do upgrade from a Vario though, I'm looking at one of these...

k10 pro barista

At about ~$1500 it's a little much and even without the hopper I don't think it'll fit underneath my cabinets. Hopefully I never upgrade.

 

[DayMan]

Yeah for $30 you're getting a very useful piece of equipment with way more pros than cons. The skerton served me and my bodum well for most of last year. If I ever do upgrade from a Vario though, I'm looking at one of these...

k10 pro barista

At about ~$1500 it's a little much and even without the hopper I don't think it'll fit underneath my cabinets. Hopefully I never upgrade.

A little much??! Jesus Christ, I could never imagine spending 1500$ on a grinder. For 1500 that shit better grow my beans, grind them, milk the cow for me, steam the milk, and give me the most delicious cappuccinos ever.

 

[DayMan]

Yeah for $30 you're getting a very useful piece of equipment with way more pros than cons. The skerton served me and my bodum well for most of last year. If I ever do upgrade from a Vario though, I'm looking at one of these...

k10 pro barista

At about ~$1500 it's a little much and even without the hopper I don't think it'll fit underneath my cabinets. Hopefully I never upgrade.

A little much??! Jesus Christ, I could never imagine spending 1500$ on a grinder. For 1500 that shit better grow my beans, grind them, milk the cow for me, steam the milk, and give me the most delicious cappuccinos ever.

 

[OregonDead]

Rogers Family coffee is my go to for beans. I'd drink it everyday forever if I could. IMO The Rogers rain forest organic blend that they sell at Costco is probably the best value for decent beans. I just picked up 9lbs yesterday. I'm going to stock up since it is on the Cotsco Organics sale right now.

 

[PowPirate]

she's beautiful

 

[Aaaron.]

A little much??! Jesus Christ, I could never imagine spending 1500$ on a grinder. For 1500 that shit better grow my beans, grind them, milk the cow for me, steam the milk, and give me the most delicious cappuccinos ever.

that's how much they cost

 

[Laurent.]

Yeah for $30 you're getting a very useful piece of equipment with way more pros than cons. The skerton served me and my bodum well for most of last year. If I ever do upgrade from a Vario though, I'm looking at one of these...

k10 pro barista

Get a Mazzer Robur, eurospec (220V) with it's giant 83mm burrs making the compact's 68mm seem bitch size.

Also nearly twice as heavy. And Italian which adds +2 taste to every coffee you will make, regardless of conditions.

 

[987321654hgfd]

And Italian which adds +2 taste to every coffee you will make

Do I get that auto +2 for being Italian? It's gotta count for something.

Just bought a group head thermometer for my machine. Should help me get my results from good to great.

 

[CHORIZO]

I usually just use my keurig cuz its easy. I know k cups aren't exactly top quality but my mom just bought mccafe kcups

fucking mccafe cups

i feel betrayed

 

[mseward]

My french press method:

4 scoops for 1 litre of water

water taken off just before boiling.

Use a butter knife to skim off a bit of extra grounds off the top

Stir, then let sit for 4-5 minutes

Press and drink.

Always fucking delicious. I live in residence now and do not have a sink in my room which is seriously fucking shitty because I am lazy and do not want to walk down the hallway to fill kettle and dump grinds everytime I want to make coffee, so I switched to tassimo .... anyone have any suggestions for good t-discs?

 

[DayMan]

Skerton

Ok so I bought one on Amazon, and you were right. My coffee this morning was so much more smooth, less bitter, and just all around better than with the blade grinder. Part of that might be in my head just because you said it would be that much better, but who cares it was delicious. It's kind of a pain in the ass taking the time to hand grind it, but not really a big deal.

 

[Laurent.]

Ok so I bought one on Amazon, and you were right. My coffee this morning was so much more smooth, less bitter, and just all around better than with the blade grinder.

Hario should start giving me commission by now.

Protip: Do not try to flip an aeropress with one hand in a lacklustre attempt to impress your confidantes, burning them with scalding hot coffee and most importantly making a mess of your wooden floor's isn't a good idea.

It did create a modern art masterpiece.

 

[987321654hgfd]

Results have improved a good amount since installing the group head thermometer.

 

[DILLINGER]

I have been converted, decided to order an aeropress.

I'm more than broke but I've convinced myself that it will be good for my studying habits

 

[DILLINGER]

hoorah for the weak ass euro, ended up getting a hario slim mill grinder too

 

[EHP]

Anybody into Turkish coffee?

I've used French presses for as long as I can remember, but this year I stayed with a Turkish family for a month in Munich and they sent me home with a Cezve and a set of cups/saucers and now I make it semi-regularly. I'm glad I already had a grinder that could do Turkish coffee.

 

[theVan]

Rogers Family coffee is my go to for beans. I'd drink it everyday forever if I could. IMO The Rogers rain forest organic blend that they sell at Costco is probably the best value for decent beans. I just picked up 9lbs yesterday. I'm going to stock up since it is on the Cotsco Organics sale right now.

Hey I was going to say, if you order direct from Rogers, not only do you still have access to sales and more variety, but they roast to order which is very nice too. I recommend at least trying it out once. The Guatemalan and Sumatra single origins are both great, and the Panther Blend too. The rainforest is a great coffee as well. It's important to note WHY Organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee is better too. Not only does it taste better, it's better for you and you help support a healthy trade and a healthy planet. A lot of very nice coffee shops have great baristas, equipment, etc, and they serve locally roasted coffee, but we have no idea how it is produced, there is no transparency. Also I want this.

 

[BoogieWoman]

Always fucking delicious. I live in residence now and do not have a sink in my room which is seriously fucking shitty because I am lazy and do not want to walk down the hallway to fill kettle and dump grinds everytime I want to make coffee, so I switched to tassimo .... anyone have any suggestions for good t-discs?

Tassimo?? Should have gone with Nespresso my friend!

 

[theVan]

I just got my new spoon. First press with it today and it felt so good.

 

[Laurent.]

Don't keep your beans in a glass container.

 

[theVan]

Don't keep your beans in a glass container.

Oh? and how do you store your beans, sir?

 

[987321654hgfd]

Glass is fine, just keep it away from light.

 

[El.Guapo]

My keurig is dying.. any suggestions on what I should buy next? Pretty open to suggestions but not trying to spend $500 on a coffee maker

 

[Laurent.]

Oh? and how do you store your beans, sir?

The roaster is almost next door, so pretty much fresh beans everyday, bigger portions I seal using a fancy sous-vide vacuum sealer before tossing them in a drawer.

Glass is fine, just keep it away from light.

It's clearly out in the open, we must eliminate the slightest possibility of light reaching the beans for those micro taste pollutions.

My keurig is dying.. any suggestions on what I should buy next? Pretty open to suggestions but not trying to spend $500 on a coffee maker

Single-cup brewing systems: Nespresso.

 

[toastyteenagers]

what about blended drinks, which is the best one I can make or buy?

 

[Corin]

what about blended drinks, which is the best one I can make or buy?

The best drink to have at a preparty is what we in Sweden call a "kaffekask". It's coffee and booze. Preferably strong black coffee and homemade clear liquor, but cheap vodka can work too. It's actually really good, it mostly tastes like very very strong coffee, which obviously is perfect.

 

[987321654hgfd]

My keurig is dying.. any suggestions on what I should buy next? Pretty open to suggestions but not trying to spend $500 on a coffee maker

Technivorm makes a single cup brewer, but at around $220 it may be expensive for the average person. You'd need some sort of burr grinder to get the full potential of the machine.

I've also heard good things about nespresso, though the pods are about $1 each so that can add up.

If you liked your keurig and don't feel like complicating your coffee making process past that just get another one.

 

[El.Guapo]

Technivorm makes a single cup brewer, but at around $220 it may be expensive for the average person. You'd need some sort of burr grinder to get the full potential of the machine.

I've also heard good things about nespresso, though the pods are about $1 each so that can add up.

If you liked your keurig and don't feel like complicating your coffee making process past that just get another one.

I didn't really like it until I bought the San Francisco onepods. they're biodegradable and since they use a coffee filter it creates a better flavor

 

[theVan]

The roaster is almost next door, so pretty much fresh beans everyday, bigger portions I seal using a fancy sous-vide vacuum sealer before tossing them in a drawer.

It's clearly out in the open, we must eliminate the slightest possibility of light reaching the beans for those micro taste pollutions.

Single-cup brewing systems: Nespresso.

I only bring the beans from the dark cabinet when I need to get some, I put them in the photo for fun. Impossible for me to get beans as fresh as what you're getting. I think the glass jars are just fine

 

[987321654hgfd]

I didn't really like it until I bought the San Francisco onepods. they're biodegradable and since they use a coffee filter it creates a better flavor

You trying to grind beans every time you make coffee?

 

[Mr.softcookie]

McDonalds breakfast coffee all day

 

[El.Guapo]

You trying to grind beans every time you make coffee?

well the grinder i have is pretty shitty and so is my coffee maker so even with nice beans it still is shittier coffee then my kuerig

 

[987321654hgfd]

Get a Mazzer Robur, eurospec (220V) with it's giant 83mm burrs making the compact's 68mm seem bitch size.

Well I upgraded. I was looking for the k10, but somebody offered me a Fiorenzato Doge Conico for $700. For less than half the price of a k10 I decided to scoop it up. Sorry to disappoint since it's not a Robur, but it's still a beast and produces a great grind.

 

[*DELETED*]

Bought this for traveling... Never again...

 

[jensen]

So this is probably pretty amateur to you true coneseurs with $500 espresso machines in your house but I wanted to toss this out there for those looking for a cheaper way to make a cappucino/latte in your home...

My gf picked up on of these Bialetti Mukka Expresses the other week and for being under $100 makes a real solid cappucino/latte. It has a presurizer in it to steam and frothe your milk. Sorry if this has already been posted, just stumpled across this thread and figured others may be interested. I am a big fan for the price.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Expr...?ie=UTF8&qid=1427758011&sr=8-2&keywords=mukka+express+cappuccino

 

[DayMan]

stumpled

This must be some new coffee lingo that I'm not familiar with.

 

[Big_Spence]

This must be some new coffee lingo that I'm not familiar with.

you're not familiar with Stumblr? it's like search engine combination of Google and Tumblr aimed for target the elderly and less "tech savvy" people in our society.

also my dumbfuck roommate just broke my press. what's my best bet for $50ish?