|
Took about two weeks off from coffee for no particular reason other than for a change of pace, and it feels really good to drink a good cup again.torgeaux posted:Like others here before me, I tried the starbucks lighter roast. ha. They have a display of the three roasts they employee. Three clear plastic tubes filled with the three roasts. At a glance, they are dark roast, burnt, charcoal, so I assume the dark roast is their new "blonde."
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2012 21:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 00:46 |
|
|
that Vai sound posted:Took about two weeks off from coffee for no particular reason other than for a change of pace, and it feels really good to drink a good cup again. People expect Starbucks to "taste like Starbucks," every time, wherever they are in the world. The only way to get such a consistent roast is to burn away any of the origin characteristics, so only the roast characteristics remain. Consistency is more important than quality. The more cynical side of me also says they do it so it's harder to tell if the beans are stale or brewed improperly, but I can't really speak to that.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2012 22:24
|
|
|
Gravity Pike posted:People expect Starbucks to "taste like Starbucks," every time, wherever they are in the world. The only way to get such a consistent roast is to burn away any of the origin characteristics, so only the roast characteristics remain. Consistency is more important than quality. In the same vein as consistency. It's easier to tell an unskilled laborer : wait until second crack finishes than to tell them somewhere between the start and finish of second crack such that it is a full city roast.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2012 23:02
|
|
|
Gravity Pike posted:People expect Starbucks to "taste like Starbucks," every time, wherever they are in the world. The only way to get such a consistent roast is to burn away any of the origin characteristics, so only the roast characteristics remain. Consistency is more important than quality. Yet they still bother to get beans from different origins for some reason (probably just so that they say they do). As for the brand consistency reason, that's probably a good part of it due to the brand mentality that seems to be prevalent.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2012 23:32
|
|
|
"because an accountant said so"
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2012 23:38
|
|
|
Residency Evil posted:I know this is the equivalent of asking "where should I get pizza in New York," but do you guys have any favorite coffee places in SF near Moscone? If you like iced, Blue Bottle's cold process coffee with chicory is a favorite of mine.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 00:19
|
|
|
Thanks for all of the coffee suggestions guys, I'll check a few out. Looks like Blue Bottle will be my go to morning place while I'm there.  Is it worth bringing a pound of coffee back from anywhere with me?
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 01:12
|
|
|
kirtar posted:Yet they still bother to get beans from different origins for some reason (probably just so that they say they do). As for the brand consistency reason, that's probably a good part of it due to the brand mentality that seems to be prevalent. I think it is the consistency and ease issue, but it is a shame. Also, a lot of people really buy the "dark roast=flavor" thing as light roasts from grocery stores generally tastes like water.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 01:26
|
|
|
nm posted:In fact, my understanding is that they buy decent quality beans. Not exactly single origin small estate stuff, but better quality than average. And they they ruin it. My point was that despite roasting it to the point that you probably can't tell where it came from, they still bother buying those beans. EDIT: Oh wait you were agreeing with me 
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 01:31
|
|
|
Earlier there was a discussion of flavors, hints and nuances of different coffees. There really is a difference if you don't get the highly french roast stuff that does tend to taste like charchoal and bitterness. However, if you smoke, whiten your teeth, chew tobacco, or do other things like that you will have a certain loss of taste and smell. You (well, I really) can taste the difference between a Guatemalan and a Brazilian coffee, and from those to Columbian. African and Carribean, on the other hand, I can't taste anything notable. You just gotta drink a lot of coffee, that's all.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 02:30
|
|
|
Desiree Cousteau posted:African and Carribean, on the other hand, I can't taste anything notable. Wait, what are you drinking? High quality Ethopians and Kenyans have the most easily distinguished flavors. I was drinking an Ethopian Tchembe the other week that you actually could taste the "red banana" note the roaster (Temple coffee) claimed. I find central and south americans all kind of blend together. I can tatste the differences, but I can't pick out flavors like with Ethopians.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 02:41
|
|
|
Which is my point. Hey, its what you pay attention to. I live in w(h)ine country and was raised on jori clay, and I can't tell the difference between a pinot noir and one-buck-chuck or Dago-red in a box. African stuff probably doesn't have the elements I'm used to and look for, ya know, taste-wise.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 03:00
|
|
|
Desiree Cousteau posted:Which is my point. Hey, its what you pay attention to. I live in w(h)ine country and was raised on jori clay, and I can't tell the difference between a pinot noir and one-buck-chuck or Dago-red in a box. You should play around with the Africans more though, they are the most fun. I've had ethopians that taste more like herbal tea with lemon than coffee.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 03:39
|
|
|
For now I put in an order to see if Green Mountain's whole bean stuff is any good. I ordered the Mocha Java, which seems to have pretty good reviews, and a random water process decaf blend. Should I play around a bit with single origin coffees as well, and if so, what is usually good to try (Kenya, Sumatra, and Ethiopia are already on my list)? Moreover, is Green Mountain at least a decent source?
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2012 04:48
|
|
|
So my Rancillo Silvia (brand new from Seattle Coffee Gear) only registers 182 degrees at its hottest point when dispensing water. I've tried steam and hot water delivery ... same thing. If I "temp surf" by waiting 30 seconds after the book light goes out the water comes out at 164 degrees. Does this sound right? I'm measuring with a thermapen and its dead on accurate.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 02:56
|
|
|
hotsauce posted:Does this sound right? I'm measuring with a thermapen and its dead on accurate. Measuring with a Thermapen how?
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 03:11
|
|
|
hotsauce posted:So my Rancillo Silvia (brand new from Seattle Coffee Gear) only registers 182 degrees at its hottest point when dispensing water. I've tried steam and hot water delivery ... same thing. If I "temp surf" by waiting 30 seconds after the book light goes out the water comes out at 164 degrees. Wait, so the steam wand only dispenses water at 182 degrees? That sounds like a big problem.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 03:41
|
|
|
Bob_McBob posted:Measuring with a Thermapen how? Fake edit: for Sylvia owners, will you please test the water temp one second after the light goes off as it drips into a glass with no portafilter attached and let me know how hot it is? I'm wondering if this is why my espresso is sour after playing with all settings on my Vario, etc. Thanks. hotsauce fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Jan 17, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 04:40
|
|
|
Bodum has come out with an automatic coffee maker Pretty snazzy looking. I'm very interested to see if it compares, quality wise, to the Technivorm. I'm also pretty happy that geek coffee seems to have caught on enough that there's room in the market for more than two high end automatic coffee makers.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 17:54
|
|
|
Residency Evil posted:Thanks for all of the coffee suggestions guys, I'll check a few out. Looks like Blue Bottle will be my go to morning place while I'm there. I love Blue Bottle beans to death, so I would definitely recommend grabbing some. Of course, you'll get a chance to try them out, so you can make the decision yourself. On a mostly unrelated note, I've been getting fairly sour coffee lately, which I've taken a sign of underextraction. I've lowered the grind size and increased the brew time in my French press all the way up to 5-6 minutes, which pretty much fixes the problem, but I'm concerned that I'm losing some subtleties by brewing for so long. Should I just keep dialing the grind size down and keep the brew time at 4 minutes?
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 19:53
|
|
|
hotsauce posted:By placing it in the water as its dripping from the machine into a glass (no handle attached). It does sound like a problem but you'd get a better reading by dispensing the water into a styrofoam cup.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 20:58
|
|
|
El Disco posted:Wait, so the steam wand only dispenses water at 182 degrees? That sounds like a big problem. Spoke with SCG and they said the machine really needs a good 30 minutes to completely heat up. I was measuring the temp after the boiler light went off (which goes away after really about 2-3 minutes). When I get back West this week I'll try it out... She said it's normal for those temps. I'll give it a go when I get back from the NE. Thanks
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2012 23:32
|
|
|
Have you been pulling your "sour" shots with the machine not properly pre-heated? The boiler heats quickly, but it takes a good 30 minutes for everything else to get up to brewing temperature. Sticking the Thermapen in a stream of water from the wand is not a good way to check the temperature. Drawing it into a styrofoam cup will give you a better measurement, but there's always going to be some heat loss.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2012 00:20
|
|
|
I noticed the same thing with my Rancilio and did the same method of pouring water over a instaread thermapen. This really doesn't work since the water coming out of a brewhead and spalshing against the thermapen is actually quite inconsistent in terms of getting a steady read on temperature. I went to the store (the actual seattlecoffeegear store in lynwood) and tested it on even their Rocket Giotto at the front of the store which only read 165 degrees F. So unless this store is full of poo poo and sells nothing but defective machines, it seems legit. I did have them install an auber PID on my Rancilio so I can stop temperature surfing and know exactly what the temp the machine is at and adjust the boiler temp. It's ready for me to pick up but the loving snowstorm has prevented me from driving up to Lynnwood to get it. G-III fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Jan 18, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2012 04:33
|
|
|
I took apart my Baratza Virtuoso (per the documentation on their site), and now the grind adjustment is tough to turn. I slid off the outer case so that I could adjust the white calibration ring to a coarser setting. After making the adjustment I made sure it still turned properly, and then I put the cover back on. With the cover back on it was difficult to turn the black adjustment ring. I did this procedure all over again to adjust the white ring back to its previous setting, but it's still tough to turn once the cover is back on. Any suggestions? EDIT: I figured it out. The case was resting on top of one of the grind adjustment tabs. that Vai sound fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Jan 18, 2012 |
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2012 17:44
|
|
|
Why does my coffee always taste the same? I've been working on trying to figure that out this past week. First thing I did was stop at a local roaster and order a pour over of the coffee I was going to buy. It tasted very good, and had a nice sweetness to it. I bought a bag that had been roasted just a few days prior. Throughout the week I've been using a ratio of 24g of coffee to 350g of water, and varying to coarseness of the grinds to see what worked best. I also changed up my pouring technique a bit. Every time the coffee turned out generic tasting, and the only time I get a hint of the sweetness is once the coffee has cooled down. Nothing like what I had at the coffee shop. I've been using a Chemex most of the time (making sure to wash out the filter), but I've also tried a French press with the same results. I'm boiling filtered water and cooling it to a tad over 200 F, and I've even tried heating the water without bringing it to a boil in case that altered that taste of it. I use a good quality burr grinder and grind fresh. Where might my weak link be?
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2012 22:47
|
|
|
that Vai sound posted:Why does my coffee always taste the same? How quick is your brew? Shoot for 4 minutes. How filtered is filtered? If it's too clean the water will taste flat, maybe try with tap water, assuming your tap water doesn't taste like sewage. Are you prewetting and letting the coffee bloom? I generally rinse the cone twice, prewet for 30 sec then add water slowly enough that the brew lasts 3:30.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2012 00:51
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:How quick is your brew? Shoot for 4 minutes. How filtered is filtered? If it's too clean the water will taste flat, maybe try with tap water, assuming your tap water doesn't taste like sewage. Are you prewetting and letting the coffee bloom? I generally rinse the cone twice, prewet for 30 sec then add water slowly enough that the brew lasts 3:30. I'll try tap water; it should be fine. With a 30 second bloom, it takes a little over three minutes to brew. I'll try to extend it a bit.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2012 02:08
|
|
|
Got the Bonavita from Prima today and test drove it at lunch. Very nice 8 cup unit with the thermo carafe and if one was so inclined, you could probably just stick a V60 and tall mug under it and have it do the pourover for you if you wanted a quick fix. My first test running a 4 cup batch through the Bonavita resulted in 150 degrees in the coffee in the carafe. I really expected it to be much higher considering this unit is supposed to brew over 200 degrees F. In contrast my existing Capresso will have a consistent 160 degrees in the carafe. I am going to run it in parallel again against my Capresso with just water and test the results. I think they run at the same exact time as well right about 6 minutes 
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2012 21:24
|
|
|
Keyser S0ze posted:My first test running a 4 cup batch through the Bonavita resulted in 150 degrees in the coffee in the carafe. I really expected it to be much higher considering this unit is supposed to brew over 200 degrees F. Did you pre-heat the carafe?
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2012 22:54
|
|
|
Keyser S0ze posted:Got the Bonavita from Prima today and test drove it at lunch. Very nice 8 cup unit with the thermo carafe and if one was so inclined, you could probably just stick a V60 and tall mug under it and have it do the pourover for you if you wanted a quick fix. I bought one with a glass carafe today (except here the brand name is Melitta) to replace my ancient and lovely Philips.  My first test brew resulted in a half cup of ridiculously strong muck. I measured water for two cups of coffee (according to the machine) and ground two Aeropress scoops of beans, which was probably too much.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2012 14:39
|
|
|
that Vai sound posted:I'll try tap water; it should be fine. With a 30 second bloom, it takes a little over three minutes to brew. I'll try to extend it a bit. I had the same type of issue with my coffee all tasting the same; it's definitely because the water where I live is very hard (lots of buildup on the showerhead). Filtered water was a huge difference. So if you're already using filtered water, maybe you need a new filter?
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2012 20:20
|
|
|
Ran some more tests on the Bonavita and found that it was dripping at 170 or so until it got through the 4th cup then the temp started creeping up towards 200. Maybe it needs to run a bit until it gets up to full temp. I am literally just sticking the thermometer into the stream of water coming out which is easy on the Bonavita since it's not all enclosed. I know this isn't the most scientific method but it should at least get close. So it appears to be hitting 200 but it also appears it takes at least 4 cups to get there. I also heated up the carafe first even more just using my hottest tap water, used just warm last time, and the coffee temp was 180 in there after brewing. I almost like the glass carafe one better since it has the clear filter etc.
|
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2012 20:20
|
|
|
nocal posted:I had the same type of issue with my coffee all tasting the same; it's definitely because the water where I live is very hard (lots of buildup on the showerhead). Filtered water was a huge difference. So if you're already using filtered water, maybe you need a new filter? I'm going to go ahead and buy either an Aeropress or Clever. If I don't have luck with those, then I know some people I can talk to in person about getting the best out of them.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 00:42
|
|
|
My girlfriend got me the Hario V60 dripper, the ceramic skerton mill hand grinder,and the Hario kettle for Christmas. I was wondering if anyone has the piece of glassware that can hold about 6 cups in it, made by Hario, to go along with this set. If so, do you recommend me going out and buying it?
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 06:28
|
|
|
6 cups? I think that's a little more than you should be putting through a pourover at a time.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 09:28
|
|
|
nm posted:6 cups?
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 09:32
|
|
|
Anderron Shi posted:I think it holds two runs worth of coffee. What I'm referring to is something that you drip the coffee into for serving purposes. I believe it has a glass lid to keep the coffee hot. I am interested because I frequently have guests over, and it'd be nice to have all matching Hario stuff. http://www.elliotdepot.com/catalog/show/24041 That's more like a cup and a half though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 09:39
|
|
|
nm posted:Like this?
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 09:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 00:46 |
|
|
Anderron Shi posted:No, more like this: http://prima-coffee.com/catalog/hario-server-v60-1000-ml-clear-glass-8638...but even that's only around 4 cups. I could've sworn there was a bigger one, I just can't find it at the moment.
|
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2012 09:51
|
|