Coffee: crankin' it until I have a sloppy puck

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Coffee: crankin' it until I have a sloppy puck

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Anyone played with brewing cacao nibs into tea? I kept getting ads for things like this:

I'm not buying any health claims, but it could be nice to have a hot bitter drink in the evening. Their fancy roasts could be better than just normal cocoa nibs, but I'm going to start simple to see if I even like the idea.

Couple questions:

1. Anyone try a commercial one like the image?
2. Anyone do normal cacao nibs, home-ground?

If not, I can try it myself and report back. I already have some nibs, but not enough to do dozens of experiments.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2021 20:38

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 01:33

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Thanks y'all! I will buy a small bag then to see if I like it more than decaf. Don't want to gum my grinder.

BrianBoitano fucked around with this message at 21:34 on Mar 29, 2021

# ¿ Mar 29, 2021 21:23

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Yeah as long as it's less than regular caffeine I'm good, thank you

# ¿ Mar 29, 2021 22:30

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

If you want $300 including the grinder, and you don't need to make 5 shots in a row, this can be cheaper than the robot:
https://flairespresso.com/

$120 NEO + $24 bottomless filter + $56 pressure gauge = $200 --or-- $240 for the Signature which already has those + looks a bit nicer.

Hoffmann thinks they are good for the price as long as you get those accessories and don't mind the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZV-tnx6BN8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye5Amz7ddYw

It's what I'm planning to buy myself for my birthday, so I don't have experience with it yet. Looking through the thread Rated PG-34 and AbsoluteLlama seem to like it. Munkaboo didn't, due to the fussiness.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2021 17:03

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

I had a cayenne mocha at a nice caf� in the before times. Hated it but I should have known since I also dislike spiced hot cocoa, so my bad.

Otoh I love powdered cardamom, chocolate bitters, or chicory-pecan bitters in my coffee very much.

# ¿ May 1, 2021 20:33

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

What brand? I've never had bitters which primarily tasted of alcohol, sure that's the primary ingredient but there should be just a domination of extracted flavor first and foremost. I wonder if it was poorly prepared or sat in a hot warehouse for a month.

My favorite is Scrappy's. Just pure chocolate flavor. Fee Brothers Aztec chocolate bitters is okay, but can muddy other subtle flavors in whatever you're using due to its inherent complexity.

# ¿ May 1, 2021 22:05

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Lord Stimperor posted:

bitters are a funky idea. The term refers to the often syrupy, sweet kind of liqeur, right?

Liqueur is sweet + flavored liquor. One category of liqueur does have bitter as a flavor, and can be called simply bitters but that runs up against this distinction:

code:

		Bitter Digestif					Cocktail Bitters

AKA		Digestif, Amaro					Just Bitters

Size		Big bottle (375 ml+)				Little bottle with paper label

What		Liqueur with bitter notes			Alcohol-based extract, usually of spices

Usage		Neat, on ice, to settle stomach			Almost always as an ingredient
		OR as ingredient		

In cocktails	0.5+ oz, second fiddle 				Usually 1-2 dashes, though exceptions can be exciting
			or main ingredient

Examples	Campari, Amaros, J�germeister			Angostura, Peychaud's, Aromatic

Use in coffee? 	Only very carefully				Only very carefully

Use in soda?	YES!						YES!

Basically this:

Thumposaurus posted:

Jagermeister is a straight up liquor.
Bitters go in cocktails in small amounts.
The one most people know are the Angostura bitters brand.

# ¿ May 2, 2021 19:38

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

BrianBoitano posted:

Anyone played with brewing cacao nibs into tea? I kept getting ads for things like this:

I'm not buying any health claims, but it could be nice to have a hot bitter drink in the evening. Their fancy roasts could be better than just normal cocoa nibs, but I'm going to start simple to see if I even like the idea.

Couple questions:

1. Anyone try a commercial one like the image?
2. Anyone do normal cacao nibs, home-ground?

If not, I can try it myself and report back. I already have some nibs, but not enough to do dozens of experiments.

BrianBoitano posted:

Thanks y'all! I will buy a small bag then to see if I like it more than decaf. Don't want to gum my grinder.

Trip report: better than decaf for me, but only just.

Favorite: cold brew, 1:10, 16+ hours. Criobru says don't cold brew, chocolatealchemy says go for it.
Second best: essentially French press, 1:8, 190�F for 4 minutes. Any longer or hotter and it got muddy and loses its aroma.

Worth it as an every-now-and-then novelty.

# ¿ May 10, 2021 17:08

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Lord Stimperor posted:

You said you didn't want to gum your grinder -- how did you do it?

Just bought the Crio-bru thing from Amazon. Seems to be a medium-fine grind, pretty expensive per cup so I wouldn't want to replace all my coffee, just when I feel like decaf, which is rare.

# ¿ May 10, 2021 18:49

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

kemikalkadet posted:

It's nonsense. The flavours were locked in by the roast level and the original extraction when it was brewed. You're not extracting anything when you're making instant, just re-dissolving the solubles back into water. Pouring that small quantity of boiling water into a mug, it's not going to stay at boiling temperature long enough to do anything that alters taste.

I'm fairly new but my experience says additional heat changes already-brewed coffee. I do pour over, with ice in the receiving vessel, primarily because I drink half now and half hours later. It comes out a little above room temperature, so I can ice it or microwave it as I like, and the remainder goes in the fridge.

When I was dialing in I tried switching the ice for the same mass of boiling water in the vessel, then used the same amount of 190 or 212 pour over depending on the coffee roast. While the coffee is being extracted it's at the proper temperature but it's then cooled down.

I don't know what aspect is changing but it's noticeable and reminds me of coffee that's been sitting on the burner for a while. Dripped into ice and then reheated works great for me!

# ¿ May 23, 2021 23:33

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

aldantefax posted:

A new contender in the Bripespace: https://www.instructables.com/Teeny-Tiny-Coffee-Stove/

So you make coffee on the block chain?

# ¿ Jun 3, 2021 03:08

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

AnimeIsTrash posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgjvLQu5NlE

Hoffman made a video about grinders. He talks about stuff like step vs stepless, blade vs burrs, flat vs conical burrs, and roughly what moving up in pricepoints in electric grinders gives you.

All the fun questions people have probably been asking since the creation of the thread.

So this got me going through a bunch of his videos, and for the first time since getting "into" coffee this year I tried side-by-side tasting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSEgP4VNynQ

I felt comfortable enough gauging acidity and body, and I've got a ton to learn about other qualities, but it's a good start. At the very least, I tried 4 different coffees (and a mix of all 4, made from when I would run a few beans through the grinder between batches) and I know which I like the best. I'll keep trying it, as I think this is the only way I'll teach myself to recognize good coffee, and as a result, to tell when I'm improving or loving up my technique.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2021 04:55

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Yeah, seems like it's about consistency within a batch, not consistency between, though with weighing it you will surely have an easier time dialing in the first few brews.

Related!
https://youtu.be/ipB6P1uzNYM

# ¿ Jun 9, 2021 20:12

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Leaving the house though :gonk:

# ¿ Jun 11, 2021 18:50

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Just started some cold brew for the first time since getting "into" coffee.

1. Do folks make it concentrated instead of normal ratio just for storage / dosage / bang for your effort buck convenience or some actual infusion ratio reason?

2. Can I dilute the whole batch to taste or does that not keep as well as concentrate? It'd only last two days I think.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2021 23:16

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Trip report: tried Hoffmann's method for (wastefully) improving quality if you have a crappy grinder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y7d-5KWHCU&t=108s
The video is for blade grinders but in a different video he says it helps with crappy burrs too, which is what I have.

It definitely did prevent some fines and some bigs (chonks? boulders?) getting into my brew:

It took my pour-over from 2:15 to 1:45, so I may try again with a finer grind, and I can say I couldn't taste much difference hot but I could the reheated leftovers later in the day, which I assume was just from the fines not over-extracting in my vessel in the fridge.

Not worth the 18% waste, but a neat experiment, and has at least shown me that investing in a new grinder isn't worth it for my unrefined palate yet.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2021 00:01

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Flair 58 and Niche Zero giveaway. Up to 8 entries by doing some social media following.

https://flairespresso.com/flair-giveaway/

# ¿ Jun 26, 2021 14:51

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Cheese thief tell us all your coffee methods and whether you wing it like your cooking :allears:

# ¿ Jul 2, 2021 01:53

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Good on ya. Would you be up to make an update Da Spoon Zone post then?

# ¿ Jul 2, 2021 03:05

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

No, never, I'll take it off your hands $10

# ¿ Jul 2, 2021 18:17

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

If anyone is looking to "save" 5% on anything from Flair, order in the next 2 weeks. They're increasing prices but they notified email subscribers early as a friendly heads-up, which I appreciate. Got me to pull the trigger anyhow, even though it's only :10bux:

for my $200 neo + accessories.

Sign up for their email list and get another $10 off! Cheapest hobby ever!

# ¿ Aug 3, 2021 06:20

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

"I got my Flair a week before my nice grinder. Should I wait and watch how-to videos or go for it?"
:thunk:

"well if I insist on using my normal grinder I should definitely use the pressurized portafilter, yeah?"
:v:

nah yolo

https://i.imgur.com/z9GExeY.mp4

E: did another with pressurized vessel, shot still went very fast but still enjoyed the process and to my uncultured taste both shots were fine. Hello new hobby!

BrianBoitano fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Aug 5, 2021

# ¿ Aug 4, 2021 23:34

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

For non espresso right?

# ¿ Aug 9, 2021 14:27

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

I'm two weeks into my Flair Neo + JX Pro life and I am about ready to throw away my pour-over grinder + setup. The flexibility to quickly make any espresso drink is exciting, and it's only very slightly longer time for a single shot, ~5 minutes more if I do another one for later.. I currently even prefer an Americano over pour over if I'm feeling like a simple drink. I do two 12g brews instead of one 26g pour-over so my coffee is going a touch further too.

All that said, I'm in the honeymoon period so I'll be back on my lazy bullshit soon enough. Still, no way you could convince me to do a pod system at this point.

# ¿ Aug 19, 2021 05:29

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

If I like small lattes, what's the best way to foam a small amount? I have a French press and results are good but mine in particular requires at least a cup of milk to get it working.

Willing to spend $40 so above the whisk wand level. Doesn't need to heat on its own. Can't really justify a Bellman unless I can snag used for $40 or less, which is a long shot.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2021 18:32

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

hypnophant posted:

https://amazon.com/dp/B08VJP18XN/ ?

no personal experience with this model but the breville version gets good reviews (i didn�t link that version since it�s out of your budget)

This is exactly what I'm looking for, thank you very much! My MIL + FIL both have a fancy version of this but theirs leaves some milk unfrothed that they pour down the sink (or I take for my mug if I'm visiting), but the one you linked has some good images of the whole thing foamifying. The bonus settings are nice too.

Onea these days they'll make one where the entire container is dishwasher safe, but for now this is exactly what I want. I found a smaller French press style one that is fully dishwasher safe but not needing to baby the microwave is worth the extra $23 for me.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2021 05:03

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Reading the thread and watching Hoffmann videos, I landed on Flair Neo and I'm very happy with it. I pull back to back 13g in 30g out shots in the morning and it is amazing. 15 minutes including cleanup, though when I was on vacation and didn't have my electric kettle it got way longer.

Being full manual means you can adjust to your puck behavior and basically never waste a shot, as you would if a low end machine gushes or dribbles.

If you want bigger doses (Neo tops out around 18g officially but 16g my experience) you could get the Flair Pro, 58, or the Robot.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2021 04:00

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

# ¿ Aug 31, 2021 06:04

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

I got bottomless portafilter and pressure gauge. Back to back isn't bad. Assuming you can start boiling water while doing other things. When I had 2 weeks of experience this was my timing:

6:30 from nothing to shot 1
14:00 from nothing to 2 shots
17:00 from nothing to 2 shots, all cleaned up

This is all with 3 boiling water preheats of the brew head, until the water stabilizes at 200�F (personal preference). Quicker if you're not doing 13g in a hand grinder and taping yourself, and also better after practicing a bit more.

JX-Pro was 100% based on this thread, I didn't even research Flair's grinder so I can't weigh in there!

BrianBoitano fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Sep 5, 2021

# ¿ Sep 5, 2021 21:15

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

That's exactly it. You wouldn't need to disassemble (un-plunge) and rinse out a hot brew head before prepping your second puck.

I'm close to buying a dedicated (Flair only due to unique size) tamper, since it does double duty as tamper and un-plunger and rinsing and drying it between shots is a bit annoying. Plus the plastic tamp is juuust a bit too small and it leaves a small bit of grounds untamed.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2021 21:42

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Not a huge pain. 5-7 minutes per shot could only realistically go down to 4-5 if I had a second brew head and really cared, so only if I make a lot of espresso loving friends after the pandemic in ~2025

The main thing with the Neo instead of a Pro is dose size. Maxes out at 14 to maaaybe 16g in and max output maybe 40g

# ¿ Sep 6, 2021 02:05

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

I'm a Flair guy but it sounds like you do so many different kinds of coffee that you'd benefit from something more straightforward, in the Delonghi. I pulled two shots a day for the first few weeks, I enjoyed them but on week 3 I actually nailed it and said whoa I had no idea this was possible. Granted this is with light roast which is harder to get right, but the same learning curve only pulling one shot every other day would be a lengthy process.

Again I was always happy, I never threw any down the drain because they were always passable in an Americano or as a flat white. But it sounds like you're already a bit "over" dial in challenges.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2021 14:26

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

It's also a nice treat for guests. My nanny, who is 55, giggles when she walks in and I offer her one :3:

# ¿ Sep 10, 2021 20:13

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Standard kettle meaning stovetop? Yeah, that's annoying. Electric should be fast enough though. Using a Thermapen I've found getting it to stabilize at 200�F is easiest by preheating the brew head 3 times. I have a narrow coffee mug which makes this pretty easy - just use a spoon to hold the brew head in there while I pour out the boiling water and replace it again. Total water use is about 500 ml total for each shot I pull.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2021 19:25

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

aldantefax posted:

This is a semi-followup to espresso chat but are there any recommendations for small rolling carts or similar that I can just put all my coffee stuff into? I have, uh, a lot of coffee stuff, and I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better served shoved into a bar cart instead of the Ikea thing it's in right now and sort of sprawling all over.

A bar cart I bought a month ago was delivered yesterday. I'll send pics when I'm done setting it up today!

E: I gotta say I like it! Will report back in a week whether the workflow is better but it looks great. Cat stuff will move out of the kitchen after a flooring project is done so that'll help too.

BrianBoitano fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Sep 15, 2021

# ¿ Sep 15, 2021 15:46

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Have you tried the wet spoon trick? It's free!

# ¿ Sep 21, 2021 01:42

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

I love it! If your space allows I'd get a counter height one though. I got this one shorter due to the window, but it's still great. Sturdy enough to pull lever shots. Everything used to be a pile, now it's all in its place.

The natural sunlight makes for nice photos and video too

https://youtu.be/jCeK07MBeXk

Speaking of Hoffmann, to distract from the asshat's punchability comment, here's a new weird thing that I'm very glad he reviewed:

https://youtu.be/fSuqlZna6Tg

# ¿ Sep 29, 2021 15:55

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

E: ^^ I'm not asking you to apologize, not asking you to like the guy, and I don't need you to agree that you're an asshat for expressing your dislike in a very dumb way.

Re: infrared thing: Yeah a bit too polite, kind of like how you don't fight a new coworker when they bring up homeopathy because you just know they'll grumble in the moment only to delight in sending you BS articles every week until the end of time.

BrianBoitano fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Sep 29, 2021

# ¿ Sep 29, 2021 16:19

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Cannon_Fodder never said "effete", but did base their "punchability" comment on "tone and face" which was rightly pointed out as a really dumbfuck thing to say. Many ways of interpreting it and none of them good. However you want to take your L is fine, apology or no, but the longer this derail goes on the more eyes you get on your original bad post.

Cannon_Fodder posted:

I'm not really invested in a slapfight with you guys.

[Citation needed]

# ¿ Sep 29, 2021 18:42

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 01:33

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Got a ridiculous deal on a Flair signature and a JX-Pro on FB marketplace, I was quick on the draw.

https://i.imgur.com/9H2lYNe.gifv

E: will try two at once, just to see how it feels, then sell the Neo and one grinder

# ¿ Sep 30, 2021 05:44

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Coffee: crankin' it until I have a sloppy puck

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