Coffee

[Murelli]

So, with respect to roasting, what is better about doing it at home? Better control over the roast? Freshness of the roast? How much does this improve the quality of the coffee?

I'd guess that a coffee shop would have some fancy roasting equipment with better process control than I would have at home.

Vacuum bags + keep it in the fridge on tight container/tupperware keeps the taste, so I disagree that freshness is that big a deal.

Grinding it is bigger on flavour though. If you can grind it right before you brew it, that makes a lotta difference.

[Root]

So, with respect to roasting, what is better about doing it at home? Better control over the roast? Freshness of the roast? How much does this improve the quality of the coffee?

I'd guess that a coffee shop would have some fancy roasting equipment with better process control than I would have at home.

Vacuum bags + keep it in the fridge on tight container/tupperware keeps the taste, so I disagree that freshness is that big a deal.

But how do you know how fresh it was and how it was handled before you bought it?

[Murelli]

But how do you know how fresh it was and how it was handled before you bought it?

Then you go back to my number 1 choice: dad roasted and ground.

[Allentown]

So, with respect to roasting, what is better about doing it at home? Better control over the roast? Freshness of the roast? How much does this improve the quality of the coffee?

I'd guess that a coffee shop would have some fancy roasting equipment with better process control than I would have at home.

Vacuum bags + keep it in the fridge on tight container/tupperware keeps the taste, so I disagree that freshness is that big a deal.

But how do you know how fresh it was and how it was handled before you bought it?

You get it from a roaster you trust. Or roast it yourself.

[SpinyNorman]

Does anyone have some tips for a good pour over? I usually use my Hario cone when I'm making more than one cup, and I always feel like something is off compared to aeropress coffee. I mean like bean grind, water temp, do you pour slowly or just fill the damn thing up and let it drip?

The first pour over I used was something called a clever dripper. It was a cheater pour over. It had a valve on it so you could basically steep the coffee like you would tea and when you put it on top of a mug it would open the valve and let the coffee through. That gives you a lot of leeway for the grind.

I use a chemex now, so I don't get to cheat as much, although it seems to be somewhat forgiving as long as you don't miss too badly.

I use water just off a boil. I use a power burner on my stove to get the water just to the boiling point then I move the kettle over to the simmer burner on low to keep it just under a boil while I pour. Actually I have to use two kettles because the goose neck one isn't big enough, so I have to refill the goose-neck one partway through.

Getting the right grind is fairly important and took a bit of trial and error. The normal drip setting on my grinder works great for my chemex. The chemex filters are pretty thick though, so with a thinner filter I would imagine a finer grind would be needed. I bloom the grinds for 30 seconds or so, then pour intermittently. I try not to let it get quite down to where I see grinds before I fill it up again, but it doesn't seem to be that picky about it. I've had to throw a pot out where I had the grind too fine and it didn't drain fast enough.

[Allentown]

I bloom the grinds for 30 seconds or so, then pour intermittently. I try not to let it get quite down to where I see grinds before I fill it up again, but it doesn't seem to be that picky about it. I've had to throw a pot out where I had the grind too fine and it didn't drain fast enough.

This is what I do, except with an electric kettle (lazy). Let it hit a boil, let it sit for a minute or so (if I remember), pour some in. After the bloom, I try and keep the filter full of water, so it doesn't cool down too much. I heat more water than I need for the coffee, again so it cools down less, and use the leftover to heat up my travel mug, which I pour into a mug I warm up with hot water at work.

[Root]

Hmmm. My burr grinder doesn't have "presets," just a continuum of settings from fine to coarse.

I use an electric kettle with precise temp control, and use 200F for my brew temp. Sounds like you guys might be using slightly hotter water with "just off boil."

How long does your pour take for, say, 24 oz of coffee? Mine seems fairly fast, like about 3 minutes.

[fishwife]

How many of you were scoffing at the pen nerds?

[Root]

How many of you were scoffing at the pen nerds?

I was. Until now, silently.

Coffee is delicious and among the 5 best smells in the world. Pens are neither of those things.

[Manveer]

How many of you were scoffing at the pen nerds?

A little, but I know people nerd out over a lot of different things.

[Root]

How many of you were scoffing at the pen nerds?

A little, but I know people nerd out over a lot of different things.

The geeking-out in this particular group of people never ceases to amaze me.

[cgeorg]

Re: nerdery, I think my stretch goal will be to post just enough about modern bowling equipment to pique Savs' interest so I can get some answers to things I've long wondered about (for instance, the effect of a longer pin-PAP distance on asym vs. symmetrical cores).

[Root]

The geeking-out in this particular group of people never ceases to amaze me.

Re: nerdery, I think my stretch goal will be to post just enough about modern bowling equipment to pique Savs' interest so I can get some answers to things I've long wondered about (for instance, the effect of a longer pin-PAP distance on asym vs. symmetrical cores).

[Idlehands]

I get my coffee from a local roaster. I can't buy from the grocery store anymore. YUCK!
Currently have a lbs of sweet yellow, which is my typical go to.. That and keyna aa. Or whatever mkgillman says is having a good year. Last year he said the Ethiopian was on point and goddamn he was right.

I have a bonavita coffee maker(thermal) and a baratza virtuoso grinder.

I haven't yet got a coffee mojo but I have researched it.

[Hanley]

whatever mkgillman says is having a good year.

Gillman, what coffee should I buy?

[Mkgillman]

I've got a Bunn HG coffee pot which does a very nice job and a Cuisinart burr grinder which is solid for the price.

I roast all my coffee with a Behmor 1600 roaster. A commercial coffee roaster is going to have a lot more control over their roasting process than you will doing it at home, but they are also going to have a lot more limited selection than what I can choose from Sweet Marias. Not only can you pick from essentially every coffee producing region in the world off their website, but most of the time, you know exactly which farm or plantation the beans are coming from too.

The people that own the company are constantly traveling around the world to find promising new producers and most of the coffee reviews will have pictures from the farms the coffee originated from which is pretty cool. The prices on green beans are also a LOT less expensive than what you would pay getting it from a local roaster. For the most part, I wind up paying ~$7 for 14 ounces of roasted beans doing it myself (I roast 1 pound at a time, but they lose weight during the process).

There is very little in this world that smells better than freshly ground fresh coffee.

[Mkgillman]

whatever mkgillman says is having a good year.

Gillman, what coffee should I buy?

Right now the Kenyans are fantastic. I also had some coffee from Burundi that was startlingly good. I am a big fan of the African varietals though. I like a very bright cup of coffee with good body. I have some central american beans that I am really looking forward to roasting too.

[Murelli]

You guys pouring boiling water on coffee are heathens. That burns the grind and leaves a shitty aftertaste on it. Don't do that, use below boiling temps and filtered water, activated carbon filter prefered because it takes out the chlorine that the government puts in the water. Temps should be on the 80-90°C range (176-194F) for a good tasty coffee.

While you guys think about that, let me tell one thing a galician once told me: in his land, they have the following acronym for CAFE - Caliente, Fuerte, Amargo, Espresso - Hot, Strong, Bitter, Short. Let that brew inside your skulls for a bit.

[Allentown]

How many of you were scoffing at the pen nerds?

A little, but I know people nerd out over a lot of different things.

The geeking-out in this particular group of people never ceases to amaze me.

I missed the whole pen thing. But look at my garage. I would never scoff at someone for what they are passionate about.

I have a Cuisinart DBM-8 (I have marked a few of the settings I commonly use, and can tweak from there if necessary), and a JavaPresse hand grinder. I try and get my coffee from here when I can, but I feel silly having it shipped from three miles away, and I haven't been able to get there when they are open more than once or twice since we had the kid.

[SpinyNorman]

Hmmm. My burr grinder doesn't have "presets," just a continuum of settings from fine to coarse.

I use an electric kettle with precise temp control, and use 200F for my brew temp. Sounds like you guys might be using slightly hotter water with "just off boil."

How long does your pour take for, say, 24 oz of coffee? Mine seems fairly fast, like about 3 minutes.

For my grinder the setting that works (at least most of the time) is right in the middle of espresso and french press.

I got out the thermometer when I brewed my coffee this morning. The water temp was 205F. I've read that the ideal range is between 195 and 205, which is a bit higher than what Murelli listed but not scorching them.

I glanced at the time when the coffee hit the 25 oz mark in the chemex and it took about 5 minutes including letting it bloom for about half a minute.