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Akarshi posted:Hey everyone, super noob here who is thinking of getting into coffee. I'm not sure where to start, and as of now buying a coffee machine isn't very possible since I'm in a cluttered dorm room and am not sure where to put it (plus no available power sockets). I live in Philadelphia, so if anyone has any coffeeshop recs there, it would be awesome. Any recommendations for types of coffee? Also, is it better to drink it black or not? Some people told me that milk and sugar muddies the flavor, but others swear by it; it's all pretty confusing. Thanks in advance.
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Dec 2, 2011 15:33
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Akarshi posted:Hey everyone, super noob here who is thinking of getting into coffee. I'm not sure where to start, and as of now buying a coffee machine isn't very possible since I'm in a cluttered dorm room and am not sure where to put it (plus no available power sockets). I live in Philadelphia, so if anyone has any coffeeshop recs there, it would be awesome. Any recommendations for types of coffee? Also, is it better to drink it black or not? Some people told me that milk and sugar muddies the flavor, but others swear by it; it's all pretty confusing. Thanks in advance. Serious eats did a write up of coffee shops in Philly earlier this year, and there's more recommendations in the comments. http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/04/best-coffee-philadelphia-guide-where-to-drink-coffee-in-philly.html
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Dec 2, 2011 16:11
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Akarshi posted:Hey everyone, super noob here who is thinking of getting into coffee. I'm not sure where to start, and as of now buying a coffee machine isn't very possible since I'm in a cluttered dorm room and am not sure where to put it (plus no available power sockets). I live in Philadelphia, so if anyone has any coffeeshop recs there, it would be awesome. Any recommendations for types of coffee? Also, is it better to drink it black or not? Some people told me that milk and sugar muddies the flavor, but others swear by it; it's all pretty confusing. Thanks in advance. If you're new to drinking coffee, just drink it how you like it. Try it several different ways. There's nothing wrong with putting cream and sugar in coffee, but with that in mind if your coffee is exquisitely prepared you probably won't want or need to - so take a little sip before adding stuff.
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Dec 2, 2011 19:21
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Am I supposed to feel like experiencing acid-reflux every time after ingesting coffee? This is proving to be very troubling to me because it breaks my concentration during lectures, the very reason I drink coffee to begin with.
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Dec 2, 2011 20:21
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e; /\/\/\ Invest in some Gaviscon. I need moka pot advice. I got a french press a while back and stopped using my moka for a while. I opened it up today and found I had neglected to clean it. So it had been sitting with coffee grounds and moisture all sealed up for about 2 months. There was this kind of waxy-looking growth in it. I cleaned out the top, bottom, and filter, but the piece that holds the coffee isn't easily cleaned. What's the best way to de-gunk this piece? I can't open it up to clean it.
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Dec 2, 2011 20:24
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Clanpot Shake posted:e; /\/\/\ Invest in some Gaviscon. I did the same thing, and to be honest I'd probably throw it out and get a new one, mine had some sort of nasty mould which even once scrubed and scoured clean, had slightly eaten away at the metal.
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Dec 2, 2011 20:27
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The moka pot instructions actually say not to use abrasive cleaners (steel wool and the like) so the finish doesn't come off. That may have been what happened to yours. There's got to be a better option than buying a new one. Some kind of peroxide solution or something.
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Dec 2, 2011 20:54
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Clanpot Shake posted:e; /\/\/\ Invest in some Gaviscon. Clear out all the solid stuff as best you can, then fill the whole thing with isopropyl alcohol. It'll get pretty much anything off glass or stainless steel. You can add salt too, if you want something mildly abrasive in there. edit: whoops, thought your French Press was dirty, not the Moka Pot. No idea, but this might still work, depends on the finish on the metal though. Abu-Saleh posted:Am I supposed to feel like experiencing acid-reflux every time after ingesting coffee? This is proving to be very troubling to me because it breaks my concentration during lectures, the very reason I drink coffee to begin with. Some coffees are more acidic than others. I've certainly experienced that before, but it isn't typical, and it pretty much never happens with coffee I brew at home via Chemex.
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Dec 2, 2011 20:56
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Lord Dekks posted:I did the same thing, and to be honest I'd probably throw it out and get a new one, mine had some sort of nasty mould which even once scrubed and scoured clean, had slightly eaten away at the metal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxide
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Dec 2, 2011 21:02
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Abu-Saleh posted:Am I supposed to feel like experiencing acid-reflux every time after ingesting coffee? This is proving to be very troubling to me because it breaks my concentration during lectures, the very reason I drink coffee to begin with. How are you making it? French press can be rougher on the stomach than something with a filter like a pour over. I love good coffee, but nothing beats a perfectly made cap (not too much milk) with really good beans.
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Dec 2, 2011 21:33
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Holy poo poo the Temple Guatemalan Hunapu is good poo poo. So much flavor from a pretty medium-mildly roasted bean. http://templecoffee.myshopify.com/products/guatemala-antigua-hunapu-12oz-5lbs Glad Temple in Sacramento was recommended here as I've never heard of it.
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Dec 2, 2011 23:28
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Lord Dekks posted:I see a lot of people in this thread praising the pour over method, presumably the only difference between this and a normal drip coffee maker is that it doesn't have the heat source underneath scorching the coffee? Does this mean if I just poured off the boil water over the coffee basket and straight into the coffee carafe would be pretty similar? (The shut off valve spring on the filter basket stopped working ages ago). You have a lot more control over the extraction, so you can control your pour so that it will evenly over all of the grinds. Also, a lot of drip coffee makers tend to heat the water past the point of boiling, and steam is incredibly bad for coffee. With pourover, you can heat it to boiling, let it cool for about 30 seconds and then start pouring. This won't burn the coffee and extract any of those bitter flavors.
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Dec 2, 2011 23:44
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Officer No Gun posted:Serious eats did a write up of coffee shops in Philly earlier this year, and there's more recommendations in the comments. Great list. Personally I used to buy from Old City Coffee, they have a space in Reading Terminal Market and a shop in Old City. They're great.
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Dec 3, 2011 00:10
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nm posted:How are you making it? French press can be rougher on the stomach than something with a filter like a pour over. Instant, usually two packets because I drink from a thermos bottle, also a ton of creamer. I don't want to walk around a box of tums in my pocket 
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Dec 3, 2011 01:16
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I just got the Virtuoso I ordered as a gift. Holy poo poo is it heavy.
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Dec 3, 2011 01:25
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Abu-Saleh posted:Instant, usually two packets because I drink from a thermos bottle, also a ton of creamer. I don't want to walk around a box of tums in my pocket Instant coffee really stirs up my acid reflux but I find drinking normal freshly ground coffee made in a regular drip coffee maker or a espresso drink from a shop has no effect on me at all. I'd say skip the instant and try proper coffee and see if it has the same effect? Oddly enough cider has the same effect but other spirits and beer do not.
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Dec 3, 2011 01:30
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Abu-Saleh posted:Instant, usually two packets because I drink from a thermos bottle, also a ton of creamer. I don't want to walk around a box of tums in my pocket Er, maybe try some brewed coffee, as opposed to instant? If you're willing to make the investment, a cheap burr grinder and a Mr. Coffee from Target will run you something like $30-$40 combined, and if you use good quality beans from a local roaster, the coffee will be leaps and bounds above what you're getting from instant. If you're not sure whether you can handle brewed coffee any better than instant, you might want to try getting some drip from a local coffee shop first. It's the same thing you'll make at home, and you don't have to pay for the setup if you're not sure that it's what you want.
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Dec 3, 2011 01:40
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Brewed coffee it is then, all right guys. Any recommendation for a poor college student on budget?
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Dec 3, 2011 01:59
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Abu-Saleh posted:Brewed coffee it is then, all right guys. Cheap Hario grinder and a Clever Coffee Cupper/Aeropress/French Press (French Press is probably not a great choice if you're worried about acid reflux). You could certainly skip the grinder and just get your beans ground fresh at a local coffee shop, but it'll probably save you money over time to own a grinder and buy larger quantities of roasted beans for a lower price per pound (Trader Joe's coffee isn't all great, but some of the stuff they carry is pretty decent and very, very cheap).
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Dec 3, 2011 03:03
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AriTheDog posted:Cheap Hario grinder and a Clever Coffee Cupper/Aeropress/French Press (French Press is probably not a great choice if you're worried about acid reflux). You could certainly skip the grinder and just get your beans ground fresh at a local coffee shop, but it'll probably save you money over time to own a grinder and buy larger quantities of roasted beans for a lower price per pound (Trader Joe's coffee isn't all great, but some of the stuff they carry is pretty decent and very, very cheap). This is pretty good advice for the most part, but know that beans brewed moments after grinding have a lot of flavor and oils and such that are lost if you grind the beans and then take them home. I know if I drink a lot of coffee without having eaten much then I'll get a bit of an acid reflux reaction- but that's like 2-3 cups on an empty stomach. However, I've even seen Foldger's blends where they aim for lower acid just for people with sensitive stomachs- so that may be something you could look into if you just want to see if it is coffee in general or just your instant coffee (or maybe even your creamer) messing with you. It may not taste that great though so I do definitely want to stress the difference between pre-ground and freshly ground (at home). You can make cups of coffee that aren't bitter, at all. It's a thing that is possible. I had to always cover up my coffee with cream and sugar and these days if I make a good cup of coffee with a clever coffee dripper or something, then I can drink it black. It's almost tea-like. People used to pre-ground drip consider it a bit weak though BECAUSE it has no bitter bite to it. That all depends on the beans though, and I'm still learning about my preferences there myself. As I go deeper into the rabbit hole I appreciate coffee more, and there is a difference to bitter from the beans and bitter from being burnt by the way it was brewed- I can really enjoy a bitter coffee if it was brewed right these days. Comic fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Dec 3, 2011 |
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Dec 3, 2011 03:16
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Had espresso finally at my favorite local coffee shop. They have all the right things, but it came out really bitter with almost no crema and much too bitter  . What are the odds other places in town that make less-good drip coffee would have better espresso?
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Dec 3, 2011 03:36
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Fuzzy Pipe Wrench posted:Had espresso finally at my favorite local coffee shop. They have all the right things, but it came out really bitter with almost no crema and much too bitter They're fairly unrelated in what is needed skillset wise so it's entirely possible. Drip coffee is mostly reliant on the beans and not much else while espresso takes knowing what you're doing to get a good result even if the beans are good. It's not THAT complicated, but obviously you just got espresso with no crema and probably pulled too slowly (I think that would be indicative of the super bitterness).
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Dec 3, 2011 03:51
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Fuzzy Pipe Wrench posted:Had espresso finally at my favorite local coffee shop. They have all the right things, but it came out really bitter with almost no crema and much too bitter How spergy/nice are they? If they are very friendly and care enough, you can help them diagnose the problem. Watch them pull a shot, how much coffee they use, see how they tamp the coffee, count how long it takes to pull. Sounds like they're over extracting by not using enough coffee and not tamping hard enough, also the lack of crema is usually a strong indicator of old beans.
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Dec 3, 2011 04:47
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I would have asked about it just "This is a bit bitter" or something but it was a bit busy at the moment. I'd be surprised if it was old beans though since they roast their own. The lack of tamping might be a part of it since they have a grinder setup just for the espresso machine that grinds straight into the filter thing.
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Dec 3, 2011 05:52
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Keyser S0ze posted:Holy poo poo the Temple Guatemalan Hunapu is good poo poo. So much flavor from a pretty medium-mildly roasted bean. You should check their calender, they do free coffee tastings on Fridays. Their single origin espressos are pretty special too. They're basically why I'm a coffee nerd.
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Dec 3, 2011 07:21
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A local place I'll be stopping by in a little over an hour Tweeted this: "Aida's Kilimanjaro for espresso and the Colombia Geisha on the clever. $5 for espresso and $10 for 8oz brew." Should I go for it? Edit: I did go for it since I don't know when I'd have a chance again. that Vai sound fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Dec 3, 2011 |
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Dec 3, 2011 16:17
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Abu-Saleh posted:Brewed coffee it is then, all right guys. +1 on the Aeropress. I've been using one for the past 3 years, now on my 3rd pack of filters. I have a Breville burr grinder which is not inexpensive, but has also been going strong since I bought the Aeropress. I don't want the effort of having to crank for my coffee first thing in the morning. The downside to the Aeropress is the amount of beans you use compared to drip, but the coffee is much, much better. I use cheap 8'oclock french roast beans to offset the quantity. A small bag will last me a couple weeks if I make one cup a day.
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Dec 4, 2011 01:01
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beatle posted:The downside to the Aeropress is the amount of beans you use compared to drip, but the coffee is much, much better. I use cheap 8'oclock french roast beans to offset the quantity. You think the coffee it makes is better, but you end up using more beans, so you buy lovely old ones to compensate? 
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Dec 4, 2011 03:39
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They're cheap, not lovely.  I still buy the occasional bag of locally roasted beans or a bag of Kaladi Bros. Trieste (one of my favorites) but for waking up, 8 o'clock french roast is a pretty good deal. The Aeropress can make even cheap beans taste much better than you'd think.
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Dec 4, 2011 15:01
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Abu-Saleh posted:Brewed coffee it is then, all right guys. Are you eating before you have your coffee or just making it and going? I have no problems if I eat before or while having my coffee, but if I get up and have a cup of coffee before eating, it causes problems. I didn't find that out until college when I was running late for an exam and bought a coffee to drink rather than having breakfast. My stomach was doing backflips the whole exam.
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Dec 4, 2011 17:24
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I was taking a closer look at my grinder, and a couple questions came to mind. Is it normal for clumps of ground coffee to come out? Most of the output is loose grounds, but there are small clumps that fall apart on touch. The second question deals with the burr grinders. When I turn the hopper to adjust the grind size, I see the top grinder turn slightly once through the whole range of adjustments. Are the adjustments so small that it would be hard to tell if it's moving? Looking at the ground coffee it puts out, I can see a difference between the finest and coarsest settings, but I'm not good enough to tell if the medium grind is different. The grinder comes used from my parents, and I don't know how much care they took with it.
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Dec 4, 2011 18:55
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would you guys advise going to a hardware store with my Hario after i get it and find some washers and a spring to mod it with? does anyone feel like writing a mini-tutorial on hacking the grinder to be better? i have absolutely no idea where to start but i want a good grinder while i save up for an electric one.
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Dec 4, 2011 21:46
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Did some background research on coffee and found this fascinating sociology article on how third wave coffee purveyors (such as our goodselfs) view ourselves in terms of societal hierarchy and what is entailed in acquiring "a taste" for good coffee. Coffee, Connoisseurship, and an Ethnomethodologically-Informed Sociology of Taste A hilarious excerpt is the negative social repercussions from acquiring the taste (If I say ‘‘let’s get together over coffee’’ the person seems terrified that I’m going to judge them for ordering a caramel macchiato) and the innate need to inspect equipment and methods in a coffee shop (as opposed to just going to a cafe and enjoying a cup) Definitely something I can relate too!
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Dec 5, 2011 03:50
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So I just opened up my refurbished Baratza Maestro, and it's pretty filthy. Completely covered with finely ground coffee. Can anyone else who received a refurbished grinder from Baratza tell me anything about the condition yours arrived in?
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Dec 6, 2011 05:16
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AriTheDog posted:So I just opened up my refurbished Baratza Maestro, and it's pretty filthy. Completely covered with finely ground coffee. Can anyone else who received a refurbished grinder from Baratza tell me anything about the condition yours arrived in? What do you mean by "completely covered"? Can you post a photo?
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Dec 6, 2011 06:26
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AriTheDog posted:So I just opened up my refurbished Baratza Maestro, and it's pretty filthy. Completely covered with finely ground coffee. Can anyone else who received a refurbished grinder from Baratza tell me anything about the condition yours arrived in?
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Dec 6, 2011 07:04
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Hmm, guess I have to unwrap mine and open it to make sure. Yep, looks clean to me. The hopper was wrapped in plastic and looked very good.
sellouts fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Dec 6, 2011 |
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Dec 6, 2011 18:00
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I just bought a virtuoso refurb, and all is good so far! What do you guys set it at for french press/pour over/aeropress? I've been experimenting and I've got it set to 32 for french press...however I might dial it back a bit still.
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Dec 6, 2011 18:37
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Here's an album of pics of the dirty grinder. The one of my finger is after running it around the hopper, to give you an idea of the cleanliness level. The shot of the whole grinder is to show that at a glance, it passes muster. It isn't visibly trashed - although these photos are after dusting it off and removing some larger coffee grounds. I couldn't get a great shot of the metal grinder inside, but it's a little beat up looking as well. It kind of looks like they just got this grinder in, checked if it worked, dusted it off with a towel, and sent it out. Also worth noting is that the serial sticker it says that it's a Starbucks Barista. On the front it says it's a Maestro. No clue on this. I wasn't going to bitch about this, but their shopping cart system was apparently broken when I ordered, so from the 23rd of November until I e-mailed them on the 29th, I had a tracking number that wasn't tracking anything. After a couple of e-mails with someone who wasn't apologetic, the grinder was sent out on Dec. 1st, a full week after I ordered it, and just arrived yesterday - in this condition. I'm not going to say that anyone here should avoid Baratza, because if it works well (haven't tested it yet, waiting to hear back from them), then it's still a good deal. That said, well, see for yourself.
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Dec 6, 2011 18:55
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...that looks like nobody even attempted to clean it. Absolutely unacceptable, that's "heavily used" not "refurbished".
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Dec 6, 2011 18:59
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