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Let’s talk coffee

#221
Zig-Zag said:
Haven't read all of these posts, so forgive me if this is repetitious. Our daughter went to school in New Orleans, and during out many visits, we stumbled across Community Coffee with Chicory. We've been drinking it for probably ten years now, and we've tried bunches of other brands, including Cafe du Monde with chicory, but we can't find another brand we like better. Chicory adds a very distinct flavor, and Community Coffee is strong, dark, and just has a better flavor than anything else. We both doctor it with a touch of French vanilla creamer and a little raw stevia, but black works in a pinch, too.

Coffee with chicory cannot be supplied in a whole bean form because chicory is a root and must be ground into the bean. It was used in the south during the war between the states to extend coffee because coffee beans were expensive and less available.

We order this coffee directly from Community Coffee about ten bags at a time and freeze it until using.
Click to expand...

I just posted about the cafe du monde stuff not long ago. Good to know there are other brands, it seems to be somewhat of a curiosity outside of some circles. At any rate, nine times out of ten I'll drink it black, I kinda can't with this stuff, a bit of milk definitely adds something.

Also, an odd question I guess for the general discussion - is there a good method to measure the size of grind that one's making? I imagine in more professional instances one might have some sort of sifter with several layers of... well... sifters in order based on the size of stuff it'll let through; allowing one to divinate how fine their average grind is, and the average deviation and consistency of the grind. But what the heck can we normies do?
 
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#222
Put a heaping scoop of this..

s-l1000.jpg


Into this..

TF5-NP-2.jpg


Happy coffee drinking camper

:):hyper:
 
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#223
pie_man_25 said:
Also, an odd question I guess for the general discussion - is there a good method to measure the size of grind that one's making? I imagine in more professional instances one might have some sort of sifter with several layers of... well... sifters in order based on the size of stuff it'll let through; allowing one to divinate how fine their average grind is, and the average deviation and consistency of the grind. But what the heck can we normies do?
Click to expand...

If you want to get really serious, go with this. I use one:



Otherwise, it's mostly a matter of fine tuning your grinder and getting it dialed in for each brew method. Cleaning and checking it periodically is important.
I usually buy a bag of cheap coffee when getting my grinder dialed in periodically.

-Mike
 
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#224
Question for the pros.

What’s the story on the Hawaii coffee industry? How do the island grown beans command such a premium price? Like north of $50 per pound. I tried some 100% Kona and 100% Kauai estate grown coffees while I was there in January. Both were great but not better than what I roast for myself from more common sources. Is it just a fantastic job of marketing to tourists?
 
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#225
I grew up in a family of coffee snobs. When my Dad was in the army, and stationed in Germany, they discovered the joys of whole bean coffee, which they used to grind with a small, hand crank coffee mill. A few months after they got back to the states, 2 of my uncles bought them a very nice KitchenAid grinder. They used to come over every Sunday for breakfast, and, while they loved the coffee, they hated grinding it.

Over the course of 40 years, the motor was rewound and the burrs were cleaned several times before it finally wasn’t worth fixing. I finally bought my Mom a low end (Cuisinart) burr grinder. Then I finally bought myself a slightly better, but still low end, Bodum grinder. We’ve both switched to using a French press, so a consistent grind is essential.

The thing that annoys me about pretty much all the home burr grinders today is the unnecessarily wide hoppers. Coffee is a spice, and, like all spices, it should be stored in a dark, temperature controlled environment. A clear hopper on my kitchen counter is neither. I weigh out enough beans for 1 brew, and leave the rest in a sealed container in the cupboard. It’s not perfectly climate controlled, but it’s a lot closer than the counter area. Reduce the hopper to a reasonable size, and it would literally reduce the width by half.

The other thing that bothered me about my Bodum initially was the grounds cup. For some reason it had a ridiculous amount of static charge. Instead of falling to the bottom as they came out, the grounds all tried to stick to the sides. They would even float through the gap right above the cup, half covering the exposed outside, while also making a mess on the counter. The same thing would happen when I poured them into the French press. They wouldn’t come off the sides, and a lot of what did come out just ended up stuck on the outside.

After about 3 months, the charge just started getting weaker, until it was just gone. Very strange.
 
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#226
MJ5150 said:
If you want to get really serious, go with this. I use one:



Otherwise, it's mostly a matter of fine tuning your grinder and getting it dialed in for each brew method. Cleaning and checking it periodically is important.
I usually buy a bag of cheap coffee when getting my grinder dialed in periodically.

-Mike
Click to expand...


I've been thinking about getting more and more serious with coffee, but at this time it's really not feasible. It is really cool seeing the sorts of tools people use though - I don't see a lot of use in it at the moment, but I could see myself getting one if and when I get a better grinder and start really going off the deep end.

These are the things I think about to get my head off of other things I suppose ;)
 
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#227
pie_man_25 said:
I've been thinking about getting more and more serious with coffee, but at this time it's really not feasible. It is really cool seeing the sorts of tools people use though - I don't see a lot of use in it at the moment, but I could see myself getting one if and when I get a better grinder and start really going off the deep end.

These are the things I think about to get my head off of other things I suppose ;)
Click to expand...

The Kruve is over the top. I don't use mine for the daily coffee, just more for when I'm doing some comparison roasting or brewing and I want everything to be the same between brews.
I'll bust it out when we're with other coffee lovers just for fun to really get into our coffee.

-Mike
 
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#228
pisces_bass said:
Question for the pros.

What’s the story on the Hawaii coffee industry? How do the island grown beans command such a premium price? Like north of $50 per pound. I tried some 100% Kona and 100% Kauai estate grown coffees while I was there in January. Both were great but not better than what I roast for myself from more common sources. Is it just a fantastic job of marketing to tourists?
Click to expand...
There is a guy growing a rare variety that is highly prized up at the very north of the North Is. They are so far out of the proper equatorial climate zone it beggars belief. He says the beans roast true to type.

First proper crop was last year and he sold it at a fraction of the usual market price by the 1lb if you wanted it or bigger lots. ~$US 50 per pound and it was gone in a flash to all 4 corners. He thinks he can get the full price in future. Definitely some $$ in exotica.
 
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#229
MJ5150 said:
The Kruve is over the top. I don't use mine for the daily coffee, just more for when I'm doing some comparison roasting or brewing and I want everything to be the same between brews.
I'll bust it out when we're with other coffee lovers just for fun to really get into our coffee.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Tbh I was thinking it would be a very effective way to compare grinders, and to further help divinate ideal grinder settings. "If X brew method produces Y end result all else being equal with a grind of such size as opposed to such other size - then I need to grind samples to achieve Y end result."

A little specific I suppose, but I tend to either let too much slide from expedience or I get way too uppity about platitudinous precision.
 
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#230
Is anybody else tracking death wish coffee?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B006CNTR6W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&th=1

I got a tub of the Maxwell House high octane stuff, I think it was like 1.5 times the caffeine of their regular blend. It was on sale at the time for about half the price of anything else on the shelf - so naturally, being a cheapskate I decided to try it. My expectations were low, but I understood very quickly the reason they wanted it off their shelves so badly. This stuff, though, kinda piques my interest.
 
#231
Oh yeah, I know all about those guys. I've had their coffee. It's alright.
For some people, that much caffeine at once can put them in a hospital. Some of those people know that about themselves, others may only sadly find it out when they try this coffee.
As for their claim about it not being bitter, yes that is true if you brew it properly.
I don't drink coffee for the caffeine, so this does not appeal to me.
If you decide to try it, be very careful who you serve it to.

-Mike
 
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#233
Downunderwonder said:
I think that's same as a smoker not smoking for the nicotine.
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Seriously.
I only drink coffee when I'm with friends. It's purely a social experience for me. I like to be with others so I can tell stories about the beans, the roasting process, the journey the coffee took to get to the cups in front us and so on.
Then we drink the coffee and exchange cupping notes.
Due to the stay at home order we're currently under, I haven't had a cup of coffee in over a week. The last time was at the bonfire we enjoyed with friends. I used my stovetop Bialetti on the open flame to make some espresso shots for everyone.

-Mike
 
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#234
MJ5150 said:
Seriously.
I only drink coffee when I'm with friends. It's purely a social experience for me. I like to be with others so I can tell stories about the beans, the roasting process, the journey the coffee took to get to the cups in front us and so on.
Then we drink the coffee and exchange cupping notes.
Due to the stay at home order we're currently under, I haven't had a cup of coffee in over a week. The last time was at the bonfire we enjoyed with friends. I used my stovetop Bialetti on the open flame to make some espresso shots for everyone.

-Mike
Click to expand...
I think you are pretty unusual then.... (typed as I slink off to prime the Bialetti ;) )
 
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#238
pie_man_25 said:
I don't get it either, but we all have our quirks. I know a guy who got a degree in chemistry and works for wineries to maintain product consistency. He's been dry almost twenty years now.
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There was a guy who worked on product consistency the old fashioned way all day. The judge let him off without a drink driving fine because the testing didn't involve swallowing.
 
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