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Quick question, is using antique coffee grinders a bad idea? I managed to fix and clean it to a decent state, and I'm just broke enough that it seems like a good idea. It grinds just fine. I use a french press or a kettle depending on my mood, if that's relevant. It looks like this:
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May 4, 2020 02:35
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Sankta Lucia posted:Quick question, is using antique coffee grinders a bad idea? I managed to fix and clean it to a decent state, and I'm just broke enough that it seems like a good idea. It grinds just fine. I use a french press or a kettle depending on my mood, if that's relevant. It looks like this: The only thing that could possibly match that for prettiness would be a steampunk Settee, and I don't even know if that would. Goon project?
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May 4, 2020 02:58
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kemikalkadet posted:Beans are good for a month or two after roasting before you notice much loss of quality in the taste. Ground coffee drops off after a day or so after grinding and it's really noticeable. Getting a grinder and grinding your beans fresh before you brew is the single biggest thing you can do to improve your coffee. I thought they were only good for a few weeks after roasting? I guess it depends how they are stored and the specific beans too.
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May 4, 2020 03:25
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It definitely starts to taste different 3 weeks in but it's still tasty IMO. Just keep it in an airtight place out of the sunlight. If the coffee comes in a bag with a release valve thing then just leave it in there until you open it. I'm buying a month of coffee in advance now so I've had to read up on this stuff.
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May 4, 2020 03:27
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Looking to start making real espresso, had a Moka Pot for the last 7 years. This Breville Barista Express has good reviews. I would also use the frother extensively. Is there anything else I need to know? https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/smal...esame-bes870bks
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May 4, 2020 05:18
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Keeper Garrett posted:Looking to start making real espresso, had a Moka Pot for the last 7 years. This Breville Barista Express has good reviews. I would also use the frother extensively. Is there anything else I need to know? It's okay for what it is— I love mine, but I know it's not going to give me results like I'd get with a more serious setup. I'm sure many people have better options for each of the tasks (grinding/frothing/espresso), but as an all-in-one it's pretty worth it
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May 4, 2020 16:42
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GonadTheBallbarian posted:It's okay for what it is— I love mine, but I know it's not going to give me results like I'd get with a more serious setup. I'm sure many people have better options for each of the tasks (grinding/frothing/espresso), but as an all-in-one it's pretty worth it Thanks, a decent all in one seems to be the best bet for me at the moment, and it is affordable.
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May 4, 2020 16:47
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Keeper Garrett posted:Thanks, a decent all in one seems to be the best bet for me at the moment, and it is affordable. It’s good. Breville makes good grinders too, for the price. They commonly get pretty good reviews on coffee forums (better for coarser than espresso unsurprisingly). I picked up one of these barista express machines at an auction as a backup and I think it makes great espresso tbh. Don’t use the pressurized basket, descale it often. If you have hard water I recommend no less than twice a month despite what this thread says. I really appreciate that the hot water has a non pressurized vertical spout separate from the steam wand (which in fairness I never use). I think a lot of these machines are like audiophile speakers. They get you 90% there for less cost and effort but there’s always more money or time to spend if you want to.
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May 4, 2020 17:52
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mediaphage posted:I think a lot of these machines are like audiophile speakers. They get you 90% there for less cost and effort but there’s always more money or time to spend if you want to. hahaha that's a really good analogy, I'm borrowing that Keeper Garrett posted:Thanks, a decent all in one seems to be the best bet for me at the moment, and it is affordable. Mine has served me well for about 3? years now. I will say that harder beans tend to make the motor gently caress up on the burr grinder, so be sure to shop-vac out the dust every so often so you don't gum up the works. There will come a point where you have to take some things apart, but don't worry about it: the tutorials and cleaning products you buy are really straightforward. e. if you don't know what use the hot water thingo is, my wife uses it as an instant tea kettle. It's also pre-programmed to shut off after about 8oz of water makes it through, so it's decent for americanos I guess? I never drink them GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 21:21 on May 4, 2020 |
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May 4, 2020 21:11
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Red_Fred posted:I thought they were only good for a few weeks after roasting? I guess it depends how they are stored and the specific beans too. I think it is difficult for most people to tell unless they've been tasting the same coffee daily since it was roasted or they are pretty familiar with the bean. I've noticed different beans off gas differently (obviously), but I've noticed darker roasts off gas much more quickly and the sharp flavors kinda fade. RE: Malabar, not my thing. They roasted kinda weirdly. Difficult to judge dry end and first time around they went right from 1c to 2c with no real 1c end, so that sucked. Mine came out as like a smokey chocolate, which isn't on the side of what I normally drink, but it was nice to try something different.
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May 4, 2020 22:37
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For the theoretical platonic 30 second espresso shot time, when do you start counting? Start of flow or when pressure has ramped up? It seems like to get 2.5oz of liquid in 30s, I need to grinder coarse enough to drop brew pressure down to 5-6 bar. If I grind to target 7-8bar, I get lower flow rates (that still end up being tasty).
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May 5, 2020 05:15
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I think you're meant to start timing as soon as the water hits the puck, so as soon as you start the flow, I guess.
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May 5, 2020 12:56
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I’m thinking of picking up a popcorn popper or something and trying home roasting. Some questions: How hard is it? I’m an engineer who can hack poo poo together and a not entirely incompetent home cook. Is there a dialing-in process of some kind like with brewing? How long will it take to get a feel for roast levels? The OP makes it seem like it’s pretty easy. Why is it so cheap? It seems like it’s hard to pay more than 6 or 7 bucks per pound for really good single origin green coffee and most speciality roasters charge about 20 after its roasted. So where does that money go? I’m not accusing anybody of price gouging or anything, god knows it’s hard to make a living in the food and drink industry. It just seems with specialty roasters everywhere the competition would drive costs down if the actual process of roasting the coffee isn’t that big of a deal.
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May 5, 2020 14:05
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i own every Bionicle posted:Why is it so cheap? It seems like it’s hard to pay more than 6 or 7 bucks per pound for really good single origin green coffee and most speciality roasters charge about 20 after its roasted. So where does that money go? I’m not accusing anybody of price gouging or anything, god knows it’s hard to make a living in the food and drink industry. It just seems with specialty roasters everywhere the competition would drive costs down if the actual process of roasting the coffee isn’t that big of a deal. Gotta cover labor and overhead. Same reason you can buy a whole watermelon for $4.50, but the equivalent weight of pre cut melon chunks would run you $13. It’s probably hard to get the economy of scale needed to really drive down costs and serve great coffee, and the companies that have that scale are fine with selling $12 bags of coffee that cost way less than sustainably sourced speciality beans.
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May 5, 2020 15:12
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Red_Fred posted:I thought they were only good for a few weeks after roasting? I guess it depends how they are stored and the specific beans too. Rule of thumb is green beans are good for 15 months, roasted beans are good for 15 days, ground beans are good for 15 seconds. Doesn't mean things are bad after that point, just "going stale". I tend to buy ~3 weeks of coffee at a time for convenience, the last few cups tend to have a little staleness to them but its fine. Keeper Garrett posted:Looking to start making real espresso, had a Moka Pot for the last 7 years. This Breville Barista Express has good reviews. I would also use the frother extensively. Is there anything else I need to know? I upgraded from a moka pot to a Rancilio Silvia 6 or 7 years ago and haven't looked back.
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May 5, 2020 17:15
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Gunder posted:I think you're meant to start timing as soon as the water hits the puck, so as soon as you start the flow, I guess. First 5s or so is preinfusion, so after that?
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May 5, 2020 17:56
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Foxfire_ posted:First 5s or so is preinfusion, so after that? You want to count the preinfusion as well. So you need to count those 5 seconds.
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May 5, 2020 17:58
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How does that make sense physics-wise? Isn't the goal to use the time/2.5oz as a measurable proxy for an extraction pressure+flow rate (which is the actual thing you're trying to control)? Counting preinfusion time would mean the extraction part would have to be done at a faster flow to still get to the 30s target. Like if some grind made 2.5oz/30s with no preinfusion, adding a 15s preinfusion @ 1psi/negligable flow doesn't seem like you'd want to switch to 2.5oz/15s grind.
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May 5, 2020 18:32
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Sankta Lucia posted:Quick question, is using antique coffee grinders a bad idea? I managed to fix and clean it to a decent state, and I'm just broke enough that it seems like a good idea. It grinds just fine. I use a french press or a kettle depending on my mood, if that's relevant. It looks like this: It's a terrible idea, you should dispose of that grinder immediately by mailing it to me.
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May 5, 2020 19:09
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Foxfire_ posted:How does that make sense physics-wise? Isn't the goal to use the time/2.5oz as a measurable proxy for an extraction pressure+flow rate (which is the actual thing you're trying to control)? Counting preinfusion time would mean the extraction part would have to be done at a faster flow to still get to the 30s target. Extraction begins when water is in contact with beans
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May 5, 2020 19:16
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Foxfire_ posted:How does that make sense physics-wise? Isn't the goal to use the time/2.5oz as a measurable proxy for an extraction pressure+flow rate (which is the actual thing you're trying to control)? Counting preinfusion time would mean the extraction part would have to be done at a faster flow to still get to the 30s target. I generally try to get about 40 grams of espresso from 18 grams of coffee in around 28-30 seconds. Tastes pretty good. That's including a 6-second pre-infuse. My machine doesn't have a pressure gauge on it, so I can't comment on pressure, I just judge by how the flow looks and by taste. I think I wasn't sure about including the pre-infuse time either, but that's how the timer works on my machine and I eventually found an article on a roastery website saying that you start the timer from the start of the pre-infuse. Nothing I've found since then has contradicted this.
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May 5, 2020 19:19
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Just wanna say I'm delighted at how much people  out about the specifics of the brewing process, down to each gram and second. I really hope I like the fresh beans that arrive tomorrow so I can justify getting down this rabbit hole!
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May 5, 2020 21:46
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Lord Stimperor posted:Just wanna say I'm delighted at how much people You can get really great results by having a cheap V60 brewer and a scale. I recommend the guide that James Hoffmann made for it. It's what I use and it's reliably great. He goes over all the equipment you'll need and mentions the pros and cons of spending more money at any particular stage, eg a gooseneck kettle instead of a standard kettle. Even if you don't plan on getting a V60, it's worth a watch.
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May 5, 2020 21:53
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I know very little about coffee, but my best friend's birthday's coming up and I know two things: - He knows his poo poo about coffee - His favorite kind is Ecuadorian Any recommendations for Ecuadorian beans? I'm aiming for the "nice enough that you really enjoy it, but pricy enough that you don't regularly buy it for yourself" window
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May 6, 2020 00:33
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Power of Pecota posted:I know very little about coffee, but my best friend's birthday's coming up and I know two things: Is there a local roastery by you? I would support them if you can.
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May 6, 2020 00:40
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Yeah what city/country/etc is he located in? We can point you to a couple local craft roasters in the area (if any, but there's usually at least 1-2 if you're anywhere near a major population center) that you can ring to see if they have anything from Ecuador in rotation.
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May 6, 2020 00:50
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hypnophant posted:Extraction begins when water is in contact with beans caffeine is stored in the beans
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May 6, 2020 01:12
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Crain posted:How long does it usually take you to brew your cup? If for some reason you're getting a lot of fines it could be clogging up the filter and making the brew take longer, making it over extract. But you have a decent recommended grinder, so unless it's acting up that shouldn't be an issue. My brew time isn't that long. I haven't been timing it exactly but I know it's not too long as I've had that happen with the lovely hand grinder I started off with that couldn't grind consistently and would clog things up with fines. I did start a new bag this morning and it does take longer than the last 2. It's a bit less bitter but it's still there on the first couple of sips. It could definitely be me but I don't remember getting that when drinking pour overs from a shop. I did try stirring it and it didn't do much. Back to my original question, do I need to up the amount of coffee to make up for what gets soaked up? I'm measuring for 420 grams of water which is about what my cup holds but it takes about 460 grams to get it back to that same fill level when brewing.
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May 6, 2020 01:15
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Sydin posted:Yeah what city/country/etc is he located in? We can point you to a couple local craft roasters in the area (if any, but there's usually at least 1-2 if you're anywhere near a major population center) that you can ring to see if they have anything from Ecuador in rotation. We're in Chicago, and while I usually love Dark Matter it doesn't look like any of their currently offered varieties are Ecuadorian. Definitely open to recommendations!
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May 6, 2020 02:26
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Nephzinho posted:I upgraded from a moka pot to a Rancilio Silvia 6 or 7 years ago and haven't looked back. How well does a machine like this froth milk? They are a lower price point than I realised.
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May 6, 2020 02:54
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Hmm, checked the websites of a bunch of places I know but nobody seems to have anything sourced from Ecuador. Sweet Maria's doesn't seem to have anything green from there your friend could roast, either. Googling found this on Amazon but I cannot speak to its quality at all. Sorry. 
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May 6, 2020 02:54
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Red_Fred posted:How well does a machine like this froth milk? They are a lower price point than I realised. Does a fine job once you figure out how to cycle the machine just right. I really should've installed a PID.
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May 6, 2020 03:05
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Power of Pecota posted:We're in Chicago, and while I usually love Dark Matter it doesn't look like any of their currently offered varieties are Ecuadorian. Definitely open to recommendations! You should check out Metric. Some if the best coffee inChicago. I scanned through their beans and Ecuador didn't jump out but I didn't click down I to all of them and the main page doesn't show all the info. Gaslight and Passion House both have some other South American beans right now.
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May 6, 2020 04:43
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i own every Bionicle posted:I’m thinking of picking up a popcorn popper or something and trying home roasting. I'm interested to know this, as well.
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May 6, 2020 14:44
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i own every Bionicle posted:I’m thinking of picking up a popcorn popper or something and trying home roasting. Given that you have to stand over it anyway, you might get better results with a stainless steel bowl and a heat gun. Being an engineer isn't going to make you a better popcorn popper coffee roaster. ThePopeOfFun posted:I'm interested to know this, as well. If you want to do it on the cheap, coffee roasting relies mostly on sound, a bit less on sight. Read about 'first crack' and 'second crack', and then basically heat your coffee beans while moving them around until they get to your preferred roast levels. Something to keep in mind if you haven't roasted coffee before is that it won't be immediately drinkable. It'll take at minimum several hours to a day before it's drinkable. You can get a good speed up (especially if you aren't making espresso) by grinding your coffee and letting the grounds sit for 30 - 60 minutes and then making your coffee.
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May 6, 2020 15:13
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i own every Bionicle posted:I’m thinking of picking up a popcorn popper or something and trying home roasting. It’s not too hard. I bought an old whirly pop off eBay for $25 (it’s 1200 or 1500 watts compared to newer ones that are around 800 watts) and use that. It’s easy because it moves the beans and creates the heat for you, so the beans are even distributed. The main things I have to do are: 1) weigh the beans out. Too little and too much heat gets generated too quick. It’s like taking a lighter to the bean where only the outside would burn and the inside wouldn’t be roasted. Too much and they won’t agitate on their own. 2) listen for the cracks. Sweet Maria’s will tell you what roast it prefers for each coffee-probably others do too. I can get to second crack in about 8 minutes and they are two very distinct sounds. 3) cooling the beans when done. You have to stop the roast. You can either shake them around in a colander or I wired by popcorn machine so that the switch turns off the heating element and the fan continues to run.
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May 6, 2020 15:54
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This is a really really broad question bordering on useless, but around how dark are most third wave roasters doing their stuff? I know light roast has been the thing for a few years but how light is that? Right at first crack? City?
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May 6, 2020 20:46
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My local roaster is doing outside the store pickup now. I put in our order for our usual and went and picked it up today they threw in another 12 oz bag of a light roast Bolivian single origin. Should be a nice addition to the super dark one we usually get from them. Free coffee best coffee
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May 7, 2020 00:35
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I'm really tolerant to caffeine usually, but the first couple of self-ground coffee are really kicking me hard. I'm using 17-20g finely ground coffee per 300ml (so, 1:17.6 to 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio) of water in my drip machine, as I've seen that ratio on several web sites. But despite drinking far less volume then usually, I feel like I've never had as much coffee in my life. Is that normal?
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May 7, 2020 21:12
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If you're used to darker roast coffees, light roast can really pack a punch by comparison.
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May 7, 2020 22:12
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